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05/07/2018 12:32PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
What are your favorite travel day lunches? Do most people stick with the Cliff style bar or just snack on the go? Or do some people have good go to quick options that get them a nice meal?

Personally, I've done the cliff bar, as well as peanut butter sandwiches, turkey jerky, peanut m&m's and trail mix. Most of the time a combination of several. And for the peanut butter sandwiches, that's something my buddy does and is rather insistent on bringing a whole jar of peanut butter and a loaf or two of bread. It is bulky and adds weight but I have yet to offer an alternative that he would agree to. So that's why I'm fishing for ideas.
 
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05/07/2018 01:17PM  
GORP, beef stick or chicken packet, Ritz and mozzarella cheese sticks.
 
05/07/2018 02:04PM  
I just eat a ProBar for lunch and snack on some nuts while on the portage trails walking back for the second load.
 
andym
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05/07/2018 03:54PM  
Travel days tend to be cheese and bread. Sometimes hummus and bread. For hummus we use a powdered hummus and add water and spices.

And to be honest, there are a fair number of travel days where the real answer is trail mix and lunch gets eaten once we have a camp site. But it depends on who we are traveling with. Some folks need a real meal at the right time and we've learned the importance of that for them.
 
Northwoodsman
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05/07/2018 07:24PM  
Sausage and cheese. Sometimes with a bagel or a tortilla. It's not too difficult to find smaller sticks of quality shelf stable sausage. Personally I like the ones that Pack It Gourmet sells. I think they have a Venison, an Elk, a Wild Boar and possibly another one. They also have 1 and 2 oz. packages of shelf stable cheese. Boars Head also has a selection of shelf stable sausages.

Chicken or tuna in a pouch. I found most of the chicken is on the salty side however. Grab some little packs of mayo and bring some tortilla wraps.

Pack It Gourmet also has some no-cook options where you can add cool water and hydrate. Their Cajun Chicken Salad was tasty. For these I would add water 20 - 30 minutes before you are going to eat them and let them hydrate while you paddle or portage.
 
Twins87
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05/08/2018 01:07PM  
We have easy to eat lunches ready for every day ... slightly more involved if it's a daytrip and we might actually stop somewhere to eat it than if it's a travel day.

Hubby can paddle and portage all day without much food. I have discovered I need the calories for energy. So we've landed on having food that's easy to eat in the canoe. I have eaten while paddling when we were working to get across big water before a storm hit. Eating a clif bar with no hands is a fun challenge with bad weather behind you ;-)

We do a combo of meat and cheese sticks, baby bels, clif bars, trail mix, apples (one of the few fresh foods I still insist on portaging in) for on the water or trail.

We add in summer sausage, pepperoni, cheese that needs cutting, tortillas, crackers, chicken or tuna packets, mayo & mustard packets if we're day tripping and plan to stop somewhere for lunch.

We used to bring bagels and cream cheese but last year we skipped the bagels. I missed them less than I thought I would. peanut butter, jelly, cream cheese, honey are all options to go on the tortillas and that worked fine for us last year. We're working hard to get our food pack lighter and smaller.
 
landoftheskytintedwater
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05/09/2018 04:10PM  
Homemade granola bars, dried mango and apricots. On group trips, sometimes hard cheese, pita, summer sausage as well.
 
whitepine27
  
05/09/2018 08:51PM  
I really like a meal of rye crisps/wasa crackers, cheddar cheese, shelf stable summer sausage, peanut butter, and gorp. Having crackers with cheese, sausage, and peanut butter may not sound appetizing, but is actually quite tasty and is perfect for a day of paddling.
 
05/10/2018 10:12AM  
Travel day lunches are usually given out before departing, people can snack on them as desired. Typically it includes some variation of trail mix, jerky, dried fruit, granola, and a cheese stick.
 
05/10/2018 10:33AM  
We usually had a big breakfast, and then lunch was crackers with our favorite toppings. Summer sausage, cheese, peanut/almond/cashew butter, jam (packets that I got from Packit Gourmet), and often some dried fruit as well. With Spartan1's type1 diabetes, skipping meals wasn't really an option, and a good mix of carbs, protein, and fiber usually was necessary to keep him on an even keel. We found crackers that we liked that traveled well in their boxes, and the lunch packet would just be on the top of the pack so we could easily pull it out when we stopped along our journey, or when we arrived at our campsite. If we had worked very hard, I would add Kool-aid or Lemonade mix to our (filtered) water to go along with lunch. We don't use artificial sweeteners.

 
icefishbaby
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05/10/2018 02:36PM  
Soft shells tortillas with pb and j. Travel easy and ready when you need them.
 
