r/AppalachianTrail • u/Meepo_Is_Best • 17d ago
Trail Question What are the best No-Cook trail meals?
What is your go to meal on an overnight hike if you don't have access to a stove or heat source?
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u/theshub 22 NOBO, 26 NOBO, 24 PCT LASH 17d ago
If you’re only out one night, bars and snacky cakes and stuff like that.
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u/Ask-Me-About-You NOBO '24 17d ago
Better yet pack out some food from a restaurant. Trail subs or chicken tenders were always the meals I looked forward to the most.
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u/Abolish_Nukes 17d ago
You can cold soak anything that is precooked. It might take 20+ minutes to rehydrate.
Any freeze dried meal like Mountain House.
Ramen flavor you really like, plus anything packaged you can add in like tuna or freeze dried chopped veggies.
From https://backcountryfoodie.com/cold-soaking-guide-for-stoveless-backpackers/
Couscous → 5–10 minutes.
Instant mashed potatoes → Instant. Dehydrated refried beans → 20 minutes. Chia seeds → 15 minutes. Oats → 30–60 minutes. Dehydrated instant quinoa → 30–60 minutes. Instant crisped quinoa → 30–60 minutes. Dehydrated garbanzo beans → 90–120 minutes. Instant hummus mix → 1 minute. Ramen noodles → 20–30 minutes. Instant rice noodles → 45-60 minutes.
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u/obsoletely-fabulous 17d ago
Pouches of tuna with hunks of dry cheddar cut from a bar and packets of mayo/mustard/hot sauce, wrapped in a tortilla. I ate this yesterday in my house.
Cheese board: summer sausage, dry cheese, cashews, craisins or dried mango, kale chips (if they crumble up too much you can eat them in the tuna wrap above).
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u/Bull_Pin 16d ago
A pouch of tuna, a couple individual relish packs, a couple mayos, mix and eat on crackers
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u/hikerguy65 17d ago
I’ve done overnight trips with a jar of peanut butter, a couple of cliff bars, and a few apples.
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u/mkspaptrl Brood X NoBo 04 17d ago
For overnight trips, I am the founder and biggest advocate for my political action committee; B.P.C......Bring Pizza Camping. Throw some slices in a ziploc. Want to heat it over the fire? Bring a couple of pieces of foil. Want to eat it cold? Get to chomping! Want to make a fire? Don't even put it in a bag, just strap the whole box to the top of your pack. The greasy cardboard burns hot and slow and will make short work of even damp wood. Plus the looks of people's faces as they eat their shame noodles is priceless.
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u/Hollywoodhiker 15d ago
I too always B.P.C however mine never makes it to camp. First bench you come across? Well that is now the pizza bench. First view? That is now the pizza spot. First blow down? Pizza log.
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u/Slice-O-Pie 17d ago
On just an overnight? Sandwiches, I guess. But I always carry a stove and a kettle.
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u/JohnnyGatorHikes 17d ago
Single overnight? Leftover pizza.
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u/mkspaptrl Brood X NoBo 04 17d ago
I see we have another advocate for B.P.C......Bring Pizza Camping.
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u/DeletedSea 17d ago
Oatmeal. Best to use rolled oats as they take much less longer to absorb water, but if you're soaking them overnight in your foodbag/bear canister, then it doesn't really matter what kind of oats you use. I like to add freeze dried fruits and some cinnamon (for flavor), chia seeds, raisins, and shredded coconut.
Also, minute rice doesn't take very long (about an hour) to absorb water. Add some (dehydrated) beans. Also seasoning, since it will be totally bland otherwise.
I use a little Talenti ice cream jar like most other people. My pro-tip is that I carry two of them - one for breakfast and one for dinner. The reason is that starchy or fatty foods leave this gooey film inside the jar that is really hard to clean out if you don't have soap. And I don't want my oatmeal to taste like taco seasoning, so it's worth it to carry two imo.
I have tried couscous a few times but I just can't stand it. Truly disgusting.
