Coffee I use FOLGERS singles real coffee in tea bags. Fast better than instant light as hell. No jar or Container needed. Just throw the packets in food bag. Light Folgers got boxes of 30 individual packets. Take the whole 30. Light as hell
For our first dinner on the trail many times we triple foil wrapped some small steaks (6 oz) and froze them solid, then put them in a qt. ziplock. They were just about thawed by dinner time.
If you cut the meat into cubes and seal them in a container with Italian vinegar salad dressing the meat will keep for days or longer. Cook and serve with rice. You can do the same thing with sausage in vinegar. Been done for Centuries.
I put crushed Banana Nut Crunch, Nido and vanilla protein powder or half a bkfst essential in a baggie. Add water and shake/stir. I put the baggie in my cozie to hold it up.
Splurged and ate Mountainhouse meals every night except for about 4 nights. Added cubed spam, bacon bits and olive oil to bring calories up to about 1000. More expensive at around $10 - $11 each evening. No cleanup!!! Loved Beef Stoganoff and Chix Fettuchini.
Did that in snowy Colorado. Nothing get's closer to a real meal than that. What a moral booster after 10 miles of pure misery. In grizzly country, I stopped cooking and just ate snack.
Cold soaking is also a great way to give yourself a headstart on a cooked meal. Works great in a peanut butter jar. Ramen, rice, even lentils or split peas. Cover with water and tuck deep in your pack then when you get to camp it will be softened enough to reduce cook time then you just need to finish or warm it up. Also if you stock up a couple days at a time...getting less food more often...just in general then you can shop a bit more healthfully and or more like you cook at home, and spend some weight to bring real food, particularly fresh produce. A couple of sweet potatoes, a few carrots (dry full sized carrots) split a small cabbage with someone, a head of broccoli, some citrus. You can even plan a more normal meal with cold foods and cook it the day you buy it. If you only get snacky type stuff it will usually be more processed and always more trash. Bringing things like minced garlic, dehy lemon crystals, bouillon cubes, taco seasoning, ranch mix, etc help with any meal. Coffee has so many options. I always liked the teabag style coffee with a cocoa packet but generates a fair bit of trash. Teabags too. Drink tubes with caffeinated crystal light type drinks may help get you going in the morning. Walmart has a great selection of great value energy drinks. Also trash but no heating. If you are dedicated to coffee then its worth learning to enjoy it black which keeps things simpler. May mean you need a better coffee to start with but maybe not? Depends if you are hoping to enjoy it or choke it down to wake up. Get a small jar of folgers crystals or cafe bustelo, less trash and !ore flexible portioning.
There is something called shelf-stable milk, pasteurized at very high temperatures and packaged in sterile containers, which does not have to be refrigerated. It can go over a month at room temperature. Hard cheeses like cheddar and processed cheese like American can go weeks or months at room temperature if packaged right - when I was in the Army I routinely took a 1lb. block of cheese when we went on field exercises and it got soft and oily but never spoiled. We're talking Georgia in the summertime.
Depending on our trail distance, my daughter will always pack a few extra meals. We were canoeing the Canadian bountry waters when 911 happened and our charter beaver did not fly to the rally point (Beaverhouse)We had to wait two extra nights. Those extra meals were critical as we had no outside news or information on what happened.
True stories are the best. Those who go out into the wilderness only prepared for ideal conditions are not prepared for the wilderness at all . My 4 day planned hike in Central Washington in November a couple years back went a bit sideways with a water filter issue, heavy rain followed by a double snowstorm and 7 continuous days without a moment above freezing. The area was also a very strict no campfire zone. I managed a few stealth fires to sterilize water. So while balancing dehydration and hypothermia 24/7 I slowly made my way over icy boulders and snow covered boulder fields, etc. Thankfully I am no tourist hiker. I packed for 7 high calorie days. I didn't do daily long distance bc I was too dehydrated, but my food held out by rationing. I walked myself out on the 13th day.
@@johnsmith1474 I hope you don't drive your family and friends around and tell them that buckling up their seatbelts is stupid because a mortal wreck is just a once in a lifetime event.
Hard candy is a great snack. Lasts forever, doesn't weigh you down, won't melt on you (generally) and gives you the extra carbohydrates and sugars to keep going. There's a reason Chair Force survival kits still include them for their pilots.
Mule tape is a type of strong, flat synthetic chordage that's very lightweight. For hardcore ultralighters, there is ultra thin Kevlar thread that will hold upwards of 100 pounds, but it's expensive, mule tape is cheap.
I bought a freeze dryer so now I have an unlimited supply of mountain house style meals. After the initial cost of the equipment, my freeze dried meals are only $1-5 depending on what I'm making. They're also way better than anything commercially available
What I pack depends on the type of hike. I never had the time to thru hike, and now my health won’t allow it. Despite Dixie’s advice at the end of her AT video, I have always had people depending on me to keep them housed and fed. Despite that, I can do section hikes, weekenders, and the occasional speed hike. When you get right down to it, thru hiking is just a bunch of section hikes chained together. Nobody I know likes hiking, and most think camping requires an RV, so I am usually solo, or at least as solo as you get on the trails these days (back in the day you could go a week without seeing another hiker). For section hiking, I have taken to dehydrating my own meals, then packing them and an oxygen scavenger in heat sealable mylar bags with a vacuum sealer. When I am ready to cold soak, I remove the oxygen scavenger, add some water, and reseal the ziplock on the mylar bag. When I am ready to eat, I put the mylar bag along with an MRE flameless heater pack (pack of 12 for $11.00 on Amazon) in a 1 gallon ziplock to maintain contact with each other and keep the breeze off and wait 5 minutes. I eat my meal straight out of the mylar bag. When prepping my meals, I use a spreadsheet and nutritional data from the packaging (seriously, one serving of rice is a 1” cube?) to calculate my calories. I shoot for 1500 calories for breakfast and 1500 for dinner. I am slowly creating my own cookbook. I carry life savers in case I need a quick sugar rush, but I don’t eat lunch or snacks. This means my dinner is rarely enough, even though it had plenty of calories. I finish filling my stomach with a pack of ramen with a lot of water. I also carry instant coffee and protein shake mix. The coffee is to keep me from killing something (I don’t do well without my coffee), and the protein shake is to help my muscles recover overnight. In the mornings I take a multivitamin and fish oil tabs along with my meds (blood pressure and beta blocker). I found some small sealable aluminum canisters on caribiners for carrying meds. Just pack your pills with cotton so they don’t get powdered. Even though I suffer from high blood pressure, I pack gatorade powder. At high altitude on hot days, you lose an amazing amount of electrolytes. The benefit of this method is you still get warm meals without a stove or pan. Still need a coffee cup, and I carry a small can of sterno to warm my coffee and/or ramen. I used hanger wire and a soldering iron to make a small stand to hold my cup over the sterno can. My evening mylar will contain 1) my dinner, 2) 1 package ramen, 3) a small plastic bag of coffee, 4) a small plastic bag of protein shake. 5) 1 MRE heater pack, 6) 1 oxygen scavenger. My morning mylar will contain 1) my breakfast, 2) small plastic bag of coffee, 3) small plastic bag with 2 multivitamin and 2 fish oil tabs, 4) small plastic bag of gatorade mix, 5) 1 MRE heater pack, (save for later), 6) 1 oxygen scavenger. My total stove/kitchen equipment is 1) small can of sterno gel, 2) small homemade wire stand to hold cup over sterno, 3) titanium coffee cup. (The weight difference between titanium and stainless in a coffee cup is negligible, but titanium is just cool.), 4) one gallon ziplock for “cooking”, 5) 1 gallon ziplock for trash. 