What I Eat on a Thru-Hike (Vegan) + Resupply Tips

[@lilytagariello6626]

Big fan of cold soaking the little oatmeal bags

[@hermeticallysealed]

"surprisingly vegan and bad for you" YOU'VE MADE IT YOU'VE REALLY MADE IT

[@DanStenziano]

my 2 main criteria

[@leahrubin5453]

Great video! Love seeing other vegan hikers!

[@hannahdavis5708]

This is so informative, but more importantly hilarious. Thanks for the great video!

[@RogerMain]

Well Dan, I now know who is the Gost buster. Your degrees of preparedness are simply out of this world. You the man, your are a natural born teacher and you sense of humor combined with perfect articulation will have students lining up to take your courses. BTW: Watched most of your videos and as a newbie, you have taught me important skills Good boy yourself my man Cheers to ya...

[@DanStenziano]

Haha, thanks Roger! Those are some big compliments. I appreciate the kind words, and I'm glad my videos have been helpful!

[@VirtualTurtleGames]

Dude thanks, this is great! Especially for someone who isn't from the US this kind of stuff is awesome if you want to prepare!

[@luboyanev]

Thanks for sharing! As a fellow vegan hiker, this video had some very good meal ideas, will have to try the "Pad thai" :) For the dinners I would usually bring a small bottle from litesmith and fill it up with ketchup or sriracha in towns, and also I would typically bring some kind of a spicing to add some flavor. And once I also found some dried spinach in a hiker box and it was a great addition to the dinners :)

[@DanStenziano]

Good tip on the little bottle from Litesmith. Looks like they also have some perfect olive oil bottles - the little leakproof Nalgenes in various sizes. I started off the CDT with a tiny spice shaker full of salt/pepper but sadly it ended up leaking so I gave up on it. Dried veggies are awesome when you can get them! In a healthfood store in Silver City, NM I found dehydrated hummus and dehydrated veggies and mixed them with couscous which was awesome :)

[@luboyanev]

@@DanStenziano Yes, dried foods could be the hidden taste gems :)

[@susancalabro806]

I usually make a homemade trail mix with vegan chocolate and gummies. You could also take along little package of jelly/jam so you can make PBJ tortillas. Raisins are also good with PB as well 😎

[@evesouthwood7633]

Raisins are a genius idea - thank you

[@BravestoneHikes]

Great video Dan! Thanks for sharing. As a vegan backpacker it is always fun to see what other people eat on trail. I like Betty Lou’s Fruit Pies for breakfast and tortillas with instant hummus and olives for lunch.

[@DanStenziano]

Nice, do you have an instant hummus you recommend?

[@FlyCheeseFry]

I love the amount of peanut butter here. PB is life.

[@trombahonker]

I suggest using green colored Ziploc bags, they filter out the damaging light and enhance flavor qualities while your food waits for consumption.

[@DanStenziano]

@trombahonker I will incorporate this strategy immediately

[@ndeemtns]

Great video! And don't forget folks that in town stops you can pick up little jelly things and honey packets in restaurants to add to your peanut butter tortilla...yum!

[@danasams3539]

I saw your video about gear. You were so funny. I think I will continue to watch and learn from you. I haven't started hiking yet but as soon the weather clears up I have a few places to try. I am a little over 50 (yea kinda of old) and I live in central Ca. I am excited to explore Kings Canyon, Sequoias and Sierra's but I need to find easy peasy hikes good for middle age adventures gal. I also have my eye on some coastal areas that I think would be beautiful to explore. Hope you read this.

[@rocketdog4539]

Start with Twin Lakes; easy day hike that starts just past Huntington.

[@danasams3539]

@@rocketdog4539 Thank you. I will as soon as the weather clears up and roads are opened. We had the big fire up there last year so it might not be as pretty as it once was.

