Sliced bread hanging off the back of my pack?

[somers515]

Usually when I take my boys backpacking I'll bring tortillas, throw in some peanut butter and jelly (or honey) and it makes a good lunch snack they like. However, they really prefer sliced bread. I've always used tortillas when backpacking as they are easier to pack of course but would it be workable to just hang the bag of sliced bread off the back of my pack? Obviously I'll have to careful to avoid smushing the bread. How long would do you think it would last before it got moldy? Picture us hiking for a 5 days/4 nights in either Vermont or New Hampshire in August. Any other downsides I'm not considering?

Sorry if this is a dumb question - thank you in advance for any thoughts. Oh and happy Thanksgiving all!

[MuddyWaters]

What if bag rips? And it probably will, or snag on something .

I have seen someone with a loaf of bread in a loaf shaped tupperware container.

If your pack is loose enough, you can just pack it on top wrapped in carboard or something.

[Tipi Walter]

I do this all the time, in fact I take at least 2 full loaves of Ezekiel bread out with me on my trips, and maybe a pack of rice cakes---all bulky items. (Don't take your standard white bread---it's junk food).

All you have to do to make this work is to get a light fairly large stuff sack like the Sea to Summit silnylon 20 liter bag and place all your bread and rice cakes inside and hang it from the outside of your pack.

If you bring a preservative-laden loaf of white bread who knows, it could last another 2 years without molding. But with regular "healthy" bread I have found a loaf to last at least 10 days even in the summer. Winter changes everything. My beloved bread on a trip---

[Bronk]

Towards the end of my thru hike attempt I started tying a loaf of bread to the back of my pack. It works OK. You'll probably be able to eat at least half of it before it becomes smooshed. I used it to make grilled cheese and pizza pockets (just a grilled cheese with pizza topings in it).

Unless you are taking fresh bread from a bakery I'd be surprised if it got moldy. A friend of mine was doing a science project for her homeschool children and they decided to leave a slice of bread out on the counter to see how long it would take to mold. After 2 months it never did, it just got hard. Then they tried fresh bread from a bakery (with no preservatives) and it molded within a couple of days.

[NinjaFace]

burritos rolls... when they get hard,, just run some water on it

[MuddyWaters]

Towards the end of my thru hike attempt I started tying a loaf of bread to the back of my pack. It works OK. You'll probably be able to eat at least half of it before it becomes smooshed. I used it to make grilled cheese and pizza pockets (just a grilled cheese with pizza topings in it).

Unless you are taking fresh bread from a bakery I'd be surprised if it got moldy. A friend of mine was doing a science project for her homeschool children and they decided to leave a slice of bread out on the counter to see how long it would take to mold. After 2 months it never did, it just got hard. Then they tried fresh bread from a bakery (with no preservatives) and it molded within a couple of days.

Homemade tortillas mold in less than a week
Store bought can last 4 months

Storebought bread molds in a couple weeks at my house.

[Rain Man]

Hmmmm. Does mold require oxygen? I don't know. But what about using oxygen-absorbing packets?

[Sandy of PA]

I met a guy in VA with a string of bagels tied to the back of his pack. A week later caught up with him again with a bagette sticking out of each corner of his pack. Trail name "Bakery" ! Does it have to be sliced bread? Lots of portable bread options.

[NY HIKER 50]

Let's face it, regular bread does not last long. This is especially with the conditions on the trail. You should consider crackers since they hold up better instead of fresh bread.

[Venchka]

Introduce your kids to bagels, English muffins or Dr Kracker Crispbreads.
http://drkracker.com/our-products/crispbreads/
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sarcasm the elf]

Homemade tortillas mold in less than a week
Store bought can last 4 months

Storebought bread molds in a couple weeks at my house.

Up North we have a large supermarket chain called Stop and Shop which has a private label natural/organic food line. They make great whole wheat tortillas that are free of hydrogenated oils and preservatives. These have become the main type of bread I carry for section hikes. Similar to what you wrote, I know they're real because they mold quickly in warm weather.

[Leo L.]

...
I have seen someone with a loaf of bread in a loaf shaped tupperware container.
...

You've seen me? <G>

Sliced whole grain bread (and some cheese and sausages) is the main food I carry. All goes into one or two big Tupperware boxes.
I've tried to carry this bread in a sack inside the bag, but it got smashed soon and I had to eat it with a spoon. Tried self baked whole grain bread too, but while this tastes more then perfect the handling of a full loaf doesnt fit to my packing and hiking style.