Chicagored
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05/10/2018 09:13PM  
For years I would either have pb and J on a taco or sausage and cheese. Lately I have been using a stanley insulated thermos. I fill it with boiling water at breakfast. Then around ten thirty or eleven I will add some dehydrated thing or noodles, and have a nice lunch when I'm ready.

For the first day, however, traditionally its always bagels and cream cheese.

 
05/13/2018 08:02AM  
usually I snack on clif bars on the go....... sometimes I'll have a tuna pouch. They keep adding more and more flavors of tuna pouches.
 
05/13/2018 08:52PM  
I have 8 travel lunches packed for our upcoming trip! Our permit is THIS Thursday! Each lunch contains a 3.5 oz. pkg of jerky, 2 Nature Valley Granola bars, various favors, trail mix, fruit strips or a Lara bar and a homemade cookie for each of us. Sometimes those lunches get eaten while setting up the tent after a long day of portaging!
 
05/16/2018 08:08PM  
Hard Salami and Swiss
 
gymcoachdon
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05/17/2018 09:42PM  
Last year in Quetico, I had small baggies of trail mix portioned out for each day. These were eaten a handful at a time, whenever needed. (mostly on portages)
I also brought foil packs of Tuna salad, pre-mixed, and put it on a tortilla. I would pull over at an open spot and take the 5-10 minutes to make and eat those.
 
05/18/2018 01:19AM  
our mid point break when doing an 8+ hour trek , is cheese, sausage, crackers and a big delicious red or golden apple , really gets the juices flowing and ready for the final trek !!!
 
05/18/2018 01:23AM  
this thread, could actually go into the trip planning forum ,
 
goaljohnbill
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05/21/2018 11:28AM  
A1t2o: "And for the peanut butter sandwiches, that's something my buddy does and is rather insistent on bringing a whole jar of peanut butter and a loaf or two of bread. It is bulky and adds weight but I have yet to offer an alternative that he would agree to. So that's why I'm fishing for ideas."


I like to use the single peanut butter packs from jif especially on day trips, just take one or 2 per person.

Jif singles
 
Abbey
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05/22/2018 10:52PM  
Hard salami and hard cheese with wheat thins. Apple per person the first day. Later in the trip will have Laughing Cow wedges (shelf stable).

I like Wheat Thins repackaged in ziplocks. Shake them down and pack right, and there will be minimal breakage of the crackers. Kipper snacks are a treat, but messy.

Always finish with a fun size Snickers.
 
myceliaman
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05/23/2018 12:35PM  
Now I feel like a pig. We almost always get a pizza as we go to the outfitters. Let it cool , wrap in foil. Now I have thats a travel lunch!! It's what my grandparents did so I follow suit. Warning ?? the ride to the outfitters can be trying with a pizza. So id buy a slice for the ride..
 
Lotw
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05/23/2018 12:52PM  
no bread, tortillas are great. Justin's nut butter singles and jelly cups, packet tuna and mayo packets or meat and cheese are great.
 
sylvesterii
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06/04/2018 03:04PM  
icefishbaby: "Soft shells tortillas with pb and j. Travel easy and ready when you need them. "


This is my favorite too. The "restaurant" packs of PB and J are easy to work with even out on the water.
 
BuckFlicks
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06/11/2018 05:39PM  
goaljohnbill: "
A1t2o: "And for the peanut butter sandwiches, that's something my buddy does and is rather insistent on bringing a whole jar of peanut butter and a loaf or two of bread. It is bulky and adds weight but I have yet to offer an alternative that he would agree to. So that's why I'm fishing for ideas."



I like to use the single peanut butter packs from jif especially on day trips, just take one or 2 per person.


Jif singles "


I was going to suggest these too... they are perfectly sized, and can be spread around the pack to minimize the space taken up if that's a concern. Also, we go with bagels instead of bread. They don't get smooshed, and a bagel is significantly more calorie-dense than bread is so you can get more bang per bite, so you don't need two loaves of bread.

Some other lunch favorites have been to get some hard salami and pepper jack cheese from the deli, and shove those into pitas (again, don't get smooshed like bread, and take up less space) with a fast food mayo packet (Chik Fil A has the best mayo.) I wouldn't let those mayo packets sit longer than a day, maybe 2 if it's cool. I don't know how well they are protected in the packet but the zone is the zone.

