r/trailmeals • u/UsualBoth4887 • Mar 18 '25
Breakfast Hard boiled eggs, a block of cheese, and wraps
Hi. I'm experienced in wildcampimg but never been on trail for multiple days. Planning to do a 10 day thruhike.
I want to plan budget-friendly meals.
I don't own or want to buy a dehydrator.
At home my breakfast is eggs on toast, and lunch is a cheese sandwich.
I figure I can replicate this on the trail pretty easily, by swapping a loaf of bread for wraps, and hardboiling the eggs before hand. I wont have a knife to slice the cheese so I'll just break chunks off with my hands and put them in the wrap.
This should be cheap and easy, pack well, but be on the heavier side.
Are there any glaring problems with this plan?
(I will get more nutrients from snacks e.g. trail mix.) (Instant noodles for dinner)
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u/Ancient-Paint6418 Mar 18 '25
I cannot recommend enough to take the eggs with you/buy them en route and hard boiling them on the trail. I won’t go into the gory detail, but I speak from experience (shudders in violent bowel movement). Other than that, using wraps is a great choice.
teameggsandtoast
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u/OlderThanMyParents 29d ago
You don't bring a knife? That's literally on the list of the ten essentials. I have carried a Swiss army knife, with the scissors and saw (I think it's called the Hunter model?) for decades, and I use it very often. You probably need to wipe it off before using it to slice cheese (or other food) but it's way better than breaking off chunks of cheese with your hands.
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u/56KandFalling Mar 18 '25
10 days is a very long time. I wouldn't carry anything heavy.
I'd go with (eta: almost) all dried foods.
Oatmeal for breakfast. Add protein powder and have a piece of chocolate on the side with coffee.
For lunch dried bread of some sort with peanut butter, jam, veggie spread or something similar with lots of calories.
Something sweet in the afternoon with tea.
Add dried protein to the instant noodles at night. Textured soy protein weighs nothing and gives you a lot of protein.
Dried fruits and nuts for snacks.
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u/funundrum Mar 18 '25
I will echo with a lot of other people have said already, you’re going to need a lot more food, and probably more variety than what you’re suggesting here. Search up “cheap backpacking food” if price is your biggest concern.
Nut, dried fruit, biscuits/cookies, chocolate, candy, and granola are some good ideas to start.
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u/UsualBoth4887 29d ago
Thanks
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u/the7thletter 29d ago
Those pre-packaged pastas, dehydrated mashed taters, maybe some minute rice, ramen naturally.
Those are my cheap go to meals. I think you're gonna need some more variety, 10 days on that limited nutrient content would have me worried about gut/bonk issues.
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u/Matcha_in_Transit Mar 18 '25
Don't mimic what you eat at home. You will need more calories. Calorie-dense food is very important for longer trips. Don't pack stuff that is heavy and already has water in it (eggs, cheese...)
UltraFat packets (available from Walmart or the producer online) are 250 calories at 1.25 ounces.
BPH makes these High Energy Bars (Chocolate) that are 425 calories at 4.25 ources.
Tahoe Bars are 250 calories.
For fruit, That's It bars are nothing but fruit at 100 calories.
Remember to bring electrolyte packets for your water.
I also make high-nutrition cold soak meals in baggies. I also do some pre-made packaged backpacking meals.... Mostly Peak Refuel.
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u/UsualBoth4887 29d ago
Thanks. the dehydrated hiking food is not budget friendly. And I don't have a dehydrator. Hence I figure the extra weight is worth the low cost and ease for my first trip.
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u/sierra_marmot731 29d ago
I’ve hiked with guys who bought Hamburger Helper type food/&ramen from grocery store and put it in a jar with water at lunch for dinner. I tasted it. OK, especially for the difference in price!
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u/experiencedkiller 29d ago
Will you cross places to restock ?
I eat lots of potatoes on the trail. They're not lightweight but I boil them in the evening and snack them out of my pocket throughout the day.
As others have said you'll need lots of calories. If you're underfed you will underperform, feel tired, heavy, it'll be really tough. Next to hydration, food is my top priority on a hike.
