When you’re out on the trail, having the right food is key to keeping your energy and spirits high. Trailtopia Adventure Food provides the perfect foundation for your backpacking meals, offering hearty and nutritious options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert. Trailtopia meals are designed to give you the fuel you need to start your day and power through your hike. But to truly sustain your energy levels and keep you going strong, you need to complement those meals with the right trail snacks.

This blog will walk you through what to pack in addition to your Trailtopia meals to ensure you meet your calorie needs while backpacking. Whether you’re tackling a short weekend hike or a multi-day adventure, the right snacks can make all the difference in maintaining your energy and preventing fatigue. Let’s dive into the best trail snacks to pack for maximum energy so you can stay fueled, focused, and ready to conquer every mile.

Why Trail Snacks Are Essential for Backpacking

When you're backpacking, your body is constantly working to keep you moving. Hiking over varying terrain, carrying a loaded pack, and spending long hours on the trail requires a lot of energy. While your main meals (like those from Trailtopia) provide the foundation for fueling your adventure, trail snacks are crucial to maintaining that energy throughout the day. Trail snacks help bridge the gap between meals, giving you a quick boost of calories and nutrients when you need it most. Without them, your energy levels can dip, leading to fatigue, muscle soreness, and an overall decline in performance.

Types of Trail Snacks to Consider

Trail snacks should not require any type of cooking, cleaning, or preparing. Every snack should be easy and convenient to pop in your mouth during a small break or even without stopping. Below, we have listed some of the best snack options to keep in your pack for maximum energy. By combining a variety of these snacks, you can ensure that you have a good mix of fast-acting and sustained energy throughout your hike. The goal is to balance macronutrients while also considering your personal preferences and how your body responds to different foods on the trail.

Nuts & Seeds

Nuts and seeds are compact, calorie-dense snacks that pack a punch of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds are excellent options. They provide slow-burning energy, help to stabilize blood sugar levels, and are rich in essential nutrients like magnesium and vitamin E. Nuts and seeds are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support joint health and keep inflammation at bay on long hikes.

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are a fantastic source of quick energy, thanks to their natural sugars. They’re lightweight, easy to pack, and can be a delicious sweet treat during your hike. Favorites like raisins, apricots, cranberries, and mangoes are all nutrient-dense options that deliver a burst of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They help replenish glycogen stores in your muscles and provide a fast, easily digestible energy source to power you through your trail time.

Energy Bars

Energy bars are a convenient and compact way to fuel up on the go. They typically combine carbs, protein, and healthy fats to give you a balanced energy boost. Look for bars that are made with whole ingredients like oats, nuts, and seeds. Some bars may also contain added electrolytes, which help keep your body hydrated and replenish lost minerals. Choose bars with minimal added sugars to avoid an energy crash later on.

Jerky & Meats

Jerky is an excellent source of protein, which is essential for muscle repair and recovery. It’s lightweight, shelf-stable, and packs a significant amount of protein in a small package. Beef, turkey, or even vegan jerky made from soy or mushrooms can be great options for your trail snack rotation. Jerky helps keep hunger at bay and provides long-lasting fuel, making it a solid choice for maintaining your energy during a hike.

Granola & Trail Mix

Granola and trail mixes are highly customizable and can include a mix of your favorite nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and even a little bit of chocolate or other treats for a morale boost. These snacks are calorie-dense, easy to carry, and provide a balanced mix of carbs, fats, and proteins. You can pre-make your own trail mix with your preferred ingredients, ensuring you get the energy you need to tackle tough terrain while satisfying your taste buds.

Chocolate & Sweets

Sometimes, you just need a little bit of sweetness to boost your mood and keep you going. Dark chocolate is a great choice, as it’s packed with antioxidants and provides a quick energy boost thanks to its sugar content. For a more substantial treat, consider packing candy, like Nerd Clusters. These are not only delicious but also provide quick sugars that can help fuel you during the more challenging parts of your hike.

How to Balance Your Trail Snacks

Packing the right trail snacks is only half the fun; how you balance them throughout the day is equally important for maintaining consistent energy. The key is combining snacks that offer a mix of macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fats. This will ensure you stay fueled and avoid energy crashes.

Carbohydrates & Sugars for Quick Energy

Carbs are your body’s primary source of energy, especially during intense physical activities like hiking. For sustained energy, focus on complex carbohydrates like whole grains, dried fruits, and granola. These provide slow-releasing energy over a longer period, which is ideal for keeping you fueled on long hikes. If you need a quick burst of fuel to power through a tough stretch, this is the perfect time to add in your sugary treats.

Protein for Muscle Repair

Protein is essential for repairing and maintaining muscles, which can become fatigued after hours of hiking. Including protein-rich snacks like jerky, nuts, seeds, or protein bars can help support muscle recovery and prevent you from feeling sore. Protein also helps keep you feeling full longer, which can prevent unnecessary hunger during the hike.