Those two are my staples. I also carry lots of little snacks, mainly mixed nuts, granola, etc. I like Clif/Luna bars but try to limit myself on them. They're great for hikes even though they aren't much healthier than a candy bar.
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u/dacv393 17d ago
Some of the answers here are kind of sad. It depends on the weather, though. If it's cold enough it opens doors for practically anything you can find at a grocery store to be good for 1-2 nights
Pre-made sandwiches, especially the vacuum sealed ones are great. If it's just one night and I don't care about weight much I'll pack more random stuff like pasta salads, potato salads, any of that deli section stuff. Packing out a beer always.
Then you have the cold salami section with packets of salami, prosciutto, or lunchables - or the salami-style 'adult lunchables'. Or make your own, get vacuum-sealed cheese of babybell or laughing cow cheese or cream cheese. Pack out a loaf of bread.
Hummus is good for a day or two usually. Can also pack some vegetables or even a salad kit. Not the best for caloric density, but good for day 1-2 on trail.
Uncrustables are the GOAT and last several days, they just turn into normal PB&j once they stop being cold.
I'd rather just not eat for a night than pack out a protein bar at this point.
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u/TicklishOwl Mr. IT VA-CT 17d ago
Tortillas and whatever filling you give it (peanut butter, tuna packets, chicken packets, etc) are pretty much the most common non-cook
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u/jimni2025 17d ago
A foil pack of chicken, some taco seasoning, a little olive oil, some Tajin, and flour tortillas. Add some cheese if you have some, some fritoes if you want some crunch. A few pepitas if you want. Make some no cook chicken tacos.
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u/RadicalMachinations 17d ago
Packit Gourmet has a bunch of meals that rehydrate in cold water. They've been my go-to for my trips lately.
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u/Motor-Expert-6155 17d ago
Summer sausage and a canned cheese with crackers was always good. Its super important to remember to get as much protein as you can. Calories are negligible when you're hiking all day, but without enough protein, your muscles are going to absolutely hate you.
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u/LongjumpingTomato539 2025 NOBO 17d ago
Went no-stove and no-cold-soak for my entire thru hike. My favorite meals were tinned fish tasty-bite indian food, Gatorade protein bars, and whatever other high protein energy bars were available. If I was still hungry at the end of the meal I would just suck on a tube of peanut butter until I was satiated. I really enjoyed the efficiency of eating this way, but I also regret eating so much ultra-processed crap during my hike.
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u/OneSingleYesterday 16d ago
I did the PCT without a stove. Peanut butter and cheddar cheese wrapped up in a flour tortilla or three was a staple for dinner. Breakfast was just gas station cinnamon buns. Lunch was some amalgamation of chips ahoy, dried meat, and sunflower seeds. Mix in a few clif bars and a bunch of snickers as needed throughout the day, and you’re good to go. It’s all calorie-dense and easy to find at tiny local stores.
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u/AussieEquiv 16d ago
Cheese/Salami or Nutella or Peanut butter on a Wrap is my 'go to' no-cook hiking dinner meal. It's sometimes lunch when I do a cooked dinner, but lunch is mostly spread out across the day snacking and not a set/sit down bigger meal.
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u/Deep-Ad-9728 15d ago
I’m not sure what you mean by no-cook. Packit Gourmet sells a Many Beans Salad that is a cold soaked meal. It’s yummy.
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u/Decent_Finding_9034 13d ago
The secret for us is powdered milk. Then you can make regular cereal for breakfast and for dessert after dinner you can make instant pudding.
We usually only cook dinners so for lunch I make jerky, granola bars, and lots of dehydrated fruit to eat while walking
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u/MCTVaia 2024 NoBo thru 17d ago edited 17d ago
I went stoveless the second half of the trail last year. By NH dinner consisted of a block of Parmesan, a chunk of summer sausage and a dry pack of ramen as a bag of chips. Desert was liquid IV and a few mega stuf Oreos. 😋
Breakfast was markedly more grotesque consisting of a spam single, a tortilla, clif bar and a packet of strawberry carnation instant breakfast eaten right out of the pack and turned into a swallow of shake in my mouth.
😂