8 Travel Memory Gifts and Keepsake Ideas

When you share a love of travel with someone, giving them something you have discovered during your travels is a great gift idea. It gives them a gift they will remember for the rest of their lives and allows you to share your memories with them in a way that other people would not be able to.

Giving travel memory gifts is an easy way to make sure that your friends and family feel valued when they are around you. You can share these travel keepsakes in different ways too – whether giving them something small like a postcard or something more substantial like a new camera, there is always an option for everyone.

A small gift can go a long way and doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be as simple as giving your travel companion a book about the destination or some postcards from local artists.

If this sounds like something you want to do, here are several ideas of travel memory gifts and travel keepsake ideas you can give your travel buddy.

Wooden World Map

A wooden world map keepsake is a great travel keepsake gift for your travel buddy. It can be a great way for them to show where they have been using pins, inspire them to continue the adventure, and get them excited about their next destination.

A wooden world map is a fantastic decoration in any home, making them feel like they are always on the go, no matter where they are. This map will remind them that there is always more to explore and more places to go. A wooden world map can also give you more knowledge about the world and helps you get acquainted with the geography of different countries.

Local Rocks or Minerals

A rock is a perfect travel memory gift for a travel buddy because it can be a symbol of your friendship. A stone can remind them of you and your shared memories. It’s also a great way to say that you are always there for them, even when you are not physically present.

We often think of rocks as boring and not something we would like to get as a gift. But they can be a great travel keepsake for your travel buddy.

Rock collections are inexpensive to show someone you care about them and that you want to commemorate their love for travel. You can create your collection by picking up a few rocks from your favorite destinations or buying one of the many ready-made collections available at stores.

Personalized Travel Memory Gifts

Personalized gifts are a great way to show how much you care about your travel buddy. Something as simple as personalized books for adults can be great memorabilia for your travel memories together. It can be a story about the two of you or an adventure you went on together. It will remind them of all the good times you had when traveling together.

Personalized books are a great way to show appreciation for someone who has traveled with you. They can be funny, sentimental, or adventurous depending on what kind of person they are and what kind of trip it was.

Local Toys

The best thing about local toys is that it offers something different from the usual travel gifts people give each other.

Local toys are a great travel keepsake for your travel buddy because they are unique, and the receiver will think of you whenever they play with the toy.

Local Currency

One of the best travel memory gifts for your travel buddy is local currency from the country you are visiting together. You can buy it at the airport or before your trip online. The local currency is a fabulous souvenir and an excellent way to get more bang when traveling abroad.

Local currencies are great gifts for travelers who already have an upcoming trip planned. Give them a bit of starting cash that they can spend in the country they visit. They can also use it as a travel souvenir of their trip and keep it as a memory of their travels.

Wine and Spirits

Local wine or spirits make excellent travel memory gifts for your travel-loving buddy. Many cultures around the world pride themselves on their unique traditional beverages, and this is a great way to bring that culture home. Maybe your travel buddy and you can enjoy the wine or spirits together while reminiscing about your trip.

Plates and Cutlery

Decorated earthenware in a souvenir shop, Sozopol, Bulgaria

Pick up decorated earthenware as a travel keepsake, like these in Sozopol, Bulgaria

We have the perfect suggestion if you are looking for unique, thoughtful, and practical travel memory gift ideas for your travel buddy. Plates and cutlery can make a truly unique travel keepsake. Locally-crafted plates and cutlery are typically elaborately decorated and will add an international flair to your kitchen equipment back home.

Consider buying these travel memory gifts or travel keepsake ideas when you’re interested in showing appreciation for your travel buddy. Aside from your usual postcard, these gift ideas can be more interesting for your recipient. Check these out for yourself so that it becomes easier to find the right travel gift.

Essential Bikepacking Gear for First-Timers

If you’re thinking of taking your outdoor adventures to the next level, bikepacking might be just the thing for you. Bikepacking is perfect for anyone who loves the great outdoors, is comfortable on a bike, and would like to cover great distances on their own two wheels.

The concept is simple, but there is some essential bikepacking gear that any first-time bikepacker needs to take to have a great experience. Who knows, this might become your new favorite vacation hobby!

Here is a list of the 15 bikepacking essentials that any first-timer needs to bring on their trip.

1. The Right Bike

When it comes to finding the best bikepacking bike, there is no easy answer. The bike that you choose depends entirely on the terrain, the distance, and your personal preferences.

