Food for Hikers: Trail Snacks
"Food good," right? Seriously, there's almost nothing a good hiking snack can't do. The right food fuels you through challenging hikes, de-grumps hiking buddies, cheers up tired kids (and adults), motivates you to keep moving through that sudden downpour, and calms you down if you think you might be lost. (Here's what you should know if you really do get lost.)
The longer the trail, the better whatever food you're carrying will taste. But still, we all have our standards. Here are mine:
Of course, everybody's tastes are different -- so I've recruited a panel of testers to try hiking snacks and share their opinions. (I'll weigh in too.) Snacks are listed from highest to lowest overall ratings, but keep in mind -- few things are more subjective than a taste test! So don't be afraid to try some of the trailing snacks if they look good to you.
Tops for taste -- everybody loved them! -- but watch out, the chocolate coating melts like nobody's business in hot temperatures. If you're going to carry them, tuck them safely in your pack where your body heat won't accelerate the melt.
Tester Comments:
The Man in a Kilt: "Delicious. Maybe not a trail snack, but definitely something to take and enjoy at the end of a hike."
The Irish Dancer: "Excellent! Except I wouldn't normally take anything chocolate hiking for the tendency to melt."
The Balloon Twister: "It wasn’t that sweet, which was nice. I could definitely eat more than one of these things... It was just sweet enough to satisfy a sugar craving."
Me: These are my absolute most favorite trail snack in the whole wide world. I just wanted to see the others agree with me! They're totally right about the meltiness, though -- it's a definite downside.More »
Yum! Apparently everybody loves Larabars too. The Uber Bars' taste was a real hit, but their stickiness was not. My solution is to either lick my fingers or use a bandana -- my favorite all-purpose tool ever -- as a napkin.
Tester Comments:
The Man in a Kilt: "Frankly, I've never had a bad experience with Lara Bar. This was delicious, and tasted like cherry cobbler. Didn't taste sugary at all, and had a good overall consistency."
The Irish Dancer: "Though delicious, I wouldn't take hiking as it's really sticky."
The Balloon Twister: "The Larabar was okay, texture-wise. Maybe I would like a different flavor a bit better, but it wasn’t a favorite of mine. (It might have been because of the raisins in it – ick). Take out the raisins and I’d probably like it."
Me: They're absolutely right about the stickiness, of course -- but, being uncouth, that doesn't bother me much.More »
Almost everybody loved the taste of these fruit leather strips (although opinions about the best flavors varied a lot). The texture was a near-unanimous hit as well. I find these to be almost too sticky -- stickier than the Larabar Uber Bars -- but apparently I'm the only one.
Tester Comments:
The Irish Dancer: "Love them! I take these everywhere."
The Balloon Twister: "Those were Twister Jr.'s “Yummy!”... I liked them because they weren’t overly sweet, like most fruit leather seems to be. Also, they didn’t stick to my fillings, but weren’t overly tough. Mr. Twister said they had a nice flavor and tasted like homemade fruit leather, which he liked."
The Man in a Kilt: "Not bad tasting, kind of dry and chewy. Might taste better after being carried in my pocket all day, and being warmed by body heat. Not sugary, but had a pleasant fruit taste."
Me: I'm all about texture, and these were a mixed bag. Some were kind of dry as The Man in a Kilt says, but others were nice and soft (which I love). No rhyme or reason to that. I'm also surprised nobody mentioned the stickiness -- I find these to be stickier than the Larabar Uber Bars!More »
All the testers received these, but somehow they managed to fly under the radar for most. Huh -- weird. The general consensus of those that did respond is that they're tasty enough (sort of a mild grape) and have great texture, but don't stand out much either way, flavor-wise.
Tester Comments:
The Balloon Twister: "Not too sweet, but they didn’t really have much flavor. Twister Jr. said they tasted like grape gummies, but Mr. Twister and I didn’t get much grape flavor."
Me: I liked them -- their flavor is very understated, sort of like a mildly tangy grape. I'm all about texture, so I appreciated that they were firm without being "plasticky." The texture's even better when frozen, so I'd carry these for a winter hike.More »
These are actually marketed for kids, but I've had them before and liked them well enough to include them in the test. They were a total hit with our kid tester, but drew some mixed feelings from the adults. (Psst! Want to take your kids hiking? Here are some tips.)
Tester Comments:
The Balloon Twister: "Strawberry was Twister Jr.'s favorite. I liked them because they weren’t overly sweet and didn’t stick to my fillings."
The Man in a Kilt: "Tasted sugary, like eating a scaled-up version of fruit rollups or gummy fruit snacks. Bonus points for not having extra sugar added, but I wouldn't choose this for my kids."
The Irish Dancer: "Strawberry was the only edible one, I couldn't even finish the bite of grape. They are fake fruit tasting...which is very odd."
Me: I don't find them to be overly sweet, but they're so small that they're gone in a heartbeat. I'd like them more if there were several to a package.More »
These snack bars are made of dog-safe ingredients, so they're meant to be shared (or at least shareable) with your four-legged hiking buddies. But hey, you can eat them just for yourself too -- we won't tell!
Testing for these is currently underway... I'll let you know what the two- and four-legged testers have to say as soon as they get back to me. For now, I've tried one of the bars, and my first impression is that they're pretty tasty.More »
The longer the trail, the better whatever food you're carrying will taste. But still, we all have our standards. Here are mine:
- All-natural ingredients
- Minimal, collapsible packaging (no rigid plastic trays, etc.)
