Lunches

[cbreneman]

Hey Everyone!

I'm a total newbie here. Myself, along with my father-in-law and brother-in-law are going to do the in-state portion of the AT the week leading up to Labor Day. This will be my first long hike that I've ever done (96.1 miles). As far as lunches go, we'd like for them to be quick. A break is good, but we also want to keep going. My thought process to keep from taking out everything in our packs would be protein bars and dried fruit with some nuts.

My question is: Is this dumb? If not, what are some protein bars you suggest? I'm seeing everything under the sun researching online.

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Tipi Walter]

My standard lunch bar is either a Larabar or a ThinkThin protein bar. (I've been thru every energy bar you can imagine---Clif, Pro Bar etc etc. They all get old).

If you take a loaf of bread on your trip in the morning you could make a couple peanut butter/jelly or honey sandwiches and ziploc them up for a quick sit down lunch.

Some people like a red apple and some cheese. Then there's peanuts and raisins---GORP. Or trail mix. Or granola. Or a bagel and cream cheese.

[Nanatuk]

Protein bars are usually Oatmeal based (Clif Bars and similar) or Date based (Lara Bars and similar). I bought a bunch of different kind of bars to taste test before my hike last year and ended up packing Kind bars, Lara bars, Probars and RX bars in my resupply boxes.

I loved the Probar - Superfood slam and the RX bars. Very filling and good energy,
I ended up loathing the Lara bars - Something about the texture. I ended up smearing peanut butter to make them palatable.
I love the Kind bars, but not very filling as a meal, more of a snack.

Everyone's taste is different so go give them a try before you go.

My usual trail lunch is a tortilla with either Peanut butter and dried fruit or salami and cheese (baby bels).

[john844]

I also like doing something with a tortilla. Peanut butter and jelly or honey is one option. Salami and cheese is my favorite on trail.

If you are worried about having to take everything out, you can make it during breakfast. Place your lunch in the top of your pack so it's easily accessible.

You might find that taking a lunch break is refreshing and a good time to remove your shoes and socks to give your feet time to fully dry out.

As far as protein bars, I would take a variety of brands and flavors. Having options will make eating more enjoyable and give you choices. What sounds good to you now or what works for us might be awful to you on trail.

[peakbagger]

There was a thru hiker long ago that surmised that variety of eating sensations were needed to keep from getting bored. They advocated something crunchy, something chewy, something sweet and something salty. My staple was soft tortillas spread with Nutella and crunchy peanut butter, jerky and gorp that contained nuts and Good and Plenty candy licorice candy mixed in. I was usually short on the crunchy part;). The torillas seem to last forever without refrigeration as long as they are kept dry and surprising available along the southern AT as there are usually migrant populations in the area.

I have tried bagels multiple times and unless I score some fresh ones locally I find the bagged store versions just don't digest that well post lunch.

[HooKooDooKu]

...You might find that taking a lunch break is refreshing and a good time to remove your shoes and socks to give your feet time to fully dry out...
^^THIS!!!

The only long distance hike I've done was the 200+ miles of the JMT... and this is one way I made sure my feet were going to be upto the task.
{I've seen too many videos of people not used to day-after-day of long trail miles suddenly trying on and getting some pretty bad blisters}


I never watched the clock, but mentally, my idea was to rest for an hour each day in the middle of the after noon, resting my feet and giving them and my footwear a chance to dry out a little bit.


By contrast, I used various bars for a quick breakfast... once awake, trying to get a quick start to the day.


The other thing I did was snack foods. I had prepackaged several 200 calorie snacks. Each morning during breakfast, I would pull out three of these snacks and put them in my pocket to munch on between breakfast and lunch break. During lunch, I would pull out another three for the afternoon. Lunch itself was usually a peanut butter sandwich (made with soft taco shells).

[FreeGoldRush]

If you hike a lot then the “keep moving” mentality is fine. But you better be in shape approaching that of a thru hiker who is well into their hike. For those of us not currently settled into the daily hiking grind you will likely find that lunch time gives you a needed break for your feet and back. This isn’t about comfort. It’s about improving your odds in the battle with injury: blisters, tendon damage, overuse of muscles, and allowing your body to generally heal and get stronger.

[Tipi Walter]

I've probably eaten thousands of backpacking lunches over the years but only TWICE during the last 40 years have I ever dumped the pack and pulled out the stove and cooked up a hot lunch-meal. Like oatmeal or pasta or ramen or soup etc.

There are some backpackers who religiously stop mid-day and fire up their stoves for a meal. Too dang much work for me---plus you gotta fumble finding the stove and the fuel and the Bic lighter and the pot and the spoon and have extra water etc.