That being said, the best bike for a bikepacking trip will be lightweight, sturdy enough to take the weight of your packs, and high quality so that you can minimize repairs along the way.

Bikepacking trips generally fall into three different categories, and each requires a different type of bike. The three different styles of bikepacking trips are multi-day mountain biking, ultralight race & gravel, or expedition & dirt touring.

You can read more about each of these bikepacking trip types and the right bike for each. Regardless of how much research you do, there are a few bikes that are consistently recommended by other bikepackers: 

  • Best Multi-day Mountain Bike: Surly Krampus – a lifetime investment and one of the highest quality bikes for bikepacking. If you have the budget, the Surly is the best choice
  • Best All-Rounder: Salsa Fargo – it’s a good all-rounder bikepacking bike for anyone interested in starting bikepacking as a new hobby. You can do an endless amount of research on the size, fittings, and accessories, but the Salsa Fargo seems to suit the needs of most people.
  • Best Gravel Bike: Specialized Diverge gravel bike This bike is well-regarded for its ability to go anywhere and everywhere. It can handle just about any road and even the average person would do well on a bikepacking trip.

The bike you choose also depends on whether you intend to make this a long-term hobby. It may not be worth shelling out thousands of dollars if this is just something you’ll do once or twice. But if you plan to be out on the trails multiple times a year, it’s worth investing in a high-quality bike that will stand the test of time.

2. The Right Packs

Packing for your bikepacking trip

With the increasing popularity of bikepacking, there has been a lot of innovation on how to efficiently transport gear on a bike. You’ll have infinite options for your bikepacking gear setup, but the basic storage locations are side-saddle bags, handlebar bags, under-seat bags, and wedge packs that fit inside the bike frame. You’ll be surprised how much essential bikepacking gear you can bring with you!

The most important thing to keep in mind when determining your bikepacking gear setup is to make sure your bags are appropriate for the specific bike. For example, a typical mountain bike won’t have anywhere to mount side-saddle bags, so you’ll need to focus on under seat and handlebar storage. And of course, if you get a wedge pack, it needs to fit your bike frame perfectly to maximize storage space.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of overpacking! Just because you can load up your bike, doesn’t mean you should. Even though you’re not carrying the gear directly on your back, you’ll still be the one who needs to put in the leg power to transport each ounce up each elevation gain.

The most important factor when it comes to bags is the quality. Don’t skimp by buying cheap bags that are going to rub on tires, need constant adjustment, or have failing zippers and buckles. Just like investing in a quality, reliable bike, you must also invest in quality bags. Bags should be waterproof, lightweight, and durable.

3. Navigation, GPS

Especially when going offroad, a high-quality satellite GPS can be a life-saver. Be sure to get one that has a bright display that can be attached to your handlebars. You don’t want to have to pull over to check your coordinates while you’re trying to make good time on your route.

4. Sun Protection

Bikepacking Gear Essentials

Bikepacking means you’ll be exposed to the elements. You’ll most likely be biking on fire roads or paved surfaces, which usually means there will be little shade. And with the speed and wind chill, you are not likely to notice your sunburn until it’s too late.

A quality pair of polarized sunglasses, a hat, a neck cover, clothing that offers UV protection, and of course, high-grade SPF are essential bikepacking gear to provide sun protection.

5. Extra Jacket for Insulation

Inevitably, you’ll experience a change in the elements, whether you get caught in a rainstorm or climb a high elevation to chillier temperatures. Bring a windproof, lightweight jacket for these times.

You’ll be surprised how often you’ll reach for your jacket, even in warm weather due to the wind chill you’ll experience at high speeds.

6. Illumination

Although it is not advised to cycle at night, a bike light is essential if you are planning to cycle at dusk or dawn. Plus, a light does a lot to increase your visibility which is important for safety, especially if you’ll be sharing the road with cars.

7. First Aid Kit

A basic first aid kit is essential for any active trip, but especially for bike packing. You’ll want to be able to treat any blisters, hotspots, and scrapes along the way. In addition to a basic first aid kit, be sure to bring along some magnesium tablets to help avoid cramping after a long uphill day. You’ll need to rely on your legs day in and day out so be sure to keep them in top condition!

8. Food & Cooking Gear

If you plan to camp along your bikepacking trip, you need to bring lightweight cooking gear to prepare meals. Since packing space is limited, be sure to make the right choice for bikepacking recipes.

