The 20 Best Hiking Snacks You Have to Take on Your Next Trail
The hiking snacks you bring can truly make or break your hike. Seriously, as silly as it sounds if you spend your hike regretting not bringing certain snacks with you, or you pick things that just aren’t suitable it can really make for a bit of a miserable experience. After all, you want to maintain motivation and energy during your hike, and if you don’t have the right snacks that can affect your mindset.
When you are hiking, sometimes stopping for a bigger meal isn’t plausible and it can also be hard to find items that are easy to pack and don’t take up too much room in your rucksack. With this article, we will give you some ideas by sharing some of the best hiking snacks amongst hikers.
What Makes the Best Hiking Snacks?
Foods that are easy to pack, high in calories, protein, fat, or full of nutrients are all things to look for when picking your hiking snacks. When hiking you are using up lots of energy, way more than you do sitting at home watching a movie, so just because something is your favourite snack for that activity, it doesn’t necessarily mean it then translates into a good hiking snack. When hiking, your body doesn’t care whether it’s lunchtime, dinner time, etc, if it gets hungry or feels a bit tired – it’s snack time!
One thing you also may need to consider is what hike you are going on. Some hikers might swear by certain hiking snacks, but if they aren’t suitable for the hike you are going on then they aren’t going to be an option for you. Think about the weather conditions, how long the trail you are going on is, these will all affect the snacks you bring. You cant bring melt-able items on a hot weather hike, and you need snacks that won’t spoil easily if you are going on a trail for multiple days.
Foods that can be eaten with your hands and on the go are obviously a great choice for hiking snacks. This can take a bit of trial and error but ultimately, you also don’t want to bring food that is difficult to eat or anything with lots of packaging that you are stuck with, you can consider putting things in containers instead as they can be reused and you can easily stack them up in your bag. Smaller snacks that you can eat throughout the day are a much better option, they are easy to pack and can help keep your energy levels up at a more constant rate, which is a win for you all around.
How to Choose the Best Hiking Snacks to Bring
Really, as long as what you bring can fit in Tupperware containers and won’t get squashed under the weight of your other snacks or hiking equipment, you can bring whatever hiking snacks you like. Cold leftover pizza? Chocolates? A tub of peanut butter? Whatever you know you will crave when hiking is the best option, that way you will enjoy it more.
To begin with, pack food you will actually want to eat. You don’t want to be fantasizing about food and then when you reach into your bag it’s all things you don’t actually like but think you should have. The more it feels like something you shouldn’t bring, the more likely you are to enjoy it. A good idea is to balance what you bring too. You may have a sweet tooth and enjoy all things sugary which can be great for sugar levels and short bursts of energy, but you also want to pack some carbohydrates for slow releases of energy too.
It can also depend on how long a trip you are going on, for multiple-day/week trails, you need to make sure you are packing hiking snacks that allow for a balanced diet. Also, consider the possible weather conditions, if you know it will be warm don’t pack items that will melt at least not without a cooler.
Here are some of the best sweet and savoury options for you to bring, most of these foods are great no matter how many days you are hiking and can be staples in your hiking kit.
Best Savoury Hiking Snacks
When it comes to savoury snacks, it’s best to think of picnic food, as usually, you would bring with you smaller and more easily portable versions of snacks like pork pies or sausage rolls. You also want things that won’t spoil or make a mess so keep that in mind when choosing your snacks. Anything with lots of packaging is also a huge no, take them in your own container instead or put them with other food you a bringing. For example you can put crisps in the same container as pork pies, you don’t need to keep them in their original packaging.
1.Selection of Nuts
2. Jerky
3. Peperami Stick
4. Mini Pork Pies
5. Cocktail Sausages
6. Scotch Eggs
7. Celery
8. Carrots
9. Crips
10. Trail Mix (which could go on either list really )
Best Sweet Hiking Snacks
Now it’s time to raid the sweet aisle, your biscuit tin, and cupboards as most of the best hiking snacks are the ones you enjoy nibbling on at home which can be brought with you. Whether it’s a packet of your favourite sweets that you can reach into whenever you feel like or a container of dried or fresh fruit, there a plenty of options for you to get your sugar fix while hiking.
1.Cereal Bar
2. Flapjacks
3. Chocolate Bar
4. Biscuits
5. Packet of Sweets
6. Dried Fruit
7. Fresh Fruit
8. Oats
9. Peanut Butter
10.Granola
Now that we’ve helped you figure out what the best hiking snacks to take on your trips are, how about now finding some fun hikes to try them out on? Along with our beginner guide to hiking, which includes some more great and essential hiking tips, here you can find also find some of our hiking lists as well as other useful guides for other adventures. There is also this article by Go Outdoors that has some other great options to pick from based on hiker suggestions.
