This week’s post is a new section for the Hiking Page that covers the topic of what food to bring while hiking. As always, this is intended to be a living document and we’ll add in any new tips we get from comments or from any interviews we do, so please give us improvement ideas!
Having the right food can be the difference between a joyful hike with kids and a miserable slog. Kids don’t understand “powering-through” when you’re running low on food and almost at the trailhead or don’t like the food you bring. They can often just refuse to hike, even if the sun is setting and it’s starting to get cold. So plan ahead with lots of options to make sure you have an enjoyable hike! Here are our tips on what food to bring:
Babies:
- If you’re already breastfeeding, that’s the easiest way to feed a baby while hiking.
- Just plan your layers to make sure you stay warm and dry – for example, I liked using a nursing camisole under my normal hiking layers so I wouldn’t end up with a cold stomach.
- If you’re bottle-feeding with powdered formula make sure to purify the water that you use water with a filter, don’t use iodine or chlorine.
- For pureed foods, squeeze bags may be easier than feeding with a spoon or lighter than bringing a jar. Look for refillable ones to minimize waste.
- When you pack finger food, assume they’re going to drop a bunch that you might not want to pick up and eat so bring extra, plus a trash bag for the dropped food so you don’t feed the animals.
General:
- Make sure to bring food that the kids like – the most important thing you can do.
- Let them pick (maybe not everything, but at least some of the things).
- Save certain foods to only have on hiking trips to make it special (for example we say no individually packaged food unless we’re out on a trip).
- Bring variety in case they change their mind because you really need them to each so they don’t crash – not an option to just say sorry this is what we have.
- Save some of the treats for a surprise for when they’re having a tough time, or tell them they only get the treats at milestones (every mile!) or during breaks or only if they’re hiking when they hit a milestone.
- See the Hiking Tips section for more suggestions on how to use food as a motivator.
- Warm food brought with a lightweight stove or a thermos can also be a good motivator for breaks.
- Make sure to bring a mixture of sugar and fat for both slow and fast-burning fuel.
- If you’re hiking with friends, bring extra to share because kids always want what someone else has.
- Bring plenty of water, especially if it’s hot, and maybe a backup water filter in case someone spills their water or drinks a lot more than expected.
Winter:
- Warm food and drinks can be key here – think about warm soup, oatmeal, or hot chocolate to get the kids happy to keep going.
- Bring stuff that doesn’t freeze (frozen apples or oranges aren’t as fun).
- Bring things that don’t get really hard to chew when it’s cold – we love Starbursts as treats while hiking, but when it’s cold they’re hard to eat. Or put those things inside your jacket to keep them warm.
The most important thing about hiking food – finding a good spot for a snack break!
Chipmunk cheeks?!