Winter Camping Meals

credit: peupleloup

We usually think of calories as units of food (or fat), but in reality calories are units of heat. This takes on a different meaning in winter camping, when you use up something like twice as many calories as you do in day to day indoor life. Simply maintaining your body temperature when you’re asleep in the cold takes more calories.

Most backpackers carry slightly heavier rations for winter, usually about 2 1/2 pounds of food per person per day of quick-cooking, easy to prepare foods. The fewer steps and the less time they take the better.

Remember you need more stove fuel in winter: Cold water takes longer to heat; the stove is less efficient because it loses heat to the environmentl and you might have to melt snow for water. So avoid foods that need to simmer for 20 minutes. As you’re wearing gloves, it is also more difficult to slice and dice bits and pieces of various ingredients.

My ideal winter meal is the same as a rainy-day meal: anything where the directions say “Add hot water and eat.” Instant soup is a must have: Not only does it warm you up, but it helps you avoid hypothermia by keeping you hydrated.

For lunch choose foods high in calories, including fats. Foods like peanut better, cheese and cans of sardines are great, but they can freeze. An hour before lunch, put the containers in an inside pocket where they can soak up some body heat and thaw. Lots of experience climbers take along some butter or margarine and add it to everything from cereal to tomato sauce. Be sure you store it in a leakproff container - just in case of a sudden thaw.

Quick defrosting tip: You lose most of your body heat through your head, so if you need to quickly thaw a packet of margarine, put it under your hat!

Snacks are also important for keeping up warmth and energy. Splurge on a variety of your favorites (chocolate bars, energy bars, healthfood bars, cereal bars, GORP and nuts) and bring a lot. Eat when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry; above all eat when you’re cold. Always keep a handful of a snack where you can get it without event taking off your pack - and bring a few snacks into your tent at night.

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