Going Stoveless 101

*I titled this blog as a “101”, but I am by no means an expert on this topic. This will be my first attempt at a thru hike so I can’t be considered any kind of pro until I walk those 2,000 miles.*

 

Ever since I announced that I’ve decided to go stove less on my thru hike, people have been in quite the uproar saying, “BUT WHAT WILL YOU EAT???” And I respond, “FOOD!!” Okay, sorry for the sassy sarcasm. But really. I’m still going to eat (most of) the same foods those with stoves do! I actually own a JetBoil Flash (highly recommend), and I love it! The catch is, after a long day of hiking, I don’t want to sit down and cook. I just want to eat. I’m extremely lazy once I get to camp. I think having to throw my food bag several times before getting it right is what sucks the last bit of energy out of me (I’m horrible at hanging my food bag). So before I list some of the items on my menu, I want to address a few things.

1. You can rehydrate (just about) anything with cold water. I hydrate Ramen and Pasta Sides in a clean peanut butter jar about an hour before getting to camp. That way it’s ready to eat once I get where I’m going!
2. I plan to get plenty of warm meals while in town. So I’m not worried about not having a hot meal every night on the trail.
3. A lot of people don’t want to go stove less simply because of their love for coffee. Trust me, I feel you. But I’ve decided to start drinking more tea than coffee, so I’ll be bringing caffeinated mint green tea bags (which can still diffuse in cold water).
4. I’m not going stove less for weight. My JetBoil Flash weighs barely a pound. My main reasoning is convinience.
5. I’m excited to not have to worry about getting fuel while in town!

Now the fun stuff! Below is what is on my overall menu thus far. I’ll choose from these items for resupply boxes and such! You may not love everything I list, but I do! I’ve been eating these types of foods on all my shakedown trips and it has all worked out well.

Breakfast

Caffeinated mint green tea

Apple cinnamon oatmeal

Nature Valley granola bar

Maple bagels

Honey bun

Morning Snack

Fruit burst sauces

Ritz and cheese

Peaunut butter crackers

Animal crackers/ Teddy Grahams

Cliff bar/ Pro bar / or Exo bar

Lunch

Pouched tuna (BBQ & bacon ranch flavored are so good)

Tortilla, peanut butter, pepperoni (I promise it’s good!!)

Tortilla, beef jerkey, honey (again, it’s good!!)

Ramen noodles

Afternoon snack

Almonds and honey

Dried fruit (Target brand is so good)

Candy (Snickers, gummy worms, and Starbursts are my favorite on trail)

Slim Jim

Pringles- also my trail name 🙂

Dinner

Instant mashed potatoes (I’ll mix just about anything with these)

BBQ Vienna Sausage (I might be the only human who likes this but whateva)

Pasta Sides (alfredo if my fav)

Whey protein shake (GNC brand is 30 servings for $30)

 

As always, let’s chat!

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