Survival foods are not just about canned goods and ready-to-eat meals. You should also consider survival snacks that you can munch on while on the go. When out on a backpacking trip, survival food items that can be consumed as snacks will help sustain you while hiking.
These survival snacks need to be portable and lightweight so you can pack as much as you need in the limited space of your backpack. It’s a good idea to bring more than you think you’ll need to help ensure survival in case you get lost or stranded.
Another thing, you want survival snacks that are easy to handle and not that messy to eat. They should require complicated preparations like you normally do with MREs and canned foods.
These survival foods are also rich in the necessary nutrients that you need to stay nourished during the course of your outdoor adventure. Obviously, you need a boost of energy to perform physical activities so you better have enough healthy food in your backpack before heading out.
Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars
Granola is one of the healthiest breakfasts around. It’s made of a combination of toasted oats, nuts, puffed rice, dried fruit, seeds, spices, nut butter, chocolates, or other grains. You can add some kind of sweetener like sugar though honey is the healthier option.
If you want to enjoy this while on the trail, you can pack granola bars instead. The Nature Valley crunchy Granola Bars come in a variety of flavors including Roasted Almond, Peanut Butter, Apple Crisp, and Oats ‘N Honey.
The Oats ‘N Honey granola bar is made with real honey and 100% natural whole-grain oats. You won’t find any artificial flavors, artificial colors, gelatin, or high fructose corn syrup in it. Each pouch containing 2 bars weighs only 42 grams. You can pack as many of these healthy, survival snacks as you wish.
Nutrient Survival Honey Granola Bars 10 Serving #10 Can
Nutrient Survival takes pride in producing the “most nutrient-dense survival food.” It’s no wonder since their Honey Granola Bars are packed with 14 vitamins, 14 minerals, 12 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and 376 mg of omega-3. These gluten-free survival snacks are available in a can with 10 bars. All in all, one can of 10 servings provides a total of 2,200 calories. Furthermore, the granola bars don’t have any artificial ingredients, artificial flavors, or preservatives.
The Honey Granola Bars can last for only 18 months since they are only partially dehydrated. That’s not really ideal if you also plan on stockpiling your emergency food supply. However, that should be enough for a few days or even months of backpacking.
PROBAR Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Meal Bar
Energy bars rank high on any survival foods list because they are compact, light, and offer great nutritional value for their size. ProBar Meal Bars are known for their highly nutritious energy bars that are made with plant-based ingredients and free of animal derivatives. These healthy survival snacks are packed with 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber courtesy of chia and flax seeds. The GMO-free, gluten-free, and soy-free energy bars boast of having 390 calories, which is an impressive caloric density or something of its size. The ProBar Meal Bar is also 70% to 90% organic. The organic oats and nuts make this survival snack an even safer way of staying nourished while outdoors.
Nutrient Survival Chocolate Chip Cookie 15 Serving #10 Can
When you talk of snacks, cookies often come to mind. However, most commercially produced chocolate chip cookies are filled with sugar and preservatives. While sugar will give you some health benefits, consuming too much is not recommended. Preservatives, meanwhile, are just plain bad news.
Fortunately, there are healthier versions of your favorite chocolate chip cookie. Nutrient Survival offers such cookies filled with the “Big 5” nutrients, particularly, vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, protein, and fiber. Each #10 can contains 15 servings or 30 cookies, which provides a total of 3,300 calories. Amazingly, something this healthy still does wonders for your taste buds.
The gluten-free survival foods come with an 18-month shelf life. It does not last as long as you’d want for your emergency food supply but it’s perfect for backpacking.
Nutrient Survival Chocolate Grain Crunch 12 Serving #10 Can
Like all Nutrient Survival products, the Chocolate Grain Crunch is packed with health benefits. This breakfast cereal, which doubles as a survival snack, contains vitamins, minerals, protein, omega-3s, and fiber. It has none of the bad stuff, particularly, gluten, preservatives, artificial ingredients, and flavors. The crunchy snack has a bit of sugar (only 5 grams) for taste.
The Chocolate Grain Crunch also comes in a can. You can bring the whole can if you wish since it can be used for other purposes. Otherwise, just pack the snacks in a Ziploc bag to save space. Each can comes with 12 servings and a total of 3,000 calories. It has a 25-year shelf life, which makes it a good survival snack to have in your prepper pantry.
HERSHEY’S Special Dark Extra Large Chocolate Candy Bars
Some people see chocolate as more of a luxury than survival food. Well, there is some truth to it. When faced with a crisis like a broken heart, some turn to chocolate to lift their mood. Others consider it a reward for hitting the gym or accomplishing a certain feat. For such a reason, you can munch on chocolate as a reward for a day of backpacking.