The most popular bikepacking cooking gear is the Trangia ultralight camping cook set. Or, if you are making meals where you just add hot water, you can get away with bringing a Jetboil camping stove. If you want to skip the bikepacking cooking gear, check out some of our cold soak recipes to help lighten your pack. 

It’s also helpful to have some easy-to-access snacks that you can rely on during the day. Especially if you’re biking on a schedule or trying to time your rides with the weather, it’s helpful to have some nutrition that you can access on the go, like energy gels for quick carbs and electrolytes.

9. Bike Repair Kit

Do not go bikepacking without a basic bike repair kit and the know-how to make minor repairs along the way. A blown tire or loose screw can ruin your trip if you’re unable to repair them yourself. Bikepacking repair kits are very compact, so this small but invaluable item does not have to take up much space among your essential bikepacking gear.

10. Hydration & Water Storage

Bikepacking gear - add water bottle storage to your bike

Add more water storage to your bike before your bikepacking adventure

In addition to the standard location for a water bottle, you may want to add some more storage. Depending on your bike, you can usually add a few reserve water bottle locations. To cut down on the total weight in your bikepacking gear, you can bring a steri pen filter to purify your water along the way.

Since bikepacking goes hand in hand with a love for the outdoors, check out our article about the most sustainable water bottles and water filters so that your choices are kind to mother nature.

11. Care for your Caboose

If you’ve never been bikepacking before, your rear end will be the first thing to scream in pain. Padded shorts are essential bikepacking gear, but don’t forget to bring along wet wipes with soothing aloe and vitamin E, and bottom butter which works wonders. And be sure to do a few long bike trips before your bikepacking adventure to prepare your rear for the long days on the saddle.

12. Cycling Gloves

It’s not until you forget biking gloves that you realize how important they are. Gloves serve multiple purposes. First of all, your hands will be exposed to the elements, and will quickly dry out and become cracked if you don’t protect them.

Without gloves, the constant gripping of the handlebar can lead to sweaty, slippery palms and can result in painful blisters. Lastly, the best gloves have a layer of padding, which adds a very important buffer against the constant vibration of the bike.

When choosing biking gloves, find a pair that fits you like a second skin. They should be snug, but not so tight that they are restrictive.

13. Shelter

If you’re planning to go offroad and sleep in the great outdoors, an ultralight tent will be an essential item in your bikepacking gear. Choose one that can be rolled up into a compact size.

The tent will likely be the largest single item that you have to pack, so be sure to balance it correctly on your bike setup. Most people pack the tent in the handlebar section of their bike since it’s a central storage location that doesn’t cause balancing issues.

14. Good Weather

Bikepacking Gear Essentials

Don’t underestimate the value of a sunny, cool day! Try to choose a location and a time of year that will give you dry conditions with moderate temperatures.

The weather could make or break your experience and significantly affects the amount of bikepacking gear that you’ll need to bring. There’s nothing worse than getting caught in the freezing rain when you are directly exposed to the elements. This could also lead to dangerous conditions like slippery roads & impacted visibility.

15. A Positive Attitude

The right mindset is maybe one of the most essential ingredients for a successful bikepacking trip. Be sure to bring a sense of adventure, self-reliance, and a positive attitude.

Relying on your own physical fitness to get you from point A to point B, being subject to the elements and unforeseen factors, and covering large distances with the raw power of your own legs will bring lots of new challenges. But with big challenges come big rewards, just keep a positive attitude along the way.

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Bikepacking Gear for Beginners

Bikepacking essential gear

DIY Dehydrated Meal Recipes & How-To Tips

Whether you’re just getting started with your backpacking hobby or have already explored the great backpacking routes of the world, you may have realized that something is lacking in the world of packaged backpacking food. Either they’re too expensive, too bland, or too artificial. The good news is that making homemade dehydrated backpacking meals is not as complicated as it seems! There are plenty of easy DIY dehydrated meal recipes that can easily be done at home.

There are generally 2 approaches to assembling a DIY dehydrated meal. The first option is to simply cook the full meal at home, dehydrate it and then rehydrate it on the trail. The other option is to assemble a meal made from individual dehydrated or freeze-dried ingredients.

Both methods have their pros and cons, so we usually bring a combination of meal types on the trail with us. Read on for tips and tricks on how to make your own DIY backpacking meals

Method #1: Dehydrate a Home-Cooked Recipe

Dehydrating a dish that you can make at home is generally the most fool-proof and inexpensive way to go. It doesn’t require you to buy individually dehydrated or freeze-dried ingredients, it just requires your own kitchen equipment plus a good food dehydrator.

