View Full Version : Freezer Bag Cooking and Resupply Logistics
In regards to resupply, how feasible is freezer bag cooking on a thru hike? My concerns are as follows:
1. A box of freezer bags usually has like 40? bags in it, so what do you do with the extras? Carry them for use in the next town?
2. Ability to clean and reuse freezer bags. I guess you can clean a freezer bag in a sink, but what if you don't have access to soap and/or running water. I'd be worried about sanitation.
3. You buy all the ingredients for meals, but might have too much of a couple of ingredients. For example, breakfast = rolled oats, crasins, dried milk, brown sugar, etc. You might be able to use the whole bag of oats, but definitely not all the brown sugar and dried milk. What do you do with the remaining ingredients? Carry as excess weight? Throw away? Share?
4. The time factor involved in preparing each meal in its own bag. I could see getting annoyed at spending an hour in front of a grocery store measuring ingredients into bags. You wouldn't want to do it in the woods because then you'd have to carry all the packaging the food came in.
5. Are raw ingredients even readily available along the trail? I know you pass grocery stores, but I would imagine not all of them would have rapid deploy dried type foods. Mostly Lipton sides and whatnot.
6. Kinda unrelated, but can you cook a Lipton side in its own bag FBC style? Also, can you throw uncooked pasta in a cozied bag with boiling water for 10 min, drain the water, and eat or would this be to starchy? hmm...:-?
I LOVE the convenience of FBC, but I don't know if it is compatible with thru hiker life. I can make some killer meals at home, but I question my ability/creativity on the trail to create a tasty meal. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions, experiences, and/or on trail recipes would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
:sun Hungus:sun
wrt uncooked pasta - the time it takes depends on the pasta - for example I generally use 30 minutes in the cozy for macaroni but ramen only takes three minutes
wrt starchy - add some olive oil and spices after cooking, possibly some mustard or mayo packets, possibly some meat
In regards to resupply, how feasible is freezer bag cooking on a thru hike? My concerns are as follows:
1. A box of freezer bags usually has like 40? bags in it, so what do you do with the extras? Carry them for use in the next town?
Carry em if you want, they don't weigh that much. But, most hiker stores/POs etc have "hiker boxes" look before you buy, if there are none, then buy & leave what you will not need in afore mentioned hiker box. FYI: the good freezer bags are reusable, several times.
2. Ability to clean and reuse freezer bags. I guess you can clean a freezer bag in a sink, but what if you don't have access to soap and/or running water. I'd be worried about sanitation.
If worried, filter/treat your water heat in pot, rinse/wash your bag in that. IMHO, soap is over rated, but that's just me.
3. You buy all the ingredients for meals, but might have too much of a couple of ingredients. For example, breakfast = rolled oats, crasins, dried milk, brown sugar, etc. You might be able to use the whole bag of oats, but definitely not all the brown sugar and dried milk. What do you do with the remaining ingredients? Carry as excess weight? Throw away? Share?
See "hiker box" above.
4. The time factor involved in preparing each meal in its own bag. I could see getting annoyed at spending an hour in front of a grocery store measuring ingredients into bags. You wouldn't want to do it in the woods because then you'd have to carry all the packaging the food came in.
Likely, after a few (days, weeks) on the trail, you will be using pre made stuff like: Mac n Cheese, Noodles n Sauce, etc. the term "cooking" on the trail usually means: heatwateraddtofoodeat, sometimes we even wait for it to soften first. Pre packing your own can be done on the trail, but as you said, it do take time. The one time I did that was to add: one pack Lipton 3 cheese Rigitoni to a box of mac n cheese & a packet of smoked Tuna & 2 Oz Olive oil. I seem to remember it tasting good, was almost enough food, the last bit was even not crunchy.
5. Are raw ingredients even readily available along the trail? I know you pass grocery stores, but I would imagine not all of them would have rapid deploy dried type foods. Mostly Lipton sides and whatnot.
Some of the stores are where the locals shop, so yes you can get "raw ingredients" if you want. My favorite re-supply has been the Family Dollar in Erwin, I got: Summar sausage, 3 different kinds of Noodles N sauce, Tuna in a pouch, Bagels, candy & granola bars.
6. Kinda unrelated, but can you cook a Lipton side in its own bag FBC style? Also, can you throw uncooked pasta in a cozied bag with boiling water for 10 min, drain the water, and eat or would this be to starchy? hmm...:-?
One part (cup) pasta to 2 parts (cups) water, don't drain. Add: spices, cheese, whatever. Eat.
I LOVE the convenience of FBC, but I don't know if it is compatible with thru hiker life. I can make some killer meals at home, but I question my ability/creativity on the trail to create a tasty meal. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions, experiences, and/or on trail recipes would be much appreciated.
At home: Practice practice practice.
On the trail, don't worry about it, as my Granny always said "It'll all come out in the wash" Sure some meals may suck, but that aint why you is out there after all is it. And as you say, you can create killer meals at home, why not in the woods? If doing the mail drop rte, fix a few "kits" at home & send them to you. Most find that after a while they can eat anything & it will taste good, or even great. For example, right now if you were to offer me a Pop Tart, I would TURN IT DOWN FLAT, on the trail, offer me one & you may get to keep your hand :D
Have a great hike
Doctari,
As usual, you nailed it. Couldn'ta' sed it better. So I won't try.
but that aint why you is out there after all is it.
No, but I love fooooooood. Thanks for the detailed response!!!
I'll be honest:
While I see FBC as a way, I don't neccesarily see it as the answer to someone hiking for 6 months. I think a combo of ways would work best. Lets see you were having food drops. Stuff in freezer bags and food vac bags would be great. But buying in a store you might do better with picking up items that you do traditional cooking, or that you carry and prep on the trail (for instance: oatmeal. Carrying the sugar in a seperate bag is not neccasarily bad.)
I think you have to break it down to convience: what works best at what point.
There will be days when all you want to do is boil water, eat and toss the bag into the garbage bag. Other days you might want to get your pan out and cook.
Johnny_Swank
10-24-2006, 19:07
I'm getting ready to do a 10-day kayak trip down the Cape Fear River. I'm planning on doing on drop (and I loath maildrops) simply due to time constraints and am giving the FB thing a try. Most of the time on my thru-hike I just put everything in a pot, brought it to a boil for a little bit, then wandered off while the alcohol burned out. Came back later (15 min?) and everything's fine for the most part.
Enough rambling and on to the point. I think the FB thing is pretty cool, and I'm using it for the bulk of my dinners on this trip because I can boil it, shove it in a cozy, then get back in the kayak while it does it's thing. Finding more esoteric things on the trail (dried hamburger and the like) ain't going to happen unless you tie yourself down to maildrops, but almost all to the standard hiker fare is still do-able as far as I can tell.
We usually stop in the early afternoon, eat, chill, then hike till dark whereever we want to without being tied down to a water source. FB cooking jives pretty well in that scenerio if you either 1) rest longer, or 2) carry the soaking food with you up the trail.
Wow - I typed all that and said absolutely nothing! Sorry ya'll.