Categories: FAQs

What Food do you Recommend for Bushwalking the Outback?

Trekking season is ramping up in Australia, and a common question we get from customers is,

“What vegetarian backpacking meals do you suggest for the outback?”

To make food planning easy and quick, consider our combo meals. Outdoor Herbivore’s 5-day backpacking food combo is perfect for multi-day hikes such as the Overland Track, Three Capes Track, Western Arthurs Traverse, and other trails in the outback. The 5-day combo contains 3 meals per day or 15 meals in total. If you plan to stay out longer, we also have 7-day and 10-day bundled backpacking meal combos. Combo packs contain customer favorites, so you can’t go wrong with choosing any one of these. Our multi-day packs include a daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrée.

Keep in mind that the combo packs are not meant to be your only food for the entire trek. Most hikers must supplement the combo meals with 1-2 daily snacks and drink mixes. Also, some of our combos contain spreads, such as instant hummus, that require you to bring crackers/bread. Make sure you check the menu before you leave for the trail.

Our 5-day backpacking meal kit is a popular choice for most backpacking adventures. It comes with all vegetarian meals as well as a vegan and gluten free option. Breakfast and Lunches are all no cook (just add cold water). Dinner meals require hot water.

Food Planning Tips for the Outback

1. Pack 700 to 900 grams of food per day

Plan to carry 700 to 900 grams of food per day with a weight to calorie ratio of at least 4 calories per gram to meet your calorie requirements. This puts most hikers at 3,000 calories per day, with some variation on either side, depending on your weight, appetite, and exertion level.

2. Consider your appetite level

Some hikers do better eating smaller meals in the morning and afternoon, with frequent snacking throughout the day, followed by a large meal in the evening. If that describes you, we recommend our single-size combo with added snacks.

Outdoor Herbivore’s 5 Day Combo (single size) weighs 1.8 kg and packs 7,900 calories. When spread over 5 days, it works out to below 3,000 calories per day. Unless you are trying to lose weight, this alone won’t be enough to sustain you. We recommend adding a few high-calorie snacks and desserts for additional calories.

If you have an enormous appetite, consider our double-size meals which contain 3 cups of food per pouch.

3. Carry snack foods & recovery drinks

Frequent snacking to nibble on as you walk is essential for maintaining your energy levels. Our favorite snacks include dried mango cheeks, pecan pralines with persimmons, candied ginger with nuts and dried cherries/cranberries, and sweetened plantain chips. Not only are these snacks big on taste, but also calories! For instance, one snack bag of CinnaMonkey Chomps packs over 800 kcal (3600 kJ).

CinnaMonkey Chomps, a 170 g bag packs 860 Cal (3601 kJ)

Dried Mango, a 226 g bag packs 920 Cal (3848 kJ)

Hillcrest Harvest Mix, a 113 g bag packs 520 Cal (2176 kJ)

Other Food Examples:

Muesli bars, Scroggin/trail mix, fruit leather.
Powdered cheese, spreads, nut powder/butter, and flatbread.
Powdered recovery drinks. Fizzy citrus drinks are refreshing on a hot afternoon and replenish Vitamin C. Hot cocoa is comforting at night;
Desserts include chia seed pudding, custard pudding mixes, dark chocolate, and other sweets you like.
Fresh food? We recommend only carrots and avocados. Both can handle packing abuse. Avocados are worth their weight in fat calories. Carrots satisfy your craving for fresh food and go well with instant hummus. For even longer journeys, you may also consider trail sprouting.