Whether you are heading out on a short two-day trek or a longer hiking trip, planning your meals is essential. After a long day on the trail, your body needs to recover from accumulated fatigue. Several foods are worth prioritising to replenish your energy reserves. You must choose them carefully, however, as they should not be too heavy or bulky, and must keep long enough. Check out our tips and meal ideas for choosing the right food for your bivvy.
Key takeaways:
- Bivvy food is made up of ingredients rich in proteins, carbohydrates and pulses.
- Freeze-dried meals and dehydrated soups are a good alternative to foods that require cooking.
- Daily calorie requirements almost double during a hike.
- On a bivvy, you need to plan for breakfast, cold meals, hot meals and snacks.
- Choosing bivvy food comes down primarily to the nutritional value of the ingredients, their weight and how easy they are to prepare.
Choosing your bivvy food wisely
Freeze-dried meals and dehydrated soups
What food should you take on a hike? If you are heading out on a trek with a bivvy, your diet will consist mainly of foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates and pulses. Freeze-dried meals are ideal for this. These are pre-cooked, dehydrated meals packaged in pouches. To eat them, simply add hot or cold water depending on the meal, and enjoy your portion.
Like dehydrated soups, freeze-dried meals offer many advantages. They take up little space in your bivvy kit, are lightweight, offer varied flavours, and are complete and full of nutrients. You can enjoy carbonara pasta, chicken tikka, aligot with tomme cheese, a Savoyard tartiflette or lamb with rice and lentils, all without needing to get your cooking equipment out. The only drawback of freeze-dried meals is their price, which tends to be on the higher side for quality dishes.
Starches and pulses
Another bivvy staple: starches and pulses. They are the most commonly eaten foods on a hike. The reason is simple — they cook quickly, taste good, are inexpensive and, above all, provide plenty of energy thanks to their high carbohydrate content.
Like freeze-dried meals and dehydrated soups, starches and pulses are relatively light and easy to carry. Pasta, rice, cereals, couscous or lentils can be cooked in many ways and with various accompaniments. This lets you vary your meals whilst using a minimum of ingredients.
Nuts and treat foods
Finally, nuts and treat foods make up the third category of foods to bring on a bivvy. Dried fruits are extremely rich in fats and can be eaten throughout a day of hiking. You can carry nuts, almonds and other seeds in your pockets or hiking pack, with the advantage of taking up very little space.
Treat foods such as chocolate, cheese or biscuits are not as advantageous in terms of space or weight. Even so, they are essential for keeping morale up. Nothing beats a piece of chocolate to lift your spirits after a tough day in bad weather. To add more flavour to your meals, you can also bring your favourite spices in your pack.
Understanding nutritional needs in hiking
Daily calorie requirements
Hiking is an activity that demands intense effort. The body therefore needs more energy than usual. It is very important to eat well at your bivvy to recover both physically and mentally. To do this, you need to take your daily calorie requirements into account.
Under normal conditions, an adult man is estimated to need 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day, while a woman requires 1,800 to 2,200 calories. During a hike, these needs almost double. They are estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000 kcal per day. These figures vary, however, depending on your profile, the duration of the walk, the elevation gain, the effort involved, and the weight of the hiking pack. All these factors will therefore affect your daily calorie requirements.
Protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements
To reach higher-than-normal calorie targets, you need to include foods rich in carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fibre. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for athletes. On the other hand, proteins support the repair and growth of muscle tissue.
Fats provide the energy you need, aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and play a role in hormonal regulation. Vitamins and minerals are essential during hiking. They play a key role in energy metabolism, bone and muscle health, and immune function. Finally, you should avoid foods that are too fatty, too sugary or too salty, as these are much slower to digest. Bulky, heavy, perishable, low-calorie foods and alcoholic drinks should also be avoided.
To gear up before you go, explore our:
Selecting the perfect meals for the bivvy
Breakfast
After a good night's rest, bivvy food starts with breakfast. For the first meal of the day, you should prioritise foods rich in complex carbohydrates, proteins and fibre. Your breakfast could, for example, consist of:
- Rolled oats, powdered milk, dried fruit and chocolate.
- Eggs with bacon and dried fruit.
- Wholegrain bread, peanut butter or cheese.
In all cases, you can round off your meal with fresh fruit. For hydration, tea, coffee or powdered milk are a great way to start the day while warming up.
Cold meals
If you are going hiking for several days, some of your meals will be cold, particularly at lunchtime. So what bivvy food works without a stove? The simplest option is to go for a composed salad, a sandwich or a wrap. To ensure you get all the nutrients you need for the effort, you can choose from these five options:
- A sandwich made with wholegrain bread, cured ham, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Slices of bread with country-style pâté and rocket.
- Bread with fish such as sardines, mackerel or tinned tuna.
- A grilled chicken wrap with crudités and yoghurt sauce.
- A salad made with green leaves, tomatoes, tinned tuna and olives.
To round off your cold meal, you can have some comté, peanuts or sliced sausage. For dessert, choose a piece of fruit such as a banana or apple purée.
Hot meals
Hot meals make up a large part of your bivvy meals. They are perfect for warming you up, boosting morale and helping you recover after a long day. What are some bivvy meal ideas using a stove? You can start your meal with a dehydrated soup. From there, you can opt for a freeze-dried meal or cook a proper meal yourself. Here are five stove-cooked meal options:
- Pasta with a mixed tomato sauce and tinned tuna.
- Rice with lentils and spices.
- Couscous with dehydrated vegetables and chickpeas.
- Instant mashed potato with tinned chicken.
- Stir-fried Chinese noodles with vegetables.
Finally, your meal can be rounded off with cheese, a piece of fruit, fruit purée or chocolate.
Snacks
In addition to breakfast, cold and hot meals, your days on the trail should be punctuated by plenty of snacks. Remember to take regular breaks to rehydrate and eat a snack. Dried fruits and nuts are a hiker's favourite snack. Beyond raisins, apricots, dates, walnuts, peanuts or hazelnuts, you can also eat fruit pastes, energy bars, fruit pouches or biscuits. A great way to refuel while boosting your calorie intake.
As you can see, planning your bivvy food carefully is essential to making the most of your hiking trip. Keep in mind to opt for light, nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods such as freeze-dried meals, dehydrated soups, starches and pulses. Do not forget to bring nuts and a few treats to keep morale high. By understanding your calorie and nutritional needs, you ensure you stay in good shape and get the most out of your time in the great outdoors.
