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Drakensberg Hiking Food
What I Take on Multi-Day Backpacking Trips
Hiking in the Drakensberg is physically demanding and requires careful planning, especially when it comes to food. Over many years of hiking in this mountain range I have developed a simple and reliable system for choosing lightweight food that provides enough energy for long days on the trail.
This article explains exactly what food I take with me on both day hikes and multi-day backpacking trips in the Drakensberg.
I am not one of those people who can give strict advice on what and how to eat on a hike. My eating habits are quite different from most people. Breakfast is an absolute no-no for me, and the same goes for lunch. Dinner time is my time for replenishment, and I am quite satisfied with it that way.
However, hiking in the Drakensberg uses a tremendous amount of energy, and some of it needs to be replaced during the day. I am just fortunate that I can get away with less than the average person.
When I first started hiking in the Drakensberg, I did not have any particular food in mind, except for one important factor — weight. The weight of food is definitely one of the biggest considerations when packing for a hike.
Day Hike Food
On my day walks I normally take the following as sustenance:
- Deep-fried chicken wings (no longer used)
- One apple or peach
- Salti-Crax biscuits (no longer used)
- A few small chocolate bars
- One packet of Fritos crisps
- Energy drink (now replaced with Oros powdered drink)
- Oros powdered drink
- One or two cereal energy bars (emergency food)
- Viennas (no longer used)
- Leftover meat from the previous night's braai (no longer used)
- Some sweet cookies, just in case
In my backpack I always carry an emergency supply of food, separately packed and sealed, for at least two days. This is in case I get lost, injured, or trapped in bad weather. This supply is more substantial and is strictly reserved for emergencies.
Food selection is an evolving process as one gains experience. Over the years I have settled on a selection that works well for me, and I usually take exactly the same food on every hike because I enjoy it and it meets my energy requirements.
Personal Preference
Hikers carry a wide variety of food. At the end of the day it comes down to personal taste and energy needs. It is however important to remember that every gram must be carried by the hiker.
I am not interested in scientific analysis of which foods are best. What matters to me is food that:
- tastes good
- provides energy
- is lightweight
After a long day of hiking you want to enjoy what you are eating.
Taking salt and spices on overnight hikes is a very good idea. They can transform a boring meal into something quite enjoyable. A hot meal at the end of the day is also a serious morale booster and helps the body during cold nights in the wilderness by assisting with heat generation and muscle recovery.
I also use a fair amount of salt. Apart from improving flavour, it helps prevent cramps caused by heavy exertion during the day.
Multi-Day Hiking Food
On multi-day hikes I take exactly the same food for each day. Over the years I have come to trust the selection I use and I am satisfied with its energy value.
Food weight can have a major impact on a hiker during long trips. Carrying an overloaded backpack for days can quickly turn a pleasant trip into misery. Food in tins is therefore a bad idea because the tin itself adds unnecessary weight.
Today there is an enormous variety of foods and packaging available. Doing a bit of research and experimenting with different foods is worthwhile, but in general it is best to stick to what you know and enjoy eating.
My multi-day hiking food (up to 8 days):
- Coffee or tea — at least 3 cups per day (mostly tea bags because they are lighter)
- Sugar — Canderel tablets for significant weight saving
- Powdered milk
- Cereal energy bars
- Oros powdered drink — one packet per day
- Raisins
- Dried fruit
- Chocolate
- Fritos chips
- 2-minute noodles
- Vacuum-packed shredded flavoured tuna
- Cup-a-soup — about 3 packets for seven days
- Small packets of salt — about 4 per day
- Small packets of barbeque or chili sauce
- Packet of sweets to suck on — 1 packet for seven days
- Pack of cookies
- 2–3 extra packets of instant soup
- 2–3 days of emergency food sealed and stored at the bottom of the backpack
I divide and pack the food into separate plastic bags for each day of the trip.
Raisins are bought in bulk and divided into daily portions. Snack-pack dried fruit works well for the same reason. Raisins and dried fruit are excellent high-energy foods.