One such guy was Sgt Rock who met me on Whiggs Meadow on the BMT and he fired up his alcohol stove for something cooked for lunch. Here's a pic of the event---(January 2008)---Midday Repast.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpacking2008/Trip-72/i-GMqBB85/0/3e081447/L/Trip%2072%20047-L.jpg

[John B]

Definitely miss Sgt. Rock. Among other things, his constant quest to improve the alcohol stove or find THE most energy and weight efficient stove was fun to follow .

For lunch, I have an apple, an energy bar, and I typically put 2 Earl Grey teabags in a Nalgene in the morning, and by noon it's ready to drink. In re energy bars, I can't do Cliff bars anymore. I went through a phase of ProteinPlus and Gatorade bars. My latest phase is Bobo's, a brand made in Boulder, CO, which doesn't have any weird chemical flavors, and is filling and enjoyable to eat.

[kestral]

Make sure you try out the bars at home. Some have sugar alcohols or types of soy protein in them which I for one am extremely sensitive to... builder bars were a big problem - they give me wicked gas, cramps and diarrhea... you don’t want to go there.

Funny, a snickers bar was way healthier for me than a hyped protein bar.

[Deadeye]

My Dad was one for a long lunch break at work and on the trail. He could also close his eyes and take a nap as well as any cat around - a genetic trait I didn't inherit, I'm a night owl.

Dad often made soup at lunch, Mrs. Grass chicken noodle, often with some added meat, then we'd have tea and play a game of chess before getting back on the trail. We rarely did high-mileage days.

I, on the other hand, tend to turn my hikes into death marches, but I still stop for a longish lunch, roll out the z-rest, take off my shoes and put my feet up. Dates, nuts, fresh or dried fruits, cheese, bagels, etc. are all good options, and if you happen to have a packet of SPAM...

[Deadeye]

I love Lara bars, but the dollars add up - you can get the same thing, less the wrapper, by stuffing dates & nuts in your mouth!

[peakbagger]

I believe the first continuous single year triple crowner, was a big fan of Snickers Bars. (Flying Bryan was the first single year triple crowner but he skipped around to take advantage of weather).

[Slo-go'en]

As you can see, there are as many lunch favorites are there are people.

I once ate nothing but PB+J sandwiches, GORP and Snicker bars for something like 700 miles. It was a resupply which could be made at any gas station convivence market and eliminated the stove.

I'm not fond of bars. Okay, if I really have to I'll eat them. I keep a few for emergencies and never seem to have that emergency.

My current lunch is mostly corn chips. Fat and salt, just what you need on a hot day. Easy to snack on. I keep them in the packs "brain" for easy access. They can also be mixed into dinner to make it a little more crunchy and even used to start fires with.

A hot lunch can be nice during cold or rainy weather. Instant mashed potatoes or Raman makes a quick hot lunch and can really perk you up.

[Tipi Walter]

Make sure you try out the bars at home. Some have sugar alcohols or types of soy protein in them which I for one am extremely sensitive to... builder bars were a big problem - they give me wicked gas, cramps and diarrhea... you don’t want to go there.

Funny, a snickers bar was way healthier for me than a hyped protein bar.

Traditionally snickers were made from Hydrogenated oils---a big No No---but they may have changed it to non-hydrogenated palm oils---to avoid the Trans-Fat label.

[Nolan "Guido" Jordan]

Look up EPIC meat bars. It's a delicious bar with meat in it for protein and fat. I also like Larabars and RX Bars

[Tipi Walter]

I went on an Epic vegetarian bar kick along with an RX Bar phase---as Epic has many meatless bars too which use egg whites---like with RX bars. They're pretty good if you're into eggs.

[HooKooDooKu]

Make sure you try out the bars at home...
And make sure you love them...
Hiking can sort of change your taste buds.
I started my hike eating a Nature Valley nut bar and Nature Valley "Biscuits" for breakfast. While the nut bars were ok at home, I found I didn't love them (and therefore wasn't really eating them) on the trail.

Of course my hike had more than just the change in physical activity to change my taste buds. On the JMT, altitude comes into play. After the third night of camping at 9,000' to 10,000', I woke up with little to no appetite... definitely note one that was going to allow me to eat Nature Valley bars and biscuits for breakfast. Fortunately I had some precooked bacon with me... and THAT I managed to still have an appetite for.

On that trip, I discovered I personally really like the Nature Valley Almond Butter Biscuits, still use those for breakfast on camping trips to this day. My son has learned he likes the Chocolate Brownie Cliff Bars for breakfast.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Pita or tortilla or other flat bread or crackers with: a can of tuna in olive oil (good fat calories here), can or pouch of chicken, summer sausage, can of deviled ham. Empty tuna size cans surprisingly weigh about the same as the empty pouches, contain more food, are easier to eat out of if going that route, and cost less than pouches as well. The only extra weight needed is a little P-38 can opener https://www.google.com/search?q=army+can+opener&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS795US796&oq=army+can+opener&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.5710j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 which weighs all of 4 grams.

