Cheeses
If you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian, you might want to include cheese in your menu. Hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Grand Padano, dry Monterey Jack, and old Cheddar will keep longer. If you want to store cheese for longer than a few days, wrap it in vinegar-soaked cheesecloth and put it in a ziplock freezer bag. If you want to use it for more than a week, go one step further and dip the cheesecloth-wrapped cheese several times in paraffin wax. Cheese also keeps well wrapped in plain brown paper or butcher paper and placed in a ziplock bag. Grated cheese does not keep long and should be used on the first night or two; the same is true for creamed cheeses such as mascarpone, herbed cheese, and the like.
Vegetarian Cheeses
Many types of dairy- and casein-free cheeses for vegetarians are on the market. Often these products are made from rice or soy. These products will only keep a day or two without using a cooler bag and are best used in cooler weather.
Fresh Tofu and Tempeh
In cooler weather fresh tofu or tempeh can be carried but is weighty. You can press the tofu at home with a tofu press or a heavy pan to remove a great deal of the liquid and then package it in a ziplock freezer bag to reduce the weight a little. Shelf stable, firm, silken tofu is available in some supermarkets and is your best option if you’d like tofu on longer trips.
Storage Ideas
There are many ways to deal with storage when it comes to food for wilderness trips. I prefer reusable containers because I like to reduce my environmental footprint, so I lean toward items such as BPA-free Nalgene containers when feasible. I also use freezer bags and LOKSAK products. Freezer bags can be washed at home and reused if they aren’t damaged as long as you air-dry them well. LOKSAK makes two products, OPSAK and aLOKSAK, both of which are element proof. Both are food safe and the OPSAKs are an odor-proof bag rated for higher temperatures.
I use a selection of the following containers and bags:
| • | Nalgene bottles in sizes 30–500 milliliters |
| • | ziplock freezer bags, ranging in size from small to large |
| • | reusable OPSAK and aLOKSAK bags, in a variety of sizes |
| • | a hard-sided container for items such as crackers or tortilla chips |
| • | mini ziplock bags or contact lens containers for salt and spices |
| • | extra ziplock bags for leftovers or emergencies |
It is advisable to store foods by meal in larger ziplock bags rather than store many meals in one ziplock bag. The bags often fail if they are opened and closed repeatedly, and being stuffed into a pack each day can be hard on them. Remember to check the ziplock seals daily and to carry a few spare bags just in case. The exception is with energy bars. I like to wrap them individually in waxed paper or baker’s parchment and then place several in a ziplock bag together. The waxed paper makes an excellent fire starter.
Protect GORP or trail mix from being crushed by storing it in a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle. Sometimes I store my GORP items separately from one another and mix it each morning. That way I will not have to dig through the mixture if I want to use an ingredient such as raisins in another recipe.
It is important that you also store your food safely. I double bag much of my food to prevent moisture from getting inside because it causes food to spoil quickly. At camp I try to keep the food pack out of the sun to reduce its temperature.
It is also important that you hang your food or use an approved bear canister in areas where there are bears; some parks and trails have hanging cables, poles, or bear-proof boxes. But bears aren’t the only problem—raccoons, mice, and other critters can be bothersome as well. If you are in bear country or above the tree line, be sure to use an approved bear canister. It is best to find out ahead of time what type of container is approved for the area in which you plan to hike.
Because I don’t like to hang all of my gear or my entire pack, I carry a nylon bag designed specifically for hanging food. The bag packs up small but will hold a considerable amount of food. You could also use a coated nylon dry bag. Bear-proof canisters are also available, but unless I am hiking where one is required, I find that hanging the food is just as effective. If you are on a paddling trip, you may have the luxury of a separate food pack or barrel, which should be hoisted up between two trees. You should hang your food before dark if possible—not only does this reduce the risk of attracting little nocturnal pests, but it’s easier to find a suitable tree when you can see what you are doing. Be sure to use a good-quality rope for food hanging. The inexpensive, yellow rope that you can buy at the hardware store breaks much more easily than you would think. Use a marine-grade or climbing rope that won’t stretch if saturated with water. If your clothes smell of food or you spilled food on them, you should hang them as well. Toothpaste, camp soap, and other scented items need to be hung with the food pack for safety.
As much as you try to avoid having leftovers, sometimes it happens. Depending on the item, you can store it for use the next day. Intentionally creating leftovers, such as bannock or muffins, makes the next day a little easier. Before storing baked goods, let them cook completely; then place them in a clean ziplock freezer bag or other suitable container. Unless the weather is very cool, be careful when storing food such as rice, as it can develop bacteria that will make you ill. If you have any doubts about the safety of leftover food, it is best to err on the side of caution. Depending on where you travel, you might be able to burn your leftovers. I prefer to pack garbage out as it has less impact on the environment. At night hang the garbage bag in a tree just as you do your food pack.
Packing food for backpacking and paddling trips can have a steep learning curve. Here are some tips that I’ve found helpful:
| • | Plan your menu. |
| • | Take a copy of your menu with you so you can refer to it. I keep mine in my waterproof map case. |
| • | Pack each meal separately in a larger ziplock bag. |
| • | Bring extra ziplock bags in case one of them tears or you have usable leftovers. |
| • | Repackage grocery store finds into ziplock freezer bags. |
| • | Pack the name of the meal, water needed, and other trailside instructions with each meal. (Don’t write it on the outside of the bag in case it wears off.) |
| • | When baking, line your pots with parchment paper to make cleanup easier. |
| • | Store liquids in leak-proof containers, and put these in a ziplock bag just in case. |
Hygiene
Good practices surrounding hygiene are essential both at home and in the backcountry. More often than not, when a person gets ill in the wilderness, it is due to poor hygiene practices, food-borne illness, or contaminated water. Proper hand washing is imperative both on and off the trail. You should always wash your hands before handling food. If water is limited and you are using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to disinfect your hands, be extremely careful and wait a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate before lighting a stove or cooking fire. Keep your body clean as well,
