gorp/trail mix?

What does everyone use for trail mix. I tend not to eat much on the trail, I usually wait until summit. Was reading that I should be eating small amounts of "fat" and "carbs" every 30 minutes or so. I ask this becouse I usually cramp up when I get home (4 hours after the fact). So I was thinking salted peanuts, raisins and some kind of dried fruit mixed together. Probably will get some beef jerky becouse that is easy to eat while walking. I just hope the smell of beef jerky doesn't attrack bears seeing that I usually hike solo. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Something small that I can pop in my mouth so I don'thave to take my pack off. Thanks in advance.

I go with a variety of nuts, a variety of dried fruit, and M&M's!

Adk_dib said:

What does everyone use for trail mix. I tend not to eat much on the trail, I usually wait until summit. Was reading that I should be eating small amounts of "fat" and "carbs" every 30 minutes or so. I ask this becouse I usually cramp up when I get home (4 hours after the fact). So I was thinking salted peanuts, raisins and some kind of dried fruit mixed together. Probably will get some beef jerky becouse that is easy to eat while walking. I just hope the smell of beef jerky doesn't attrack bears seeing that I usually hike solo. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Something small that I can pop in my mouth so I don'thave to take my pack off. Thanks in advance.

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I'm generally unimaginative when it comes to trail food. Something simple and quick works for me, which is usually Good Ol' Raisins & Peanuts, though I usually add some M&Ms to it. Once in a while some dried fruit and jerkey (homemade, I can't deal with store-bought). The problem with jerkey is I love it so much I could breathe it all in in one short sitting! Not a lot of fat in it, as jerkey is best made with lean meat. We often start out with a huge sweet muffin or two at the trailhead, after a long drive. Yes, the jerkey scent, as well as the other food, will be an attractant to bears as well as other critters, but I would worry about them more at camp than on the trail.

I use granola, sesame seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, salted peanuts, dried banana chips and anything else that pops into mind. I get enough fat, protien and carbs from this as well as potasium and sodium.

I always make up far more then I need and my wife will fininsh it off in yogurt.

If it's ease of snacking you're interested in - I know I wouldn't want to take my pack of every 30 minutes - I've seen a few people with a pint size water bottle filled with trail mix looped through a shoulder strap. Obviously, you wouldn't want something too sticky to pour out of the bottle.

lightly salted cashews, dried dates, peanut M and M's...for longer snack breaks I usually eat hard cheese (Asiago, Cheddar, Fontinella and Swiss hold up well except in the hottest conditions.) Usually have some sort of Sandwich for lunch...roast beef and swiss on an onion roll has been the favorite of late.
I was eating a lot of Advantage bars and was crashing because they are not very carbo loaded. No matter what your regular diet is you need the quick carbs when hiking...you will burn right thru them!

Dont forget a few chocolote covered expresso beans for the little kick when needed.

Dried apple rings, almonds, Resse Peices, Gummy bears, banana chips

I like Big plump raisins, dry roasted peanuts and M&M's mixed in equal parts - or even fancier Dried Bing Cherries, almonds and Dark chocolate (there are now dark chocolate M&M's), However, I also easily succumb to a few snickers bars.

While section hiking the AT last year, I met a thruhiker who was dipping snickers bars into a can of Betty Crocker cake frosting. I tried some on my hershey bar
Oh MY God!!!! Was that good!!!!!!!

Rick said:

While section hiking the AT last year, I met a thruhiker who was dipping snickers bars into a can of Betty Crocker cake frosting. I tried some on my hershey bar
Oh MY God!!!! Was that good!!!!!!!

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Now that sounds like a meal! You will never hit the energy depletion wall with that diet. The heart attack wall on the other hand...

Hersey's chips during winter (usually chocolate but peanut ones are good too), lightly salted peanuts (any kind), Goldfish or Cheezit's, dried fruits like pineapple or bananas, licorice, even broken pieces of a Powerbar.

Sour patch kids are a great addition to any gorp.

Any granola type bars sold in food stoes are good. Check the carb content, look for high carbs. Cliff bars are good too. Just break them up and add to your mix. As well as all that was mentioned above.

I usually go for the Snickers variety - same calories as a Clif bar but tastes a whole lot better without a lot of the after effects... Of course, in summer they melt quickly, so standard Gorp works...

WOW! Jason, I can't believe how much that guy looks like you without glasses! Amazing!

I was thinking the same about your avatar...

1 box golden raisins (not as sticky as the brown ones)
1 lb M&M's
1 jar unsalted peanuts

At least that's what I used to do. But last month, I discovered "Sam's Mix" at Walmart - it's the same thing & I don't wind up with 2 lbs of Gorp left over after a hike!

Dark chocolate wafers (the kind you buy in bulk to melt and make your own candy...), white chocolate wafers, dried apricots, pizza pretzel combos. MMMMMMMMM... Sometimes wasabi coated peas too. Ooh, I forgot my new favorite, chocolate covered espresso beans...BUZZ!!

My personal favorite recipe for GORP:

regular M&M's
peanut M&M's
crunchy M&M's
peanuts
cashews - regular
toffee coated cashews
dried cranberries
golden raisins
cinnamon coated raisins
pistachios
dried cherries
dried blueberries
dried currents

YUMMMMMMM!!!!

Recipes? I just wander through the bulk food area and collect a scoop here, a scoop there...

I always try to mix sweet (M&Ms, gummies, dried fruit) and salt (pretzels, wasabi mix) along with some fat (nuts), seems to make the most satisfying mixture. For summer, choclate coated pretzels mixed with something like a cajun mix work great. Once the chocolate melts it gets covered with the mix so is still edible.

For multiday trips I'll make sure I have different varities for a daily change of pace.

Tony