Portion Sizes: How Much to Pack

When it comes to portion sizes, it’s easy to over-pack or under-pack, depending on the length of your hike. As a general rule of thumb, aim to pack enough snacks to provide 200-300 calories per snack for a balanced energy intake throughout the day. On longer hikes, plan for 2-3 snacks between meals to keep your energy steady. If you’re hiking for several days, ensure your snacks are nutrient-dense to meet your total calorie needs, which may range from 2,000 to 4,000 calories per day, depending on your activity level.

The key to balancing your trail snacks is finding the right combination of these nutrient-rich foods that work for you. Experiment with different snacks to see which ones give you the best energy and keep you feeling satisfied between meals. By paying attention to how your body responds, you can adjust your snack plan to ensure you stay energized and prepared for whatever the trail throws your way.

Timing Your Trail Snacks for Maximum Energy

How and when you eat your trail snacks is just as important for maintaining consistent energy on the trail. Properly timing your snacks can help you avoid energy dips, improve your performance, and ensure that you stay fueled for the entire hike. Below, we have written a guide on how to time your trail snacks to maximize energy and endurance.

Snack Every 1-2 Hours

In the first 30-60 minutes after starting your hike, avoid eating too many snacks. Allow your body to warm up and settle into a steady rhythm. Eating too soon can cause discomfort as your body adjusts to the physical activity.

Once you’re on the trail, it’s important to stay ahead of your hunger and refuel regularly. Aim to eat a small snack every 1 to 2 hours to keep your energy levels steady. This is particularly important for longer hikes, where your body is continuously burning energy. Eating smaller portions throughout the day rather than large amounts at once can help prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes.

For the best results, try to balance your snacks to provide a mix of quick energy and sustained fuel. For example:

• Quick energy: A handful of dried fruit or an energy bar with a higher carb content can give you a quick boost when you're feeling low on energy.

• Sustained energy: A handful of nuts or a small serving of jerky provides a steadier release of energy, thanks to the protein and fats.

Mid-Hike: Protein & Carbs for Muscle Recovery

As you approach the midpoint of your hike, your muscles may start to feel fatigued. This is a great time to reach for snacks that contain both protein and carbohydrates, which help prevent muscle breakdown and support recovery. A jerky and nut combo or a protein bar are excellent choices at this stage.

Late in the Hike: Fuel Up for the Final Push

As the end of the hike nears and your energy reserves begin to deplete, it’s important to fuel up for that final push. You’ll likely need a snack that provides quick, easily digestible energy, something that can help you maintain your pace and finish strong. Quick carbs or sugar like trail mixes or sweets can provide a fast energy boost.

Post-Hike: Refuel and Recover

Once you’ve reached your destination and set up camp, it’s time to focus on recovery. After the physical exertion of the hike, your body needs to replenish lost nutrients. Before setting up camp, we suggest eating a light snack that contains a mix of protein and carbs, which will help with muscle repair and replenish glycogen stores. This will give you the energy (and motivation) to set up camp before cooking up your hearty Trailtopia meal for dinner.

Final Thoughts on Trail Snacks

Properly fueling your body with the right snacks at the right times can make all the difference on the trail. By packing a mix of nutrient-dense, easy-to-carry options and timing your intake to maintain steady energy levels, you’ll keep your body fueled and ready for whatever challenges come your way. With a little planning and mindful snacking, you'll be able to maximize your energy, enjoy the journey, and tackle your backpacking trips with confidence. Don’t forget to stock up on your favorite Trailtopia meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Happy hiking!

How to Create a Backpacking Meal Plan like a Pro!

It’s a liberating feeling to have everything you need to survive for a few days in a pack on your back. Life feels simpler and achievable because you are 100% prepared and ready for the journey ahead. The planning and packing process to have that freeing feeling, however, can be stressful and frustrating for beginners. The number one struggle for new backpackers is deciding how much food to pack. Bring too little and you will struggle to have a good time. Pack too much and you literally just carried pounds of food into the wild and back home for no reason! After reading this guide, you will be able to successfully create a backpacking meal plan that will fuel your body through your entire trip.

Daily Nutrition in the Backcountry

There is a lot of information about food out there and what our bodies need for everyday life. Although food science is still the same, meal planning for backcountry trips is not the same as meal planning in everyday life as you will be burning a lot more calories each day that need to be replenished to keep up your energy.

Count Calories

No one enjoys counting calories, but when it comes to creating a backpacking meal plan that will sustain your energy level it is an absolute must. There are many variables when it comes to how many calories you will burn on the trail including weight of your pack, incline grade, and duration of hiking. On any normal day, the average active person will burn 2,000 calories. In the backcountry you can assume that you will burn anywhere from 2,500 to 4,500 calories depending on how much extra exercise you will be doing. There are backpacking calorie burning calculators out there that can help you get a bit more accurate with your calculation, but a simple rule of thumb to start with is assuming that for each hour of hiking you will burn an extra 200 calories. If your hike will take you five hours, it is safe to say you need to add at least 1,000 extra calories of food to your 2,000 calorie start.