6) bear canister (required almost everywhere I go, but all of my food, trash, and kitchen fit inside, and is not much heavier than the stove and pot I no longer need.), 7) 1 long handled spoon, 8) water filter and bottle (only items not kept in bear canister. I top off my water every chance I get. If I take a sip and water is available, I top it off). I always carry a spare water filter. Or aqua tabs. If I am only weekending, I am only going in a couple of miles, so I pack steak and potatoes for the first night, fresh veggies, deli meats, some kind of sauce, and a collapsible cutting board for the second night, eggs (already cracked and in a jar), spam, and pilsbury biscuits (I smash them down for pancakes) for breakfast. Margarine and syrup packs I grab from Denny’s. In this case I pack a Trangia stove, rain/shade tarp, a chair, a table, and plenty of snivel gear. Years ago I learned a hard lesson about food prep. I tried cooking a meal in my tent and spilled it. While I was (fortunately) away from my tent, a bear shredded it. Now I prep, cook, and eat my meals at least 100 yards from my tent. People frequently think I am antisocial, but if I am in a common campground, and people are cooking, I pitch my tent far away. At night, anything food related (including the life savers) is placed in the bear canister, which I stash way over there. If I am carrying gear that won’t fit in the canister (like on a weekender), I carry some bank line attached to a 3x5 stuff sack on one end, and a much larger stuff sack on the other. I stuff it all into the small stuff sack. When I am ready to stash my food, I fill the large stuff sack with any pots/pans/cutting boards, and my bear canister, containing all food (including the life savers) and utensils in it. I put a rock in the small stuff sack to give me enough weight to get over a tall tree branch. I know bear canisters don’t need to be hung, but why not do it anyway? As a side note, I was in the Navy, so I am very familiar with monkey’s fist knots. I used to carry one for this purpose. Then a ranger informed me they were illegal in California (what isn’t?). He let me go with a warning because he thought it was ridiculous also, but I had to come up with another solution. I occasionally do overnight speed hikes from one trailhead to another. An example is from the Whitney access trailhead above Lone Pine to the Kings River trailhead on the other side of the Sierras. It is about 20 miles, with a 2000 foot climb followed by a 6000 foot drop down Bubb’s creek. In those cases, comfort is not the object of the exercise. I will carry microspikes, a wool blanket that I may not use if I decide not to stop, a couple of candy bars, two lifestraws, and a headlamp for night hiking all in a day pack on those trips. Unless I am on a speed hike, I always pack an extra week of dehydrated meals in case of emergency. I have never needed it, but I have run across hikers who didn’t pack enough, and were going to have a hard time getting to resupply. I was happy to help, and they were happy to be helped. The most important thing is to plan ahead. If you are inexperienced, don’t be afraid to ask. If you are getting in over your head, turn around, or join a group of more experienced hikers. Oh, and keep a notebook on the trail. What worked? What didn’t? What gear was a waste of time and why? What problems could have been solved by having the right gear? Create a checklist from your notes, and modify it after each trip. My most miserable trip I ever had was when I forgot to pack spare lighters and my only one ran out 5 days in. This was back when you could still have campfires. Mountain home wasn’t affordable for a teenager, so I was carrying food that needed cooking. Those guys that start fires by rubbing sticks together have spent years learning how. I hadn’t. If I had had a checklist, I would have had a spare lighter.
Lol When I go grocery shopping or to the store for things I call it “Re supply “ now. Soon I’ll catch myself telling people, “hey, hike your own hike”.
Miss Mills, Dixie, thanks for your inspiration and instructions. You’re a much appreciated teacher and excellent videographer. I started watching you when you were started on the AT. I watched your entire Triple Crown plus. Your trail knowledge and maturity is pretty cool. I tend to procrastinate way too much; so, listening to you seems like an extraordinary value. The comment section is instructive too. Thanks again. Kentucky
Take garbanzo beans can of good stewed tomatoes add some roasted red peppers add a little lemon juice salt and pepper and put in a dehydrator till it crumbly just cold soak and serve on flour tortillas
Hey! I've been watching all your videos! I'm planning on hiking the AT for my 50th birthday in 2025. Thanks so much for putting all this knowledge out there!
Was just recently on the maine section of the trail and monson had great resupply options although it was expensive. Caratunk has a very small resupply option at the sterling inn but the guy who runs the place gives hikers free laundry,shower and shuttle to the kennebec river crossing.
Well young lady I believe you are the only person that I know of That's Got most of the answers for the AT. You have put all of this information together beautifully and you should commend yourself for doing such a good job because I'm commending you. I may be a little prejudiced cuz I think you're such a gorgeous young lady but I don't care. I'm at that age that I don't give a shtf about what anybody thinks or says so you keep up the good work young lady. I already know God has blessed you. Keep ye powder dry. PS I know your name is Dixie I just like calling you young lady and I love the way you come on hey y'all. Us Southerners got to stick together
31:40 Clipper lighters have replaceable flints and refillable fuel. They're also shaped in such a way on the bottom to be helpful in maybe grinding up some fresh herbs or spices and although they're cylindrical in overall shape, one side of it juts out to allow for a grip and button post and prevents it from rolling or even sliding away. I can't say if they're made "better" than a BIC, but I like their versatility and reusable nature.
To avoid dirty cooking pots you can use your pot/cup just for boiling water. Either reuse a backpacker meal bag (my preference) or freezer z-lock combined with a cozy pouch to cook your food in. This also allows you to have your drink without needing another container. 700 ml cup; a piece of heavy duty aluminum (wind screen), and a cozy pouch works great for me.
@@brandonfoley7519 I got two words for your: No water. If you have to carry all the water you need while hiking in a desert, you don't want to waste any on cleaning your pot.
Planning to do the AT next year. Thanks for mentionning foreigners and the tips concerning bouncing boxes. I'll definitely do that for the "few" extra hiking shoes. :)
I almost alway lose my appetite the first couple of days of a multi day hike. Especially in the hotter weather. I eat but only because I know I need calories. Mostly it's fluids I can't get enough of.
I just finished hiking from Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows on the PCT. One thing I will never go without on a backpack trip is some sort of candy. I was having trouble eating at altitude as my digestion had stopped. Several times on trail I just ran out of energy and just a little sugar would have really helped.
I always carry Hershey’s dark chocolate dark chocolate. You can let the chocolate melt in your mouth and as the nuggets are individually wrapped, you can ration them out
Ginger chews helped get me up to several peaks in Yosemite. Beet powder chews or mixing the powder helps beyond just calories. I could drive up from Mariposa and end 11k higher at 13k ft with no issues from altitude. Day and night difference with beet juice powder!
I don't have proof on this, but in my experience sugary candy has really helped me with some big ascents pushing the altitude. The one time I recall definitely having trouble was when I either didn't have any candy or it slipped my mind (I forget which). Some of my favorites include tootsie rolls, hot tamales, rootbeer barrels. Gummie bears and skittles are also a crowd favorites.
1. Try everything at home. It’s a bummer to discover that instant rice doesn’t cold soak very well when you’re on the trail or someone’s sure-fire breakfast mix turns your stomach…or your gastrointestinal tract; 2. Know that your tastes and needs will change during a thruhike. Be flexible so you can alter your diet accordingly; 3. Eat more protein to avoid wasting…especially if over 30 y-o; 4. Carbs are your friend; oils and fats have most carbs per ounce; 5. Oil rubbed inside your cook pot (if you cook) makes cleanup easier. 6. Just scrape out food residue. 2X2 plastic scrapers always go with me. Backpackers drink their dishwater.
