I’ve started making homemade energy bars. I got tired of big brand bars with chemicals, preservatives, or too much fiber. A lot of the bars I bought in stores give me an upset stomach and deplete my energy. By making my own bars, I can control exactly what I’m eating. Continue reading Homemade Energy Bars
For the last few years, I have been making homemade backpacking meals. When you backpack every weekend, $8 store-bought meals get pretty expensive. I like doing this because I can control the ingredients and the results taste better than pre-packaged meals. Some of my recipes are really simple and others are a bit more complex, but they are all fun to make. One of my favorites is mashed sweet potatoes. Continue reading Homemade Backpacking Meal: Mashed Sweet Potatos
One of my favorite snacks while backpacking is paleo beef jerky. It stays fresh for days without refrigeration, tastes great, and provides the protein you need to keep moving. Unfortunately, most store-bought jerky is loaded with corn, wheat, soy, sugar, and artificial preservatives. Follow this easy recipe for making your own delicious, healthy snack! Continue reading Paleo Beef Jerky Recipe
Several years ago, I went on a guided backpacking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with A Walk in the Woods. I had a great time and learned a lot. One of the most important lessons I took away from that trip was “The Rule of Threes.” This simple rule has become the cornerstone of my philosophy for lightweight backpacking and enjoying the outdoors safely. Continue reading The Rule of Threes
This year while planning for our trip to the Adirondacks, we had the idea to shoot a bunch of video and make a documentary. We didn’t end up taking as much video as we had planned, but I do have a few interviews to share with you over the next couple of days. This one features myself explaining the wood gas stove and showing off a few of my home-made backpacking meals. For more information on making your own wood gas stove, check out this video from Intense Angler. You can also check out my article on making homemade backpacking meals for some cool ideas on eating healthier on the trial. For a full trip report on my 2014 adventure in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness, click here.
Continue reading Homemade Wood Gas Stove and Backpacking Meals
When I first got into backpacking, I asked a salesman at the local REI what backpackers ate. He pointed to the huge display case of freeze-dried backpacking meals, and said “if we can afford it, we eat these, but most of us make our own.” At the time, six or seven dollars per meal didn’t seem like much, and making my own meals seemed crazy. Here’s the story about how I changed my mind and started making my own home made backpacking meals.