One of my hacks is, eating a backpacker meal on the first night of my trip and then use the packaging from that meal to rehydrate future meals like ramen or a knorr rice side. Keeps the pot clean and rehydrates well and easy to eat out of.

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

That’s definitely a good one! Thanks, Syd!

@kellyjohnson3617

Ай бұрын

That and my long handle spoon is silicone that scrapes the bag clean so use minimal water to clean the mountain house bag. Spoon is a little heavier than my titanium spork. But worth it to get very last crumb in my food bag

@dcaudwell

Ай бұрын

Me too - I have done this for years!

@aaalllen

Ай бұрын

That's usually my trash bag :)

@SydKam

Ай бұрын

@@aaalllen I'll admit, it ends up being my trash bag as well if I am out there long enough. Especially for, certain stinky stuff... 😁

I know they often don't do as well view-wise as gear vids, but for someone who already has a pretty dialed kit, tip videos really are where it's at. Much appreciated

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

Honestly... that's what I love making more than anything else 😉. Thanks for watching!

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

@@DarwinOnthetrailit shows! You’re really good at it! Do you take a multi vit while you’re on the trail?

My personal food hack is what I call Chicken Butter! It's a blend i make at home consisting of chicken bone broth powder, freeze-dried powdered butter, and iodized salt (sometimes I add black pepper). I use this to add flavor to any rehydrated dish as needed. The butter adds a nice creamy consistency, the chicken adds a savory flavor, and the salt is, well, salt. But it also adds about 100 calories per tablespoon, plus healthy gelatine and collagen, which is important for your aching joints out there. On its own, it can be a nice broth to stimulate your appetite. It's a winner for me.

@wanttogo1958

Ай бұрын

@FiraFlame I assume you mean one tablespoon of the powder = 100 calories?

@dangay365

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for this tip!

@robdawson2

17 күн бұрын

how do you make butter powder? I need to look into that.

@BT-dl8kq

12 күн бұрын

Think the bone broth powder is a scam. Like buying low quality vitamins.

For reducing the size of packaging and removing air. Make a pin hole, with either a pin or the tip of a knife, then slowly squeeze the air out, then fold up. A pin hole will let air out, keep moisture out, and keep food in, even things like powdered potato will no leak if you fold the bag so the hole is innermost/covered. Saves on ziplocs, and the time decanting.

@thisbeem2714

Ай бұрын

I bet if folks are worried about the pinhole they could tape over the hole.

@GivePeaceAChance12

25 күн бұрын

Tape over pinhole 😊

I add olive oil to anything that can take it. Most decent foods can easily meet the 100:1 ratio so I personally prioritize protein. For example, gorp and nut mixes can take you close to 200 calories/oz and have a ton of protein. Using the fuel transfer adapter also reduces waste in the landfill which is particularly important to me.

@TheNewGreenIsBlue

Ай бұрын

What do you carry the Olive Oil in?

@AD-bx5fm

Ай бұрын

@@TheNewGreenIsBlue Depends on the length of the trip but either a 3 oz nalgene or ~1.75 oz liquor shot bottle

If you want to be the camp hero in a group, pack a Jello Instant cheese cake. Bring a bit of powdered milk, a bit of butter make ethe recipe according to directions and share. Everyone will love you! One time I brought individual Keebler tart crusts, instant milt, instant pudding and a can of whipped cream to make individual chocolate cream pies on a ski camp. We pulled sleds with our packs on them so a little extra was no big deal. It was a smashing success!

@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123

Сағат бұрын

I’m going with you !!!

It may seem redundant to you to always talk about the same types of things, but to many of us, we are hearing these little things for the first time, so please keep up the good work!!

@mikezaloudek4893

4 күн бұрын

Yes! - always can pick up new tricks or get reminders about old tricks.

My favorite breakfast: An envelope of Carnation Essentials with 1/4 cup Nido whole milk powder and 4 Walmart brand oatmeal cookies (300 calories). I eat this while I’m packing up. Quick, satisfying, nourishing, and mess-free.

Thanks so much for this! I was literally just sitting with all my food spread out trying to figure out what I’m taking for a section of the PCT next week. Great timing! I never realized you divided food by each day with separate bags- I’m gonna do that! Much easier for my ADHD brain to bring what I need each day and keep it organized. To prevent myself from losing my spoon, I always keep it in the food cozy as opposed to loose in the food bag- so far I still have it! 😂 Once again, thank you! 🙂

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

Have a great hike!

I take a small dyneema made dog bowl and eye dropper with dawn dish soap for hand washing.

@HostileTakeover2

27 күн бұрын

People need to be doing that more. The weight is minimal and the benefits huge. And even when water is scarce, you don't need much.

I have a pot cosy made from two thicknesses of closed cell mat. Originally it was used just for rehydrating meals. Recently though I've started packing frozen meat in my cook pot inside the cosy. The insulated cosy keeps it partially frozen for a couple of days, cold for another day. So for the first few days of a walk I get to eat chops, bacon, sausages. When the meat runs out I switch to dehydrated food, and the cosy becomes a cosy again. I always crave town food a few days into a walk, so this allows me to be eating real food much more of the time.