FYI you are supposed to punch a hole in empty fuel cannisters before throwing them away in common garage cans. There are ways to do this, but it's not the easiest thing to attempt with zero experience. Also, my wood stove is a hole in the ground I dig with my trowel and I dig a key hole or connector hole. It makes a cook fire much safer with other benefits although it takes a bit of work to dig.
@@garypotter5569 Tourist hikers like expensive it seems. I happen to be an old school traveler however - I don't go the tourist way. Not sure that I quite get your comment.
@@paulrevere2379 I hiked the CDT last year and I saw the prices climbing. As a thu-hiker, you often don't have much of a choice. Hiking in Switzerland is cheaper than in the US.
I might be crazy, but I like to bring prepared Indian foods that just need to be heated without adding water. Yes, they weigh more, but I never have to worry about getting extra water to cook dinner. They have good ingredients, though they are salty. I remember running out of water and staying at a dry camp during a drought - that sucked!
My friends wondered why I would you camp in the winter but they don’t realize that the world becomes your fridge and you can bring whatever the hell you want with you lol
Some helpful tips: First get a real stove. I recommend the Sevea 123 with a built-in brass fuel tank it burns white gas, small powerful and easy to use. The same weight as a canister stove, minus the disposable canisters. If you are using a canister stove make sure you count the weight of the canister attached to the flame tower. The flame tower is not a stove . There are two phases to cook grains and legumes. To save fuel soak your grains and legumes all day in enough of water to cover them so they are soaked through by supper then all you have to do is heat them and they will be fully cooked in a few minutes. Use high temperature black paint on the outside bottom and sides of the pot to absorb heat and saves on fuel. Aluminum pots are not dangerous that was debunked years go.
I usually carry an alcohol stove with a wood stove as a stand (evernew alcohol stove with a modified BCB dragon fire folding stove, firebox nano2 with boundless voyage alcohol stove/trangia, that kind of setup) ... Much quieter and versatile (wood, alcohol, solid fuel tabs, etc.). However, I can also recommend the MSR pocket rocket pro. Because of the upgraded adjustment, this stove runs "quiet" (well quieter than most). As far as food is concerned, I think dehydrating your own food is a great thing to learn! It's fun to experiment and you can actually create some pretty good stuff (and healthier most of the time).
Great video Dixie. I was a little surprised you didn’t mention bear canisters now that the AT Conservatory recommends using canisters as strongly as they can without requiring them (they have no authority to require), but the Nat park service is close to requiring them. Times are changing with the number of hikers out there.
I think that bear lockers at every shelter would be a step in the right direction. I know it's a big expensive ask, but a good initiative in giving hikers the option to do the right thing. Recent hikers: how many shelters have you noticed include food lockers?
Make sure you check the EXPIRATION DATES when you restock from hostels, small shops etc... there are occasions where the majority of their items are expired.
From engineer to Imagineer .! Dixie, Living her dream,imagin that, a wonderful women with a natural Wisdom to make sense of so much knowledge ... Live your dream folks .! Thank you Dixie , for including me into your experiences of Wonderlust in Wonderland.!.! Thank you .
A small metal coffee or soup can makes a good little woodstove; just punch some holes in it. Or, a small Dakota fire hole. Walmart dehydrated powered milk is👍. Light, cheap & tastes good. Found in baking isle.
I hiked sections of the A.T mostly in PA. years ago.Your food looks good.Im handicaped now but the memories and people meeting are timeless.I didn’t do the thru hike but I would go for days. Theis alot more shelters now than 1999.lol
Dixie, I know the best practice is to not cook close to where you camp but given the number of AT hikers and the number of critters (I.e. mice) along the trail how do you best prevent rodents from eating your gear (backpack, tent, groundsheet…). Stay away from shelters? Tent platforms? Is there some hiker trick I am not aware of? Always enjoy your videos and helpful backpacking related content. By the way, congratulations on your recently getting hitched! We’ve been married 47yrs and it’s been one of the best decisions I have made🙂
You are awesome! I've been watching your channel for years. I'm planning to start section hiking with my son and have found your videos extremely helpful. I've been playing around with my small wood stove and have gotten pretty good at using it. When it cools a bit, I'll try to look for fuel after a heavy rain and see how well I can do. If not, I'll go with an MSR.
NOLS claims that most people get sick because they have not cleaned out the soap in their pots. They did not let us take soap either. We cleaned pots with a pine tree branch, still left on the tree. If you feel you must take soap then CLEAN OUT SOAP WITH HOT WATER. Without using soap, before the next meal boil a little water, swish it around and throw that out before cooking food , or pour it on a bandana for a warm face clean. Boiling water will kill bad stuff.
The excessive emphasis on cutting weight leads too many people to neglect cleanliness and higeine on many levels from what I have seen. That's ok if people choose that way, but I just don't like to see it glamorized, even indirectly. I just find it ironic to remember past military days navigating through jungles, crawling in the mud, sleeping cowboy style (by hiker standards) and all that, but we still practiced far better higeine than lots of tourist hikers these days who hardly ever even stray from the nice trail.
I also discovered something that works to clean pots when food gets a little bit burned on. A piece of charred wood from a campfire works well as a scrubber. It takes some trial and error to get the right balance between too woody and too ashy, but it works really well for something that doesn't have to be carried. It's a bit messy, but it all rinses really well.
@@josephharper982 Don't say say treated pot too loud out on trail unless you want some company from those who are into the more psychedelic drugs. They don't stand out as huge hiker subset, but they are out there, and they are at least more interesting than the common tourists.
Residual soap doesn't make a person sick. It's gross, but that's it. If you are drinking a cup, maybe, but what's left from an inadequate rinse isn't going to hurt you.
You can see through some bic lighters. The ones with the 'flick my bic' or whatever design on them. It's like translucent if rip that plastic off. But I'm learning allot from you. Thanks. I plan to do the AT in 26.
I thought coId soaking sounded gross up until I tried it recently and it's amazing. It's so good I'm actually cold soaking in everyday life now. I cold soaked some rice and beans at the beach today, in fact. Really highly recommend trying it.
Presuming you can heat it up EVER at all -- I dunno, throw a hot rock from the fire 🔥 into it at some point. Eating 'cold soaked' food is Navy Seal - level deprivation.
Dixie: Per comment by John Smith three days ago: cooking lentils and rice are a great suggestion for less expensive trail meals, and are easy/ fast cooking. We need to have Dixie actually demonstrate how effective this works on trail for her, with creative options of adding dehydrated or freeze dried low fat mixed veggies along with beneficial spices. That would be a wonderful video to watch. Thanks Dixie and happy/healthy trails going forward.
For day one things if you wanna take milk in on the trail dollar tree sells shelf stable tetra pack milk in quarts, or you could buy whatever milk alternative in this format. If you have a small group you could easily use that up in a day. Other ideas for day one is taking frozen stuff in. On a recent hike in which the water wasn't drinkable i brought in packs of pre cooked rice and steam heated them and added chicken packets like you always have on you. The chicken packets taste much better than the tuna :P
Pot cozy all the way!!! My favorite piece of gear... made it myself from Dixie's instructional video... my cheapest item of gear that has been the most durable....
A Sterno will work in a wood stove if there’s wet wood on trail! Also, you can pour boiling water right into a Knorr bag and just let it rehydrate like the expensive meals!!
Hi Dixie, love all your helpful videos and the epic movie length trail trips. Recently you must have added something with regards to products on your video which causes your videos to freeze and crash RUclips on an iPad. Keep on making epic movies of your big walks 😁👍.
