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Food?

3K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Lockjaw 
#1 ·
So I have read a lot about what sorts of tools and spare parts and even medical supplies to bring on a long overland type ride but I don't really hear much about what people typically bring along for food. Just curious what everyone like to bring with for food for the road when on those long multi-night camp out rides.
 
#2 ·
First night: start the day with frozen steaks, potatoes or corn wrapped in foil.

Second night: Fish you caught and beer.

Third night: Fish you caught and beer.

Fourth night: Fish you caught and beer.
.
.
nth night: Fish you caught and beer.

"It sounds monotonous, but it's not", Tom said flatly.

Tom
 
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#15 ·
HAHAHAHAHA! That sounds like a lot of beer to try and pack on a bike!...
Too bad Mark B(4) 'The Beer Moderator' isn't on here anymore. You'd like him.

We called him the 'King of the 11-pack'. We'd send him out for beer and he'd come back with 11 beers, claiming that 11-packs were all they had...

Tom
 
#5 ·
I do start the trip with a rather lavish meal. Steak and roasted potatoes with a bit of salad is nice, followed by cookies or brownies. These are the sorts of things that will survive one day and no more.

After that I pretty much go into subsistence mode and eat granola bars. They pack pretty well, are tasty, don't require cooking and the keep well.

I also bring enough coffee to make two pots each day.

I do fish whenever I can and will keep one for dinner.

Dried foods made for camping are quite dreadful and I gave up on them 20 years ago. Grocery store dried foods can be good but usually require the addition of a bit of butter to be good. I may use these once in a while.

I am partial to Dinty Moore and have lived on it for 8 days straight, but carrying wet rations is difficult as they are heavy and bulky.

MREs (Meals Refuse to Excrete) are something I've tried. Not bad, but they have the unfortunate side effect reflected in their parenthetical name. I do like the chocolate covered graham cracker. There was a ham and scalloped potato MRE that I thought was tasty.

Over the years I've tried freeze dried, grocery dried, MREs, canned foods, caught food, and simply doing without. All in all, I'll take granola bars, caught food and a bit of doing without as the simplest option.

Now, if I can stop at a store near the end of every day, it's a whole different story.

Tom
 
#6 ·
Near a store. Means Near a Restaurant!
Let your wallet decide, what is to eat, tonight!
I always 'over-spend'.

As to breakfast on the trail in the middle of No Where, I am 'partial to FRESH scrambled eggs and SPAM!' And a FULL Pot of Coffee! Bring some cooking spray! Spam is by it's self, quite dry!
 
#7 ·
I typically take enough Cliff bars to eat one per meal if I want. A banana or two for the start. Maybe some canned fruit. I can eat Cliff bars for a while and be fine. Just switch from 'food is good' to 'this will keep me alive' mode. But I'm weird. Tom can attest. "And I will also fish and eat it if the opportunity presents itself," Tom cast. ;)

I don't like eating much when I ride.
 
#9 ·
#8 ·
"No thanks, I'm not a big fan of Cliff bars", Tom declined.

LJ is spot on with the "it will keep me alive" idea for long trips.

Tom
 
#11 ·
You don't say what types of roads you use or if you'll be in a single wilderness area for multiple nights. For me the motorcycle allows frequent resupply, unlike my backpacking which requires a week or two of food packed from the start.

On the MC I still carry staples but try to find fresh food to add to it every day or two. When I restock with staples, I can survive for a few to several days, but fresh veggies change "survive" to "enjoy".

For staples I'll carry: spaghetti (broken to fit a smallish freezer ziploc), some soup base, spices, oatmeal, nuts (make the oatmeal far tastier and more filling), and coffee. Romano or Parm will last for a couple of days.

Even when restaurants are near, I prefer supper in camp most of the time. I usually have breakfast in camp too, but will often ride an hour or then stop at a diner. Lunch for me is nearly always in a restaurant.

But it really depends on what kind of riding you'll be doing.
 
#12 ·
I interpreted 'overland type ride' as unpaved and far from civilization, and so the food needed to be packed from the git-go and consumed throughout the trip.

On a motorcycle I would think the longest one could stay away from a source of re-supply is about four days (provided one is moving along every day); the amount of food you'd have to carry would be enough for three full days.

It makes Paul's breakfast of scrambled eggs and spam seem pretty reasonable.

Speaking of spam, I'm making Spam Musubi this afternoon; my daughter's going on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Spam Musubi is good road food.

"I'm something of a local legend for my Spam Musubi", Tom said uncannily.

Tom
 
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#16 ·
#13 ·
Seems to me that "overlanding" and "adventure riding" have become very popular terms. Some people use them with very specific meanings and others use them more loosely. The more popular the terms become, the wider variety of interpretations. Doesn't hurt to ask what Provi intends.

Riding 4 days without resupply would mean 75 or fewer miles a day or additional fuel.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Agreed, in spades! It's important to define our terms! I guess, to some people's definition, I've been adventure riding for some 40 years now. We used to call it 'goin' out for a ride for a coupla days'...

I've ridden a lot in the local desert where making 75 miles was pretty hard to do, but the '4 day' is pretty much a maximum number, ain't it?

To your point, carrying food on a motorcycle pales in comparison to carrying food on a backpacking trip.

Incidentally, I learned the steak and potatoes idea from a ranger I met on a backpacking trip up in the western Sierras out of Lake Edison. He was in the field for several days, patrolling the trails. We got to talking about food and I asked him what he carried. He said, "Well, tonight I'm having steak, potato, chocolate cake for dessert, and a coupla beers.".

Pissed me off; I was having Top Ramen...

Tom
 
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