Traveling food

[astjp2]

I am not sure what everyone uses for food when jeeping, but I have bought dehydrated food from these guys, their sales are common and they carry a variety of items and a couple of brands. I prefer fresh but using dehydrated is a lot lighter.

https://www.beprepared.com/preparethon
I also almost exclusively use a percolator coffee pot to cook and boil water in, learned that when traveling the glaciers in Alaska, they make them in aluminum and stainless and work well for how I use them.

 

[Mr. Bills]

My current favorite way to prepare camping food is to make it ahead of time at home, freeze it in Foodsaver vacuum sealed bags, then throw the bag in a pot of boiling water when its time to eat. No muss, no fuss, and it takes only minutes in camp.

The frozen bags allow me to pack more food in the cooler in relation to the volume of ice and they keep everything colder longer. If one doesn't go crazy sucking all the air out it is also possible to use Foodsaver bags to transport pre-made salads - just add the dressing and other toppings in camp.

I carried a small aluminum percolator for many years, but recently started using a small tea kettle and Aeropress coffee maker instead. The tea kettle nests inside my pots to save space. The percolator couldn't.

These:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ANF75Y/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P9ISRI/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018RY8H0/?tag=wranglerorg-20

With this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW87Z9O/?tag=wranglerorg-20

plus an 8" cast iron skillet I picked up at a garage sale:

 

[astjp2]

This is what I use for a stove, I have it mounted on a piece of aluminum honeycomb to insulate it from whatever it sits on. It will burn anything from alcohol to lacquer thinner to diesel to gasoline...
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/evolution-msr-xgk-ex-stove/

 

[astjp2]

It's funny, I use a coffee pot but dont like coffee, I actually hate the smell.

 

[Moab]

Check out this guy's recipes. It will get you out of a dehydrated rut fast.

https://www.backpackingchef.com/backpacking-recipes.html

Other than that there's Backpackers Pantry and Mountain House. Or get your own food dehydrator. You can make some amazing stuff that way. Or if weight isn't a concern some MRE rations aren't bad. Or even canned. If you've got room in the Jeep.

But lots of recipes online for hiking. That would apply.

As for coffee just get a french press. That's the easiest way to make coffee in the field. And it's awesome coffee.

 

[astjp2]

Check out this guy's recipes. It will get you out of a dehydrated rut fast.

https://www.backpackingchef.com/backpacking-recipes.html

Other than that there's Backpackers Pantry and Mountain House. Or get your own food dehydrator. You can make some amazing stuff that way. Or if weight isn't a concern some MRE rations aren't bad. Or even canned. If you've got room in the Jeep.

But lots of recipes online for hiking. That would apply.

As for coffee just get a french press. That's the easiest way to make coffee in the field. And it's awesome coffee.

There is a lot of places that now dehydrate food. What I am finding is that the more experienced companies that do this have the best flavor, they have found ways to preserve the good taste of some of their food.

 

[jgaz]

I’ve used a few of this author’s meal recipes. I have really enjoyed her oatmeal variations.

https://www.theyummylife.com/Backpacking_Food
The site seems to combine a good cook’s skills with an avid backpacker’s needs.
I like her emphasis on packing a week’s worth of meals in his bear canister.

 

[jgaz]

Check out this guy's recipes. It will get you out of a dehydrated rut fast.

https://www.backpackingchef.com/backpacking-recipes.html

Other than that there's Backpackers Pantry and Mountain House. Or get your own food dehydrator. You can make some amazing stuff that way. Or if weight isn't a concern some MRE rations aren't bad. Or even canned. If you've got room in the Jeep.

But lots of recipes online for hiking. That would apply.

As for coffee just get a french press. That's the easiest way to make coffee in the field. And it's awesome coffee.

X2 for the above site. I use the author’s book with my own dehydrator. I stick to the simpler end of the scale but he has some good advice on the subject.

I started dehydrating my own food due to the ultra high sodium concentrations in so many of the commercially available backpackers meals.

 

[Moab]

I started dehydrating my own food due to the ultra high sodium concentrations in so many of the commercially available backpackers meals.

This. ^^^^^

 

[Cotril]

I use a muff pot. attached it to my motor. cook a burrito, hot sandwich. tacos or what ever I fill like having. nothing beats a hot lunch on the trail.

 

[rasband]

I do a lot of hobo packets. Basically just pre-cut a bunch of your favorite veggies, a chicken breast or sliced steak, salt/pepper to your liking, a little butter or oil and throw it all into a tinfoil packet. Roast over a fire (or on the coals when a fire calms).

Though I’m definitely interested in doing some engine block cooking too, hoping to try that out this year.

 

[astjp2]

I do a lot of hobo packets. Basically just pre-cut a bunch of your favorite veggies, a chicken breast or sliced steak, salt/pepper to your liking, a little butter or oil and throw it all into a tinfoil packet. Roast over a fire (or on the coals when a fire calms).

Though I’m definitely interested in doing some engine block cooking too, hoping to try that out this year.

That works great up until you are in a forest fire area...

 

[rasband]

That works great up until you are in a forest fire area...

I live near those (CO). I should have included: stoves, grills, etc.

 

[toximus]

@Chris What do you think about moving this one to the camping subforum?

 

[toximus]

How do you guys prefer to carry water?

When backpacking I always used a water filter and reusable Nalgene bottle. But when Jeeping and traveling it always seems to just take up space after the initial fill up from home.

Our last trip to Moab we kept buying 20 packs of water bottles, leaving the majority back at camp and throwing 4-6 in the Jeep each day. That was the smoothest so far but the cost can be high depending on the store and it feels awfully wasteful throwing away these bottles since we can't realistically find places to recycle them.

 

[rasband]

How do you guys prefer to carry water?

I'll often put my hydration pack on the back of my chair so I can drink through the straw while I drive. The only big negative I have found is you can't see the water level so it's hard to regulate how much I am drinking.

 

[Chris]

@Chris What do you think about moving this one to the camping subforum?

Seems to make sense to me, I'll move it

 

[DWR]

Been looking for more ideas for food that doesn’t have to be kept in the cooler… I need that space for precious afternoon sodas.

Looking for more ideas other than knorr dehydrated pasta packs and tuna/canned chicken lol. That mountain house stuff is great but expensive!


Would love to get one of these harvest right home freeze dryers… but obviously they are kind of expensive, though not nearly as much as you’d think
https://harvestright.com/

 

[Mr. Bills]

How do you guys prefer to carry water?

I carry 20L in a jerry can, and will start a trip with a 6 pack of 0.5L bottles of drinking water in the cooler and refill from the jerry can as needed.

 

[DWR]

I carry 20L in a jerry can, and will start a trip with a 6 pack of 0.5L bottles of drinking water in the cooler and refill from the jerry can as needed.

View attachment 344745

I like that idea! That’s a bit more that a 40count of Walmart waters and save in the long run! Where did you pick one up with a pour spout on it?