With this method, you can control the taste of the recipe before your trip, so you won’t be unpleasantly surprised when you’re ravenous on the trail.

Dehydrating Your own Home-Cooked Meals

Dehydrating Your own Home-Cooked Food for Backpacking

The simplest way to get started with dehydrating your own backpacking meals is to brainstorm a few of your favorite dishes that you can fully cook at home. The best DIY dehydrated meals will be sauce-based and full of hearty ingredients. Stews, pasta, and casseroles work best for this method.

After cooking the meal, you will dehydrate the mixture using a food dehydrator. Once the mixture is fully dehydrated, you will crumble it into uniformly-small pieces, and pack it in a ziplock bag for the trail.

To rehydrate on the trail, all you need is a lightweight camping stove, water, and a cooking vessel!

Cooking your own food at home is the easiest method in terms of simplicity, but it’s by far a more time-consuming option. Not only do you have to cook everything at home first, but dehydrating the final mixture at home can take up to half a day per portion. 

For a week-long trip, you might need to start weeks before you embark on your trip, depending on how many meals you plan to bring with you. If you have the time, we say go for it! 

Pro-Tips for Preparing and Dehydrating Full Meals at Home

The good news for those interested in DIY dehydrated backpacking meals, is that it’s really not rocket science. However, there are a few adjustments you should follow to make sure the DIY dehydrated meal will dehydrate and rehydrate properly.

  1. Don’t use butter or oil when cooking! Doing so will cause problems during the dehydration process. Cook with a little bit of water in the pan only. If you want to add some fat to the recipe, you can bring olive oil packets or powdered butter and add it later to the recipe on the trail when you rehydrate the meal.
  2. Use plenty of seasoning. Dehydration will reduce the flavor, so add more seasoning than you normally would, to give the food a robust flavor on the trail.
  3. If the recipe includes ground meat, combine it first with plenty of breadcrumbs and seasoning before adding it to the overall recipe. This will help with the rehydration and help prevent the dreaded crunchy or grainy rehydrated meat. 
  4. If the recipe includes noodles, chop them into small pieces once they’re cooked. This will help them dehydrate and rehydrate uniformly.
  5. Let your finished recipe sit overnight in the fridge before dehydrating it. This will give it time to let the flavors combine, and will allow ingredients like pasta or rice to absorb the sauce and flavors.

At-Home Equipment for DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meals: A Food Dehydrator

The only extra equipment you’ll need for this method is a food dehydrator. There are plenty of low-cost dehydrators available on amazon which will certainly do the trick.

If you’re going on a longer trip or know that you’ll be using the food dehydrator many times in the future, you might want to invest in a larger, more high-quality machine. We have this food dehydrator from Cosori and consider it essential backpacker equipment.

Method #2: Assembling Meals using Dehydrated or Freeze-Dried Ingredients

DIY Backpacking Meals

DIY dehydrated backpacking meals

With this method, you will combine various dehydrated or freeze-dried ingredients, and rehydrate them together on the trail to make a complete meal. If you have a variety of freeze-dried or dehydrated ingredients on hand, the combinations are endless!

You can still go the full DIY route by dehydrating individual ingredients using a food dehydrator, or you can purchase the dehydrated ingredients in most grocery stores and camping supply stores.

If you plan to make a variety of backpacking meals, you can even purchase sampler kits full of dehydrated ingredients. This food sampler from Harmony House includes a variety of beans, dehydrated veggies, and meatless options for vegetarian meals.

Another option is this freeze-dried fruit and veggie kit that comes with freeze-dried strawberries, bananas, peas, broccoli, and corn. There are 120 servings in the kit, and you just need to add water to rehydrate. 

At-Home Equipment for DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

1. Food Dehydrator

Most of the dry ingredients required for these dehydrated meals can be found at camping supply stores. However, specialized dehydrated ingredients can be pricey, so you might want to dehydrate the ingredients yourself.

Investing in a low-cost dehydrator will help you save money in the long run and will allow you to get creative with your ingredients and DIY dehydrated backpacking meals. This food dehydrator comes highly recommended by fellow backpackers and can be found on Amazon for around $50.

Or if you know you’ll be relying on dehydrated backpacking food and want to get a more robust machine, this food dehydrator from Cosori comes highly recommended.