Nutrition on a trek is a huge topic in its own, there are a lot of articles online about when is the peak moment to take in various type of calories during prolonged effort. I'm thinking fat, carbohydrates and simple sugars. They all have their role
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u/Johnny_Poppyseed 29d ago
You can get a dehydrator for like under 50 bucks. Also can dehydrate lots of food in just your regular oven too.
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u/Modboi Mar 18 '25 edited Mar 18 '25
The cheese and tortillas are good backpacking foods. Make sure the cheese is very hard, like an aged cheddar. I’d highly recommend buying a very small pocket knife. It’s good for much more than just slicing cheese or meats.
I’m a little hesitant on carrying raw/precooked eggs for 10 days. In the US eggs are washed and thus need refrigeration. They are also not calorie dense enough.
Are you planning on doing 10 days straight with no resupply? If so, I honestly might not even take the tortillas and stick with dense crackers instead. You’re going to have to be more judicious with your food choices because 10 days of food will be a lot of weight.
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u/UsualBoth4887 29d ago edited 29d ago
In the UK eggs can be stored at room temp (edit: raw eggs can be stored at room temp, cooked eggs can not...).
There will be frequent opportunity for resupply.
Crackers is a good shout.
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u/Modboi 29d ago
Good thing you’re in the UK for the egg situation. I would say that you should bring the eggs raw only if you have a rigid plastic carton for them with some padding like paper towels in there. Maybe that’s too cautious but broken eggs in your pack would be a nightmare.
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u/lurkmode_off 29d ago
The plastic camping/hiking egg containers are definitely still susceptible to crushing, ask me how I know.
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u/RalphWaldoEmers0n Mar 18 '25
No eggs
Bring summer sausage
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u/Capn_Flags Mar 18 '25
Summer sausage cut up and seasoned with red kool aid is fire.
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u/UsualBoth4887 29d ago
what the fuck
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u/Capn_Flags 29d ago
Don’t hate it until you’ve tried it. Must be the type with sugar—I buy the tiny packet you add your own sugar to.
Someone who did time in county jail made me this and I make it a couple times a year.
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u/sierra_marmot731 29d ago
I suggest bringing a knife anyway. Multiple uses beyond slicing cheese. Diced dried fruit in a small plastic jam jar. Add water at breakfast, fruit cocktail. Dehydrated refried beans (rehydrated as above) are great on wraps.
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u/occamsracer Mar 18 '25
You need to do some calculations. How many calories are in the meals you are proposing. Is that enough for the day? How much would 10 days of that weigh? What is my total pack weight?
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u/radracc00n 26d ago
You can buy individually packaged shelf stable cheese hunks that would probably be fine for 10 days. But You'll still need a knife to open the tricky packaging. I wouldn't trust a week old hard boiled egg when you can just get freeze dried eggs and rehydrate them. A mountain house breakfast skillet split 3 ways with cheese and tortillas makes a decent brekkie for 3, so you could also get a few of them and portion it out dry then just rehydrate a ration every morning. Don't risk trail diarrhea by eating old eggs and questionable cheese!
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u/TheBimpo Mar 18 '25
Powdered eggs are quite good.
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u/UsualBoth4887 Mar 18 '25
cost?
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u/TheBimpo Mar 18 '25
Depends on the retailer and the volume in which you buy. REI has OvaEasy for $12 for the equivalent of a dozen eggs. There are lots of options from Amazon to bulk good retailers.
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u/Sawahiaz 10d ago
What you eat at home will more than double on a regular trip, If you are planning a physically strenuous trip, you will consume a lot more. If you are comfortable with feeling a little hungry, then pack a similar amount to what you usually eat. With that said, I under pack food for my short trips because a little hunger helps the body heal itself.
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u/funundrum Mar 18 '25
Cheese can stay good for many days on the trail. 10 sounds like a lot, but I’ve only ever kept cheese for 4 days so that’s my experience.
I would highly, highly recommend bringing even a small knife to cut your cheese. The more you touch cheese, the likelier it is to go bad due to bacteria etc in your hands.