Lunch ideas for winter hikes

I am looking for new lunch ideas for my winter hikes. I am a sandwich lover, they are great during summer, but tend to freeze during winter...

Besides the soup in the Thermos (kinda heavy), and the eternal hard-to-digest power bars (speaking for myself), what are the food you guys/gals like to bring on those big day-hikes?

if you dont mind carrying a small stove, dehydrated backpacker meals are good, as are MREs with heaters

Heavy, schmevy, .... I still like soup in a thermos.

Heck, I've even been known to carry a cast-iron skillet and make grilled-cheese sandwiches to go along with soup.

To avoid freezing sandwiches, try carrying them in inner pockets near your body. You can experiment with different pockets to figure out where the line is drawn between frozen bread and warm, mushy bread.

Sesame snaps, chocolate, candy of all types, cashews, tamari roasted almonds, ficello, cookies, granola bars(not power bars), suasage (cut up in little pieces if it's real cold). Tea laced with lots of maple syrup and carried in a Nalgene with a water bottle jacket. I've seen people with P&J sandwiches at -25C and they seemed to do allright.
Eating is a problem for me, I have to make myself eat cuz I never feel like it so I try and vary what I take from hike to hike.

I'm still experimenting with this issue, especially because as Neil mentioned, I have trouble making myself eat in the winter. So I'll be interested to see what others have to say.

I've done the thermos with soup (I need a better thermos). Also PBJ's don't freeze, but more often than not I don't feel like eating a PBJ. I've several times come up against a situation where I didn't eat enough and got to the point where I didn't want to eat, which is bad, and then the power bars really are unpalatable. So I've opted for cheese, mixed nuts and dried pineapple, which I usually want to eat, they don't freeze, and they restore energy fairly quickly if you're stupid enough not to eat enough once in a while. My sister brings quickbreads a lot. They crumble, but don't freeze and always taste good. My brother-in-law brings raw cabbage and cheesecake, but I really can't vouch for that....

timmus said:

I am looking for new lunch ideas for my winter hikes. I am a sandwich lover, they are great during summer, but tend to freeze during winter...

Besides the soup in the Thermos (kinda heavy), and the eternal hard-to-digest power bars (speaking for myself), what are the food you guys/gals like to bring on those big day-hikes?

Click to expand...

Sandwiches will be fine if you can keep them close to you and not in your pack. Doesn't matter if it's mashed (as long as it's in a bag, of course
), still tastes the same. MRE's work, but they're heavy and bulky. There are other commercial heat-meals which I haven't tried, but I've been on winter dayhikes with some who have. The weight of a stove, even for a dayhike, might be a good tradeoff for hot soup, cocoa, etc. Personal preference. Another reason to drink lots of water, especially in the winter, is to be able to digest those power bars!

Junk Food!

I read in Backpacker Mag, where a certain winter mountain biker professional would eat only junk food because it won't freeze. Meanwhile his competition would naw on frozen granola bars.

I forgot the bikers name, but he swore on Twinkies, Devil Dogs, Funny Bones and the like.....

Seriously, I have not carried these....but often thought about how good a Twinkie summit snack might do!

I am a beef jerky, chocolate type of climber for sure.

Stella Doro potato bread sticks dipped in hot tomato soup are excellent. I keep stuff in my pockets like chocolate so it doesn't break my teeth! I rarely ever have to force myself to eat

Summer sausage, Cheddar Cheese, and Trail mix are my staples.

The sausage and cheese are good down to 0*F and lower if you keep them near your body. Trail mix is good, because smaller bits are more easily warmed by your mouth and then chewed. I also like to take the bite-size snickers for this reason.

-percious

Fig bars, nuts, chocolate bits, raisins, cookies, pre-cut cheese, etc. Stuff that you can nibble on more or less continuously. I carry such food in my pocket so it is always available and make a point of eating and drinking at least once an hour. The nuts, chocolate bits, and raisins (ie gorp) are in a 500cc wide-mouth bottle so I can swig them while wearing gloves/mittens and, if need be, a facemask. Easier to keep dry in the bottle than in a plastic bag too if it is raining.

Some items can get hard enough in the cold to break teeth. Such items should be pre-cut into bite-size chunks. Warm them in your mouth before chewing.

Reasonably dry sandwiches on relatively robust bread that don't fall apart work well too. They too end up in my pocket and are eaten in several nibbles.

It is desirable that all in the party have eat-on-the-run (or on a very short stop) food so you do not cool down while eating. A sit-down lunch will result in many cold hikers. (The alternative is that if one has to stop for an extended period to eat, then all must stop. OK if everyone has extra insulation ready and is willing to spend the time.)

