Hiking
Food for a day hike: simple meals, snacks and a backup
Plan practical food for day walks and overnight trips, with accessible snacks, simple meals and a separate backup supply.
Food for a walk should be easy to carry, easy to eat and familiar enough that you will actually want it. Plan for the whole outing, including travel delays and the walk back.
Build a simple day plan
- Before leaving: eat a normal breakfast that suits you.
- During the walk: have accessible snacks rather than one large lunch buried in the pack.
- Main stop: bring a meal that works without complicated preparation.
- Backup: keep extra food separate from the planned meals.
Think beyond calories on a label
Appetite, effort, weather and personal needs vary. Test food on shorter outings before relying on it for several days. Consider how much water and cooking fuel a meal needs, how much packaging comes home and whether it needs refrigeration. Choose food that remains safe for the way it will be carried.
An easy packing example
For a straightforward day walk, I would pack a familiar lunch, fruit or dried fruit, a couple of snack portions and an extra shelf-stable option. Put the first snack near the top of the bag and keep rubbish contained. For overnight trips, write a meal-by-meal list before shopping so you do not carry several spare dinners but forget breakfast. Adapt the choices for allergies and dietary needs in your group.
Read next: How to organise a hiking pack so it carries well.
Sources and photo credit
Information checked 29 September 2026.
Photo: ImGz. Original photograph; CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for web display.