So I carry the bread sliced which saves me the hassle of cutting slices on the go, saves me to care about lots of breadcrumbs (read: Mice and ants fodder) and also allows me to carry a smaller knife.
We can buy this whole grain sliced bread in tight-sealed plastic bags, and this will last for several weeks if unopened, and still will be good for a week once the seal is broken.

I would never consider to carry a bag full of bread dangling from outside of the pack. First I hate it to have something dangling off my pack, and then the danger to lose it seems to be serious. I don't want to lose the whole amount of my main food in one moment.

[ScareBear]

I don't really eat bread when I'm not on the trail or on it, NTTAWWT!

I would think denser breads, like pumpernickel, would last longer. But, I do remember it taking a very long time for a sourdough loaf to go bad on the counter top. Like a month to go bad. I suppose if you've chosen that way to go for meals, and you were using soft bread or rolls that needed protection, I'd go with a Tupperware bread box. Plus, its a great conversation piece....I mean....how many times has somebody said "Was it bigger than a bread box?" You could use some glue and figure out a way to cement a L-bracket to the box so you could rig a tie loop to affix it to the outside of your pack with a 'biner...
That's gonna take up a lot of space in your bear bag, though...just sayin...

[Slo-go'en]

What if bag rips? And it probably will, or snag on something .

I have seen someone with a loaf of bread in a loaf shaped tupperware container.

If your pack is loose enough, you can just pack it on top wrapped in carboard or something.

I used the plastic bread container as Muddy Waters suggests when I switched to eating PB+J for my main meal. The only down side is it takes up a fair amount of space in the pack and adds some weight. But as you start to consume the bread, you can put other things inside the container as space becomes available.

I don't like hanging things out side my pack and it would be real easy to snag the thin bread bag on a branch or something and tare a hole in it, spilling the contents.

[Tipi Walter]

I don't like hanging things out side my pack and it would be real easy to snag the thin bread bag on a branch or something and tare a hole in it, spilling the contents.

Like I said, you put the bulky items in a light stuff sack and let it hang off the pack. Much more durable than a bread bag.

[Spirit Walker]

We always use raisin English Muffins. They are dense enough they don't crumble or get smashed easily. Bagels can be good if they don't go stale, but they are bigger and heavier.

[Dogwood]

Mini bagels.

Tipi might enjoy this. Ezekiel Bread Mini bagels. Great for hiking with a hummus or tahini smear with herbed goat cheese, avocado, and dried tomatoes in EVOO that are repackaged into a Ziplok. Ripe mango slices with a dash of powdered cloves, teaspoon of dried currants, and powdered coconut milk for desert.

[Leo L.]

Dogwood, you're watering my mouth!

You can always make bread yourself, just need to carry flour and salt, and add water on the spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig6lHzxpby8

[Tipi Walter]

Mini bagels.

Tipi might enjoy this. Ezekiel Bread Mini bagels. Great for hiking with a hummus or tahini smear with herbed goat cheese, avocado, and dried tomatoes in EVOO that are repackaged into a Ziplok. Ripe mango slices with a dash of powdered cloves, teaspoon of dried currants, and powdered coconut milk for desert.

Thanks for the ideas. Ezekiel also makes english muffins which are pretty dang good, especially toasted in a fry pan with a little olive or coconut oil. The reason I take so much bread on my trips is so I can have a decent lunch which currently consists of two slices of bread with hummus, vegan cream cheese, eggless mayo and chao vegan cheese. Plus I even enjoy my raw tempeh sandwiches with eggless mayo---see below.

Winter also allows copious amounts of hummus and vegan cream cheese to be carted out for such meals.

Dogwood, you're watering my mouth!

You can always make bread yourself, just need to carry flour and salt, and add water on the spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig6lHzxpby8

Good idea for those who build campfires (though now currently banned in most of the Southeast). I guess the Bedouin don't mind eating fire ash. Plus around here if you placed your bread in one of our Southeastern campfires you'd end up with bits of burnt aluminum, old wet t-shirts, half-melted used condoms, toilet paper and various melted plastics. It would spice up such a meal.

[Leo L.]

True, it works best in desert environment, and the Bedouins are very careful in their selection of wood. Acacia is their preferred wood, but Tamarisk is also good.
In our world it would be Oak and Ash (the tree), I think.
For making bread, they don't use the herth fire in the tent (which would be full of all you said, except condoms), but a special fire outside just for the purpose of baking bread.

The thin/soft bread in the Video, we are carrying loads of on our trips, if we walk with Bedus. Piles of it fit snug into the pack, and when after days it becomes hard you can throw it into the embers for a minute to make it soft and tasty again.
Still I would not let dangle a bag full of it from my pack, but thats just me. My friend the Englishman is famous for all his stuff dangling off his pack. We call this "Gypsy Style".