Bramley Johnson from Modern Hiker Shares His Choice of Camping Meals for Ultralight Backpackers

I honestly don’t know what they do down there in Texas but their food wins all the awards in my book. Bram @ModernHiker on @PackitGourmet

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Modern Hiker is one of my favorite outdoor blogs to read on top trails and hikes in my area. I couldn’t be more excited to share with you Bram’s response when asked what are his favorite camping meals. Here you go:

As an ultralight obsessed backpacker, pretty much everything comes down to weight for me. Grams, ounces and pounds are all that really matter and as any deep country backpacker knows there’s the usual freeze dried suspects – Backpackers Pantry, Mountain House, AlpineAire, Natural High. The problem is I’m not a big fan of any of them. I usually choke down whichever one just to fill my stomach. However now there are some great alternatives to the mass made food.

Mary Jane’s Farm: I really enjoy these. Particularly the Sheperd’s Meat Pie. They’re cook in pouch (like almost all others) but the pouches are eco-friendly and burnable. And while they do biodegrade, always pack out your trash!

Pack-It Gourmet: My favorite by a mile. I honestly don’t know what they do down there in Texas but their food wins all the awards in my book. These are the kind of meals I could actually eat at home. My personal favorites are the All-American Burger Wrap, the Cajun Ranch Chicken Salad, the Texas Mesquite Chicken Salad and the Big’un Burrito. The two drawbacks to Pack-it: Several aren’t that light (the Shepherd’s Cottage Pie weights 10.4oz!) and secondly they aren’t cheap (as a believer in getting what you pay for, I’m alright spending the extra dime). Keep in mind that they make these meals as the orders roll in so be sure to order in advance.

A few other recommendations when hiking:

• Beef Jerky – Buy a dehydrator and make your own jerky. Maybe it’s just the little bit of extra time that goes into it but it always tastes better to me.
• Dehydrated fruit – if you have your own dehydrator (around $60 on Amazon) make some fruit to go.
• Oatmeal – I’m not the biggest fan of oatmeal but you can’t go wrong with it.
• Tortillas – If you ever see me on the trail you can bet I’ve packed a several tortas. Whether it’s for dinner or lunch I pretty much wrap everything.
• PBJ – This started with the girlfriend sending me out with a sandwich. Now, every trip on the first day I like to sit down and have a little something from home. It’s not weight conscience but who cares if it’s just lunch on the first day.
• Just Veggies – You can pick these up at REI and they make for a great snack. They’re just freeze dried vegetables – peas, corn, peppers, etc.

Bramley Johnson | ModernHiker.com