- Must not require extensive cleanup
- Must still taste good if squished
Of course, everybody's tastes are different -- so I've recruited a panel of testers to try hiking snacks and share their opinions. (I'll weigh in too.) Snacks are listed from highest to lowest overall ratings, but keep in mind -- few things are more subjective than a taste test! So don't be afraid to try some of the trailing snacks if they look good to you.
1. Sunspire Coconut Almond Bars
Tops for taste -- everybody loved them! -- but watch out, the chocolate coating melts like nobody's business in hot temperatures. If you're going to carry them, tuck them safely in your pack where your body heat won't accelerate the melt.
Tester Comments:
The Man in a Kilt: "Delicious. Maybe not a trail snack, but definitely something to take and enjoy at the end of a hike."
The Irish Dancer: "Excellent! Except I wouldn't normally take anything chocolate hiking for the tendency to melt."
The Balloon Twister: "It wasn’t that sweet, which was nice. I could definitely eat more than one of these things... It was just sweet enough to satisfy a sugar craving."
Me: These are my absolute most favorite trail snack in the whole wide world. I just wanted to see the others agree with me! They're totally right about the meltiness, though -- it's a definite downside.More »
2. Larabar Uber Bars -- Cherry Cobbler
Yum! Apparently everybody loves Larabars too. The Uber Bars' taste was a real hit, but their stickiness was not. My solution is to either lick my fingers or use a bandana -- my favorite all-purpose tool ever -- as a napkin.
Tester Comments:
The Man in a Kilt: "Frankly, I've never had a bad experience with Lara Bar. This was delicious, and tasted like cherry cobbler. Didn't taste sugary at all, and had a good overall consistency."
The Irish Dancer: "Though delicious, I wouldn't take hiking as it's really sticky."
The Balloon Twister: "The Larabar was okay, texture-wise. Maybe I would like a different flavor a bit better, but it wasn’t a favorite of mine. (It might have been because of the raisins in it – ick). Take out the raisins and I’d probably like it."
Me: They're absolutely right about the stickiness, of course -- but, being uncouth, that doesn't bother me much.More »
3. Stretch Island Fruit Co. Fruit Strips (Assorted Flavors)
Almost everybody loved the taste of these fruit leather strips (although opinions about the best flavors varied a lot). The texture was a near-unanimous hit as well. I find these to be almost too sticky -- stickier than the Larabar Uber Bars -- but apparently I'm the only one.
Tester Comments:
The Irish Dancer: "Love them! I take these everywhere."
The Balloon Twister: "Those were Twister Jr.'s “Yummy!”... I liked them because they weren’t overly sweet, like most fruit leather seems to be. Also, they didn’t stick to my fillings, but weren’t overly tough. Mr. Twister said they had a nice flavor and tasted like homemade fruit leather, which he liked."
The Man in a Kilt: "Not bad tasting, kind of dry and chewy. Might taste better after being carried in my pocket all day, and being warmed by body heat. Not sugary, but had a pleasant fruit taste."
Me: I'm all about texture, and these were a mixed bag. Some were kind of dry as The Man in a Kilt says, but others were nice and soft (which I love). No rhyme or reason to that. I'm also surprised nobody mentioned the stickiness -- I find these to be stickier than the Larabar Uber Bars!More »
4. Superberries Arionaberry Gummy Chews
All the testers received these, but somehow they managed to fly under the radar for most. Huh -- weird. The general consensus of those that did respond is that they're tasty enough (sort of a mild grape) and have great texture, but don't stand out much either way, flavor-wise.
Tester Comments:
The Balloon Twister: "Not too sweet, but they didn’t really have much flavor. Twister Jr. said they tasted like grape gummies, but Mr. Twister and I didn’t get much grape flavor."
Me: I liked them -- their flavor is very understated, sort of like a mildly tangy grape. I'm all about texture, so I appreciated that they were firm without being "plasticky." The texture's even better when frozen, so I'd carry these for a winter hike.More »
5. Clif Z-Fruit Ropes (Assorted Flavors)
These are actually marketed for kids, but I've had them before and liked them well enough to include them in the test. They were a total hit with our kid tester, but drew some mixed feelings from the adults. (Psst! Want to take your kids hiking? Here are some tips.)
Tester Comments:
The Balloon Twister: "Strawberry was Twister Jr.'s favorite. I liked them because they weren’t overly sweet and didn’t stick to my fillings."
The Man in a Kilt: "Tasted sugary, like eating a scaled-up version of fruit rollups or gummy fruit snacks. Bonus points for not having extra sugar added, but I wouldn't choose this for my kids."
The Irish Dancer: "Strawberry was the only edible one, I couldn't even finish the bite of grape. They are fake fruit tasting...which is very odd."
Me: I don't find them to be overly sweet, but they're so small that they're gone in a heartbeat. I'd like them more if there were several to a package.More »
6. Yaffbars
These snack bars are made of dog-safe ingredients, so they're meant to be shared (or at least shareable) with your four-legged hiking buddies. But hey, you can eat them just for yourself too -- we won't tell!
Testing for these is currently underway... I'll let you know what the two- and four-legged testers have to say as soon as they get back to me. For now, I've tried one of the bars, and my first impression is that they're pretty tasty.More »
Source...