Over the weekend we’ve walked through the process of planning a solo/or really any canoe trip. We’ve talked about setting your timeline, planning your route, choosing the right gear, and now we’re going to talk about making the right food choices. If you’ve read all the posts you’re going to notice something with how you choose your food.
WHAT’S YOUR TIMELINE?
What you bring for food is going to depend on how long you’ll be on your trip. If you’re doing a week long trip, you’ll obviously need more food and food that won’t spoil compared to if you were going for an overnight trip. As your planning the menu you need to always keep your timeline in mind…especially if you want to bring fresh food/meat with you. Because you have no fridge/way to keep food cold long term, you have to be sure that the food you take is not going to spoil and make anyone sick.
If you’re going for longer than 2 days then I recommend dried food, either by making your own (Laurie Ann March has a great book out about dehydrating your own food, A Fork In the Trail) or by purchasing some from your local outfitters. If you do want to take fresh food with you then here are a few suggestions:
- Freeze your meats before hand so that they act like an ice pack
- Try to limit how much you take in…especially if going for a long time
- Only pack what you need
WHAT’S YOUR ROUTE?
Your route will greatly dictate what you bring for food. If you are staying at one site during the whole trip then you may choose to bring some more food/beverages with you because you don’t have to unpack and repack every day. However if you are doing a loop then you may want to stick with lightweight dehydrated food. Again this is up to you but personally for me…I’d rather have my food be light and only require water to cook then worry about al l the ingredients that would go into preparing a meal from scratch.
WHAT ARE YOU TAKING FOR GEAR?
It doesn’t matter what tent you’re taking or what canoe you’re paddling…but it does matter how many cooking utensils/pans you want to bring and carry on the portages. For me…my Bugaboo Backpacker set works well…it has a frying pan, pot, straining lid, plus 2 bowls and 2 cups. As a solo paddler that’s all I need. If you’re going gourmet then you may choose to bring more with you.
Whatever you choose to bring for food is up to you. My thoughts for my trip are as follows:
- Bugaboo Backpacker set for cooking
- Making my own dehydrated food that I can vacuum seal and put in my pack without adding any weight.
- Taking my water bottles empty and filling them on the way in
- Packing lightweight snacks.
Even though I’m only doing one portage, weight is my primary concern. I don’t want to carry more than I have to.
I hope this series has helped you out when it comes to planning your own trips! Stay tuned to the site as I add a route suggestions page that will not only tell you the routes but show them on the map as well. If you have any questions or need advice email me or comment on either the site or Facebook and I’ll be glad to help you out!
~Enjoy your trip!