I cut the bottom of my spoon hole to be a hook so I can pick up the pot lid. I transfer my Skittles/snack into a small water/juice bottle then I can just pour them in my mouth no dirty hand contact.

@robdawson2

17 күн бұрын

you can pour these right from the original packaging.... No need to transfer Skittles, MnMs etc to a bottle.

At the risk of being too repetitive, I truly enjoy your posts. Appreciate it. Merci.

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

Most important lesson I learnt, bring food you like and want to eat. It might be different than from your day to day but you will learn over time what works and what not.

@scottplumer3668

29 күн бұрын

The converse is also useful. I went to North Manitou Island in Michigan a few years ago, and they advise taking extra food in case the ferry isn't running and you're stuck there. I took plain oatmeal, with nothing to supplement it (like sugar) so that I was less likely to eat it on a whim. I didn't need it.

@wildwanderer6025

22 күн бұрын

That's a good one. I used to always bring nuts to hiking trips (lots of calories, healty, taste good). But when actually outside I never feel like eating them, ever.

I've been following you since you had only a few thousand followers, and then I thought to myself, this guy will get popular one day. Since then I haven't seen your videos recommended on KZread, until now, and wow congrats on the 320k followers! It's so cool to see you doing what you love!

I also open all my food containers before packing. In addition to letting the air out. I like to toss the absorbing packet out, and have less trash to deal with on the trail.

If you want to be the camp hero in a group, pack a Jello Instant cheese cake. Bring a bit of powdered milk, a bit of butter make the recipe according to directions and share. Everyone will love you! One time I brought individual Keebler tart crusts, instant milk, instant pudding and a can of whipped cream to make individual chocolate cream pies on a ski camp. We pulled sleds with our packs on them so a little extra was no big deal. It was a smashing success!

@OriflammeGaming

29 күн бұрын

How did you store the butter? I’d assume a classic butter bell would be too expensive and the water wouldn’t stay

@nancyst.john-smith3891

26 күн бұрын

@@OriflammeGaming you premeasure how much you will need, put it in a ziplock. It will be fine for up to a couple of days.

@honorarenwick6491

19 күн бұрын

We had cheesecake mix on our food drops and one time I zoned out and ate the entire cheesecake instead of sharing it. My trail partner said it was OK because she would eat the entire cheesecake at the next food drop. A few years later I tried to eat a sixth of the cheesecake and found it hard to eat such a rich portion. Goes to show how hungry you can get on a long hike.

I hope I’m not overly annoyingly commenting! In addition to the food rehydrating insulated pouch, made covers for my water bottles and a liner for my tent floor out of the Reflectix 48” wide hot water heater insulation. We lived in Alaska and winter camped. A piece for under your sleeping mat can really cut the heat transfer from your body to the ground. It’s very light weight!

@operationseekingtruth

18 күн бұрын

I did this for just the size of my sleep pad. I love it for cold weather camping. Also put them in my shoes in the winter for hiking or working outside.

i tried the daily food bag idea once, no i prefer to package my food by meal type. brkfst, lunch, dinner, snack. this allows me to be more flexible on meal choices every day. if you bring 2 pieces of foil, you can use one for a lid and one for a wind screen. i weigh my small canisters after my trips to see how much i use. certain trips i will carry the medium size can, sometimes the small. on overnighters, i simply carry 2 partially empties and use them up. i have long taken freeze dried meals, open, dump in a bowl, add rice/ramen and dried meat, split in half and then put into food grade stand up mylar bags. one sided clear lets you see what you have but i also write on them the type and how much water to add. also, only heat coffee and hot chocolate water to as hot as you can drink. it doesn't need to boil. calories are great but make sure you get enough protein.

@ShepherdsSheepdog

29 күн бұрын

Protein powder! ON double chocolate flavor brightens your world all kinds of ways!

I will take my flip fuel device on trail with me. Hiker boxes almost always contain partially used fuel canisters.

@benry007

Ай бұрын

If you meet up with other hikers you could also buy one can and fill up all your canisters

@trippingandtrekking

Ай бұрын

I was just thinking this the other day. Or you could "borrow" gas from someone in an emergency.

@happyonthetrails

Ай бұрын

How do you know when the one you’re filling is full and don’t overfill ? Does it just stop ?

@schmeltzb

Ай бұрын

​@happyonthetrails , so I filled a can over like 2 or 3 times in a row and it has a big bulge on the bottom, I assume it's over filled so without weighing it, it is hard to tell lol

@aaalllen

Ай бұрын

@@happyonthetrails MSRs have the floating guesstimates on the side. You could sharpie something like that on other brands, but note that MSR usually fills 110 vs 100 on the others.

The main reason this theme of video rocks is because it's about FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD ❤

Eating chips with your spork is genius! Immediately implementing this for my upcoming trip.

