View Full Version : Meat on a Thur-hike
Hi just wonder if any of you have took hot dogs or lunch meat and hard boil eggs on your thur-hike and how long did they last i plan on starting on Feb 04 2008. :confused:
that early, stuff lasts OK on the outside of your pack in a gear pocket or in your bag. Meat is heavy though, might want to consider jerky, or dehydrated meat and then reconstitute. Hard boiled eggs are great for protein, and are heavy, but will last a while.
saimyoji
10-23-2007, 12:52
Summer sausage. Mmmmm....goood.
SGT Rock
10-23-2007, 12:53
I like sumer sausage and sometimes bring fresh meat for the first night out from re-supply.
There are lots of choices... seasoned deli meat lasts a good long while -- stuff like pepperoni, salami, summer sausage, etc. There are meats in foil packages or small cans -- tuna, chicken, baby shrimp, sardines, etc. I've never taken hot dogs, but I'd guess they're OK for a day or so, depending on the weather. Also, don't forget cheese as a great source of protein (and fat.) Excellent hiking food, and lasts a long time.
Dehydrate any type of meat that you want....then just re-hydrate throughout the day......yummy!
Lone Wolf
10-23-2007, 12:59
Hi just wonder if any of you have took hot dogs or lunch meat and hard boil eggs on your thur-hike and how long did they last i plan on starting on Feb 04 2008. :confused:
over the years i've brought bacon, eggs, stew beef, steak, pork chops, etc. never had anything spoil
taildragger
10-23-2007, 13:13
just bait the shelter chipmunks in by leaving your foodbag on a shelter floor, catch em and make chipmunk gravy.
mmm mmm mmm sounds delicious
take-a-knee
10-23-2007, 14:17
They'll usually sell you a half-carton (6) eggs. You could buy them on your way out of town when you resupply and boil them up the next morning. Just don't over boil them so the shell stays intact and they'll last a while. If you've been eating granola and grits you'll eat them before they go bad. I think 8-10 min boil will give you a hard boiled egg. If you are worried about cholesterol just don't eat more than 2 yolks per day.
Footslogger
10-23-2007, 14:22
Hi just wonder if any of you have took hot dogs or lunch meat and hard boil eggs on your thur-hike and how long did they last i plan on starting on Feb 04 2008. :confused:
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Of the meats/foods you mentioned ...I carried the lunch meat and eggs on my thru in 2003. I sometimes would hardboil a half dozen eggs or so when I was in town (hotel) or in a hostel. Made a great suppliment to a meal. I carried the resealable lunch meat pouces quite often and just ate a slice or two as a snack or ripped it up and added it to noodles/rice. One of my favorite meats was pepperoni. I think it's Hormel that makes a small resealable pouch. Label says "Refrigerate after Opening" but I went through it so fast I never really worried about it spoiling. I also carried the pre-cooked bacon and ate it as a snack or added it to meals.
About the only other types of meats I carried were the chicken/beef that came in the 3 ounce foil packets, as well as the salmon and tuna.
'Slogger
Jack Tarlin
10-23-2007, 15:50
One of the things I do on the Trail is that if I ever overnight at a place with a freezer (i.e. a hostel; motel with a fridge; a friend's house, etc.) I'll buy a piece of meat and freeze it. Beef or pork works best, but you can do the same with fish or chicken, too. I'll double or triple wrap the stuff to prevent leaking or bleeding and by dinnertime of the end of the first day's hiking, the meat's thawed out and can be cut up for cooking (tho you can cut it up before freezing if you want). The meat can then be added to whatever I'm making for dinner---pasta, rice, whatever, and makes for a very pleasant dinner the first night out of town.
Jim Adams
10-23-2007, 16:21
One of the things I do on the Trail is that if I ever overnight at a place with a freezer (i.e. a hostel; motel with a fridge; a friend's house, etc.) I'll buy a piece of meat and freeze it. Beef or pork works best, but you can do the same with fish or chicken, too. I'll double or triple wrap the stuff to prevent leaking or bleeding and by dinnertime of the end of the first day's hiking, the meat's thawed out and can be cut up for cooking (tho you can cut it up before freezing if you want). The meat can then be added to whatever I'm making for dinner---pasta, rice, whatever, and makes for a very pleasant dinner the first night out of town.