I am trying mail drops they will slow you down also I will put say a rice side in a freezer bag add hot water let sit and it's good in about 10 minutes then throw away the bag or clean it out I don't find me getting tired of what I send myself but I do find getting tired of the food in the stores there is only so much variety
Nothing like a warm meal. Healthier in the long run and easier to digest. And I need my hot coffee in the morning......But no freeze-dried foods for me.... UGH... i'd rather eat mud and mosquitos
Lots of great info Dixie! It is my goal to attempt the AT soon. Just did a section of it in the White Mountains in NH and learned a great deal about what to pack and what not to pack and more importantly physical conditioning for such a trip. Do you have any advice to offer concerning physical conditioning for such a trek? I discovered rather quickly that the things I could do with ease in my 30s and 40s are not so easy or as realistic now that I'm in my 60s, but remain hopeful that with proper training I might be able to significantly improve performance. Thanks in advance for any tips you might be able to offer. Great content as always!
I am going to attempt AT next year, I'm 63, I put full loaded pack on and even do day hikes and sections when ever I can, I also work in a 15 story building and do the stairs once a day with 30# pack
@@SOTTO-ur2kz That's great! Maybe I'll see you on trail? I have been training for over a year now by loading a framed pack with about 40 pounds of gear and going on local hikes of several miles a few times a week. It has helped my conditioning considerably and I've lost quite a bit of weight, but have more to lose. I felt as though I were in a good place to begin the trail. Perhaps I am. I decided to do the Pemi loop as an acid test and realized that while I could keep on the move, I could not keep up a respectable pace to keep up with the younger folks I was hiking with and meet the time constraints we set for that hike. Of course, attempting this hike with 40 pounds of gear didn't help my cause at all. My associates packs were coming in at 25-30 pounds. In the future, I'll continue training with the 40 pound pack, but will reduce my pack weight to bare minimum when I attempt the Pemi loop again and see how I fare. I also realize that I cannot expect to keep pace with folks half my age either and just need to learn to hike my own hike.
@@garywood702 Hope to see you on trail, I'm doing sobo flipflop starting in PA going to GA then getting picked up and going to Main and return back to PA.
@@SOTTO-ur2kz Sounds good! I'm debating whether I'm going to start in CT and head North or whether I'll start in Maine and head south and get picked up in CT and then finish the following year. Still sorting things out. Wishing you all the best on your hike though!
Heating up a dehydrated meal is not cooking but it's still a hot meal. Real cooking involves a pot or pan that has to be washed. The best cooking is done over hot coals after the flames of your campfire goes down.
Also, Chic FIL A has the best forks and spoons that balance strength and extreme break resistance. Another good spoon is the one's you get with a McFlurry.
I tried a meal from rei the other day and I couldn’t finish it. I have one more meal from that brand and if they can’t do beef stew then I’ll be done with them lol
How you you cook the Knors? Do you boil water and add it to the bag and let in rehydrate? I took them on my last trip but chickened out bc of the cook time.
Backpackers make canoe camping look easy we have to take all of our food with us there's no cell service, no showers, no shelters, no first aid, there's no resupply.
You can live on lentils and rice just like millions of people in India and Asia have been doing for 5000 years and establish a healthy full amino acid protien routine with a very regular digestion, using lightweight spices to mix it up. With all that processed junk food you are supporting some of the most gross companies. I see AT through hikers all the time on trail in NH, by the time they get here, the most rugged part of the AT, they are burned out and can't even enjoy what they are doing. And I am not being sarcastic.
Great series Dixie! I’m planning to do the AT in 2023, so this info is really timely. Question, I’ve heard the ATC has changed policy on bear hanging bags, due to increased bear activity and they have learned to defeat the PCT hang. They now only recommend only approved bear resistant containers. Do you have any info on this? What would you recommend?
Reminds me of the universal recommendation to use "compactor bags" for an interior pack liner. In preparing for my AT thru-hike, I went to about 8 different grocery stores and never could find any such thing. One day, quite by accident, I was at a national hardware store and happened to see "CONTRACTOR bags", the heavy-duty bags that construction crews use to bag up sawdust, nails, and other similar materials. Still can't believe that this "compactor" term continues to appear on RUclips videos. It's contractor, not compactor.
@@nonservitium I knew you were kidding and wasn't commenting on anyone's pronunciation of Ramen. Just saw an opportunity to vent about the compactor v. contractor bag issue. LOL
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Coffee I use FOLGERS singles real coffee in tea bags. Fast better than instant light as hell. No jar or Container needed. Just throw the packets in food bag. Light Folgers got boxes of 30 individual packets. Take the whole 30. Light as hell
For our first dinner on the trail many times we triple foil wrapped some small steaks (6 oz) and froze them solid, then put them in a qt. ziplock. They were just about thawed by dinner time.
What? Where do you get a freezer? Nonsense.
@@johnsmith1474 Think a bit. We freeze it at home before heading to the trail
If you cut the meat into cubes and seal them in a container with Italian vinegar salad dressing the meat will keep for days or longer. Cook and serve with rice. You can do the same thing with sausage in vinegar. Been done for Centuries.
I put crushed Banana Nut Crunch, Nido and vanilla protein powder or half a bkfst essential in a baggie. Add water and shake/stir. I put the baggie in my cozie to hold it up.
Splurged and ate Mountainhouse meals every night except for about 4 nights. Added cubed spam, bacon bits and olive oil to bring calories up to about 1000. More expensive at around $10 - $11 each evening. No cleanup!!! Loved Beef Stoganoff and Chix Fettuchini.
Did that in snowy Colorado. Nothing get's closer to a real meal than that. What a moral booster after 10 miles of pure misery. In grizzly country, I stopped cooking and just ate snack.
Cold soaking is also a great way to give yourself a headstart on a cooked meal. Works great in a peanut butter jar. Ramen, rice, even lentils or split peas. Cover with water and tuck deep in your pack then when you get to camp it will be softened enough to reduce cook time then you just need to finish or warm it up.
Also if you stock up a couple days at a time...getting less food more often...just in general then you can shop a bit more healthfully and or more like you cook at home, and spend some weight to bring real food, particularly fresh produce. A couple of sweet potatoes, a few carrots (dry full sized carrots) split a small cabbage with someone, a head of broccoli, some citrus. You can even plan a more normal meal with cold foods and cook it the day you buy it. If you only get snacky type stuff it will usually be more processed and always more trash.
Bringing things like minced garlic, dehy lemon crystals, bouillon cubes, taco seasoning, ranch mix, etc help with any meal.
Coffee has so many options. I always liked the teabag style coffee with a cocoa packet but generates a fair bit of trash. Teabags too. Drink tubes with caffeinated crystal light type drinks may help get you going in the morning. Walmart has a great selection of great value energy drinks. Also trash but no heating. If you are dedicated to coffee then its worth learning to enjoy it black which keeps things simpler. May mean you need a better coffee to start with but maybe not? Depends if you are hoping to enjoy it or choke it down to wake up. Get a small jar of folgers crystals or cafe bustelo, less trash and !ore flexible portioning.
Cold breakfast: cocoa and Grape Nuts
Hot Breakfast: Grits with m&Ms
Fast lunch: Pretzel sticks and PB from the jar.
Cold-soaked meals is navy seals level deprivation.
This is not an Olympic event ..this is hiking.
There is something called shelf-stable milk, pasteurized at very high temperatures and packaged in sterile containers, which does not have to be refrigerated. It can go over a month at room temperature. Hard cheeses like cheddar and processed cheese like American can go weeks or months at room temperature if packaged right - when I was in the Army I routinely took a 1lb. block of cheese when we went on field exercises and it got soft and oily but never spoiled. We're talking Georgia in the summertime.
