New Here

TVP = textured vegetable protein. (a dried vege/non meat food that resembles mince when reconstituted. It can be used in any dishes that beef mince could be used in. We started using it in the 1970's)

Hi @Size12 I'm a UK hiker and will be doing parts of Te Araroa and other areas either later this year or next year pending plans. Welcome to the forum! I've just come back from a charity hike and my general food list was similar to matthews above. Cashews Brazils Almonds Walnuts Peanut and any protein packed bars are great. As are tortilla wraps as they last and obviously pack flat. Any dried peas are a valuable source of protein and only need a good soak. I took dried apricots and mango along with fruit loaf. Granola(with sesame, quinoa, sunflower and pumpkin seeds) sachets for breakfast which again just add water and milk powder if desired. *These can be made up and put in portion sealable bags, but you can buy the equivalent for 50p/$1. Couscous (usual evening staple for carbohydrate restoration). Little spreadable cheese traingles or BabyBel, great when the body is reaching out for that push of saturated fat. My guilty pleasure was 2 tins of sardines and a small bottle of chilli sauce :) My food and drink carry was 6kg for over 4 days (2.5kg was water and the UK while having some great water sources many streams feed from farmland so have to air on caution). So worked out at 875g p/day(food only). Having said all that, I still had a consistent carry of 20kg+ or 45lbs over 50miles or 80km. All good fun though. Anyway i've rambled on enough so enjoy the group!

TVP = textured vegetable protein. (a dried vege/non meat food that resembles mince when reconstituted. It can be used in any dishes that beef mince could be used in. We started using it in the 1970's) @glennj I'm guessing its pretty much the same a tofu or Quorn right? :)

Cheers for the info guys. I tend to take food that isn't always dehy, so Im guessing that's mainly why my weights are up a lot. I also eat rather a lot (Tend to aim for 3000-5000 cal of food, so that's a fair bit more than 8700kj). Unfortunately, if I cut down on the calories I end up getting hungry and sleeping colder as a consequence, which doesn't do me any favours. I do need to look into more dehy options, and thanks very much for the suggestions!

@Bamboo TVP is made from Soy and has more protein than meat. It come in flakes, granules or chunks and has little flavour on its own. (I'm unfamiliar with quorn but have used quinoa & tofu on occasions. TVP is different) TVP is readily available at Bin Inn type shops and sometimes at health food & sports goods shops.

@Size12 - one suggestion for dehy meals. Use any type of mince. A favourite of mine is turkey mince as it is very lean. Anything with excess fat will usually turn rancid. Plenty of good dehydrators out there and plenty of websites that will be able to explain which foods are good for dehydrating and which aren't. Hope this helps :)

I might look into getting a dehydrator, or access to one. Certainly seems to open up the options a bit more.

there are people who love dehydrating their own food - in my experience - mainly observation - the results sometimes take longer to reconstitute to an edible digestible state and can sometimes result in more weight of fuel. The range of 'no water' food at the average super market is pretty impressive, and the occasional small portion of freeze dried meat goes down well. Freeze drying results in very different product from your home dehydrator. None of this matters if you're out for the weekend - take what you like - but on a ten day or more trip every 100 grams off a days food makes a big difference.

Yeah, I eat tinned stew for dinner on short overnights, but Im really looking to cut the weight on longer trips. Getting pretty used to going through the supermarket and figuring out exactly what I can get thats dehy. Ill see if any of the guys at venturers etc have access to a dehydrator. I think a few of them might. Might have to try a few things.

@glennj Sweet, sounds like Quorn over here in the UK. Quorn is just a brand name and comes in mince style and other various formed shapes. It's promoted by long distance running athlete Mo Farah here! By all accounts its good when you're "on the road" @Size12 If you're a big eater you can still carry a relatively light food load. I'm sure you are aware that if you have a large carbohydrate based meal in the evening this will store overnight and help with heat retention in the body. Good lighter carb sources would be couscous, spelt, bulgar wheat, etc. Pasta and rice are good but these do take longer to cook and tend to be heavier/hold more air thus taking up more room in your pack. Couscous and such like you can "cook" cold and i've found even in the U.K (honest), making the stuff up and sealing in a container, leave in the sun and it's absorbed the water/swelled up and it's warmed through too!