Jack,
Freeze it with some type of marinade and it is better yet!:cool:
geek
I've only done short hikes, and like to get by on staples like oatmeal, raisins, skim milk and honey, but also beef jerky so I have something to chew on. I don't like to plan and pack meals. I just like to plan in bulk, buy in bulk, and pack in bulk. So if I pack 5 pounds for 3 days I only have about 5-6 different things, with no less than a 1/2 pound of any one thing, and a full pound for most things. I might have more variety on a longer section, but not much.
On a thru-hike I would do something similar, without much variety on each section, but make changes to my simply diet from one section to the next, perhaps changing noodles to bread, or raisins to currants, or peanuts to almonds. As for meat, I think I will start off with lean jerky, but later in my thru-hike if I start to get too lean I will might add a big hunk of sausage on resupplies, or at least a less lean jerky, but on some sections stick with lean jerky and add more olive oil to my diet if I had stuff that went well with it.
I think this would work well when resupplying at generic grocery stores, where I wouldn't have to plan meals, but could just shop by the pound. If I happened across local farmers markets I would like to buy lots of fresh stuff at those places even if the water content was high, then try and eat that stuff sooner and my other stuff later. No idea how that might work out, but I always like to be prepared for serendipity.
faarside
10-23-2007, 16:51
I like sumer sausage and sometimes bring fresh meat for the first night out from re-supply.
Ditto. First night out from re-supply I also sometimes have potted meat (canned), Spam, or other meaty treats that don't keep well for long, or are to inconvenient to carry. I also pack foil packets of chicken and tuna for daily use in my pre-planned meals.
AT-HITMAN2005
10-23-2007, 17:30
although its a little pricey, 3 of us would hit a wayside in SNP and buy lunchmeat and bread and carry it to an overlook and have a nice lunch, and it would all get eaten, although its hard to get up and hike after eating so heartily(is this a word?). and in SNP your never far from a garbage can.
just bait the shelter chipmunks in by leaving your foodbag on a shelter floor, catch em and make chipmunk gravy.
mmm mmm mmm sounds delicious
How many shelter mice equal one chipmunk?:D
Blissful
10-23-2007, 20:05
I guy we met early on the trail was tired of hiking food, so he began cooking steak and eggs for meals. Thus his trail name was born - Steak and Eggs.
Sure, have some variety. We had summer sausage, canadian bacon, salami, homemade jerky plus we dehydrated cans of chicken to put in meals and dried out chopped beef also to put in dinners in mail drops. Did fine with it all.
Jim Adams
10-23-2007, 20:10
How many shelter mice equal one chipmunk?:D:rolleyes:
three if you don't eat the tails!
seriously!
geek
Uncle Silly
10-24-2007, 14:30
Towards the end of my hike this season I ended up carrying the Carl Buddig style lunchmeat packets. About 2oz each (2.5oz for the ham), and they kept fine for as long as a week. (I never had to keep them longer.) Six of those, a half-pound block of cheddar, and a six-pack of everything bagels makes a nice week of sandwiches on the trail.
My typical meat is the tuna foil packs. But once in a while I'll pack a steak out to cook over the fire on the first night out from resupply. It's well worth it to watch everyone else drooling over your dinner. :)
Gray Blazer
10-24-2007, 14:35
Towards the end of my hike this season I ended up carrying the Carl Buddig style lunchmeat packets. About 2oz each (2.5oz for the ham), and they kept fine for as long as a week. (I never had to keep them longer.) Six of those, a half-pound block of cheddar, and a six-pack of everything bagels makes a nice week of sandwiches on the trail.
Sounds like me. Add a few packets of mayo or mustard, substitute any hard bread for bagels (rye, sourdough, etc.) a little trail mix and you're set.