Depending on our trail distance, my daughter will always pack a few extra meals. We were canoeing the Canadian bountry waters when 911 happened and our charter beaver did not fly to the rally point (Beaverhouse)We had to wait two extra nights. Those extra meals were critical as we had no outside news or information on what happened.
True stories are the best.
Those who go out into the wilderness only prepared for ideal conditions are not prepared for the wilderness at all .
My 4 day planned hike in Central Washington in November a couple years back went a bit sideways with a water filter issue, heavy rain followed by a double snowstorm and 7 continuous days without a moment above freezing. The area was also a very strict no campfire zone. I managed a few stealth fires to sterilize water.
So while balancing dehydration and hypothermia 24/7 I slowly made my way over icy boulders and snow covered boulder fields, etc.
Thankfully I am no tourist hiker. I packed for 7 high calorie days. I didn't do daily long distance bc I was too dehydrated, but my food held out by rationing. I walked myself out on the 13th day.
Good plan!
Right, make plans based on once in a lifetime rare events.
We always carry an extra meal and items based on the season: Washington weather in the mountains is always a consideration
@@johnsmith1474 I hope you don't drive your family and friends around and tell them that buckling up their seatbelts is stupid because a mortal wreck is just a once in a lifetime event.
Hard candy is a great snack. Lasts forever, doesn't weigh you down, won't melt on you (generally) and gives you the extra carbohydrates and sugars to keep going. There's a reason Chair Force survival kits still include them for their pilots.
Mule tape is a type of strong, flat synthetic chordage that's very lightweight. For hardcore ultralighters, there is ultra thin Kevlar thread that will hold upwards of 100 pounds, but it's expensive, mule tape is cheap.
I bought a freeze dryer so now I have an unlimited supply of mountain house style meals. After the initial cost of the equipment, my freeze dried meals are only $1-5 depending on what I'm making. They're also way better than anything commercially available
I just looked into a freeze drier and damn those aren't cheap by any means.
@@traveler7353 agreed, but they are worth every dollar
You could possibly make up for its price on a through hike.
in what pricerange is the freezedryer u bought ureself? :)
@@andreasiven21 harvest right freeze dryers are about $4000 i think
What I pack depends on the type of hike.
I never had the time to thru hike, and now my health won’t allow it. Despite Dixie’s advice at the end of her AT video, I have always had people depending on me to keep them housed and fed. Despite that, I can do section hikes, weekenders, and the occasional speed hike. When you get right down to it, thru hiking is just a bunch of section hikes chained together. Nobody I know likes hiking, and most think camping requires an RV, so I am usually solo, or at least as solo as you get on the trails these days (back in the day you could go a week without seeing another hiker).
For section hiking, I have taken to dehydrating my own meals, then packing them and an oxygen scavenger in heat sealable mylar bags with a vacuum sealer. When I am ready to cold soak, I remove the oxygen scavenger, add some water, and reseal the ziplock on the mylar bag. When I am ready to eat, I put the mylar bag along with an MRE flameless heater pack (pack of 12 for $11.00 on Amazon) in a 1 gallon ziplock to maintain contact with each other and keep the breeze off and wait 5 minutes. I eat my meal straight out of the mylar bag. When prepping my meals, I use a spreadsheet and nutritional data from the packaging (seriously, one serving of rice is a 1” cube?) to calculate my calories. I shoot for 1500 calories for breakfast and 1500 for dinner. I am slowly creating my own cookbook. I carry life savers in case I need a quick sugar rush, but I don’t eat lunch or snacks. This means my dinner is rarely enough, even though it had plenty of calories. I finish filling my stomach with a pack of ramen with a lot of water. I also carry instant coffee and protein shake mix. The coffee is to keep me from killing something (I don’t do well without my coffee), and the protein shake is to help my muscles recover overnight.
In the mornings I take a multivitamin and fish oil tabs along with my meds (blood pressure and beta blocker). I found some small sealable aluminum canisters on caribiners for carrying meds. Just pack your pills with cotton so they don’t get powdered. Even though I suffer from high blood pressure, I pack gatorade powder. At high altitude on hot days, you lose an amazing amount of electrolytes.
The benefit of this method is you still get warm meals without a stove or pan. Still need a coffee cup, and I carry a small can of sterno to warm my coffee and/or ramen. I used hanger wire and a soldering iron to make a small stand to hold my cup over the sterno can.
My evening mylar will contain 1) my dinner, 2) 1 package ramen, 3) a small plastic bag of coffee, 4) a small plastic bag of protein shake. 5) 1 MRE heater pack, 6) 1 oxygen scavenger.
My morning mylar will contain 1) my breakfast, 2) small plastic bag of coffee, 3) small plastic bag with 2 multivitamin and 2 fish oil tabs, 4) small plastic bag of gatorade mix, 5) 1 MRE heater pack, (save for later), 6) 1 oxygen scavenger.
My total stove/kitchen equipment is 1) small can of sterno gel, 2) small homemade wire stand to hold cup over sterno, 3) titanium coffee cup. (The weight difference between titanium and stainless in a coffee cup is negligible, but titanium is just cool.), 4) one gallon ziplock for “cooking”, 5) 1 gallon ziplock for trash. 6) bear canister (required almost everywhere I go, but all of my food, trash, and kitchen fit inside, and is not much heavier than the stove and pot I no longer need.), 7) 1 long handled spoon, 8) water filter and bottle (only items not kept in bear canister. I top off my water every chance I get. If I take a sip and water is available, I top it off). I always carry a spare water filter. Or aqua tabs.
If I am only weekending, I am only going in a couple of miles, so I pack steak and potatoes for the first night, fresh veggies, deli meats, some kind of sauce, and a collapsible cutting board for the second night, eggs (already cracked and in a jar), spam, and pilsbury biscuits (I smash them down for pancakes) for breakfast. Margarine and syrup packs I grab from Denny’s. In this case I pack a Trangia stove, rain/shade tarp, a chair, a table, and plenty of snivel gear.
Years ago I learned a hard lesson about food prep. I tried cooking a meal in my tent and spilled it. While I was (fortunately) away from my tent, a bear shredded it. Now I prep, cook, and eat my meals at least 100 yards from my tent. People frequently think I am antisocial, but if I am in a common campground, and people are cooking, I pitch my tent far away.
At night, anything food related (including the life savers) is placed in the bear canister, which I stash way over there. If I am carrying gear that won’t fit in the canister (like on a weekender), I carry some bank line attached to a 3x5 stuff sack on one end, and a much larger stuff sack on the other. I stuff it all into the small stuff sack. When I am ready to stash my food, I fill the large stuff sack with any pots/pans/cutting boards, and my bear canister, containing all food (including the life savers) and utensils in it. I put a rock in the small stuff sack to give me enough weight to get over a tall tree branch. I know bear canisters don’t need to be hung, but why not do it anyway? As a side note, I was in the Navy, so I am very familiar with monkey’s fist knots. I used to carry one for this purpose. Then a ranger informed me they were illegal in California (what isn’t?). He let me go with a warning because he thought it was ridiculous also, but I had to come up with another solution.
I occasionally do overnight speed hikes from one trailhead to another. An example is from the Whitney access trailhead above Lone Pine to the Kings River trailhead on the other side of the Sierras. It is about 20 miles, with a 2000 foot climb followed by a 6000 foot drop down Bubb’s creek. In those cases, comfort is not the object of the exercise. I will carry microspikes, a wool blanket that I may not use if I decide not to stop, a couple of candy bars, two lifestraws, and a headlamp for night hiking all in a day pack on those trips.