[@jitatmaanand2782]

Dan, great video. I really enjoy your style. genuine dude. love the calculator resupply technique. would be great to meet you on the trail. happy hiking

[@johnh1430]

Haha. How about chips @ 155 kcal, olive oil, or maybe coconut oil @250 kcal if it’s cool enough for it to remain solid, no risk of spills, might want to heat it up tho. Scottish butter shortbread, delicious, sometimes found in US, also cheese @ 120 kcal.

[@jorgemiguel1040]

add raisins, seeds to the pb torts

[@pradeepchandra6157]

3 words - Maya Kaimal Dal. With 1 minute rice. Most of their products (or maybe all)are vegan and that's what I took on Mt Whitney. Bit heavy but should be ok for 5 day trips.

[@DanStenziano]

Funny you mention those, I often bring them for lunch at work. Very tasty!

[@evandorco5193]

Nice dude I hike all the time in northwest NJ kittitiny ridge which is part of the NJ appalachians

[@xGorexGirlx]

Good information. Thanks Dan. Keep the videos coming

[@dgerken1]

Great video, man. Fellow plant based hiker, and a “Dan” too. I’m gearing up for my PCT 2021 attempt. Have you tried a super greens powder or a plant based protein powder out on trail? I was thinking of adding those to my daily intake. Did you find it easy to get dehydrated beans while resupplying? I could eat bean burritos a lot but IDK how easy or difficult it will be to find the dehydrated beans in trail towns. Also your new Super High Sierra route video was maybe my most favorite of yours so far. Cheers and keep up the awesome videos.

[@DanStenziano]

Hey, thanks! I have not tried greens or protein powder specifically, but I can only see them being good things, especially if you're doing many mail drops. All I did for a nutritional 'safety net' was a multivitamin. As for beans- it's not that easy to find dehydrated beans in towns. On the PCT I did all mail drops and so I sent myself a lot of beans. On the CDT I did almost no mail drops so I ate a lot of ramen instead. You could try to order beans while you go. I am pretty sure the service Zero Day Resupply has beans. Good luck- I'm happy to answer any other Qs.

[@dgerken1]

@@DanStenziano Thanks for the great info. The multivitamin is a good idea. I'll check out Zero Day Resupply, I hadn't heard of them before. Sounds like I'll have to at least mail drop some specialty items...or eat lots more ramen. I had tried a dehydrated hummus on the JMT, and it was awful after a couple days. Ended up switching to pinto beans for tortilla fillers. Thanks again.

[@SeniorHiker77]

Nice demo on how to eat out a snack bag. Lol 🤜🤛

[@DanStenziano]

Only high quality content here 😂

[@Nasgareth]

Fancy using a spoon for those peanut butter packs. I usually just use the lid as a scoop, then lick and suck clean like a depraved mad man.

[@DanStenziano]

Crooked Roads 😂

[@YakoBako]

Man... that’s like a smoke break snack for me 😂 great video bro!

[@YakoBako]

I remember eating a 2000 calorie bag of trail mix a few weeks ago in El Paso... finished it before I was done editing the days footage 😅😂

[@DanStenziano]

Thanks! And hey, I didn't say anything about how much I eat in town 😂

[@YakoBako]

Dan Stenziano this is true ! Stay well

[@scienceofsomology450]

Ton of win in the bag eating method. One thing I have done to add calories is to buy the smallest olive oil plastic bottle I can find (or sesame, or whatever is in a really small bottle) and add a tablespoon or two to my dinner entree' (depends on your digestive system as to how much !) for extra calories. It lasts a good while, depending, and gets lighter as you travel.

[@DanStenziano]

Science of Somology good tip on the sesame oil for smaller bottles, I hadn’t thought of that. I do sometimes do oil for longer stretches. Would like to find the perfect 4oz or so reusable bottle to repackage oil into and leave the big bottle in a hiker box.

[@yumecha05]

I'm terrible at handling my food during multi days hiking.... what you ate in one day is what i ate in 4 days of mountain hiking.... lost 3kg 😂 thanks for the tips :)

[@shellyfahren1936]

You rock! Glad to see you again! #keeponkeepinon

[@DanStenziano]

Shelly Fahren 🙂

[@celiareed1402]

Another great video. Hope you are taking B-12 too.

