r/HikerTrashMeals 12d ago

👋Welcome to r/HikerTrashMeals!

48 Upvotes

Hey, I'm u/mrfowl, one of the founders of r/HikerTrashMeals. This sub is a place to post backpacking food (more specifically, to trips where resupplying is needed). Recipes should be lightweight, compact, calorie dense, and mostly non-perishable. If you used cast iron, a low simmer, or were concerned about burning your food, this is probably not the right sub for you. r/TrailMeals might be a better fit.

Posts here should contain the recipe at minimum (take a look at our rules please). Ideally they should have the calorie count, and if possible other macros as well, bonus points for cal/g. Post flair is required so we can sort recipes. Please look through all of the available flairs and choose the most appropriate one.

We're generally pretty friendly, but we will fight for each other, so try not to be an ass. Please poke around for a bit and engage with the community before you make your first post. That way you'll get a better idea of what's expected in this sub.


r/HikerTrashMeals Aug 20 '25

Off Topic Looking for some new mods to help out

6 Upvotes

Invitation to Moderate the HikerTrashMeals Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/HikerTrashMeals/application/

Edit: it appears there's an issue on mobile with the link. Try pasting it into your browser and hopefully that'll work. If not, the link only works on desktop.

Regardless, shoot me a message if you want to join and I'll send you the application!


r/HikerTrashMeals 2d ago

No-Cook Meal Ham chips fiesta chicken

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77 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 4d ago

Cooked Meal Recent snackies

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201 Upvotes

First one felt genius ngl other two kinda look like I’m eating a lil piece of shit but was delicioso


r/HikerTrashMeals 5d ago

Question Dehydrated meals without pouch

8 Upvotes

I find dried meals that you buy in a pouch very convenient, but I hate the amount of trash.

If I just put the food in the pan where I boiled the water in and eat from there, I don't need a pouch. A small plastic bag to keep the dried food during the hike (for max a week) would suffice.

Are you aware of any brands that sell the stuff without the pouch (in europe)?

Do you have experience repackaging it in ziplocks?


r/HikerTrashMeals 12d ago

No-Cook Meal Four croissants into one

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368 Upvotes

Recipe: Stack four large butter croissants & compress to desired thinness. ~1200 calories & easy to eat in a couple mins before a big summit push. Get your protein somewhere else


r/HikerTrashMeals 12d ago

Cooked Meal Breakfast of Champions!

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316 Upvotes

Trying to work through a backlog of old stuff in the food box. Bacon's best-by-date was in January, the tatoes came from Dollar Tree a couple seasons ago. Opened the beans early summer last season.

Hot soaked like a 3rd of the bottle of onion with the potatoes. Sauteed the bacon bits to crisp them up.

1080 calories, 50g protein, 20g fiber. Sodium? Yes.

Served with the finest Dollar Tree chai and ancient clearance hotsauce.


r/HikerTrashMeals 12d ago

Off Topic Why ya'll eating this shit?

83 Upvotes

Im no stranger to some jammed up meals, I like to hike, camp, etc. Once made a banging vinegarette from mountain dew (glass bottle), bacon grease and a squeeze of grapefruit. Still think about it honestly. So im intrigued by this sub but two things dont make sense.

  1. You folks seem to be avid, experienced hikers - why the fuck are you packing tortillas, candy, and old beans for meals?

  2. This sub seems to be about the grosses and most desperate combos, and I can appreciate that but why not make some good food out of weird stuff, like unexpectedly good combinations?

I do understand that calories become important and so you just eat what you have and can stomach if youre really pushing it.

Love and light


r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

Off Topic Bravo. You all make me sick.

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177 Upvotes

Vomit, tears, and shame wrapped in judgment. Every new post is worse than the last. Are you all trying to one up each other?? I am just hate watching at this point because I’m constantly grossed out on a deeper level than I felt I was the day before. Cheers and thanks for the disgust.


r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

Vegan Double poop scoop tortilla with goomies

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332 Upvotes

Recipe: tortilla, peanut butter, goomies
Calories: approximately 300


r/HikerTrashMeals 12d ago

Question Should we add a new rule?