Doug

MRE's with heaters gets my vote.

Gu

Although I don't like it that much I have found myself using it esp this year. I guess you could say it taste a little bit like pudding. Other than that I bring PBJ and cut them in half, eating some through out the day. Gorp is always nice to have along on hikes but if you get in the habit of eating it as part of your daily diet it sure can pack on the pounds.
I have good luck with Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars they don't freeze up and I find them easier to digest.

Much like Doug Paul mentions I don't eat lunch I continually snack through out the day small amounts here and there...sometimes resting and sometimes not as I eat.
I

For sandwiches I have found two favorites: (I include the brand because they are what I like. If you don’t really like it, you won’t eat it. And on long winter hikes food can make all the difference!)

A good egg bagel (I like Shaw's) spread with Gulden’s mustard, with Sara Lee honey ham and a good swiss cheese (and more mustard )

A good oatmeal bread (I like organic oat-nut) with lots of Teddie Old Fashion chunky peanut butter and Trappist rhubarb-strawberry preserve.

I have also enjoyed a grilled marinated chicken breast w/o any bread; just eat out of a baggie.

(An insulated lunch sack keeps them from freezing.)

A thermos of hot drink (hot raspberry cocoa is a favorite) is always nice.

I also keep some snacks in a pocket close to my chest to easily snack on (examples: cashews, energy gels, cheese, grapes, tootsie rolls )

Polymorphs!

atkins shake powder mixed in my water bottles. one day last winter i climbed mt adams up and down, all day hike. when i got to the bottom i realized i never ate my 'lunch'. the shake mix i put in my water instead of gatorade for low carb purposes kept me sustained all day. now on every hike i just mix enough in with the water for however many calories i feel like i need. if you arent a low carb person you can use any protein powder. very easy.

I'll second some of these thoughts... I have a hard time in the mornings eating, just don't want too which usually pisses off my hiking partners as they know I will bonk quickly... and I know I will bonk quickly too...

But for lunches, I swear by pepperoni, salami, cheese, sunflower seeds, almonds or cashews, GU, dried fruits, chocolate. Sometimes I will bring along a sandwich or too, Nutella is soooooo tasty, YUM... Pita bread works great in the winter, I even toast mine over the stove if I am using a stove. You never have to worry about that really crumbling. Quick breads are good too, I will sometimes buy the Pillsbury mix, then dump in lots of tasty things to spice it up like chocolate pieces, more dried fruit, nuts, seeds. On over nighters in the winter I will bring along margaine sometimes too, spread a little of that on some quick bread for lunch, and you will be zipping along the trail.

Bringing along a thermos full of hot soup or drinks can do wonders, my trusty thermos bought the farm this past season, it lasted a long time, so time to get a new one.

For lunches, I will also try to take two lunch breaks, sometimes trying to shovel food down my throat just will not work, but a couple of longer then 5 minute breaks does the trick in winter for me.

Catch you later...
Kevin

PS, We once had a lunch break while ice climbing, broke out the sandwiches, thermos with tea, some cookies, sitting around like some Englishmen out for a sporting day. Along came two younger, and much more rougher ice climbers, looked at our set up with wide, and I am sure hungry, eyes, and commented about the spread. I mentioned back to them, well just because we were climbing does not mean we cannot be civilized...LOL... And yes, I offered them some cookies.

A friend taught me the trick of preparing my food in advance by cutting it at home into bite size pieces. That works for cheese, bagels, sandwiches, fruit, energy bars, brownies, etc. Because they are bite size, if they get frozen (which hasn't happened to me yet) they'll thaw in my mouth. I love bringing a thermos (which I have in several sizes) and have filled them with the usual soup, hot chocolate, tea, but have also heated cran-grape juice, which has been a big hit.

I'll snack on Power Bars. I keep them in my cozy with my hot gatorade. By the time I take them out, they're kind of gooey.

I usually prefer peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches on a good multi-grain bread, cut into small pieces and carried in a ziplock bag. I'll eat a piece about once an hour with about a cup of water. Also, I'll eat several Keebler chocolate chip cookies throughout the day. If I bring a thermos, it'll have hot chocolate inside.

I might seem stupid here but I don't know what is MRE's

Carole, thanks for making me hungry so early in the afternoon

Bite size cutted food is a great advice, and I love the "Gorp in a bottle" idea.

As for all the American-made food like Twinkies, Devil Dogs, Funny Bones some of you mentionned, I don't think I am gonna find that in Montreal...

Thanks to all