Ultralight Menu Items

[Hiker]

I took way too much food and heavy stuff at that on my last trip. Now I want to learn how to lighten the food load! My other items are pretty well taken care of, just want to concentrate on food here.

This is what I took.

Breakfast -- cereal (granola) with powered non-dairy coffee creamer on it (just add water....) -- Pretty light, but maybe a different cereal would be lighter. I like cereal for a morning start because you don't have to heat water, etc. It's just so easy and tastes good, too.
Snacks -- Nature Valley Granola Bars (trail mix variety and yogurt) -- Heavy but really good!
Snacks -- Crackers and cheese or peanut butter (I get the pre-packaged ones, they're just so easy!) - pretty light.
Snacks -- Trail mix -- Very heavy, but has always been a staple of mine. I think I'll quit taking it if I can find a better, lighter snack.
Dinner -- Mountain House freeze-dried dinners -- very light (repackaged into microwave plastic ziplock bags) and tasty.


Any suggestions on lightening my menu items?

[Lighter Fluid]

HIker,
Your food list does'nt look too bad. It may simply a matter of how much your taking instead of what your taking.
I like to take cereal and powdered milk on occassion as well. It can be a bit bulky and heavy in comparison to instant oatmeal, but it does save fuel weight since you don't have to heat it.
Trail mix is usually a pretty heavy item. I stopped carrying it myself. Just to much bulk and weight.
I use to take the Nature Valley Granola bars all the time. I really liked them. However, I switched to other bars such as Pemican bars for greater calorie replacement and nutritional benefit along the trail.

Crackers with cheese and peanut butter are great. In fact cheese is a great choice for the trail.
Pack in some of the hard cheeses that are waxed wrap. The small ones that come about 6 to a pack.
They can withstand a number of days on the trail without refrigeration and the wax cover can be used as a firestarter as well.
Make sure to pack them in a plastic bag as the oils will seperate from the cheese over time.

Mountain House meals are a classic. I love the Lasagna and the Chili mac. Have you ever used Ramen noodles, HIker?
They are light, take little water, and can be seasoned and mixed with a number of thing.

[Hiker]

Thanks for the feedback -- I think I'll rethink the trail mix -- didn't even eat any of it on this trip! We used to carry it in a convenient place so we could stop on the trail and have a snack or lunch, but I was to pre-occupied with bears that I wanted to keep all my food in one bag and open it only when needed. Once I hung it in the tree, it became a hassle just to get a snack! Better planning next time!