Tip #1 Let it Rehydrate
TIP #2 Heat source
What separates us from an MRE, is that you bring your own fuel source. Bringing a seperate way to boil water allows you to use water from a creek or lake. Meal prep and planning are eliminated. Simply by heating some water and adding this to the meal to reconstitute the ingredients with H2O. Delivers a fast yet highly nutritions and great tasting meal. There are many options for various heating sources to choose from. We recommend using Camp Chefs Stryker stove. They offer a butane and propane version of their Stryker series stoves. Its built rock solid and comes with a built in handle helping steady the boiling water fo use. Look at several different type of stoves to determine if they fit into your style of hiking before purchasing them.
TIP #3 Water vs Weight
There are basically 3 choices to make when deciding to bring your own water or use mothers natures Aqua. Option 1: Do I use a water filter or purifier. Purifiers can save major weight on long trips or multiple nights under the stars Also allows you to store water when its in short supply along your voyage. Option 2: Scoop and boil water in your heat source. This is a personal choice and mind set. If you go this route, keep it boiling for a minimum of 1 minute to remove the contaminants. Option 3: Bring bottles of water or a bladder if your pack allows. I like this option if I know it will be 1/2 to 3/4 of a day away from my truck or trailhead. I don't have to worry about finding a water source, or measure the amount of water needed for my meal. Another reason I love the Camp Chef Stryker stove. The aluminum cup has measuring lines molded into the design. In .5 liters there are 16.9 ounces as a good gauge when preparing your meal.
TIP #4 Pick your meal wisely
Some people choose meals based off what they like or stick to what they have had in the past. I would consider looking at the calories your going to spend on the trip. Ask yourself how long will I be hiking everyday? How heavy is my pack going to be? How steep is the terrain I'll be climbing? To maximize your adventure and help your body enjoy the experience. I like to consider these factors so I can get meals that will help replace calories lost. Here are some stats based on averages.
- 😰160lb person with 10lbs of gear climbing hills burns 496 calories an hour
- 😰160lb person with 20lbs of gear climbing hills burns 528 calories per hour
10 lbs does'nt seem like a big difference. 20lbs of gear can burn 32 or more calories an hour and will leave your tank short of 256 calories in 8 hours. Evaluate your type of hiking or hunting for the day and choose meals that replace the burned calories to help you perform better for your activity.
TIP #5 Load up before lift off
You may want to consider cooking up a meal before you engage in melting some serious calories. Packing out and elk sized portion back to your camp will definitely cause you to create some sweat rings on your hat. Usually by the time we have hunted enough to successfully harvest and animal we have already ramped up the stove and fried some calories. Preparing the meat for transport will also take its toll on the calorie bank. I used to fire up a meal when i was cleaning up and getting ready to head back to camp. This gives me time to reflect and think about my experience. But most important puts some horses back in the engine to haul my meat back to camp. Look for more updates and share your exepriences with us on your adventures.