Unless I am on a speed hike, I always pack an extra week of dehydrated meals in case of emergency. I have never needed it, but I have run across hikers who didn’t pack enough, and were going to have a hard time getting to resupply. I was happy to help, and they were happy to be helped.
The most important thing is to plan ahead. If you are inexperienced, don’t be afraid to ask. If you are getting in over your head, turn around, or join a group of more experienced hikers. Oh, and keep a notebook on the trail. What worked? What didn’t? What gear was a waste of time and why? What problems could have been solved by having the right gear? Create a checklist from your notes, and modify it after each trip. My most miserable trip I ever had was when I forgot to pack spare lighters and my only one ran out 5 days in. This was back when you could still have campfires. Mountain home wasn’t affordable for a teenager, so I was carrying food that needed cooking. Those guys that start fires by rubbing sticks together have spent years learning how. I hadn’t. If I had had a checklist, I would have had a spare lighter.
Lol
When I go grocery shopping or to the store for things I call it “Re supply “ now.
Soon I’ll catch myself telling people, “hey, hike your own hike”.
Miss Mills, Dixie, thanks for your inspiration and instructions. You’re a much appreciated teacher and excellent videographer. I started watching you when you were started on the AT. I watched your entire Triple Crown plus. Your trail knowledge and maturity is pretty cool. I tend to procrastinate way too much; so, listening to you seems like an extraordinary value. The comment section is instructive too. Thanks again. Kentucky
Take garbanzo beans can of good stewed tomatoes add some roasted red peppers add a little lemon juice salt and pepper and put in a dehydrator till it crumbly just cold soak and serve on flour tortillas
I meant to say add basil
i used to carry barrels of beer, but i found that bottles of whiskey make more sense
Joining the ultralight club, right?
Hey! I've been watching all your videos! I'm planning on hiking the AT for my 50th birthday in 2025. Thanks so much for putting all this knowledge out there!
I have a similar plan….. 2025 on my 55th B day. 👍
Hopefully see everyone on trail in 2025.
Was just recently on the maine section of the trail and monson had great resupply options although it was expensive. Caratunk has a very small resupply option at the sterling inn but the guy who runs the place gives hikers free laundry,shower and shuttle to the kennebec river crossing.
I Cook everything in freezer zip lock bags just add hot water no pot clean up 😁 thank you for info
Have you tried Stacher bags, they are good for 1,000 of reuse made out of silicone.
Well young lady I believe you are the only person that I know of That's Got most of the answers for the AT. You have put all of this information together beautifully and you should commend yourself for doing such a good job because I'm commending you. I may be a little prejudiced cuz I think you're such a gorgeous young lady but I don't care. I'm at that age that I don't give a shtf about what anybody thinks or says so you keep up the good work young lady. I already know God has blessed you. Keep ye powder dry. PS I know your name is Dixie I just like calling you young lady and I love the way you come on hey y'all. Us Southerners got to stick together
31:40 Clipper lighters have replaceable flints and refillable fuel. They're also shaped in such a way on the bottom to be helpful in maybe grinding up some fresh herbs or spices and although they're cylindrical in overall shape, one side of it juts out to allow for a grip and button post and prevents it from rolling or even sliding away.
I can't say if they're made "better" than a BIC, but I like their versatility and reusable nature.
To avoid dirty cooking pots you can use your pot/cup just for boiling water. Either reuse a backpacker meal bag (my preference) or freezer z-lock combined with a cozy pouch to cook your food in. This also allows you to have your drink without needing another container. 700 ml cup; a piece of heavy duty aluminum (wind screen), and a cozy pouch works great for me.
To clean a backpacker meal bag, you can just pour in some hot water, seal the zipper, and shake. Easier than a pot, in my book.
I got a four letter word that starts with L
@@brandonfoley7519 I got two words for your: No water. If you have to carry all the water you need while hiking in a desert, you don't want to waste any on cleaning your pot.
Planning to do the AT next year. Thanks for mentionning foreigners and the tips concerning bouncing boxes. I'll definitely do that for the "few" extra hiking shoes. :)
4:38 Verbalizes "breakfast, lunch and dinner" while chomping on a Snickers, the ultimate hiker food 😃
I almost alway lose my appetite the first couple of days of a multi day hike. Especially in the hotter weather. I eat but only because I know I need calories. Mostly it's fluids I can't get enough of.
I just finished hiking from Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows on the PCT. One thing I will never go without on a backpack trip is some sort of candy. I was having trouble eating at altitude as my digestion had stopped. Several times on trail I just ran out of energy and just a little sugar would have really helped.
I always carry Hershey’s dark chocolate dark chocolate. You can let the chocolate melt in your mouth and as the nuggets are individually wrapped, you can ration them out
Ginger chews helped get me up to several peaks in Yosemite.
Beet powder chews or mixing the powder helps beyond just calories.
I could drive up from Mariposa and end 11k higher at 13k ft with no issues from altitude.
Day and night difference with beet juice powder!
I don't have proof on this, but in my experience sugary candy has really helped me with some big ascents pushing the altitude. The one time I recall definitely having trouble was when I either didn't have any candy or it slipped my mind (I forget which). Some of my favorites include tootsie rolls, hot tamales, rootbeer barrels. Gummie bears and skittles are also a crowd favorites.
1. Try everything at home. It’s a bummer to discover that instant rice doesn’t cold soak very well when you’re on the trail or someone’s sure-fire breakfast mix turns your stomach…or your gastrointestinal tract; 2. Know that your tastes and needs will change during a thruhike. Be flexible so you can alter your diet accordingly; 3. Eat more protein to avoid wasting…especially if over 30 y-o; 4. Carbs are your friend; oils and fats have most carbs per ounce; 5. Oil rubbed inside your cook pot (if you cook) makes cleanup easier. 6. Just scrape out food residue. 2X2 plastic scrapers always go with me. Backpackers drink their dishwater.
FYI you are supposed to punch a hole in empty fuel cannisters before throwing them away in common garage cans. There are ways to do this, but it's not the easiest thing to attempt with zero experience.
Also, my wood stove is a hole in the ground I dig with my trowel and I dig a key hole or connector hole. It makes a cook fire much safer with other benefits although it takes a bit of work to dig.
This series is very timely for me. I'm returning to the AT to thru hike it after succumbing to injury in 2015.
Injuries can often make you a wiser hiker for the experience.
It's better to make every mile count than to count every mile.
So VERY expensive though -- just for MEALS! Forget the cuben fiber jockstraps!
@@garypotter5569 Tourist hikers like expensive it seems. I happen to be an old school traveler however - I don't go the tourist way. Not sure that I quite get your comment.
@@paulrevere2379 I hiked the CDT last year and I saw the prices climbing. As a thu-hiker, you often don't have much of a choice. Hiking in Switzerland is cheaper than in the US.
I might be crazy, but I like to bring prepared Indian foods that just need to be heated without adding water. Yes, they weigh more, but I never have to worry about getting extra water to cook dinner. They have good ingredients, though they are salty. I remember running out of water and staying at a dry camp during a drought - that sucked!
My friends wondered why I would you camp in the winter but they don’t realize that the world becomes your fridge and you can bring whatever the hell you want with you lol
Some helpful tips: First get a real stove. I recommend the Sevea 123 with a built-in brass fuel tank it burns white gas, small powerful and easy to use. The same weight as a canister stove, minus the disposable canisters. If you are using a canister stove make sure you count the weight of the canister attached to the flame tower. The flame tower is not a stove . There are two phases to cook grains and legumes. To save fuel soak your grains and legumes all day in enough of water to cover them so they are soaked through by supper then all you have to do is heat them and they will be fully cooked in a few minutes. Use high temperature black paint on the outside bottom and sides of the pot to absorb heat and saves on fuel. Aluminum pots are not dangerous that was debunked years go.