I do not like butter or margarine and therefore never take them with me.
The shredded tuna comes vacuum-sealed in foil packets and can last for years unopened. Tuna works extremely well as a protein source at the end of the day and helps the body recover overnight.
Chocolate is simply happy food. When you are exhausted halfway through the day, chocolate can be a wonderful pick-me-up.
My Daily Eating Routine on the Trail
I am very set in my ways and my daily routine usually looks like this:
- Before starting the hike: one cup of coffee
- Around 10:00: packet of Fritos, half a packet of raisins, and a packet of dried fruit
- Chocolate whenever I feel like it (often I do not eat it at all)
- Around 14:00: the rest of the raisins
- Oros mixed with one liter of water early in the morning to last the day
- End of the hiking day: a cup of coffee
- Supper: 2-minute noodles with tuna, salted and sometimes with a packet of cup-a-soup added
- After supper: one cup of coffee and sometimes a cookie or two
- Sweets are sucked on during the day to provide a bit of sugar and prevent a dry mouth
Another important factor for me is simplicity. I like to prepare food quickly with as little fuss as possible. This also keeps cleaning to a minimum.
Because I do not use butter, margarine, or cooking oil, my body burns a fair amount of stored body fat during the hike — something I am certainly not complaining about! The foods I do eat already contain sufficient fat for my needs.
Energy and Food Weight
With this system I have never experienced a lack of energy or hunger on long hikes. Interestingly, the more active I am during the day, the less I tend to eat.
However, everyone is different and most people will require more food than I do.
My food supply for a 7–8 day hike weighs about 4 kg, which I still consider quite heavy. Changing from sugar to Canderel tablets and using tea instead of coffee helps reduce the weight significantly.
Research suggests that many hikers require 1–1.5 kg of food per person per day. Compared with that, my food weight is relatively low. The only thing preventing me from doing hikes longer than eight days is the weight of the food required.
Cooking Equipment
For cooking I use a 500 g butane/propane mixed gas cartridge, which usually lasts for about five or six week-long hiking trips.
It is small, lightweight, and reliable at altitude.
My cooking equipment is minimal:
- One fire bucket for coffee and soup
- One half of a Dixie set for my main meal
- One tablespoon for preparing and eating food
Knives and forks are unnecessary weight. I do carry a Swiss pocket knife for emergencies, which would be sufficient if needed.
Cleaning in the Wilderness
For washing dishes I carry:
- One dishcloth
- A very small bottle of dish washing liquid
The dishcloth also doubles as a facecloth and towel — multi-purpose equipment is essential in hiking.
It is extremely important not to wash dishes in streams or rivers. These environments are sensitive and pristine. Soap can seriously pollute them.
Instead, I boil water in the Dixie and wash dishes well away from water sources, rinsing them with water from a bottle.
Leave No Trace
I carry a spare plastic bag in my backpack for empty packets and all other waste.
Whatever I carry into the wilderness, I carry out again.
Burying waste in the wilderness is not acceptable. Besides, empty packaging weighs almost nothing compared to when it was full.
We do not want plastic and human waste scattered across the wilderness.
The Curious Case of the Heavy Backpack
One would think that as food is eaten, the backpack would become lighter each day.
Unfortunately, that is not how it feels!
For some mysterious reason the backpack seems to become heavier every day. By about 13:00 it often feels as if someone is secretly adding stones to the pack for every kilometer walked.
The Drakensberg is unforgiving terrain. Flat walking is rare, which is why it is so important not to overload your backpack.
Emergency Food
Finally, never use your emergency food supply — not even on the last day of the hike.
You must carry it back home with you.
Emergencies happen quickly. Injuries occur, and the Drakensberg is famous for rapid and dramatic weather changes that can leave hikers stranded for days.
Emergency food can save your life.
We as hikers, explorers, and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses. Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!
The End
Safe Hiking.
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