Hiking is pretty much my favorite outdoor activity. Every summer/fall, my sister-in-law and I drive up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to go hike up a few of NH’s 4000-footers. We like to treat these trips as little de-stressing vacations as well, so usually we find a reasonable hotel and plan 2-3 days worth of hikes in the surrounding area. We also tend to grab a salad somewhere for dinner, so we really only need to pack food for the actual hiking portion of the trip.

Right off the bat, I want to note that none of these items are sponsored and that these are just the actual things I pack to eat while out hiking. I also want to note that in my daily life, I don’t tend to rely on so many packaged things (the instant coffee, keto bricks, bars, etc.), but it is pretty convenient when going on a hike to have such easily transportable things, especially over several days, since these things are all shelf-stable.

This isn’t going to be a typical “what I eat in a day” post, but I did actually post a “what I eat on a hike” article last year, so check that out if that’s what you came to see! Instead of that format, since I haven’t actually gone on this hike yet, I’m just going to write about what I’m packing, and why! If there’s enough interest, I’ll put together a “what I ate in a day” post for the hike, so there’s a comparison of what I packed vs. what I ate.

Again, this post is not sponsored, and these are just the things I actually like and am packing and will eat/drink! I’ve got a little mini breakdown below and then you can scroll down further to read more and see brands if you care beyond that!

What I’m packing for several days of hiking:

• Instant coffee
• Sliced vegetables
• Homemade trail mix (or just nuts, if I’m super lazy)
• Protein bars
• Keto Brick

Instant Coffee

So, this isn’t for the actual hiking itself, but more for the morning. On these multi-day hikes, I like to have some coffee in the morning of Day 2 & 3 (Day 1 starts at home, so it’s just business as usual there).

I’m lazy and like to make sure that I can have coffee with the least amount of effort possible. So, instead of bringing some grounds and an aeropress, I like to bring instant coffee. The ones I’ve really been digging lately are the mushroom latte and adaptogen coffee from Four Sigmatic (not sponsored, but there is a discount code for you guys – save 10% with code HealthyLiz).

Of course, this is just my preference. I’m honestly not sure if the adaptogens and mushrooms really do that much for me, hiking-wise. But, I enjoy this little treat. For a creamer, I bring my go-to MCT powder from Perfect Keto, because if ever there’s a day for some extra energy in my morning coffee, it’s before 8-12 hours of hiking up a mountain.

Again, not sponsored, but I have a code for 15% off anything from Perfect Keto: MeatFreeKeto15. 

Cucumber Slices, Carrot Sticks & Celery Sticks

Gotta get those veggies in! Since salads aren’t conducive to being on the side of a mountain, I tend to pack little tupperware containers of cucumber slices, celery and carrot sticks with me. Yes, carrots are a bit higher in sugars than other vegetables, but during an all-day, fairly strenuous activity like hiking, I can afford the extra carbs. 🙂

I usually just pack whichever of these I have on hand. Right now, that happens to be celery (from my garden!! :D) and carrots. I usually pack around 100g of each per day.

Homemade Trail Mix

My go-to recipe is the one that’s in my cookbook, but I often mix it up with different types of nuts, seeds and dehydrated fruit. The great thing about making your own trail mix is that you can really customize it to be exactly what you want, flavor-wise. Some of my favorite things to toss into a trail mix are:

• pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• shelled sunflower seeds
• walnuts
• pecans
• dried coconut
• cacao nibs
• dehydrated strawberries
• dehydrated raspberries
• cinnamon and other spices
• himalayan or celtic sea salt

I usually roast the nuts or seeds lightly if I’m going to add in some cinnamon and/or other spices so that they stick better, as oils are released to the surface when roasting.

Protein Bars

This is a tricky one, since I not only have Celiac and am vegan….but I also can’t eat almonds anymore (randomly developed an allergy to them a few years back). And almonds are in EVERYTHING keto-related. It’s kind of a problem.

Anyway, this pretty severely limits the protein bars I can actually bring with me, so I tend to stick to my two favorites:  Raw Rev Glo Bars and Pegan Bars. Both have solid macros and neither kicks me out of ketosis, especially while working out a lot.

Keto Brick

When I first saw keto bricks (on instagram, I think), I figured it just wasn’t for me. It’s basically a giant fat bomb, boasting 1,000 calories, and despite years of understanding that calories are just a way to measure fuel and our body needs them, part of my brain is still like, “yeah, but does it need 1000 of them???” Spoiler: yes.

Anyway, I impulse bought some a while ago because I’m down to try any new keto treat, and quickly realized that these are the perfect hiking food. Each bar boasts 31g of protein with just 4g of net carbs and 90g of fat. They contain cacao butter, pea and rice proteins, flax seeds, MCT powder, sacha inchi seeds,  and then flavor enhancers like cacao nibs, espresso beans and cinnamon (depending on the flavor you get). They’re sweetened with monkfruit, so you don’t have that weird stevia taste or any of the digestive discomforts of sugar alcohols.

They’re also pretty darn tasty, and provide a solid amount of calories. Of course, you don’t have to eat the whole thing at once. I usually nibble on them like some sort of rodent throughout the day. If you’re interested, their website has a lot more info!

Note: I buy the “2 week supply,” so the bars are $6 each. I priced it out, and it was cheaper for me to buy these than to make them. Again, not a daily snack, but a really great hiking choice. Also, there is a bacon flavor, and this is obviously not vegan, but the other flavors are!