2. Freeze-Dried or dehydrated ingredient sampler pack

To get started with a variety of meal options, you can start with this food sampler from Harmony House.  It comes with a variety of beans, dehydrated veggies, and meatless options for vegetarian meals.

For freeze-dried ingredients, start with this freeze-dried fruit and veggie kit. There are 120 servings in the kit, so you’re bound to be able to come up with some exciting backpacking recipes.

Dehydrated or Freeze-Dried Ingredients

The staple of DIY backpacking food is a good sampling of freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients. There are pros and cons to both ingredients. In a nutshell, freeze-dried wins over dehydrated in terms of nutrition, shelf-life, and texture, but it comes at a high cost! If you’re interested, you can learn more in our write-up about the difference between dehydrated vs. freeze-dried ingredients.

After you assemble a good collection of ingredients, you can basically throw things together as you would when cooking your typical dinner at home! Here are some staple ingredients to get you started:

Freeze-Dried or Dehydrated Meat & Meat Alternatives

Dehydrated Beans

Make sure you buy beans that have been cooked and then dehydrated or freeze-dried! If you just buy plain dried beans, they will not have been cooked, and will not hydrate properly in a meal.

Grains

Dehydrated and freeze-dried vegetables

Add Flavor

For creating a variety of flavors, there are a few versatile ingredients that will come in handy for your DIY backpacking food

DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meal Recipes

Luckily there are gourmet-loving backpackers out there who have come up with lots of delicious options. When preparing the mixture, it’s best if you stick to either dehydrated or freeze-dried components within one recipe. It is technically possible to mix and match, but then you’ll have keep an eye on the rehydration time for each ingredient.

As a general rule of thumb, freeze-dried ingredients take around 5 minutes to rehydrate, while dehydrated ingredients can take between 10-20 minutes.

Chili con Carne

Curry with different types of meat

  • Freeze-dried or dehydrated meat of choice (see above)
  • Freeze-dried or dehydrated veggies of choice (see above)
  • Knorr’s minute rice
  • Curry, Coriander, and Cumin powder

Chicken Fajitas

Thanksgiving-inspired Meal

Pad Thai

How to Cook your DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meals on the Trail

How to cook DIY Backpacking Meals on the Trail

How to cook DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meals on the Trail

Regardless of which method you chose, the cooking process is generally the same. Since these are all ‘just add water’ dehydrated backpacking meals, the only cooking equipment you really need is a device to boil water and a cooking vessel. 

Lightweight Camping Stove

The most popular camping stove among backpackers is the Jetboil Stove. We don’t go backpacking without it. It’s lightweight, compact, and simple. It comes with a simple burner and a vessel for preparing boiling water.

Another option is this lightweight backpacking stove is under $20 and is popular among the Ultralight Backpacker community. It’s compact and weighs just .96 ounces (25 grams), but don’t forget to factor in the weight of fuel and a cooking vessel.

A Cooking Vessel

Rehydrating is a lot different from cooking on the trail. Theoretically, you could rehydrate your meals over a campfire in a camping pot, but as rehydration can take up to 20 minutes, this would use a lot of fuel. It’s much more energy efficient to boil the water, add it to your mixture, and then let the mixture soak and rehydrate.

Once you’ve boiled your water, combine it with the dehydrated meal in a heat-tolerant cooking vessel. The vessel should be sealable in order to retain as much heat as possible during the rehydration process. There are a few different cooking vessel option, each with their own pros and cons, so you’ll have to decide based on your preference.

  1. Mylar bags – Heat-tolerant Mylar bags are a great lightweight option. You can use them to transport each meal, and then just add boiling water directly to the ingredients when on the trail. These bags can tolerate boiling water, are resealable, washable, and reusable. Since rehydration usually takes at least 20 minutes, the Mylar bags are great at retaining the heat during this time.
    • Pros: affordable, convenient, and good for ultralight backpacking
    • Cons: Plastic, difficult to wash and reuse
  2. Resealable silicone bags – These are reusable, easy to clean, and durable enough to last multiple backpacking trips. When using the silicone bags to transport the dry food, be sure to add oxygen-absorbing moisture packets to keep the dry ingredients stable.
    • Pros: Reusable, sustainable option
    • Cons: Expensive, not the most lightweight option
  3. Freezer bags – This is the extreme ultralight backpacker’s method. You can transport the dry mixtures in freezer bags and just add boiling water directly to the freezer bags. If you go the freezer bag route, it’s important that you wrap it in an insulating bag to retain heat during rehydration. Some people even make a DIY coozie out of a car windshield shield!
    • Pros: Cheap and easy to find in the grocery store, ultralight
    • Cons: Not as sturdy, difficult to eat out of. Plus, conflicting opinions about how safe it is to heat plastic for food consumption
  4. Stainless steel camping pot with lid
    • Pros: Environmentally friendly option, healthier than cooking in Ziplock bags, gives the feeling of really cooking on the trail
    • Cons: Added weight