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

I was thinking that you could take that a step further and divide the chip bag into 4 sandwich bags by weight. Squeeze the air out, close them up, and put one in each day’s food bag.

I made covers for my water bottles and a liner for my tent floor out of the Reflectix 48” wide hot water heater insulation. We lived in Alaska and winter camped. A piece for under your sleeping mat can really cut the heat transfer from your body to the ground. It’s very light weight!

Great advice to eat with a spoon rather than fingers when unable to properly wash your hands. Norovirus is no joke!

@jeremymoses7401

Ай бұрын

No, no it isnt. Ive had it 3-4 times. The last time i caught it my immune system had to have gone scortched earth because i only suffered a whopping 4hrs. The only reason i know that trist was noro is because my wife and kids kept passing it around like a football. That bacteria lives in the gut.... and it does not like alcohol. Everyone works a bit different and obviously not for kids.... but two shots of something strong on an empty stomach have put the tables in my favor every time

@MasterK9Trainer

29 күн бұрын

I don't know if they're still available but I remember that somebody made these popcorn Forks which were sort of like a pair of plastic tweezers

I decided years ago to stop cooking on the trail, I like cold food anyways so that has saved a good amount of weight in my pack. I also stopped carrying a water filter and use chlorine drops now - they are fast and lightweight. Golly when I learned to backpack in scouts, we would have been carrying 60-70 lb packs, with literal tanks of white-gas for the stoves!

Shout-out to Gear Sceptic for his work on caloric density (and basically everything he researches).

Great tips. The fuel transfer device is genius & really works. Thanks for taking the time to put this video together.

"Every single day I pull out the day of food I need for that entire day" I felt this one

I’ve cooked in the Knorr pouches only to find out that a couple of days on trail caused the bottom corners to wear pinholes and cause a leak. Also, I divide up my chips into daily portions in baggies so that I don’t eat them all at once. Same with trail mix, etc.

Thank you so much for these tips! I'm weird and autistic and have a lot of food issues, and also very bad at cooking and meal-planning at the best of times... But I really want to be outdoors, I have always yearned for longer trips in the wilderness and multiday hiking, and I would love to do the Te Araroa trail - it runs right by my house! But the few times I've tried basic overnight camping, I've found the food / cooking aspects, both before and during, to be so overwhelming that I've barely ever spent a night outdoors, in my 36 years. I'm very excited to come across this video, similar videos I've seen over the years seem to overwhelm me even more, somehow... Haha that's life with autism, getting confused or stuck by things which everybody else seems to understand........ But I find these tips to be really very helpful and relatable. You've highlighted specific issues which I didn't even realise were significant barriers, and so I could never come up with a solution. So thank you very much, and I am looking forward to checking out your other videos now, cheers :)

@StrangeAlleyCat

12 күн бұрын

I have the same as you and my tips to you is to start trying out different foods at home so you hopefully won't be stuck out there with food you can't eat. Try it out at home first and find the ones you like or at least tolerate. I hate cooking so prepared, ready meals are important for me. Most of them are awful 😂

Wind, even a breeze of a couple of miles per hour, significantly degrades the efficiency of an exposed canister stove. For less than an ounce of weight, I use a Flatcat Gear Ocelot windscreen fitted to my stove. It helps me stretch out my canisters much longer (and more reliably) on long hikes. I’ve tried a lot of stoves and screens over several thousand miles, but just haven’t found a better combination for me than a Pocket Rocket Deluxe with the matching Ocelot and a titanium mug.

@DominiqueB

15 күн бұрын

Manufacturers warn NOT to enclose a canister & stove combo inside a windscreen: if there's not enough air circulating around it, temperatures might increase dramatically and mess up the seals, leading to gas leak ==> big risk of runaway flame or kaboooom. I have like you used a windscreen for years with no issue, but i have indeed read reports of bad incidents, so there is a real risk. I now make sure to leave a big gap on the lee side, to not wrap the screen too closely -- or even better now, when weight is not much of a concern, to use a remote setup like MSR Lowdown, that has the big added benefit of lowering the center of gravity for the stove head/pot.

@alan772

15 күн бұрын

@@DominiqueB Agree that heating up the fuel canister is not a good idea. Nice thing about the Ocelot is that it doesn’t enclose the canister and places a burner plate between the canister and flame. So the screen can protect the flame from wind 360 around without heating up the canister. The enclosure makes it easier to run the stove at a more efficient lower setting (half or less) which also means less heat escaping in any direction.

@DominiqueB

6 күн бұрын

@@alan772 I’d never seen the Ocelot, thanks for the tip, looks like a smart and efficient design. Always something new to learn. :-)

Stovetop stuffing fits the 100/1 rule perfectly. My trail name was Stovetop 😂

@tyeldredge1359

Ай бұрын

and good sodium

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

And it goes so well with fresh caught fish!

@pgpagaia

Ай бұрын

What is atovetop stuffing?

