Choosing the Right Backcountry Food

Whether you're hiking, climbing, paddling, or skiing, your food choices should reflect your travel method, available cooking facilities, and the environment. The right combination of food types can make your meals efficient, satisfying, and delicious.

Backcountry Food Categories

There are three primary categories of backcountry food:

• Fresh
• Dehydrated
• Freeze-Dried

A well-rounded food plan often mixes all three to balance weight, nutrition, taste, and convenience.

Fresh Food

Fresh food delivers the best taste and texture—but it’s bulky, heavy, and perishable. It’s a great option for short trips or for the first few days of a longer expedition, especially in cooler environments where spoilage is less likely.

Dehydrated Food

Dehydrated food is ultra-compact and lightweight—shrinking up to 50% in size during drying. It retains excellent texture but takes longer to rehydrate due to collapsed cell walls. While color may fade, nutrients remain largely intact.

Dehydrated fruits and vegetables can last up to 12 months. Dehydrated meats, however, are good for only about 6 weeks without refrigeration due to residual fat. For best results, store dehydrated meat in a freezer until your trip begins.

Freeze Dried Food

Freeze dried meals rehydrate the fastest and offer long shelf life. However, they are bulkier due to water expansion and often have a softer or textureless mouthfeel because of damaged cell walls.

Freeze drying is essential for preserving items like dairy products and cooked meats. These foods hold up well nutritionally and are perfect for lightweight, low-effort meals in the backcountry.

Planning Your Backcountry Menu

For multi-day adventures, aim to combine all three food types: fresh for early-trip enjoyment, dehydrated for compact calories, and freeze dried for quick, low-effort meals. This approach ensures variety, nutrition, and efficiency throughout your journey.

Explore Our Dehydrated Menu

We offer a variety of handcrafted dehydrated meals prepared for performance and flavour. Perfect for backcountry expeditions of all types.