Go Ultralight #5. Enjoy Tasty Meals on the Trail

You do not need to sacrifice eating tasty meals when ultralight backpacking. In this episode, I spent 3 days (2 nights) hiking in the Angelina National Forest in East Texas, USA. It was very hot and humid with a high temperature index of 127 F / 53 C.

I fine-tuned my kit to carry additional food and water for this exceptional hot adventure. I added a cutting board for food preparation. This modification also improved the distribution of weight in my backpack, providing a soft internal frame.

My fully loaded pack for this trip without food and water was 9.5 lb (4.3 kg):
Ozark Trail 28 L Atka Backpack 0.75 lb (0.34 kg)**
Plastic Cutting Board / Internal Pack Frame 0.34 lb (0.15 kg)
Nylon Ground Cloth, 6 Al stakes, 0.60 lb (0..27 kg)
Pillow (Bear, Socks, Washcloth, Plastic Bag/poncho) 1.10 lb (0.50 kg)
BioFuel Stove and Al Cup, 0.66 lb (0.30 kg)
Steel Skillet, 0.33 lb (0.15 kg)
Cardboard Oven, 0.35 lb (0.16 kg)
Blue Sky Mosquito Hammock, 1.34 lb (0.61 kg)
Ozark Trail Sun Wall Tarp 6x10 ft and Cordage 1.10 lb (0.50 kg)
Dutch Tree Straps and Buckles, 0.68 lb (0.31 kg)
Medical Kit, Compass, Map, Light, 0.29 lb (0.13 kg)
AL trowel, Paper, Bug Repellent, Lighter, 0.24 lb (0.11 kg)
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter, 0.16 lb (0.07 kg)
Battery Charger for Phone, Camera 1.21 lb (0.55 kg)

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Food for 2-1/2 days: 2 lb (0.91kg)
Hydration pack with 2 quarts water: 4 lb (1.81 kg)
1 quart water in bottles 2 lb (0.91 kg)
Most water was filtered from the creeks
Pocket items: headlamp, GoPro camera, keys, wallet

** I do not yet have an opinion of the $19 Ozark Trail Atka Backpack; it is not as well made as my $60 Osprey Trip 20 Daypack; but it is an inexpensive option that may work for certain situations.

SNACKS: Trail Mix (1/2 pound of dried fruit and nuts). Energy Drink (1 quart water with 2 tablespoons of instant oatmeal). Sprouts (Handy Pantry Sprouting Mix, organic Alfalfa, Radish and broccoli; germinated 2 tablespoons of see mixture before trip began, carried in cloth damp cloth bag on backpack).

LUNCH DAY 1: Four tortillas, sprouts, salmon, trail mix and water.

DINNER DAY 1: Chicken Tortilla Soup (fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, baby carrots, chicken broth seasoning, chicken breast, re-hydrated mushrooms, olive oil), tortilla chips, avocado, sprouts and water

BREAKFAST DAY 2: Farm fresh free-range chicken egg (shell coated in oil, so refrigeration not necessary), uncured bacon, sprouts and water

LUNCH DAY 2: Lemon pepper seasoned tuna, flour tortilla, sprouts, trail mix and water.

DINNER DAY 2: Hearty Stew (bacon/ham, fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, baby carrots, rehydrated mushrooms, chicken broth seasoning, olive oil), sprouts, chips, trail mix and water.

BREAKFAST DAY 3: Pancakes (made with 1/2 package of instant oatmeal, 1 cup Bisquick flour, raisons from trail mix, olive oil), sprouts and double hot chocolate coffee.

John M. Gould, 1877, How To Camp Out, Advice From A Civil War Veteran. 2007 Reprint By Broken Lance Enterprises Stroundsburg, Pa. page 53 “ Base-ball players stir a little oatmeal in the water they drink while playing, and it is said they receive a healthy stimulus thereby”

Directions for growing sprouts in a bag: http://outdoorherbivore.com/trail-spr...

Videography by Ken Kramm, Angelina National Forest, East Texas USA , 31July to 2 August, 2016; Iphone 6+, night sky with GoPro HERO4 Silver, Final Cut Pro X, GoPro Studio. Bad Ideas_clean, Bongo Flute, Beach Bum, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...