It’s a running joke whenever we go hiking that Chris’ backpack is full of our gear, while mine is always full of yummy treats. The importance of a good snack is not something we underestimate, whether it’s foursies at home or we’re taking on a mammoth hike! When planning our seven day trip to walk the entire Hadrian’s Wall Path last year, part of our preparation process was planning how many snacks to bring for the 117km journey, and which ones. As we prioritised packing light, and food like fruit would have gotten battered and bruised in our backpacks over the week, we found a good variety of delicious treats that would not only keep us pounding the ground along the undulating English countryside, but would actually taste good too! Here are our faves that served us well, and have since become our go-to hiking essentials:
Graze
We LOVE snacking on Graze as they make a wide variety of savoury and sweet treats. While hiking the Hadrian’s Wall Path their Sea Salt and Pepper Veggie Protein sharing bag kept our protein levels topped up, with a generous mix of cashews, beans and peas sprinkled with salt and pepper for a flavourful snack on the go. The resealable bag made it easy to enjoy a handful or two while hiking and stow it back in our rucksacks, without fear of spillage! For a sweeter snack to boost your energy, we love the oat boost bars – especially the Cherry Bakewell and Lemon Blueberry flavours! Made with chicory root fibre serving as a natural sweetener, these oat boost bars have 60% less sugar than the average cereal bar, making them the healthier choice for a little pick-me-up.
Nakd
Similar to Graze, Nakd’s raw bars are made with 100% natural ingredients. These raw fruit and nut bars are cold pressed, not heated, to preserve all the nutritional properties of each ingredient. We highly recommend the Blueberry Muffin flavour for a sweet cake-y taste, and the Cocoa Orange flavour if you’re in need of a chocolate hit! Because the bars are pressed and don’t contain any syrup to bind them together, you don’t have to worry about them becoming a sticky, melted mess in your backpack while you hike. With such an expansive array of flavours, you’re bound to find a bar you like – you can always do as we did and sample them all (purely in the name of research…)
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Trail mix
A fantastic energy booster, and a snack that can be easily customised for your taste! Trail mix is a selection of nuts, seeds and dried fruit that makes a good hiking snack when eaten in moderation. While there are thousands of pre-made trail mix options out there, you could easily put together your own mix using the ingredients you like! We love to mix cashews with raisins or sultanas as a base, then add an array of seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, and sometimes goji berries or dark chocolate chips for a different flavour combination. Once we’ve combined all the ingredients, we use our Stasher snack bag to carry our trail mix – a soft, food-grade silicone pouch with a unique pinch-loc seal to keep the food inside fresh and contained, without the need for a bulky Tupperware container! Remember if you are going to whip up your own mix, make sure any nuts you choose are unsalted so your snack doesn’t make you too thirsty on your hike.
Nature Valley
We’ve tried a few different bars by Nature Valley, though when we hiked Hadrian’s Wall we became OBSESSED with their Crunchy Canadian Maple Syrup flavour. This is definitely the sweetest-tasting item on our list, but they are an incredible instant sugar hit that will help perk you up if you’re struggling on a hike. Essentially made from rolled oats and maple syrup pressed together, this bar also has added honey – if you’re not a sweet-tooth it may be too much sugar for you – but we love the syrup-y taste and crunchy oats. Surprisingly they don’t feel sticky to touch, so you won’t need to worry about washing sticky hands after eating them. Nature Valley also have protein bars and nut butter biscuits, so you can always find a bar that suits your taste!
Science in Sport energy gels
While this might not be a conventional ‘snack’, Chris swears by these Science in Sport gels for a good carb-delivering energy hit when we start feeling leggy on a long hike. They’re not the most exciting food to consume on a trail, but this pack comes in a variety of flavours that actually taste good so you can choose what you’re in the mood for – whether that’s apple, orange, tropical, or any of the other yummy flavours. The gels don’t require any preparation as they are designed to be consumed straight from the sachet, making them an easy-to-grab hiking snack when you need a boost. You also don’t need to dilute them with water, so you won’t deplete your water supply! The sachets are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand so they won’t take up much space in your bag, and they can be stashed in a pocket for quick access. If you haven’t tried energy gels before, these are the ones you’ll want to start with.
Points to consider
There are SO many amazing hiking snacks out there, and we hope we’ve given you some shopping inspiration for your next big hike. We also have a few more faves for shorter hikes – NutriGrain bars in Strawberry or Blueberry, GoAhead Fruit Slices, and our homemade cacao, oat and goji berry energy balls usually make the cut for a short day hike. The reason we wouldn’t necessarily recommend them for a longer route is due to their higher sugar content – you don’t want to experience an energy spike and then crash after eating lots of sugary snacks. Our main list of top picks are our go-to items because they are good for you, and taste good too! No matter what snacks you take with you, if you are planning a long or multi-day hike it’s important to consider:
- Is it an easily portable shape?
- Is it heavy to carry?
- Is it complicated to prepare – will you need to take additional equipment?
- Will it get broken or squashed, or go off? I.e. Will it last the trip?
- Is it a good source of energy?
- Is it a food / item you normally enjoy in your day-to-day life?
By considering these elements you can save yourself a lot of time on your hike, and a lot of weight off your shoulders!
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