Understand the Importance of Macronutrients

Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You will want to pack foods that contain good sources of all of these macronutrients to keep your body in performance shape for the duration of your trip.

Carbohydrates are quickly transformed into energy by your body. They are important to endurance and work best when paired with proteins that help prevent muscle breakdown that occurs when working out.

As mentioned, protein helps prevent muscle breakdown and is an absolute must for backpacking food. Since it takes much longer to break down than carbohydrates and fats, proteins are what will help sustain your energy after your carbohydrates and fats are used up.

Fats break down slower than carbohydrates, but provide twice the amount of calories. Packing food that contains fat will give you double the calories with half the weight. It is also important to have fats in your diet when backpacking to replenish any fat stores you burn while hiking.

To have well rounded meals while hiking, you should make sure your daily intake includes plenty of all three macronutrients.

Add Micronutrients

Micronutrients refer to the vitamins and minerals our bodies need, but in much smaller quantities than macros. The main one we want to focus on for hikers and backpackers is salt. Not having enough sodium can lead to dehydration and muscle cramps while on the trail. Make sure that every meal has some level of sodium to keep your body balanced.

How to Choose Food

Energy-to-Weight Ratio

After choosing meal options that provide you with a good source of macronutrients and sodium, the most important consideration for choosing food is the ratio of calories (or energy) to weight. Look for lightweight food that provides a lot of calories.

The main reason freeze-dried foods are so popular within the backpacking and hiking community is because they are one of the best options when it comes to energy-to-weight ratio that provide great nutrition. Freeze-dried meals allow us to bring things like fruits, vegetables, and meats without the waterweight they normally contain so we can have a veritable feast without feeling like we carried one!

Preparation method

The next thing to consider when choosing which foods to pack is how long it will take to prepare the meal. Is it ready to eat, quick cook to eat (15 minutes or less), or long cook to eat (anything over 15 minutes)? If you have never gone into the backcountry before, you may not think 15 minutes is a long time to prepare, but waiting for your food to be ready after hiking up a huge hill can feel like an eternity. Most freeze-dried meals involve adding boiling water to the foil bag they are packed in, stirring, and waiting about ten minutes before you dig in. If you have not yet purchased cookware, we have a great article about selecting outdoor cookware as well as going stoveless in the backcountry. Meal selection impacts the amount of stove fuel you will need to bring on your trip which adds weight to your pack. Avoid any food that requires simmering in a pot to cook.

Planning each meal

Breakfast

Many people skip breakfast in their daily lives and wait to eat until lunch. This is a totally normal and fine thing to do most days, but not when you are backpacking. When backpacking, it really is one of the most important meals of the day as your body performs better when you provide it with easy to burn fuel in the morning. You will be able to go longer and with greater ease when you eat food before taking off for the day.

You may notice our breakfast line is mostly made of oatmeals. This is because whole oats provide you with longer lasting energy while the fruit will provide the quick energy you need to get moving in the morning. Of course, don’t forget to pair your oatmeal with a caffeinated morning drink of instant coffee or tea from Cusa.

Lunch

Lunch, or as many backpackers call it, during-hiking meals keep you going throughout the day. If you are someone who likes to stop and take longer mid-day breaks, our line of ramens is perfect for you as they provide the sodium your body needs. If you are one of those who only stops to eat lunch because it’s necessary, ready to eat food will be your best lunch option. We love to make PB&Js or a pita/naan pouch packed with Tuna or Chicken on longer hike days.

Dinner

Dinner is the meal where you’ll want to pack in those calories, proteins, carbs, and fat stores that you have depleted throughout the entire day of hiking. You’ll want to make sure it is something you actually like and want to eat because you will need to consume a lot of it. This is the exact reason we created so many different tasty dinner options.

Dessert

Dessert is not the first thing you think of when packing food for a backpacking trip, but we believe desserts on the trail are an absolute must! Backpacking desserts help you reach the calorie goal needed as well as add a little sugar for a nice burst of energy to enjoy evenings.

Snacks

After packing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, snacks might seem overboard, but they will help you stay energized between meals. We like to use snacks as little bursts of energy to get us through a hike. When packing snacks, think salty and sugary with no preparation. Trailmix earned its name long ago, and dried fruit and jerky also make great trail snacks.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Backpacking Meal Plan

Many backpackers love meal time in the backcountry just as much as any other part. Although food is your fuel, eating on the trail should be enjoyable. All our meals are made with premium ingredients, are designed to keep you exploring longer, and are crafted to delicious satisfaction.

Now that you understand the importance of nutrition in the backcountry, how to choose your food, and how to plan each meal it’s time to embark on your next adventure with confidence and delicious meals in tow! Use our Food Planner to plan each day of food in the backcountry and don’t forget to visit the Trailtopia website to order all the food you’ll need for your next adventure.