What do I put in my backpack if we go hiking
Little by little the summer heat begins to diminish and we can go hiking Without the obligation to move to high mountain areas, if they are not close to us. We can put down our flip-flops and put on our boots and go for a walk in the mountains or take a walk in the woods (some even start dreaming about mushrooms), but what do I put in my backpack if we go hiking?
- It is interesting to bring foods of high nutritional density, which occupy and weigh little but instead provide us with a lot of energy, especially in the form of simple carbohydrates and proteins.
- Nuts, dried fruit, fruit that can be transported well, a sandwich ... are good options.
- Drink is also important. It is essential to bring water, and if the exercise is going to be intense, a drink with electrolytes, especially sodium.
When we go on excursion to spend the day outside, we must take care to wear good shoes, comfortable and appropriate to the season of the year, as well as clothing also according to the temperature and humidity that we are going to find, avoiding very heavy garments or garments that do not allow perspiration and hat or cap for the sun, or helmet if the excursion includes cycling, climbing, etc. A backpack that fits well on our back and… what do we put inside the backpack? Well, in addition to some personal effects, dressings in case we suffer rubbing or blisters on our feet and perhaps some auxiliary garment, we will bring food and drink. The best thing, also, is that on the way back we will go less loaded.
What food and drink do we carry in our backpack if we go hiking?
Depending on the type of outing that we are going to carry out, the contents of the backpack can vary a lot, depending on whether we spend the whole day hiking or we only go out in the morning and come to eat at home or at the restaurant, or if the outing is going to develop on flat terrain or with little inclination or if, otherwise, we are going to carry the backpack during a route with steep slopes ... We will also take into account if we will make an exit in a very cold environment or not, and what conditions we we can find it at lunchtime, because depending on which exit we may not have any time to make a relaxed intake and we must spend the day with snacks. Once different hypotheses have been raised, we are going to work with the assumption that we go on an excursion that lasts from the morning (after having breakfast at home) until mid-afternoon. Let's imagine that the route is not particularly steep and that we are going to find a suitable time and place to have a more complete and relaxed midday meal.
Food
We are interested in carrying high nutritional density foods, that occupy and weigh little but instead we provide enough energy, mainly in the form of simple carbohydrates and proteins. And taking into account that we are interested in caloric density, some fatty foods may also be suitable.
- DRY FRUITS: food with high energy density, small, tasty and nutritious. What more can we ask for. Is about very suitable food to carry in the backpackBoth as a snack and to complement a meal.
- DRIED FRUIT: although fresh fruit is interesting for its contribution of vitamins, a good option to obtain concentrated energy and without carrying a lot of weight, is through dried fruits. And freeze-dried ones are also an option. These are products that, having lost part of the water that the fruit naturally contains, weigh less and are more nutritionally concentrated, they provide us with simple sugars that are already positive at the time of physical exercise.
- FRUIT: fresh fruit is interesting since it serves as a hydric replacement and also contains antioxidant minerals and vitamins, such as vitamin C. But we must bear in mind that it is preferable to choose fruits that can withstand transport well, as we explain later.
- SINGLE DOSE OF JAM, COMPOTE OR HONEY: another way to consume simple sugars with less weight is through compotes or jams, in this case there are plastic single doses that allow us to use them without having to carry a glass jar. Yes indeed, We must not litter the environment and unless we find bins we must take the containers back home.
- A SNACK: Yes, depending on the comforts we have, we can take a pasta or vegetable salad, some toast with hummus or guacamoles, or all the fancy things that we can think of if transportation is not a problem, but rather the most practical, it is usually a sandwich, and we bear in mind that a sandwich does not have to be sausage, it can have meat in the form of chicken breast or loin, it can have tuna or sardines if we have it well drained, we can make it from cheese , roasted peppers ... the sandwich can be made from a combination of various foods, maximum imagination. Eg lamb's lettuce with tomatoes and chicken pieces, arugula and green shoots with cheese and raisins, roasted peppers with tuna and olives, etc.
To consider
- CHOCOLATE: if we make the excursion in a hot environment it falls apart and whether we carry a tablet, chocolates or cereal bars with chocolate, it may be that when we go to consume it we will find everything stuck to the packaging.
- TOASTS OR STICKS: we can choose thick and very small toasts or breadsticks, but if we opt for biscuit-type toasts or thinner and elongated sticks, it is most likely that they are stuffed in the backpack with the rest of things and with the blows that they can suffer. During the day they end up broken and we have more mincemeat than toast.
- VERY RIPE FRUIT: it is always interesting to bring a piece of fresh fruit, for its contribution of minerals and vitamins. But we must choosing fruits that are not overripe or that are not soft by nature. Or we must transport them in such a way that they do not hit other products, otherwise they can be damaged by contact or pressure with the rest of the things. As a curiosity, there are some quite peculiar boxes to transport bananas without them hitting that they can be useful if we are fond of this fruit, which on the other hand is very interesting at a nutritional level during sports due to its energy density, concentration in minerals and for its palatability.
- POTATO TORTILLA: the omelette in general and the potato omelette in particular are a classic when it comes to going on a picnic. If we do a relaxed outing we can choose to bring an omelette, but beware, it is a food sensitive to bacterial contamination And if it is not well cooked it can pose a significant health risk. If what we like are juicy tortillas, it is better to taste them at home freshly made, and for transport we will opt for a fully cooked egg that we can also keep cold, unless we take it cold and carry it in an isothermal bag, not for long. if the outside temperature is high.
- SALTED DRY FRUITS: as we have mentioned, dried fruits are a good option. In addition, a moderate consumption of salt will be positive if we sweat a lot. However, if we choose salty nuts, they can carry an excess of salt and make us thirsty. If we are going to do intense exercise, it is preferable to take sodium that our body needs through an isotonic drink or a salt pill.
The drink
Drinking is an essential part that we must worry about. It is important to know if we are going to find sources of drinking water during the journey to avoid loading unnecessarily, as the water is possibly the heaviest thing we will transport. To get a general idea it is advisable replenish water at a rate of half a liter per hour, about. This is simply an approximation as it will depend on body weight, weather conditions and sweating of each person depending on acclimatization and genetic characteristics.
We are talking about water, but if we are going to do long-term intense exercise, we must supplement the water with electrolytes, especially sodium. We can choose one or add sodium tablets. Sugary drinks are not recommended type soda that only give us sugar, in addition to water. It is also not advisable to take diuretic drinks or drinks with alcohol that can contribute to dehydration, in addition the latter are generally discouraged precisely because of the presence of alcohol. Thus, the ideal is to drink water, or water with electrolytes depending on the intensity and duration of the sport (and the type and amount of food we eat) and the optimum is that it is between 15 and 22ºC to facilitate absorption by the body.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)