Otherwise, I prefer to eat whatever is easy, with minimal fuss. Cliff bars and jerky with some trail mix thrown in. Best trail mix ingredient? Peanut Butter M&Ms.
 
CrookedPaddler1
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06/14/2018 10:03AM  
We do "Vehicles and Riders".
Vehicles being bread, crackers, granola bars
Riders being peanut butter, jelly, humus, summer sausage, cheese, etc.

Mix that with some gorp and plenty of fluids and you are good to go!
 
BuckFlicks
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06/26/2018 05:39PM  
Another of my favorites on easier trips is a can of smoked oysters and rosemary and olive oil triscuits. Only problem is all the dang oil in the smoked oyster can. This is probably not a good option in bear country. The oil is very fragrant.
 
07/23/2018 09:55AM  
I usually go with a tortilla, pb & j and a handful of granola to give it a little more substance. I usually just bring a squeeze bottle of jelly. I have had no issues with it keeping in moderate temps.
 
HammerII
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07/23/2018 03:13PM  
depends on the day
If its a ling day I might take a break and spent a hour or so n shore taking a break. If its a busy day its what I stuff into my pockets
On long days I might heat water for coffee and then make a quick soup, or if its a busy day I might do the crackers and cheese stuffed in a pocket, or grab a couple of left over corn cakes from breakfast.
Really its up to you and what you're looking at.
I've done ""lunch" in the sten seat of a canoe that was left over bannock from breakfast and a little cup of peanut butter.
 
07/24/2018 07:59PM  
Dry cured salami and Ritz Crackers. To us nothing is simpler or tastes better.
 
08/11/2018 11:11AM  
Dobl p0ost
 
08/11/2018 11:11AM  
PB&J on a flour tortilla is a staple with us.
Also, Pope's Nose (Any sausage like summer sausage) and cheese is a perennial favorite.
 
CampyMcCamperson
  
06/15/2019 04:17AM  
myceliaman: "Now I feel like a pig. We almost always get a pizza as we go to the outfitters. Let it cool , wrap in foil. Now I have thats a travel lunch!! It's what my grandparents did so I follow suit. Warning ?? the ride to the outfitters can be trying with a pizza. So id buy a slice for the ride.."


Genius!!!
 
straighthairedcurly
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06/15/2019 11:38AM  
Summer sausage
Cheese
Tortilla (or bannock bread made that morning or previous evening...store it in the baking pan)
Matt food (peanut butter premixed w/ honey, oats, powdered milk)
Dried mango
Chocolate or Bit 'o Honey

We keep packets of gorp handy if someone needs a bit more during the day.
 
06/16/2019 11:36AM  
Travel days is peanut butter and jelly sandwich or cliff bars lol... basically exactly what you don't want.

Other ideas... smoked fish and crackers, string cheese sticks, flat bread and peanut butter, premade pancakes and peanut butter.
 
SevenofNine
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06/21/2019 09:57AM  
When in Ely I hit the Subway there and order a foot long of my choice. Pop in the pack until I get hungry. I travel in the Fall and Spring so it's fairly cool out when I do this so I don't worry about the sandwich getting spoiled.

Otherwise I have found these kid style picnic lunches from Target that have cheese spread, salami, a trail mix and some small dessert. I remove them from their box and put in a Ziplock bag. These need supplementing so I have a bar of some kind if I need more food.
 
06/27/2019 04:41PM  
My group and I try to rotate around; PB & J one day, tuna fish sandwiches the next, cheese and crackers sometimes as well. But buy far, the travel day lunch that is the best is Tabbouleh. I put this recipe in the "Lunch" thread, but figured I would post it here too.

1 Pita Pocket per person (2 halves)
2 cups Bulghur Wheat
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup lemon juice (1 large lemon)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped parsley
1 large cucumber, unpeeled, diced
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon black pepper

For the best results, you will want to prep and create this after breakfast in the morning. After a few hours paddle, when lunch rolls around, all of the ingredients will have had the time to meld and taste perfect.

Place the Bulghur Wheat into a doubled up large Ziplock (gallon size) bag. Pour in the boiling water, add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30-minutes. Just enough time to wash breakfast dishes.

After the Bulghur Wheat has had time to soften and soak up most of the water, add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper; mix well. Let sit in your food bag or barrel until lunch time. Cut Pita bread in half and fill each half with a generous helping of Tabbouleh.
 
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