[Traffic Jam]

As you can see, there are as many lunch favorites are there are people.

I once ate nothing but PB+J sandwiches, GORP and Snicker bars for something like 700 miles. It was a resupply which could be made at any gas station convivence market and eliminated the stove.

I'm not fond of bars. Okay, if I really have to I'll eat them. I keep a few for emergencies and never seem to have that emergency.

My current lunch is mostly corn chips. Fat and salt, just what you need on a hot day. Easy to snack on. I keep them in the packs "brain" for easy access. They can also be mixed into dinner to make it a little more crunchy and even used to start fires with.



yep...corn chips are the best (and I also really dislike bars). My stomach is finicky when hiking and I often have little appetite but Fritos always taste delicious.

[JNI64]

Pita or tortilla or other flat bread or crackers with: a can of tuna in olive oil (good fat calories here), can or pouch of chicken, summer sausage, can of deviled ham. Empty tuna size cans surprisingly weigh about the same as the empty pouches, contain more food, are easier to eat out of if going that route, and cost less than pouches as well. The only extra weight needed is a little P-38 can opener https://www.google.com/search?q=army+can+opener&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS795US796&oq=army+can+opener&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.5710j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 which weighs all of 4 grams.

What don't tell me you never saw that survivor guy open a can on a rock ? And your a whiteblaze member jeeeez!! :rolleyes:

[Midwest Mike]

Triscuits. Cheese (not too salty). Dried fruit. Mmmmm.

[JNI64]

yep...corn chips are the best (and I also really dislike bars). My stomach is finicky when hiking and I often have little appetite but Fritos always taste delicious.

And they make good fire starters, dual purpose.

[4eyedbuzzard]

What don't tell me you never saw that survivor guy open a can on a rock ? And your a whiteblaze member jeeeez!! :rolleyes::confused: :-? Er, um, hmm - so okay then - doing that might scratch and damage the natural rocks and even spill food juices/particles on the soil. Definitely not in keeping with LNT principles. Yes, that's it. Can't do such things as a WB member you understand! :D

[Tuxhiker]

What tastes good to me changes on the trail. My favorite trail lunch is raisin bread with peanut butter. The raisins help keep the bread from molding. I have never eaten that anywhere but on the trail because hiking is the only time it appeals to me. I wouldn't find a hot lunch appealing unless the weather was cold. I also like Fritos and bean dip, cheese and a satsuma, or trail mix. I remember reading of a hiker who always ate marshmallows and peanut butter for lunch. That sounds pretty good. You will figure out what suits you.

[garlic08]

I've stopped thinking of meals when I hike. Instead, I stop for a decent break every two hours, long enough to eat as much as I can. That's usually at least five times a day, and I ran out of names for those food breaks.

I keep a bag of tortillas, a jar of peanut butter, a couple bags of different kinds of nuts and dried fruit, a bag of crackers, some Fig Newtons, some fresh fruit and veg for a couple of days at least, and a large bag of muesli.

[QuietStorm]

I used to just keep hiking and eat on the move but am trying to make myself stop every 2-3 miles to take the pack off, stretch, drink, and eat a snack. Lunch, if I eat one, is usually a Spam sandwich, sometimes with cheese, and Hellman's mayo (which comes in individual servings). Otherwise I eat trail mix (with espresso beans and chocolate, if I can find it at Walgreen's), Gatorade energy chews, and Think bars (which don't get as hard in the winter as other bars).

[Five Tango]

I've hiked with people who can boil water and eat a bag of Ramen noodles out of its own bag in the time I can get out some crackers,cheese,and a candy bar.Don't ask me how he does it without burning himself with the hot water.
I survive on FB cooking but I have a cozy for the bag.I've seen others eat oatmeal straight out of its own bag at breakfast too.That .4 oz a ziplock FB weighs is just too much weight I guess and it does add up.Ditto for the stuff sacks.

[Traveler]

You might find that taking a lunch break is refreshing and a good time to remove your shoes and socks to give your feet time to fully dry out.
One of the first things I learned from Colin Fletcher (The Hikers Bible) - take your boots and socks off when taking a break. I follow this pretty routinely and find it a refreshing habit unless weather or circumstance prevents it.

[Odd Man Out]

I'm another PB&J on a tortilla kind of guy. I use the bars for snack breaks (when I do keep moving, or at least keep my pack on). For me, lunch is for stopping, getting your pack off, giving your feet a rest, digging through your food bag, and getting something more than a bar. Planters use to make a great nut-based bar but they discontinued that years ago (crap). I'm not obsessed with protein in particular. Protein probably isn't the most efficient way to get energy.

[peakbagger]

Lance Snacks makes a very similar product to the Planters Peanut Bar. Amazon sells them by the case. I usually just buy the snack size paydays which are probably more sugar and less peanuts for hiking. I think the paydays are bit softer in cold weather.