More importantly, chocolate is a great survival food since it contains lots of calories along with protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Dark chocolate, in particular, is a lot healthier than other kinds of chocolate because of its high antioxidant content.
Bring something like Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Bar on your backpacking trip. Freeze the bar the night before then keep it in a Ziploc bag. Place it somewhere in the center of your bag so it won’t melt under the heat.
The mildly sweet backpacking snack contains 45% cacao. It’s divided into blocks that you can easily snap off for a quick snack. You get 180 calories from eating 5 blocks of the 4.25-ounce dark chocolate bar.
Jack Link’s Original Premium Cuts Beef Steak
Fresh meat is not one of the most ideal survival foods for backpackers. It’s okay if you’re camping for a day or two as long as you keep the meat in a cooler. But if you’re backpacking for a few days, fresh meat will likely go bad. Plus, it’s heavy and difficult to pack inside your bag.
Jerky is the perfect alternative for meat-loving backpackers. Jack Link’s is a popular name in the industry. They have a variety of dried meat you can choose from. Their Original Premium Cuts Beef Steak is made with 100% premium beef marinated in a special blend of herbs and spices and then slow-smoked over hardwoods.
Each serving of this flavorful survival snack contains 11 grams of protein. The slow-cooked and seasoned Original Beef Steak jerky comes in individual pouches that make it easier to grab a snack while on the go.
Mountain House Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich
It’s annoying how ice cream almost always melts too fast. You can’t enjoy it at all if you have to eat it right away before it turns into a gooey mess. Makes you think ice cream is not the ideal survival snack to bring to your backpacking trip. Well, that’s what you think.
There is such a thing as freeze-dried ice cream. If you’re familiar with survival foods, you know that this kind of ice cream is no ordinary ice cream. It has gone through the freeze-drying process, which will keep it from melting at room temperature.
The Mountain House Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich is an example of dehydrated ice cream. It’s like a regular ice cream sandwich but you don’t have to eat it quickly or keep it in a cooler. It’s not up there with the rest in terms of nutritiousness but it definitely gives you a refreshing breather after a day of hiking under the sun.
Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps
Fresh fruits are the healthiest snacks around. If you’re okay with carrying them during your outdoor adventure then go ahead by all means. Some backpackers, however, prefer not to take heavy stuff with them. One alternative is to snack on dried fruits instead. Since these survival foods are dehydrated, they’re smaller and lighter. They also have a longer shelf life compared to fresh produce.
The Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps lets you enjoy the healthy goodness of your favorite fruits while you’re out backpacking or traveling. They are made from 100% real and all-natural sliced fruits that have been freeze-dried to retain their nutrients and then sealed in a convenient pack. There is no heating, artificial flavors, preservatives, or any other chemical involved.
PROBAR Berry Blast Bolt Organic Energy Chews
Another way to enjoy the sweet flavors of fruits while backpacking is to snack on some organic chewable. The Berry Blast Bolt Organic Energy Chews from PROBAR provide you with the energy to continue on with your backpacking exploit. The energy chews are made from a blend of acai, pomegranate, and blueberries that is infused with vitamins B and C, electrolytes, and 20mg of caffeine from Yerba Mate for that extra bolt of energy.
x4 Genuine German Army Survival Food Pack Outdoor Hardtack Biscuits
Back when the country was in the midst of the Civil War, the poor soldiers survived on hardtack. Hardtack is a biscuit made mainly from flour, water, and salt. It became a staple then because it could be mass-produced and had a longer shelf life than regular bread. Hardtack biscuits were also cheap, lightweight, and contained protein, vitamins, and calories.
Hardtack crackers are still available today. In fact, you can still find these ‘Panzerplatten’ Crackers in German military rations. This version has been slightly modified to include sugar, partially hydrogenated sunflower fat, glucose, and raising agents. The genuine German Armed Forces hard biscuits come in a pack of 4 weighing a total of 125 grams.
Survival foods are not just for survival situations or emergency food supplies. You can also take them with you while out backpacking, camping, hiking, or traveling. Survival snacks need to be lightweight and portable so they are easier to pack in your backpack.
Let’s not put a limit on them, however. These highly nutritious survival food items can also be enjoyed anytime and anywhere you are. You can pack a few of these snacks in your purse, briefcase, backpack, or any everyday carry kit so you can deal with mini hunger pangs whenever they strike. You should also store some survival snacks in your car, bug out bag, and get home bag.
For those who love snacking while reading books or watching movies at home, survival snacks are perfect since they’re lighter than potato chips and other salty goodness. If you have survival favorites that you like munching on all day or night, you can serve them to your guests or give them away as gifts. Visit Gentleman Pirate Club to know more about survival foods and backpacking meals.
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