The cook time will vary depending on the type of ingredient. The general rule of thumb is that freeze-dried meals take around 5 minutes to rehydrate, while dehydrated meals will take 10-20 minutes.

Stoveless Backpacking Meals – 20+ Cold Soak Recipes

Trying to reduce the weight of your pack and wondering if you can ditch the cooking equipment? As any seasoned backpacker will tell you, every ounce counts! Although some people love the ritual of cooking a meal at the end of the day, our recipes guarantee you won’t miss out on any comfort when backpacking without a stove. The secret is using the cold soak method to rehydrate dry ingredients. Here’s a list of stoveless backpacking meals that will help you feel as if you’re ‘cooking’ on the trail – without the added weight of extra cooking gear.

DIY Backpacking Meals Using the Cold Soak Method

Cold soaking is the process of rehydrating food using nothing but, you guessed it, cold water. The critical difference is that the rehydration process takes more time without heat. So before you start each day, you’ll learn to mix the dry ingredients for your lunch or dinner with cold water and carry it in a container so that it’s ready to go by mealtime.

An ultralight backpacking pro-tip is to prepare the dry ingredients for each cold soak recipe in individual plastic bags before you start your trip. Because there is no risk of the boiling water warping the lightweight bags, you can cold soak your DIY backpacking meals directly in each pre-measured bag. This saves time on the trail and reduces the weight of extra food packaging.

Cold Soak Food Prep when backpacking without a stove

Photo by Dave W. from Facebook

Cold Soak Staple Ingredients

The following ingredients serve as the building blocks of all cold-soak backpacking meals. You can follow our recipes when you’re first getting started, but over time you’ll likely come up with some specialties of your own. You can find most of these ingredients in grocery stores or camping supply shops, but we’ve linked to more specialized ingredients that can be found on Amazon.

Cold Soak Breakfast Recipes

A standard cold soak breakfast starts with oatmeal or muesli. These nutrient-dense staples are a part of every hiker’s menu because they provide sustained energy. And there’s something so comforting about starting your day with a nice bowl of oatmeal porridge! Mix everything the night before so that it’s ready to go by breakfast.

Mix and Match Oatmeal

  • ¼ cup rolled oats
  • 1 TBS powdered milk
  • ⅓ cup dried fruit
  • Add cereal or granola after cold soaking

Overnight Oats

  • ¼ cup steel oats
  • 14 banana chips
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries or raisins
  • 3 tsp cacao nibs
  • 1 scoop powdered soy milk

Muesli Coconut Power Breakfast

  • ¼ cup nut/seed muesli
  • ⅓ cup dried fruit
  • 1 TBS shredded coconut
  • 1 tsp coconut milk powder
  • 1 scoop protein powder

Cold Soak Couscous Recipes

Pearl couscous is a staple ingredient for cold soak backpacking meals because it rehydrates easily, even with cold water. The combinations are endless with couscous, so feel free to get creative! It’s a great base for a vegetarian meal, or you can throw in some dehydrated meat. Here are a few cold soak couscous recipes to get you started:

Salmon and Couscous

Vegan Curry Couscous

Instant Potato DIY Backpacking Meals

Some would argue that instant mashed potatoes are almost indistinguishable from the real thing! Mashed potatoes are a traditional comfort food and can be mixed with a variety of ingredients. We found this recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner in a Cup a few years ago, and it’s one of the meals we look forward to on the trail. It’s crave-worthy!

Thanksgiving Dinner in a Cup

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

  • Instant mashed potatoes
  • Add mayonnaise for max calories and creaminess
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • S&P to taste
  • Optional: shredded Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Ramen Noodle Cold Soak Recipes

Ramen noodles: the staple of college students and seasoned backpackers. The noodles rehydrate easily and make the perfect foundation for a filling meal at the end of a long day. Over the years, the backpacking community has created some delicious cold soak meals which elevate basic ramen noodles to the next level.