[4eyedbuzzard]

One of the first things I learned from Colin Fletcher (The Hikers Bible) - take your boots and socks off when taking a break. I follow this pretty routinely and find it a refreshing habit unless weather or circumstance prevents it.Just a minor point, but what's commonly called The Hikers Bible was actually titled "The Complete Walker". Great book, way ahead of its time, although I still find the practice of cutting off toothbrush handles to save a few grams a bit too extreme. Makes them much harder to use and brush effectively. ;)

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[Tipi Walter]

Just a minor point, but what's commonly called The Hikers Bible was actually titled "The Complete Walker". Great book, way ahead of its time, although I still find the practice of cutting off toothbrush handles to save a few grams a bit too extreme. Makes them much harder to use and brush effectively. ;)

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It must be remembered that Colin Fletcher carried a 55-65 lb pack---See his gear list---and 6 lbs of just camera equipment---

46055

[Deadeye]

It must be remembered that Colin Fletcher carried a 55-65 lb pack---See his gear list---and 6 lbs of just camera equipment---


Yep, and then he'd obsess about weight and cut the strings off his tea bags! Still a classic, though, and what my Dad (and therefore me)used to learn from.

[Traillium]

I've stopped thinking of meals when I hike. Instead, I stop for a decent break every two hours, long enough to eat as much as I can. That's usually at least five times a day, and I ran out of names for those food breaks.

I keep a bag of tortillas, a jar of peanut butter, a couple bags of different kinds of nuts and dried fruit, a bag of crackers, some Fig Newtons, some fresh fruit and veg for a couple of days at least, and a large bag of muesli.

Ahh — a master speaks!

I’ve more or less adopted that strategy as well. DIY gorp, salami, cheese, one bar a day, eaten whenever I feel like it, and especially 20 minutes beforehand in anticipation of a tough climb up or down.

Now I have to work on consuming enough calories during the night. Extra before-bed, and extra after the obligatory nighttime pee-break(s) … mostly the same gorp mixture, heavy on nuts.


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[Time Zone]

Protein bars are usually Oatmeal based (Clif Bars and similar) or Date based (Lara Bars and similar). I bought a bunch of different kind of bars to taste test before my hike last year and ended up packing Kind bars, Lara bars, Probars and RX bars in my resupply boxes.

I loved the Probar - Superfood slam and the RX bars. Very filling and good energy,
I ended up loathing the Lara bars - Something about the texture. I ended up smearing peanut butter to make them palatable.
I love the Kind bars, but not very filling as a meal, more of a snack.

Everyone's taste is different so go give them a try before you go.

My usual trail lunch is a tortilla with either Peanut butter and dried fruit or salami and cheese (baby bels).


I used to think I liked dates until I brought back a bunch of protein-bar based snacks from a business meeting afternoon break room kind of thing. The leftovers were about to be tossed (or hopefully donated) and I was encouraged to take all I wanted. As a hiker, I was only too happy to snap up one of each kind, no pun intended.

To my palate, they ranged from meh to horrible, and the horrible ones all had in common that dates were one of the top ingredients. I recall liking to eat them "loose", as much as raisins or other dried fruits when I had them just on their own. After having these bars, loose is probably the only way I'd eat them again! Unlike you, Nanatuk, it wasn't the texture for me (and I do get that on some foods), it really was the taste. Blah!

[peakbagger]

Dates get a bad rep from many as the only ones they have had are the low quality processed ones, typically dusted with sugar to make them palatable. Even the ones in bulk bins in stores can be marginal quality. The jumbo Medjool dates are close to candy. The downside is good dates seem to always come with pits and that means having to haul the pits out. Dates have a low glycemic index so they are good for a quick energy boost but need to be mixed in with something with longer term energy. I usually buy the domestically produced dates as the imported ones can go through a long chain of not necessarily modern hygiene standards. They keep well, no need to freeze but do keep slowly drying if not kept in a sealed plastic bag.

[garlic08]

...whenever I feel like it, and especially 20 minutes beforehand in anticipation of a tough climb up or down....

I added the bold above and strongly agree--most accidents happen on descents and it's good to stop, rest, and fuel before a tough one.

It's the final descents into town that worry me most. It's hard to pause when dinner and a cold beer are an hour away.

[bjd002]

My favorite is pepperoni and a tortilla

[lonehiker]

3 beef sticks, 2 packages of cheese and crackers (various flavors), and 1 or 2 handfuls of corn chips. As I tire of the latter I will replace, for a bit, with a handful or two of Skittles.

[carouselambra]

My go to is a bagel with peanut butter, honey, and cranberries. I am a 45-minute lunch to rest and air out my feet, shoes, and socks guy. I know that does not fit with the OP's on-the-go plan, but it works for me.