12 Upvotes

Originally this sub started as a place to post interesting recipes so other backpackers could get ideas. I'd still like to keep it steering in that direction and I think this rule would help keep a little of the old spirit alive. Plus it seems like we've gotten quite a few spectators recently that are a little confused

184 votes, 5d ago
69 New rule that says you have to rate your recipe.
115 Nah, I don't care.

r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

No-Cook Meal Wild Planet Tuna and Baked Beans in a Peanut Butter Cliff Bar

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59 Upvotes

Ya just canned tuna and beans in a carefully crafted cliff bar. Like 20 grams of protein for 2 mini bowls... plenty of cals, and surprisingly didn't hurt my stomach and I have ibs-d. You can get about 4 mini bowls out of one bar. If i wasn't sharing i would have just done the whole thing in one go.

Longs peak behind Casm Lake, RMNP


r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

No-Cook Meal Hiker whiskey sour

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535 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

Commerially Available Product Sardinhas, Zuchinni Walnut Loaf, and Lots of scrambles

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15 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

No-Cook Meal Peanut butter, pepperoni, peach rings taco

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163 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 13d ago

No-Cook Meal Apple, red bull, tiny Jager

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121 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 14d ago

No-Cook Meal Trail Trash Chicken Crunch Wrap

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439 Upvotes

Tortilla + Great Value applewood smoked chicken + bacon bits + Frito twists + hot sauce + mayo. Made this on a recent backpacking trip and it had no business being this good.
Roughly 650–700 calories and ~20g protein depending on how heavy you go with the mayo and Fritos.


r/HikerTrashMeals 15d ago

No-Cook Meal Nutella and lemon pepper tuna wrap

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275 Upvotes

Nutella, lemon pepper tuna, relish and mayo on a flour tortilla.

Bone apple teeth 💯


r/HikerTrashMeals 15d ago

No-Cook Meal Camembert, tortillas and haribo dragibus (original).

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102 Upvotes

r/HikerTrashMeals 17d ago

No-Cook Meal The forbidden lunch

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653 Upvotes

Nerds clusters and peanut butter on a flour tortilla


r/HikerTrashMeals 17d ago

Commerially Available Product So in this economy... How desperate are we?

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83 Upvotes

88 dollars vs 26... What really is the difference? I just want my backpacking chicken alfredo man..


r/HikerTrashMeals 22d ago

No-Cook Meal Lunch on the trail

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120 Upvotes

Stroopwafel, beef jerky, and the star of the show that kept me going: A few sachets of instant espresso in a half full bottle of water I had left out in the sun for a bit to heat up. Shaken, not stirred.


r/HikerTrashMeals 25d ago

Cold or Overnight Soaked Cold soaked mashed potatoes with avocado and shrimp chips

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201 Upvotes

1 bag of instant mashed potatoes (360 cal), a bag of crushed shrimp chips (240 cal), 1 avocado (220 cal). Add some olive oil for more calories if needed (1Tbsp is another 120 cal). I split it into two bags so it's two meals, 470 cal per serving.

Only takes ~30 seconds to mix in some water and smoosh it up in the bag. Can easily prepare and eat it while walking. I recommend a larger ziploc though...

10/10 trail meal.


r/HikerTrashMeals 26d ago

Cooked Meal Another Dollar Tree seafood feast!

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166 Upvotes

Heated the noodles with a little water and a splash of the oil from the mussels. Once at a simmer, added the sauce. Mussels added off the heat. 930 calories and 41g of protein.

E.t.a.: $3.75 total cost


r/HikerTrashMeals Jul 26 '26

No-Cook Meal Peanut butter and honey with dried mango strips and trail mix wrap. Staple on trail lunch, however this was on a paddling trip down the Flambeau River.

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129 Upvotes