Ramen Noodle Pad Thai

Pesto Noodles

  • Ramen noodles without seasoning packet
  • .8 oz sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 olive oil packet
  • .1 oz garlic powder
  • lots of dried basil
  • .1 oz Parmesan cheese

Noodles & Peanut Sauce

Cold Soak Recipes with Dehydrated Beans or Lentils

A great source of protein, dehydrated beans and lentils make an ideal base for stoveless backpacking meals. And you can add lots of spices to beans, which means that your DIY backpacking meals will be anything but bland. Make sure you are buying dehydrated beans or lentils that have been precooked, not just raw dry beans or lentils. 

Taco Casserole

Vegan Curry Lentils

Instant Rice Stoveless Backpacking Meals

Instant rice is another great base for delicious meals without a stove. Again, the possibilities are endless, but here are some classic cold soak recipes from the backpacking community:

Cheesy Broccoli Rice

Frito Pie

Rice Curry

Using Grits for Stoveless Backpacking Meals

Grits belong on any meal plan for backpacking without a stove. They can be used in a breakfast mix or as the foundation in this creamy polenta recipe:

Polenta & Peppers

  • 2.5 oz grits
  • 0.75 oz dehydrated peppers
  • 0.5 oz tomato powder
  • 0.1 oz garlic powder
  • 1-2 olive oil packets

Tortilla Wraps – Ideal for a Backpacking Lunch

Super versatile, nutrient-dense, and lightweight, a pack of tortillas is a great base for many types of DIY backpacking meals.

Veggie and Hummus Tortilla

  • You can use raw veggies and real hummus, or you can cold-soak dehydrated veggies and hummus powder.

Tortilla with sliced meat and cheese

  • Feel free to use sliced meat and cheese, or you can cold soak dehydrated meat for an ultralight backpacking meal

Tortilla with peanut butter, banana, dried fruit, cinnamon

  • To keep it lightweight, bring dried fruit, banana chips, and powdered peanut butter that you can cold soak during the day.

High-Nutrition Snacks for Stoveless Backpackers

Having lots of options for a snack on the go will keep you satiated so that stopping to eat isn’t a big demand on your time.

  • Dried fruit that has been cold soaked – having juicy pineapple on the trail is so refreshing
  • Nuts
  • Bars
  • Dried fruits
  • Chips
  • Chocolate
  • Beef jerky
  • Powdered hummus

Pre-Trip Prep: Cold Soak Essential Gear

While backpacking without a stove will reduce the gear that you carry on your back, there is some important gear that will come in handy during the planning phase of your trip.

Sample Pack of Dehydrated Veggies

If you’re interested in making DIY backpacking meals and prefer to experiment with a variety of dehydrated ingredients, a great starting point is to get a sampler kit with various ingredients. You can mix and match ingredients to create your own meals, or just add a scoop of healthy veggies to a pre-made freeze-dried meal. This food sampler from Harmony House includes a variety of beans, dehydrated veggies, and meatless options for vegetarian meals. The pack comes with easy-to-follow recipes and allows you to incorporate a variety of different ingredients in your backpacking menu.

Another option is this freeze-dried fruit and veggie kit that comes with freeze-dried strawberries, bananas, peas, broccoli, and corn. There are 120 servings in the kit, and you just need to add water to rehydrate. 

Food Dehydrator

Most of the dry ingredients required for these cold soak meals can be found at camping supply stores. However, specialized dehydrated ingredients can be pricey. Investing in a low-cost dehydrator will help you save money in the long run and will allow you to get creative with your ingredients and DIY backpacking meals. This food dehydrator comes highly recommended by fellow backpackers and can be found on Amazon for around $50. Or if you know you’ll be relying on dehydrated backpacking meals and want to get a more robust machine, this food dehydrator from Cosori comes highly recommended.

Low-Cost Dehydrator – Available on Amazon

Premium Food Dehydrator – Available on Amazon

Digital Scale

Anyone focused on ultralight backpacking is obsessive about the weight of everything in their pack. This also applies to every ingredient in their food supply, which is why recipes for most DIY backpacking meals give measurements in ounces. Instead of doing all the work to convert ounces to standard kitchen measuring volumes, do yourself a favor and invest in a cheap digital kitchen scale. We have this scale which is under $15.

Available on Amazon

Not ready to give up the heat?

For some, cooking on the trail is part of the joy of backpacking. The recipes above are all possible to make with hot water – if you have a lightweight stove with you, you can just heat the water and mix once you’ve set up camp for the night. 