Good call on eating with a spoon - most people who think they had ghiardia on trail actually had dyssentary. Waterborne illness is out there, but it's actually pretty rare. Like if you test water sources. But everybody's eating with dirty hands after pooping in the woods. Not hard to do the math.

I love dehydrating my own backpacking meals for my dinners. For me, its worth the extra time and, occasionally, the extra volume to get a significant portion of vegetables and protein in my diet on trail at a fraction of the cost. I’ve been building a recipe bank for years now. I'm concerned about the long term effects of eating the common trail foods that are high in sugar and low in nutrients. Even just bringing some dehydrated previously cooked and seasoned vegetables to add to knorr sides or whatever would be a good option, although those meals are also lacking in protein. Gotta love the kettle chips though. Those are the lifeblood! The spoon trick is great. Those fuel adapters are great too.

Clean hands are important! I'm mildly alergic to ceadar pollen. I once triggered a reaction by eating nuts with dirty hands because there was pollen in the dirt even though there was none in the air.

I love how you're so organized about your foods! I consider nutrition as well, our bodies need a balance of nutrients, not just a bunch of chips and cookies which may be high in calories but over the long haulour bodies dont do well. I hear a lot of people eating a lot of junk food and wo der if they would feel/do better if they were more organized. Theres a thru hiking couple i follow and they plan their meals, cook and dehydrate food and send it in themselves.

I made a rehydration pouch and used it for a while until I figured out my sit pad is just the right size. I wrap it around my dehydrated meals to keep them warm in colder weather while they rehydrate.

A great tip for getting more calories is to pack some instant mash potatoes and grated parmesan in a little ziplock. Every time you make a meal with boiling water (or I guess cold soaking but no thanks) just add in some instant mash and parm to whatever you're making. It doesn't really mess up the flavor but it adds in some easy calories.

@michaelbutler1557

19 күн бұрын

Good idea.

Like you I wanted to leave my heavier pot lid at home. So I cut a disposable aluminum pie pan into a lid for my 3 cup pot and used a piece of duct tape with a 3/4" tab sticking up for a handle. Beenworking for years. I just began using a fuel transfer widget and it's a great item. You need to do a segment on it.

I have a more basic version of the 100/1 rule, which is that I gauge my total food for the trip by weight, and usually go for 1 - 1.5 lb per day, using many of the same types of food you’re including here. That’s always worked well for me, and I usually end up having the right amount. I do like the idea of separating food by days, and I think I’ll try that next time out. Biggest benefit I see is not having to rummage in my food bag so often. I’m a man so I don’t carry a purse, but I feel like living out of my food bag is a lot like all the worst aspects of losing stuff in a purse, lol.

When refueling that small butane canister - stick the small canister in the fridge and the large canister in the sun to warm up. You will thank me later.

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

Yep! Every time!

@bihlygoat

Ай бұрын

I put mine in ice water and nearly boiling water. Same principle. Oh, and I did have the Lindl valve on one canister start to leak slowly after re-using it too many times. So watch out for that. (Maybe you could see bubbles underwater? I just know mine went empty while it was stored).

@sam3317

Ай бұрын

put the small can in a bowl of salty ice water when you're filling too.

@OrmusTR

Ай бұрын

How you safely fill it up without overfilling and causing it to either bulge or explode? While on a thru hike you wont really have access to a scale

@sam3317

Ай бұрын

@@OrmusTR you do the filling at home mate, not on the hike. It doesn't make sense if you think about it.

Good video. I must admit that dealing with food on the trail is absolutely my biggest frustration and has been so for years. Early on everything I brought was just too bulky and took up more of my pack than anything else. Then I started exploring how to prioritize protein and still get an appropriate balance of carbs and enough calories. I’m also tired of carrying a pot, stove and fuel because it’s just one more thing. I’ve settled on cold soaking oatmeal in the morning, eating high-protein bars throughout the day, and cooking one meal at night (Peak!). That’s really helped conserve fuel and avoid carrying bulk wraps, cheese and summer sausage, but it doesn’t help me reduce the weight of all the cooking stuff. I’d like to learn more about cold soaking, and I’ve tried to educate myself as much as I can, but it doesn’t make much sense to me to think a Knorr pouch and nothing but carbs is a meal, and if I’m being honest, tuna just makes me want to bleh! Still a riddle to me.

@marywhalen5096

Ай бұрын

Darwin had a period when he was just cold soaking. Even adding liquid, stirring, securing it near his tummy (jossles & warms as you walk!). Maybe someone can add a way to search for when he talks about it. Maybe midway through when he was publishing a lot. Just be sure to really seal the rehydrating container!! Takes a bit longer than adding hot water. Expert at home.

@mendyviola

Ай бұрын

Try the chicken or salmon in a pouch vs tuna.

@Truth-Seeker75

Ай бұрын

@@mendyviola Chicken is always watery and very small portions. Good thought though. Lately I’ve been trying dehydrated beef and chicken, and while it does work, it takes quite a bit of time to be palatable.

