I go hiking a lot. I also backpack, hitchhike, and go cross country on occasion. Haven't had a place to call 'home' for over a year now- you could argue that I'm homeless, and I would probably agree with you.
As such, I don't often have access to a kitchen or the fabled crockpot/pressure cooker. Neither do I have a portable stove like many hikers do. However, I still need food, and plenty of it to offset the calories I burn through, while trying to stretch the dollar to get further. Here's what I've learned thus far:
Steal from other lifestyles. Look up the meals of through-hikers, powerlifters, and athletes. You can't go wrong emulating people with active and healthy lifestyles.
Harden up.
If you are literally homeless or borderline, you cannot afford to be picky. If it is edible, you eat it. If you are given something or offered something, you eat it. Don't be that guy that complains about the food given to you out of the charity of another. Go and eat a can of beans with a spoon, then do it without the spoon. That is now your baseline for quality.
Fasting.
There are a lot of conversations that could be had about the eating habits of people throughout the ages- I won't get into it. Suffice to say, you will not die if you don't eat three meals a day. You will not die if you go hungry for a day or two.
So, don't be afraid to mix it up a bit. Have one big meal a day or snack all day through another. If you're not hungry, you don't need to eat. Even if you are hungry, skip a meal every now and then.
Get to know the local stores.
Part of travelling is the changing environment, stores included. Take a couple hours to walk the local stores and maybe look up farmers markets. I'm currently in Australia, so Coles and Woolworths are stores I've gotten to know. They have 80 cent cans of tuna and cracker packs for 2.50. For about 5 dollars I have lunch for a week.
Prep when you can.
If you stay at a hostel or someone's house for a day or two and can get to a kitchen, go hard. You can make a week's worth of breakfast burritos with six eggs, chicken thighs, quesadillas and whatever else you're into. Some Pre pack them in bags or something and pop one out when you're feeling peckish.
Look at the meal prep plans of gym rats- plans going through the bulk phase often have cheap and nutritious meals in vast amounts. This is where the bean and legume party comes in. Cook up a bunch and pack them up for the week.
Current meal plan.
At the moment my shopping list usually takes the form of: 5 Apples, 5 bananas, 6 cans of tuna, a cracker family pack, a few cans of refried beans, a baguette, and hummus.
This will run me around the 20 dollar mark(about 15 USD), and, treated correctly, will last me for the week.
Drinks.
You drink water now. More than that, you carry around a water bottle. Often the feeling of hunger can be sated by water, and you can use it fo add to things like oatmeal on occasion. I personally carry around a gallon milk jug filled with water and force myself to drink the whole thing by the etnd of the day.
No sodas, energy drinks, coffee or controversially, alchohol. Reason A being they're bad for you, reason B being they're expensive. Sodas and energy drinks average between 2-5 dollars, while coffee and alchohol usually start there and go up. Be smart. Water is free. Fill up wherever you go, and if you get a 20 dollar water filter you can fill up literally anywhere.
Carrying your food. Any backpacker will tell you that food usually takes up the most space/weight in their packs. A pack's weight is measured 'dry', without food- that's the weight people tweak out about over on r/ultralight.
I currently have a sealable waterproof and odorproof bag that I use for my food. Either pack in Ziplock bags or carry separated by ingredients, but always remove and toss the unnecessary packaging- it'll take up tons of space otherwise.
Refrigeration.
Lots of foods that 'need' refrigeration will be fine for a couple days without it, unless you're in a very hot climate. Wrap a block of cheese in a rag and it'll keep for about a week until it starts to get mouldy. Other items, like meats and easily spoiled foods, will probably only keep for a day or two. Sometimes that's all you need.
Critters, Varmints, and Scavengers.
I've had my backpack chewed through by rats, possums trying to get into my bag, raccoons snuffling around the campsite. Haven't had to deal with bears yet, but heard of it happening.
Keep your food in some type of heavy-duty container, openable only by someone with thumbs. You'd be surprised at what rats can chew through, and there's nothing more disheartening than waking up to a campsite filled with trashfrom your own food. Pack it tight, odorproof, waterproof, and either tucked tightly away or hanging from a line. If you're in bear country, follow the bear necessities in the guidelines of local laws regarding them.
That's all I can think of for the moment. If you have any information or experience to add, I'd love to hear it.
Cheers, and happy travels.
December 05, 2017 at 07:03PM