I usually carry an alcohol stove with a wood stove as a stand (evernew alcohol stove with a modified BCB dragon fire folding stove, firebox nano2 with boundless voyage alcohol stove/trangia, that kind of setup) ... Much quieter and versatile (wood, alcohol, solid fuel tabs, etc.). However, I can also recommend the MSR pocket rocket pro. Because of the upgraded adjustment, this stove runs "quiet" (well quieter than most). As far as food is concerned, I think dehydrating your own food is a great thing to learn! It's fun to experiment and you can actually create some pretty good stuff (and healthier most of the time).
Rewatching episode 1 of Pct. Aww please redo the trail. Your early vids and the younger you is cool to see. What happened to Perk? I miss him.
One a multi day winter hike, the temps were way below freezing. Packed several frozen entrees in boil-in-bags. Tasted great!
When asked, what do you eat?
I can't help but to smile and say
Everything...then count my fingers
Great video Dixie. I was a little surprised you didn’t mention bear canisters now that the AT Conservatory recommends using canisters as strongly as they can without requiring them (they have no authority to require), but the Nat park service is close to requiring them. Times are changing with the number of hikers out there.
I think that bear lockers at every shelter would be a step in the right direction. I know it's a big expensive ask, but a good initiative in giving hikers the option to do the right thing. Recent hikers: how many shelters have you noticed include food lockers?
I still want to see a hiker/camper take some sissors and cut the bag down instead of trying to scoop out the food with a long spoon.
An Esse Izula to slice the bag in half; no sissy scissors! Can't beat a good little neck-knife out on trail.
Parmesian block cheese backpacks very well and is one of my favorites.
Make sure you check the EXPIRATION DATES when you restock from hostels, small shops etc... there are occasions where the majority of their items are expired.
From engineer to Imagineer .! Dixie, Living her dream,imagin that, a wonderful women with a natural Wisdom to make sense of so much knowledge ... Live your dream folks .! Thank you Dixie , for including me into your experiences of Wonderlust in Wonderland.!.! Thank you .
You are informative and inspirational, my bucket list is very short, and the AT is on it.
PCT if you've a year+ to spend.
And the money for more expensive equipment.
@@garypotter5569 No.
Me too . Would also love to explore Egypt and Peru 🤠
A small metal coffee or soup can makes a good little woodstove; just punch some holes in it. Or, a small Dakota fire hole.
Walmart dehydrated powered milk is👍. Light, cheap & tastes good. Found in baking isle.
I hiked sections of the A.T mostly in PA. years ago.Your food looks good.Im handicaped now but the memories and people meeting are timeless.I didn’t do the thru hike but I would go for days. Theis alot more shelters now than 1999.lol
Dixie, I know the best practice is to not cook close to where you camp but given the number of AT hikers and the number of critters (I.e. mice) along the trail how do you best prevent rodents from eating your gear (backpack, tent, groundsheet…). Stay away from shelters? Tent platforms? Is there some hiker trick I am not aware of? Always enjoy your videos and helpful backpacking related content. By the way, congratulations on your recently getting hitched! We’ve been married 47yrs and it’s been one of the best decisions I have made🙂
You are awesome! I've been watching your channel for years. I'm planning to start section hiking with my son and have found your videos extremely helpful. I've been playing around with my small wood stove and have gotten pretty good at using it. When it cools a bit, I'll try to look for fuel after a heavy rain and see how well I can do. If not, I'll go with an MSR.
Also switch to gas if there's fire ban.
NOLS claims that most people get sick because they have not cleaned out the soap in their pots. They did not let us take soap either. We cleaned pots with a pine tree branch, still left on the tree. If you feel you must take soap then CLEAN OUT SOAP WITH HOT WATER. Without using soap, before the next meal boil a little water, swish it around and throw that out before cooking food , or pour it on a bandana for a warm face clean. Boiling water will kill bad stuff.
The excessive emphasis on cutting weight leads too many people to neglect cleanliness and higeine on many levels from what I have seen. That's ok if people choose that way, but I just don't like to see it glamorized, even indirectly.
I just find it ironic to remember past military days navigating through jungles, crawling in the mud, sleeping cowboy style (by hiker standards) and all that, but we still practiced far better higeine than lots of tourist hikers these days who hardly ever even stray from the nice trail.
I also discovered something that works to clean pots when food gets a little bit burned on. A piece of charred wood from a campfire works well as a scrubber. It takes some trial and error to get the right balance between too woody and too ashy, but it works really well for something that doesn't have to be carried. It's a bit messy, but it all rinses really well.
@@paulrevere2379 obviously dont do this on a treated pot, but ive used sand and a scrubby to get burned stuff off the bottom
@@josephharper982 Don't say say treated pot too loud out on trail unless you want some company from those who are into the more psychedelic drugs. They don't stand out as huge hiker subset, but they are out there, and they are at least more interesting than the common tourists.
Residual soap doesn't make a person sick. It's gross, but that's it. If you are drinking a cup, maybe, but what's left from an inadequate rinse isn't going to hurt you.
Oh! Pasta sides. Now I get it. I thought you said,"dump and apostatize". I was gonna poop and tell people their theology was wrong.
Dixie, excuse me if I mention darwinonthetrail, the hungry hiker and even Matthew posa, as good sources on this subject. Love ya!
Great info! Thanks for sharing. Just met someone at the Darlington shelter in PA who mentioned your channel.
🖐❤super knowledgeable, knowledge comes from experience!👍
You can see through some bic lighters. The ones with the 'flick my bic' or whatever design on them. It's like translucent if rip that plastic off. But I'm learning allot from you. Thanks. I plan to do the AT in 26.
The all in one pancake mix powder that already has powdered milk in it is awesome imo, just add water
i always carry pepperoni or salami with me. its so salty it doesnt start to walk on its on any time soon. also i eat it real quick lol
It’s delish but it’s kinda heavy😅
I thought coId soaking sounded gross up until I tried it recently and it's amazing. It's so good I'm actually cold soaking in everyday life now. I cold soaked some rice and beans at the beach today, in fact. Really highly recommend trying it.
Presuming you can heat it up EVER at all -- I dunno, throw a hot rock from the fire 🔥 into it at some point.
Eating 'cold soaked' food is Navy Seal - level deprivation.
Dixie: Per comment by John Smith three days ago: cooking lentils and rice are a great suggestion for less expensive trail meals, and are easy/ fast cooking. We need to have Dixie actually demonstrate how effective this works on trail for her, with creative options of adding dehydrated or freeze dried low fat mixed veggies along with beneficial spices. That would be a wonderful video to watch. Thanks Dixie and happy/healthy trails going forward.
Your eating good. I like to hear you talk about this
For day one things if you wanna take milk in on the trail dollar tree sells shelf stable tetra pack milk in quarts, or you could buy whatever milk alternative in this format. If you have a small group you could easily use that up in a day. Other ideas for day one is taking frozen stuff in. On a recent hike in which the water wasn't drinkable i brought in packs of pre cooked rice and steam heated them and added chicken packets like you always have on you. The chicken packets taste much better than the tuna :P
Walmart dry/powdered milk is the lightest & best deal. Found in the baking isle. Tastes like regular milk too.
Boil Water help with cleaning. Food is tricky but I would try and stick with easy stuff. When in town fill up on good clean food.