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

@Truth Seeker 75, I hear you. I haven’t hiked much lately due to some health issues related to age, but I feel I have a few hikes left in me. I do some stuff to my food to jack up the nutrition. Ramen stays home. It’s really just empty calories. A Knorr side with a handful of dehydrated organic broccoli added is yummy. The idea someone above had of putting instant pudding in water was interesting, but add 1/4 cup of dry milk powder to the pudding mix and water and it’s got vitamins and minerals. Bring some ziplocks and some sprouting seeds. Bring some broccoli micro greens you started at home. Peanut butter is a good snack. Tang powder for that Vit C. Dehydrated cabbage added to soup mixes. Dehydrated mushrooms added to a Knorr side. I also like to forage and fish. I won’t be putting in 10 mile days like you young machines, but this grandma had her day.

@TheNewGreenIsBlue

Ай бұрын

@@Truth-Seeker75 Why not just use Beef Jerky? It can be rehydrated, or when cooked, it goes well with noodles or pasta and a bit of powdered milk.

Peanuts and dark chocolate are my go to trailsnacks. Also, I'm going to incorporate overnight oats.

@bikerinthewoods7256

11 күн бұрын

A Vargo Bot makes it easy to pack the over night oats into the bear bag without leakage. Works great with a koozy for hot meals, too. Not a cheap pot, but versatile.

Really like powdered coconut oil. The weight-density-calorie ratios are superb. Whilst it has a strong flavour, it tends to work well with breakfast (oats etc), coffee, and most evening meals.

@barbara777

Ай бұрын

I love this idea!!

@CricketsBay

Ай бұрын

I prefer powdered butter.

@kmander

Ай бұрын

@@CricketsBay good idea!

Another way to save $$$ on food is to snack on nuts and dried fruit instead of bars. For a four-day trip, I carry -- each in separate bags -- three or four kinds of nuts and three or four kinds of fruit. Buy 'em in bulk at Costco and a co-op, then repack. Snack by snack, mix and match the combos. Almonds and apricots, cranberries and pecans, raisins and walnuts, then maybe almonds and raisins, etc. Variety rocks! (Yep, this is similar to gorp but doesn't get boring like gorp.) I do enjoy a bar occasionally but mostly favor healthier, less processed snacks.

@barbara777

Ай бұрын

idk if you've tried planters dill pickle cashews but if I could find those in bulk I think I would only eat those they are insanely delicious.

@thisbeem2714

Ай бұрын

Good idea. I got bored with that hack for awhile but came back to it. I figured out that adding a bar in here and there is my best option. I don’t get completely bored with my fruit nut mix and don’t eat a ton of processed bars.

Vanilla carnation breakfast essentials make instant coffee more palatable, cold or hot. And adds calories! The classic thruhiker coffee. It’s like a Frappuccino! Kinda…..

@elynnm3016

Ай бұрын

Yep if I have coffee cold I use the vanilla and call it my trail iced latte. If I have it hot, I use the chocolate for hot chocolate with a caffeine kick.

I pack my food per day as well for about a year now and that has been such an improvement! Great tip about eating chips with a spoon. I never bring chips out on trail, but it makes me think anyway about eating things with your hands. You made a good point there.

I'm planning an adventure to Triple Crown. The information you provide on this channel is a true level above. Smart, practical, and sensible. You rock! 🤘

I often go to the Asian food aisle in my local grocery store and get one of the noodle things they have there. It's usually more interesting than ramen, and I supplement it with a pouch of chicken or Spam. Spam is also great once once it's been cooked a bit over a fire (assuming you're someplace where you can have one). Also, pre-cooked bacon is a game-changer. You can cook it over a fire or in a pan to make it a little crispier, or eat it right out of the package. I also take a couple of Lipton cold brew iced tea bags. One works perfectly in a 32-ounce Nalgene.

I mix oat flour, protein powder and powdered instant whole milk into a meal replacement shake I call “glug”. It packs down to nothing and makes breakfast in seconds. Often I’ll add instant coffee into the mixture as well. While my fellow backpackers are using up fuel to cook oatmeal, heat water for coffee and cleaning dishes I’ve consumed significantly more nutrients and broken down camp.

@barbara777

Ай бұрын

Hell yes that is a great idea

@charlottedunlay4397

Ай бұрын

How about a quick recipe for a "glug" shake.

@matthewrick

Ай бұрын

@@charlottedunlay4397this mix would be considered a “large meal” for a hard morning 60g powdered whole fat milk 27g whey protein concentrate/isolate 90g instant oats, ground to flour Total Nutritional Content: Calories: 750 Protein: 46g Carbohydrates: 91g Fat: 22g Fiber: 9g

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

Sounds great!

Well done! I like your idea of rehydrating your meals in your coat for added warmth, but I would be concerned about getting a midnight visit from hungry critters. I love tips and tricks episodes. Not related to cooking but on winter hikes or rainy ones I use an UCO Candle Lantern to add warmth and reduce condensation.