[@DanStenziano]

Thanks! On trail I just make sure the multi I get has at least 100% B12, plus what's in the clif bars. At home I take dedicated B12.

[@hikehound3909]

Hi Dan. The stove free menu is intriguing. A nice way to jettison another pound or two of stove, fuel and cookpot weight. Do you have any more variety than this, or is it pretty much the same things every day?

[@DanStenziano]

Pretty similar every day, but I’ve been trying to add more variety. It’s hard to beat the low cost and simplicity of PB n ramen for dinner though, and dehydrated beans don’t agree with my stomach on trail.

[@larahorvat1443]

Really great vid! :D

[@jessicaleabender]

I need more food content! How much does your backpack weigh with all the food an supplies for a few days when there is no chance to resupply? Why is there no jelly in this Peanut-Oreo-Wrap? Thanks for all the tips. It takes a lot of vegan pressure off my chest as I'm planning to go hiking for three weeks in Scotland next year and it feels like 85% of what I'm packing is food

[@DanStenziano]

There's no jelly cuz that sounds even worse than PB and Oreo already is 😆 For an upcoming trip I'll be packing 6.5 days of food at 1.5lb per day, so ~10lb of food plus ~10lb of gear will be around 20lb. Packing fatty foods like nuts/nut butter is helpful. For thruhikes when I need more food it'll be more like 2lb per day. Hope this helps!

[@jeffbaker123]

Dan what kind of shaker bottle are you using for the “pad Thai”?

[@DanStenziano]

It’s a Gatorade powder container

[@markcummings6856]

Loved it! Somewhat similar to my system. Curious as to the total weight of everything you displayed in table? I will go check the weights on google of your cliff bars as you did show weights of the nuts. Thanks.

[@DanStenziano]

Thanks! Clif bars are 2.4oz each, one of those tortillas is 1.8oz, ramens are 3oz each, and the peanut butters are 1.5oz each. So I got 34.2oz for all of it, a bit over 2lb.

[@markcummings6856]

Dan Stenziano Thanks! Hey, 34 oz for 43-4,400 c = superb. We all know about the ooor tortillas, but oh well 😔.

[@OliverHikes]

Can you give a link to that nifty cold soaking jar!?!

[@DanStenziano]

Sure thing- it's a gatorade powder container: www.gatorade.com/products/sports-drinks/thirst-quencher-powder-lemon-lime-18-3-oz-canister Unfortunately mostly out of stock online right now 🙁

[@rentrofmij]

The chocolate and peanut butter builder bars are DRY. On the upside lots of stuff you need fo a hike and you won't dehydrate washing the builder bar down...

[@DanStenziano]

Yeah I would agree with that, but for some reason they're one of my favorite bars 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@RTaranto118]

“It does kinda suck” 😂

[@alexhonken]

favorite cold soak container? i am colorblind but that one looks like one of the orange Gatorade powder containers. also, any more gear that you've been able to test out since your CDT before and after review? i thought it was an awesome way to reflect on gear-- rewatching your video and commenting over it. anyway, cheers! go team vegan!

[@DanStenziano]

It is indeed the Gatorade powder container, shout out to Swami. It's the only cold soak container I've ever used beyond testing, so I can't really comment on other ones. But the gatorade container is 1.8oz, fits 2 ramen and doesn't leak (unless you try really hard), so it fits all my criteria. I have tested one new shelter since the CDT- The SplitWing from SlingFin. I like that the tarp is only 8oz and almost full coverage, and I like that it's A-frame. Only bummer is 10d silnylon. Planning on using just the tarp with my Borah bivy this summer (fingers crossed) in the Sierra. I also have my eye on Nunatak's 3D Apex quilt which look awesome 😎 Thanks for watching! 🌱

[@fancyname5997]

Do you ever mail yourself powdered meals that you’ve pre made? Or have other people mail you some sort of powdered meal?

[@DanStenziano]

Haven't done stuff like that in a while. A few years ago for the JMT I did some of Andrew Skurka's recipes which he has on his website. Beans and rice, pesto noodles, that kinda thing. Now I usually stick to ramen and PB for ease and simplicity.

