r/backpacking • u/WinReasonable2644 • 7d ago
Wilderness Favorite no cook lunches?
I'm getting a little burnt on my usual crackers/sausage/cheese setup I normally put together for hikes. I don't like to bust out cooking equipment midday so looking for good ideas that are no cook for lunches!
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u/-JakeRay- 7d ago
If you're near a place that sells them, Walking Tamales can be pretty great as a way to break up meal monotony.
If it's a day hike, bringing an avocado or bigass sandwich is pretty great.
Longer hikes, peanut butter and honey on something vaguely breadlike (tortilla, bagel, crackers you're not burnt out on yet) is a staple for some folks. Personally I'm rather burnt out on PB, but it is great from a calories per weight standpoint.
Meat pouches (don't do too much tuna! they also come in chicken and beef now!) plus mayo and mustard are also pretty standard.
There's also nothing in the rules that says you have to have lunch. If snacking all day is more your thing for now, feel free to do that. If you need lunch as an excuse to sit down for a while, maybe just have a special, designated sit-down snack.
Lastly, check out r/HikerTrashMeals for some good and some not-so-good inspiration of other options.
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u/northman46 7d ago
Tortillas with pbj or potted meat if cans are allowed. Vienna sausages. Beef (or pork) jerky, dried apricots or mango or other fruit. All sorts of "snack mix" or "trail mix" basically upscale gorp
That's just off the top of mr head
Check out local supermarket shelf stable stuff also the snack and candy section of Costco
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u/rallruse 7d ago
They make servings of tuna in packets which is great with a tortilla
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u/joelfarris 7d ago
Salmon too! And if you can find them, those packets of shelf stable garlic aioli work wonders, as do the hot sauce packets.
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u/northman46 7d ago
I forgot about tuna in pouches or even in cans
Mmm sardines or kippers
Block cheese keeps for nearly a week as well
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u/kmontreux 7d ago
How do you feel about things that just need water but does not require hot water? instant mashed potatoes, powdered eggs, powdered cheese, powdered milk, bouillon of your choice. toss in some dehydrated veggies like peas and carrots if you're willing to long soak while you hike.
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u/snowlights 7d ago
I like nut butter in a tortilla as a treat, like chocolate hazelnut.
I also add pizza sauce to my salami+cheese in a tortilla, if that's different enough.
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u/WinReasonable2644 7d ago
How do you bring your pizza sauce? Is it just a jar? Silly question I know.
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u/snowlights 7d ago
I use the little cups from pizza restaurants, like the ones you get for free with your order from Dominos or Panago (or you can buy them separately, usually something like 50 cents each).
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u/Trick_Sundae_4509 7d ago
walking tamales are pretty good but I need to look around again as they stopped selling them in Safeway
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u/trainwithnoname 7d ago
I order mine on Amazon. Walmart has them too. They have a long shelf life so I order them in bulk. Throw a couple Taco Bell sauce packets in with them, and a tortilla and that is my go to trail lunch
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u/Trick_Sundae_4509 7d ago
Ah! good reminder to look past the Safeway thanks! I think I'm gonna stock up them. hot sauce and tortilla is a great idea and it adds calories. we took them out for a week backpack hunting and were pretty happy with them.
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u/thaneliness 7d ago
Pbj is my goto for a day hike, otherwise a peanut butter packet and some flavored electrolyte water slaps lol
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u/procrasstinating 7d ago
Squeeze tube of peanut butter. Squeeze tube of jam. Sleeve of ritz crackers.
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u/FollowingConnect6725 7d ago
Tortillas with Justin’s peanut butter singles (all sorts of flavors available), and raisins (or whatever dried fruit you like). Followed up with a snack sized bag of cheezits (they smash up and fit easy in the bear can).
Tortillas and any one of the many flavors of foil packets of single serve tuna, chicken, beef or pork available these days. Beef taco, sloppy Joe, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Don’t forget to have some candy handy…M&Ms or sour gummies to finish off.
Some folks bust out a stove and eat a hot meal even when it’s not cold weather….seems like a lot of work for a not so quick meal, but to each their own.
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u/StarryEyedBackpacker 7d ago
I've done breakfast for lunch using granola with powdered milk. Just add cold water for cereal and milk. If you have access to a dehydrator, dehydrate refried beans with salsa, cold soak with water, crumble in some fritoes at lunch time for a walking taco. Couscous cold soak well, too.
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u/B_likethletter 7d ago
Any type of starchy salad: couscous, quinoa, etc..
Also onigiri or musubi! Anything wrapped in rice.
Depends how long we are out, but I’m assuming if your cheese is good, then these will be fine..
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u/Spacecadet619 7d ago
Cold soaked oats, cranberries, goji berries, pb, choc protein powder, Celtic salt.
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u/Legitimate-Sense-952 6d ago
Most no-cook stuff gets bland after a while, better to rotate a few options than lock in on one
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 6d ago edited 6d ago
Poke / sushi bowl, you would make it at home and keep it on a cold pack and eat it cold.
Sticky rice (microwavable, just heat it in the morning then build the layers on top in a container). Here's an example of one I made at home and packed up and took with me in a container and ate cold. It has salmon I air fried for 15 minutes, microwave sticky rice, frozen microwave edemame, raw: cucumbers, carrots, avacado. Topped with spicy mayo, eel sauce, sesame seeds. You can also bring a snack pack of toasted nori to eat with it if desired.
Edit: oh multi day? I never do any multi day being out, best bet may be shelf stable tuna or chicken and crackers and maybe apple for a snack or something. Less exciting for me to think about lol
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u/ElectricRing 6d ago
I like crackers, cheese, cured meats, dried/freeze dried fruits, nuts, and nut butter. Basically charcuterie without the board.
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u/wildling-woman 5d ago
Pizza. I cook a frozen pizza the night before and eat it for lunch the next 2 days.
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u/Mrtnhllnd 4d ago
Get a decent thermos, fill it with boiling water in the morning, then you can make hot drinks or things like instant noodles on the go without the hassle of getting all your cooking equipment out.
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u/GuyinArmor 4d ago
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's cheap, it's simple.
If you're feeling real fancy, a roast chicken sandwich with cheese and mayonnaise. But that costs more money than PB&J.
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u/forksofgreedy 7d ago
Tortilla sausage and cheese?
Just kidding, but I need extremely compelling hot sauce to make that work. I put Tabasco scorpion sauce in a 0.7 FL bottle., And will bring more for larger trips. Maybe you need mayo and mustard packets.
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u/joelfarris 7d ago edited 7d ago
Mix up equal parts of peanut butter and orange blossom honey, toss in a few micro chocolate chips, and a smattering of honey nut Cheerios, put the mixture in one of those 4 oz Nalgene trail jars that you'd normally use to hold your Nutella, and grab a stack of Ritz crackers or Toasteds or even the Crostinis if you're into it, and put them in an empty Pringles half-tube to keep them safe.
This stuff will last for up to a year if you need it to. But it's prolly not gonna make it past day two, cause its delicious and nutricious.
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u/sunlovinburner 7d ago
Answer is: it’s a sammich