Using a big thermos flask for lunch (family backpacking). We fill it with hot water and food in the morning when we have everything out anyway. Then there is almost zero delay from decision to stop to food intake. Then we can do the dishes in the evening. Shortens the time and effort of lunch considerably. It isn’t UL but I’m strong. Plus a thermos with hot water is always nice to have in cold weather.

Dude. That buy the big fuel and fill the little fuel cannisters is a game changer. Not only do I have a schload of little, partially full 100g cannisters, I have several 250 g cannisters that do not fit into any of my current cook kits. Getting that adapter for sure and will be doing this from now on. Hell, I probably won't have to buy new fuel for months yet. Thanks Darwin.

The bottom of the bag crushed chips are just the best !! ❤ so making an entire bag of crushed chips should be the bomb 👍🏻

@marywhalen5096

Ай бұрын

Got me going with that tip! Shocked & dismayed to see you mash them, then total understanding. Yup, they would be unlikely to last to the 2nd day for me! Instead of binging (& maybe eating nasty bacteria off my greasy greedy fingers!) now have a flavorful crunchy topping! Ha!

I have resting energy demand of around 1800kcal and just checked a recent hike of 27km and I burned 1700kcal. That's 3500kcal combined. I am 178cm tall and 72kg, so already quite lean, and I would probably die within a week on 2300kcal per day :)

a buddy taught me a cool trick to save space in Bear canister. Empty freeze dried meals into small individual zipolck bags. Then bring only one cookbag to reuse throughout the trip. I also add peanut/almond butter packets to oatmeal, extra calories and not much space or weight.

Preparing the knorr sides in the package is a great tip, never knew the pouches would hold up to that.

@niceguy191

Ай бұрын

I'd be worried the plastic isn't heat safe and leeches bad stuff far more than the packages designed for it

@CricketsBay

Ай бұрын

They can, but rubbing around in a backpack can make the corners on Knorr packaging leak due to wear and tear.

as far as not touching your chips...that's also good for helping to prevent norovirus in areas where that's prevalent

Love the video, I have found that a 1 gallon food saver bag will allow you to rehydrate your meal. Transfer the dehydrated meal, and vacuum seal it, cuts down the size. I took your day food packing 1 step further and pack each days food in a vacuum bag and seal and suck the air. Food bag is muck smaller.

You are young, you are strong, carry food! I’m 56 and so are my backcountry buddies, we have never run out of food. The day before we bug out we spend most of the day eating all the heaviest food we can so that we aren’t packing it out. My pack still weighs 55 lbs, the same as it did 20 years ago before I added the dozen beer, as I got older it was 6 beer, then 4, nowadays it’s a small flask of tequila or port. Secondly, washing hands before eating has never been a challenge, I have never camped anywhere that doesn’t have a water source, I have never gone backpacking without hand sanitizer. How I pack food for 3 nights is this, 3 breakfasts, 3 dinners, plenty of snacks, soups, noodles, flatbread, peanut butter, cheese etc for daytime, no need to “plan” lunches. Breakfasts…hard boiled eggs, instant oats and dried fruit, instant coffees. Day food, flatbreads for wraps, tuna, Mr Noodle, peanut butter, cream cheese, cheddar. Dinners, the usual boil for 7 minutes packaged stuff. And smokies. Snacks, wine gums, nuts, chocolate.

@Andy-ku3jy

28 күн бұрын

But thru hike, on a many many day/weekds thru hike - what then ?

@Mansionlife-m7l

27 күн бұрын

@@Andy-ku3jy I have done 5 nights and still had enough food left to last another couple days if necessary.

I get a farm box delivered to my home and some food comes in a reflectix bag. I use them for so many great purposes. I never throw them away. I’ve made cozys for knorr sides or backpacking meals. But also made cozys for my drink bottles to keep drinks colder longer snd also made some for my camp/hiking cook pots and for kids for them to keep heat from escaping so conserve water snd fuel. They make good bubble wrap for packing and I tape them together to make custom window covers for the south side of my house in summer. Tho I have double pane windows snd black out blinds that keep the house cool, the reflectix drops the house temp a full 5-10 degree which can be the difference between comfortable and very uncomfortable. Also lightweight way to increase the R value of a sleep system. Use it under my pets bed when camping. She loves it so much I have it under her pet bed at home.

@CricketsBay

Ай бұрын

Those are great tips for using Reflectix. Thank you.

I didn’t see it mentioned, but an aluminum foil windscreen around your stove can help reduce fuel usage. I use some heavy gauge aluminum foil.

I like that idea per day going use that for my bikepacking trips

To save on fuel in the field I heat filtered water to hot, not boiling temps. Hot water seems to rehydrate as well without using as much fuel.

after everyone is asleep i take down the food bags and take all the good food for myself and then make it look like a racoon got to the food bags. that's what i call a good cheap hack 😅

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

OHHH! I stealing that one! 😂

@geraldhenrickson7472

Ай бұрын

That was YOU? Trail name Racooon? Ratatouille? Rascal?