Every time I car camp, I always pack way too much food. I think it’s a holdover from college when I never had enough. The fear of hunger is real.
Been there.
I use mountain house meals. That way I don’t have to clean a pot , only a spoon.
Pot cozy all the way!!! My favorite piece of gear... made it myself from Dixie's instructional video... my cheapest item of gear that has been the most durable....
A Sterno will work in a wood stove if there’s wet wood on trail!
Also, you can pour boiling water right into a Knorr bag and just let it rehydrate like the expensive meals!!
I was wondering about that...since they say to simmer them for about 7 minutes, how long do they take with your method?
@@Pappysan rice dishes soak for 10-15 mins. Pasta takes a little longer but don’t even try with the corkscrew pasta they take foreverrrr
@@yogalandawellnessyolandati7654 Okay, thanks, I've got some of them in my "prepper pantry."
Hi Dixie, love all your helpful videos and the epic movie length trail trips. Recently you must have added something with regards to products on your video which causes your videos to freeze and crash RUclips on an iPad. Keep on making epic movies of your big walks 😁👍.
I am trying mail drops they will slow you down also I will put say a rice side in a freezer bag add hot water let sit and it's good in about 10 minutes then throw away the bag or clean it out I don't find me getting tired of what I send myself but I do find getting tired of the food in the stores there is only so much variety
Nothing like a warm meal. Healthier in the long run and easier to digest. And I need my hot coffee in the morning......But no freeze-dried foods for me.... UGH... i'd rather eat mud and mosquitos
Ramen and beef jerky chunks mmmm Dixie do you remember the single serve cereal in the box
37:33 See, that right there is why you would be wrong. Legal name: James Mountain Goat. Nice to meet ya!
I even do that at home when i want a quick bowl of Ramon !!
Those big cans of dehydrated ground beef or dices chicken have doubles to tripled in price since COVID started.
Seems like nite life is a hard life. Hike on hike on. Enjoyed the video. HikeSafe.
I could not find my hanging food bag after dark on a section hike, so I replaced my bear bag line with reflective cord.
Ok: just learned another tip: Cooze. Great idea.
ur a class act,,, great vid,,,, hows fancy may doing?? her zoomies i the snow with her backpack was one of my favyt moments ever
Hey Dixie.... yes a hot meal can be a big moral booster !! Ask any soldier !! 🙂🙃🙂😎
Lots of great info Dixie! It is my goal to attempt the AT soon. Just did a section of it in the White Mountains in NH and learned a great deal about what to pack and what not to pack and more importantly physical conditioning for such a trip. Do you have any advice to offer concerning physical conditioning for such a trek? I discovered rather quickly that the things I could do with ease in my 30s and 40s are not so easy or as realistic now that I'm in my 60s, but remain hopeful that with proper training I might be able to significantly improve performance. Thanks in advance for any tips you might be able to offer. Great content as always!
I am going to attempt AT next year, I'm 63, I put full loaded pack on and even do day hikes and sections when ever I can, I also work in a 15 story building and do the stairs once a day with 30# pack
@@SOTTO-ur2kz That's great! Maybe I'll see you on trail? I have been training for over a year now by loading a framed pack with about 40 pounds of gear and going on local hikes of several miles a few times a week. It has helped my conditioning considerably and I've lost quite a bit of weight, but have more to lose. I felt as though I were in a good place to begin the trail. Perhaps I am. I decided to do the Pemi loop as an acid test and realized that while I could keep on the move, I could not keep up a respectable pace to keep up with the younger folks I was hiking with and meet the time constraints we set for that hike. Of course, attempting this hike with 40 pounds of gear didn't help my cause at all. My associates packs were coming in at 25-30 pounds. In the future, I'll continue training with the 40 pound pack, but will reduce my pack weight to bare minimum when I attempt the Pemi loop again and see how I fare. I also realize that I cannot expect to keep pace with folks half my age either and just need to learn to hike my own hike.
@@garywood702 Hope to see you on trail, I'm doing sobo flipflop starting in PA going to GA then getting picked up and going to Main and return back to PA.
@@SOTTO-ur2kz Sounds good! I'm debating whether I'm going to start in CT and head North or whether I'll start in Maine and head south and get picked up in CT and then finish the following year. Still sorting things out. Wishing you all the best on your hike though!
@@garywood702 Thanks and same to you !!
The mountain house stroganoff is ok, bacon and eggs inedible
Love the logo placement Aaron :)
The Trangia Spirit Burner can use a simmer ring on a spirit stove. Good Vid :)
Yeah, Trangia 28 is their smallest stove & pot setup. Super lightweight.
Great presentation, thanks!
Dixie,is it possible to work through the AT from Springer to Harper's Ferry?.Wanting to do the trail over time.
These are very good tips - even for us that car camp.
Great info, Dixie!
Micdonlds God a big Mack 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😵💫
Ffggfdrggdghhrr💩💪
Dixie ..how do you like your new Topo shoes?..Thanks, Keep up the Great informative video’s
planning on doing some section hikes soon but can/t thru hike yet but maby some day
Very informative
Great information! Thanks!
Good work
thank you for sharing it was extremely informative
Heating up a dehydrated meal is not cooking but it's still a hot meal. Real cooking involves a pot or pan that has to be washed. The best cooking is done over hot coals after the flames of your campfire goes down.
Also, Chic FIL A has the best forks and spoons that balance strength and extreme break resistance. Another good spoon is the one's you get with a McFlurry.
Are you gearing up for another AT hike?
I tried a meal from rei the other day and I couldn’t finish it. I have one more meal from that brand and if they can’t do beef stew then I’ll be done with them lol
Excellent.
How you you cook the Knors? Do you boil water and add it to the bag and let in rehydrate? I took them on my last trip but chickened out bc of the cook time.
Backpackers make canoe camping look easy we have to take all of our food with us there's no cell service, no showers, no shelters, no first aid, there's no resupply.
You can live on lentils and rice just like millions of people in India and Asia have been doing for 5000 years and establish a healthy full amino acid protien routine with a very regular digestion, using lightweight spices to mix it up. With all that processed junk food you are supporting some of the most gross companies. I see AT through hikers all the time on trail in NH, by the time they get here, the most rugged part of the AT, they are burned out and can't even enjoy what they are doing. And I am not being sarcastic.
Great idea; I will post a comment for Dixie referencing your suggestion. Thanks
So true.
mmmmmm tent stake spoon
Great series Dixie! I’m planning to do the AT in 2023, so this info is really timely. Question, I’ve heard the ATC has changed policy on bear hanging bags, due to increased bear activity and they have learned to defeat the PCT hang. They now only recommend only approved bear resistant containers. Do you have any info on this? What would you recommend?
Must be really rough to resupply in Iceland
I've looked everywhere and I just cannot find Raymond noodles anywhere! Lol
Ramen spoke in Bama Southern. I got it Dixie 😜
Dixie should put a sponsored amazon link for what she means and make a bit of coin off the question 🤣
Reminds me of the universal recommendation to use "compactor bags" for an interior pack liner. In preparing for my AT thru-hike, I went to about 8 different grocery stores and never could find any such thing. One day, quite by accident, I was at a national hardware store and happened to see "CONTRACTOR bags", the heavy-duty bags that construction crews use to bag up sawdust, nails, and other similar materials. Still can't believe that this "compactor" term continues to appear on RUclips videos. It's contractor, not compactor.
Just joshn ya, Dixie
@@nonservitium I knew you were kidding and wasn't commenting on anyone's pronunciation of Ramen. Just saw an opportunity to vent about the compactor v. contractor bag issue. LOL