[@JakeRuby]

Good video. But I must point out that the quote is from Benjamin Franklin: "Hunger is the best pickle."

[@DanStenziano]

Haha, good to know!

[@jose.mendez]

Damn are you me??? this is mostly what I eat too. Needs more nooch tho

[@DanStenziano]

Haha I have used nooch a lot in the past, but only when I send boxes. Awesome for dinners, especially beans + fritos 😋

[@natalieberg2102]

Haha loved the video :D

[@Mud_Slide]

I can't believe you're actually able to stomach that stuff off trail

[@DanStenziano]

Idk what you mean.. it's delicious

[@vinnymullin3484]

What about Snickers??

[@DanStenziano]

Only when they fall magically from the sky. Otherwise no.

[@andyveres3982]

Yeah boyyyyyyy

[@ericevans9257]

Get share.

[@donnyt857]

Why no dry fruit?

[@DanStenziano]

I've brought dried fruit before, especially mango and banana. It's just not a go-to because it's not the highest in calories.

[@groundflax]

Cold soaking alternative, bag of kettle cooked chips with a pack of tuna , rocked this for the second half of the PCT and I finished the trail so worked pretty good id say

[@articus5134]

That sounds amazing, honestly. I am not a huge fan of Ramen... so Kettle Cooked chips sounds like a pleasant swap.

[@Higleya]

Except tuna isn't vegan and the whole video is about vegan food so....

[@ThisRightSideUp]

packages of potatoes and mixed nuts for dinner

[@DanStenziano]

Good idea, very much in the spirit of hiker pad thai

[@ThisRightSideUp]

Dan Stenziano I’m developing it as we speak....add raisins and onions..sounds awful, but it’s delicious

[@DanStenziano]

@@ThisRightSideUp I'm not so sure about the onions, but I have definitely added raisins to savory dishes and really like it!

[@eddydewilde4958]

Eating while walking- cold soaked noodles? WTF Dan ! Even prisoners get meal breaks and better food. Haha, keep up the good work vagrant vegan.

[@DanStenziano]

Lol miles over smiles 🥲

[@keganfink8331]

" and has 400 and 20 calories" me- nice

[@jatsajatsa]

Are you absolutely sure that ramen is vegan? It says ‘vegetarian’ on the pack so I reckon there are dairy fats in there. Just sayin’ .

[@DanStenziano]

I am pretty close to absolutely sure. Just checked the ingredients again (you know i always keep some on hand lol), and they use vegetable oil for the fat, and I saw no mention of dairy fats. If there were, they'd be obligated to list dairy as an allergen.

[@jatsajatsa]

Dan Stenziano 👍🏻

[@joshstagg148]

I feel so dumb for not realising you can cold soak noodles lmaoo

[@dianal.1279]

A lot of waste, a lot of plastic. Perhaps it'd be worth sacrificing some minutes to eat from a bigger container to diminish waste.

[@DanStenziano]

This is a fair criticism, and something I've thought about. I do reuse the ziplocs as many times as is reasonable but you are correct that using one larger bag for snacks would result in less overall plastic waste. One reason I use separate bags for each day that I didn't mention in the video is to help ration food over an entire section. If I have, say, all of my mixed nuts for a 5 day stretch in one bag, I will be tempted to eat into food that I should be reserving for subsequent days. But your comment does have me reevaluating my system. Perhaps I could find some truly reusable containers that I could wash in towns and eliminate the ziplocs altogether. At the very least I could make a better effort to extend the life of the ziplocs. In any case, I appreciate your honesty.

[@dianal.1279]

@@DanStenziano And I appreciate your answer. 🌹 🌻

[@livinglike_lisa7954]

Look into silicone bags on Amazon. They have snack bag size ones and you can cold soak in them.

[@troy204]

I take SPAM singles with Kraft easy cheese on pita bread. Yummylicious

[@chingona322]

You eat very bad amigo 😜