@weseiseman5602

Ай бұрын

😂😂😂

@vincentvega5686

Ай бұрын

@@geraldhenrickson7472 was that your instant cappuccino and bag of pistachio? they were delicious!

Cooking Knorr in the package is a mind blower. Those are so tasty too. The potato chips sounded so unhinged but the reasoning does check out. I've used foil as lids before even at home.

The bag per day is a Boy Scout hack . It works well. I felt like I was carrying extra weight so I started number each individual food item and put the day number on it.

I have really appreciated your insights on food and reducing cost.

Finally, someone sharing new information. Thank you. The people in your comment section are also very interesting and helpful.

For snacking, my resupplies have bags various types of nuts and seeds, dried fruit, various M&Ms, chocolate covered espresso beans, and pretzels. I mix it up so I'll get a different set of options each time and can mix them how I like. Pistachios with peanut butter M&Ms, a few chocolate covered espresso beans and dried blueberries are a favorite. Chia seeds are great for protein, fiber, and calories. My breakfast is usually a mix of muesli, powdered milk, plant protein powder, freeze-dried fruit, nuts, chia seeds, vanilla latte mix, and powdered butter. I'll let it soak while I pack up in the morning. It's good cold, and very good hot if I want to take the time to boil water.

Holy crap that fuel canister hack is amazing! Digging your tips, tricks, and hacks videos, Darwin!

I do have a rule to carry one extra ramen for dinner. You never know if you'll be sick or hurt and have to take an unplanned trail 0. Starving won't help you heal. Luckily I've never had to use my emergency dinner, but I have given it away when a raccoon got another hiker's food. He wouldn't have eaten for 2 days if people didn't help him out.

Love the daily meal packs. As always..you never disappoint ❤

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

Works like a charm! 😋

I don't know if you have this in US but in europe I like to use sweetened condensed milk in small tube for my morning coffee it is for me an alternative for milk + sugar and you don't need to think if your milk will be bad the next day, also save a lot of space

This is sick! Thanks Darwin- gonna implement some of these on my first solo trip coming up :)

I finally made your cook koozy and tried it out on trail last weekend. It worked great! I even made a standup koozy for my son's collapsible silicone bowl out of the same material. Now it sits more stable and doesn't burn his fingers. Thanks, Darwin!

Great tips! Refilling canisters/tanks: great tip...did not knwo about that one. We refill our 1-pound propane tanks for our two burner camp and van stove in a similar fashion from a 20-pound tank. For overland fly fishing trips, I now use a Primus OmniFuel bottle and pump stove (accepts: Isobutane, white gas, petrol, diesel, kerosene, and even aviation fuel). It is versatile but , at 0.41 pounds, not for through-hikers but great for overlanders, short mutli-nights, or campers it is flexible and ideal. It also is not inexpensive.

Been backpacking for several years and still learned something - thanks for another great video!

On the AT last year, I only had to buy two cans of fuel because I was able to take the partial cans out of hiker boxes and transfer them to my can.

That was a useful video. Thank you. One sort of tip - take all of the nearly empty gas canisters when you go car camping. Save the nearly full ones for backpacking.

For the freeze dried meals, I always bring only one clean spare pouch, and repackage all the meals in freezer ziplocks that can take boiling water. Pour the water in the ziplock, stick it in the pouch, and you save a ton of weight (almost an ounce per meal). also its really waterproof for the sticking-under-the-shirt option in cold weather. For Knorr sides I find that they don‘t rehydrate very well that way, so I boil them in my pot, put the whole pot in a diy pot cozy, and reboil after 5 mins.

the Gear Skeptic YT channel has some great ideas as well, and a user friendly google sheet that is sortable and includes all kinds of retail food packages.

Another hack when transferring fuel from one canister to another is to put the receiving canister into a refrigerator or something cold for a few minutes befor doing the transfer. It will reduce the pressure in it so that the fuel in the other will flow more efficiently.

The air trick is brilliant! Never thought about letting all the air out before starting the trip! Very helpful!

Great ideas, and happy to see you sharing your hard-earned knowledge again. Yay!

Digging that spoon/broken chips Idea. Dirty hands can be so questionable. Also to add to that I tend to look for ways to not touch my food so that I don't have a scent on my hands that might trace contact to other things in my pack or on my body. Especially out where curious critters large and small may be around. Bears especially.

Thank you for the trail wisdom Darwin.

A silicone stretch lid turns your pot into a hot or cold soak container. It will stay on securely with my pot in an outer pocket on my pack. Turn it upside-down to use as a lid when heating the water. Instead of a cozy I just put my pot under a beanie or under my sleeping bag. Sometimes I've cooked my meal, wrapped it in a hat and packed it up in my pack to put in a few more miles.