This lightweight backpacking stove is under $20 and is popular among the Ultralight Backpacker community. It’s compact and weighs just .96 ounces (25 grams), but don’t forget to factor in the weight of fuel and a cooking vessel.

Available on Amazon

Do you have any tried and true backpacking meals? Add them in the comments! And be sure to check out our other blog posts for more gear recommendations.

How to Stay Stylish While Backpacking

Embarking on a backpacking adventure is an exhilarating experience, but it doesn’t mean sacrificing style for practicality. Navigating the trails and embracing the great outdoors doesn’t have to come at the expense of looking cute and put together. Whether you’re a seasoned backpacker or a novice explorer, there are savvy ways to ensure you maintain your sense of style amidst the wilderness.

From choosing versatile and comfortable clothing options to streamlining your beauty routine, this guide will provide you with practical tips on how to stay stylish and look put-together while backpacking, allowing you to embrace the rugged charm of nature without compromising on your personal aesthetic.

So, gear up for an Instagram-worthy journey as we explore the perfect balance between functionality and fashion in the heart of the great outdoors.

Packing a Cute Backpacking Wardrobe

1.    Choose Versatile Neutrals

Stick to versatile neutral pieces in black, gray, olive, and tan shades. Neutral colors pair together easily so you can mix and match for multiple outfits. They also hide dirt and wear better than bright hues. Focus on neutrals to get the most mileage from fewer pieces.

2.    Layer Light, Quick-Dry Fabrics

Lightweight, quick-drying technical fabrics are perfect for backpacking. Look for moisture-wicking synthetics, wool, and linen. Avoid bulky materials like denim that take forever to dry. Light layers allow endless outfit combinations.

3.    Include One Statement Piece

While neutral layers are key, don’t forget to pack one fun statement accessory or top. This could be a colorful scarf, funky hat, or printed tank. One eye-catching piece pairs with your neutrals to instantly turn an outfit from drab to fab.

4.    Pack Multi-Functional Clothing

Choose pieces that serve multiple purposes, like convertible pants, 2-in-1 jackets, and quick-dry dresses you can layer. Multi-functional clothing maximizes your options from just a few essential items. Look for strategic straps, zip-offs, and reversible options.

5.    Accessorize Smartly

Accessories take up little pack space but provide endless styling potential. Scarves add color, hats protect from the sun, and statement sunglasses complete any outfit. Jewelry like layered necklaces, bracelets and dangly earrings make you look put together, even on the trail.

Keeping up with Your Appearance on the Trail

1.    Refresh Hair with Dry Shampoo

Pack some dry shampoo to absorb oil and add volume when you can’t wash your hair. Focus on the roots and massage it in with your fingers. Let it sit a few minutes before brushing out. Dry shampoo makes dirty hair look and feel freshly washed.

2.    Add Bounce with Curl-Enhancing Shampoo

When you can shower, use a sulfate-free, curl-enhancing shampoo and conditioner. The gentle cleansers won’t dry out your hair while boosting natural waves and movement. Scrunch in some curl cream or mousse while hair is damp. Air dry for spirited, bouncy locks.

3.    Braid Damp Hair

Braids disguise greasy roots while adding a cute, feminine vibe. Braid your hair while slightly damp and allow it to dry undisturbed overnight. For extra polish, sweep up front pieces and do a loose braid across the crown of your head.

4.    Use Dry Shampoo on Oily Scalp

If your scalp gets oily, massage in some dry shampoo right at the roots. Leave it on for 5 minutes to fully absorb grease, then brush it out. This mattifies and freshens up dirty hair at the scalp so you can go longer between washes.

5.    Pack Hair Accessories

Cute hair accessories like bandanas, silk scrunchies, clips and headbands transform the simplest braids and ponytails. Wrap a bright bandana over a ponytail for a pop of color. Pin back front sections with bobby pins for a chic half updo. Accessories glam up dirty hair.

With the right strategies, you can look just a chic backpacking as you do at home. Cute outfits, styled hair and natural makeup let your beauty shine through, even on the most rugged trails.

The key is packing smartly, opting for feminine yet functional pieces. With some creativity, you can use a minimal wardrobe to create varied looks. A little dry shampoo, makeup and accessories go a long way in pulling you together after dusty days hiking.

Have fun planning your cute backpacking ensembles! Wherever your travels take you, rest assured you can make a stylish impression.