One of the most frequent questions I get when I go on a backcountry camping trip is “What do you eat?” Backcountry camping meals have come a long way since the Boy Scouts carried a can of stew and a can opener into the woods. You’d be amazed at the popular freeze-dried meals you can cook up on a backcountry camping stove!

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There was a very brief period of time when I explored more gourmet backpacking recipes, but I quickly realized I hate doing dishes in the backcountry as much as I hate doing dishes at home. Now when I look for backpacking recipes, “just add water” is what I want – easy to make and nothing to clean up. I’m also a fairly picky eater, so I don’t love a ton of prepackaged camping meals out there, despite packing a ton of calories per ounce. I tend to stick to the same four or five tried-and-true favorite backpacking meals that I know I will like. Even though everything does taste better in the outdoors, I’m still not eating broccoli or green beans, no matter how many miles I’m hiking that day!

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If you’ve ever wondered about the best backcountry camping meals, these are some of the best backpacking food options that I have tried!

Mountain House Backpacking Meals

Mountain House meals are the go-to beginner’s backpacking meal. They have a lot of varieties, they’re easy to make and they’re pretty frickin’ tasty. One complaint I hear the most about these (other than price – backpackers are notoriously cheap) is that the sodium content is high. It’s true, they do pack a lot of sodium into these meals (around 30% of your daily intake) so if sodium is an issue for you, it’s something to consider. I don’t think other dehydrated backpacking meals fare much better, though. I’ve got 99 problems, but sodium ain’t one, so you’ll have to do your own research on that one, sorry!

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Spicy Southwest Breakfast Hash – super tasty breakfast with just the right amount of kick to it! I would definitely buy this one again. Somehow, the potatoes were not soggy or hard, but just right. I’m a recent fan of green chiles since moving to the southwest, so I loved that flavor among all the others in this delicious backpacking breakfast. (Note to Mountain House: make this in a single serving…please!)

Granola with Milk and Blueberries – my go-to camp breakfast. Just add cold water. I’ve tried replicating this myself with granola, dried fruit, and powdered milk, but could never get it just right. (I would love a strawberry version of this one.) This no-cook camp breakfast is seriously tasty, and I love slurping up the purple milk that’s left at the bottom of the bowl.

Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Beef Stroganoff – two of the first Mountain House backpacking meals I ever tried, and they are still regulars in my rotation of backpacking dinners. They are super tasty, and most importantly, come in single-serve packets. I’m not trying to carry out a bunch of heavy, half-eaten meals at the end of a trip!

Packit Gourmet Backpacking Meals

Packit Gourmet is a family-owned and operated business that is about to celebrate 15 years in business. They have some really unique offerings in freeze-dried food. The shelf-life is not quite as long as Mountain House, but they’re still good for a year or so. The meals are also a bit pricier than other options out there, but totally worth it if you ask me. If you prefer to make your own gourmet backpacking recipes, they have a pretty awesome grocery selection, too!

• All-American Works Burger – I don’t even know how they make this, but it is seriously amazing. For my Midwest friends, it’s like eating a Maid-Rite in the backcountry. Try it! The perfect flavor of onion, ketchup, mustard, etc.
• Dottie’s Chicken and Dumplings – fun comfort food on the trail.
• Texas Mesquite Chicken Salad – cold water prep makes this one an easy trail lunch when you get tired of PB&J! If you are trying to pack light and don’t want a stove or fuel, they have a lot of cold water prep foods!
• Their biscuits and gravy breakfast is another great car camping breakfast…it’s a bit messy but so tasty! They even have a pretty decent smoothie if you prefer your camp breakfast on the go.

Backpacking Lunches

Lunch is usually an easier meal when backpacking and many times I will just snack throughout the day without stopping for an actual lunch. My go-to lunch is PB&J on a tortilla. Pepperoni and a cheese stick also make a great lunch on a tortilla!

Tortillas are the MVP of backpacking; they’re lightweight, durable and go with everything! Bread gets stale and crumbly, so everything goes on a tortilla. Sandwich thins work well on a shorter trip. There are cold-prep meals like those I mentioned from Packit Gourmet, too!

What’s in my Camp Kitchen?

I’ve got a pretty simple camp cooking set up these days, but here is some backpacking cooking gear you should have in your pack:

• Stove & Fuel – I use a JetBoil stove, and a Snowpeak Giga stove. Both are great, and they use the same fuel so I can switch back and forth.
• Cooking Set. The JetBoil is self-contained for boiling water, but otherwise, you’ll need a cooking pot. I absolutely love my GSI Soloist Cookset. Everything, including your fuel canister, nests neatly inside.
• Long-Handled Spoon – sporks are great, but to really get down and stir up the bottom of these boil-in-a-bag meals, you’re going to want a spoon with a long handle.

Additional Resources for Backpacking Food Ideas

If you want more DIY backpacking meal ideas, I recommend these two cookbooks:

• Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple – an excellent resource for making your own lightweight backpacking food with easy-to-find ingredients from your local grocery store.
• One Pan Wonders: Backcountry Cooking at its Finest – if you don’t mind a little cleanup, there are great backpacking recipes that only require one pot. One of my favorite backpacking meal recipes is “Go Blue Fredo” which adds freeze-dried vegetables and spices to a box of Annie’s Organic Mac N Cheese.

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Where to Shop for Backpacking Food

For prepackaged camping meals like those listed above, I typically shop at REI. I wait for sales and stock up on my favorite freeze-dried backpacking meals. They last for like ten years, so there’s no waste if they sit in your pantry for a few years. For things like trail mix ingredients, Trader Joe’s has a fun selection of prepared foods as well as granola bars and beef jerky. You can really get by with ingredients from your regular grocery store or Amazon.com. I’ve noticed more single-serve options on the shelves; things like olive oil, coconut oil, instant coffee, instant mashed potatoes, instant refried beans, and even peanut butter, almond butter, and protein powder for ultralight backpacking food. The more backpacking trips you take, the more ideas you’ll start to have for yummy backpacking food ideas.