I’ve gone a step further with the pre-packaged backpacking meals and even put *those* into quart freezer bags. After pouring the boiling water in, I stir and then drop the entire bag back into my cook pot and put the lid on for rehydration. You can even fold the ziplock over the rim of your cook pot while you eat to make it easier and cleaner. 🤗 Another great video, sir! 👏🏽👏🏽

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

I always worry about leaching chemicals from the bags. 😬

@ajmeijer6854

Ай бұрын

@@DarwinOnthetrailYeah. I’ve definitely thought about that, too. Also why I don’t use the same water bottle for seasons-on-end. Guess everyone has to do what they’re comfortable with, but I mostly use this strategy when I’m on a very long carry WITH a bear canister requirement.

@whosjulez1157

Ай бұрын

I rather buy bags, that are rated to withstand boiling water without seasoning your food with plastic. All the waste from backpacking food is horrendous

@UGA.D

Ай бұрын

@@DarwinOnthetrail Crockpot cooking bags are supposed to not leach and can take some high temps. 🤷‍♂

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

@@DarwinOnthetrail you should. I worked for Girl Scouts and contacted Ziplock directly to ask if it is safe to cook egg omelets in a ziplock freezer bag in boiling water. They answered a definitive NO. The plasticizers (hormone disrupters) are not thermally stable and will leach out in the heat. Bags made for sous vide are safe to use in hot water. People are still making omelets in Ziplocks and one or two a year will probably not kill them.

11:10 Lol. Been a while since you had to pay full price for that Peak Refuel you're holding up. That "$8-9" entree is more like $14! 😜

@RICHat22

29 күн бұрын

Yep. I keep a couple MRE's and camp meals around for emergencies or quick trips. But I noticed W-M all their meals around here are 9.96 plus tax now. Ridiculous the price increases we've seen the last 3 years on everything in life top to bottom.

Nice list. I bought the fuel transfer adapter the other day.

Would like to hear what your thoughts are on the fuel transfer device that is called “Flip an Fuel”

@DarwinOnthetrail

Ай бұрын

You mean the one I talk about in the end of this video? 😉

@steveh994

Ай бұрын

Yes I did not wait long enough Just FYI they are sold out of Arizona but made in China

Great video. Lots of good tested info...thank you ,happy trails...

Been doing the same with fuel transfer for a while. I keep 4 of the small one, a couple medium size ones, and just fill what I'm going to need before the trip from the big ones. Not only cheaper, but way less metal to recycle per gram of fuel used.

@Dakota.Covers

Ай бұрын

How do you avoid overfilling the canister?

@ThatFlowState

Ай бұрын

​@@Dakota.Covers with a kitchen scale it's pretty simple. You can find a chart listing the empty canister weight online or you weigh your full canister and subtract the fuel weight. Then it's just a matter of refilling with a stopwatch and weighing. After you've done it once or twice you know how much fuel gets transferred in what time. I generally aim for a refill of 70-80 % to leave some margin for error.

@nancyst.john-smith3891

Ай бұрын

@@ThatFlowStatehow many times can a canister be refilled, safely, in your opinion? Have you had any bulging or leaking cans?

@ThatFlowState

Ай бұрын

@@nancyst.john-smith3891 I haven't had any issues with refilled cans but I only started about two years ago. I've done a maximum of five refills of one can but will continue using that one.. The weakest part is probably the valve that will become leaky at some point but so far the refilled cans are just as good as a new one.

@backpacker3421

Ай бұрын

@@Dakota.Covers You can't possibly overfill. The fuel moves from one into the other until the pressure equalizes between them. If you want to reassure yourself you can weigh the canister and compare it to a fresh one from the store.

Those fuel decanters are a great idea. Another option is to use my leftover cans for car camping.

I love using breakfast essentials in my morning coffee as a cream and sugar substitute. I also grabbed a backpacking salt and pepper dispenser for meals. It's absolutely a comfort item but a game changer to add a little flavor to some of my meals.

There are some good freeze dried meals with lower calorie content. I take a little bottle of olive oil (or individual oil packets) that has very high calorie density to boost my meals. Tnx for the video

What helped me was Jolly ranchers when I’m hiking. I like the slow sugar release.

That was really helpful, especially with the Flip Fuel option to transfer to different canisters. Thank you!

Thanks for the tip on re filling the fuel canisters! I always hated the waste in throwing out one every time and hated the thought of the millions of them wasted every year. I for a while now have used an adapter to refill my Coleman green style canisters for car camping from my large propane grill 25lb tank, for unlimited refills! Too bad propane requires higher pressure than the Iso/propane mix. It would be nice if you could just fill the little canisters from a 25lb tank!

@davehuber3503

Ай бұрын

They are recycleable if (if your area recycles 🤔) you have to empty them fully, and then puncture with a nail&hammer. Then right in metals recycling. Perfectly safe once you empty them.

@TheNewGreenIsBlue

Ай бұрын

There are adapters to go from propane to propane as well. Every time I go car camping, I bring back others' empty green propane 1lb canisters from sites. I'll refill them from my 20lb. it can be 10x cheaper and FAR less wasteful. 20 x 1lb tanks @ $6 each costs $120 1 20lb fill-up costs $20. 1 lb canisters in the freezer. 20 lb canister sitting in the sun all day at home. Weight them before and after.