If there is some problem, have emergency food. Since one never knows if there will be a problem or not, always have something along for emergency food.

The emergency food is not snacks. It may be snacks, but I recommend doing better than that.

The emergency food is never eaten, unless at home and now replacing the emergency food. Well then, if there is an emergency and you have become hungry, go ahead.

The best emergency food is more than candy bars. There may be a snickers bar in there. And gorp is known to sustain many an adventure traveler. I know a hiker I think lives entirely on homemade gorp. He has fresh sunflower seeds, blanched almonds, bits of dried fruit. The recipe varies.

I need more than snacks and most people need more than snacks.

There is the frequent round of hard summer sausage, gouda cheese, BonBel cheese, individually wrapped string cheese, fancy snack crackers. These things always make me extra thirsty. However, these items are not too heavy or troublesome to bring along. How about deer sausage or buffalo jerky?

There is more one can do:

• Nutella or baba ganoush or hummus goes on fancy crackers.
• Bean dip goes on tortilla chips
• Individual serving packaged soups may be good hot or cold.
• Packaged semi-soft fruit may be welcome. I like dried cherries.
• Fig bars, raspberry bars, or sturdy oatmeal cookies
• condensed mincemeat

Is this filling for you?

What is your comfort food? Is this something reasonably convenient? Hot chocolate? Oyster stew? Clam chowder? There are individual packets of gourmet hot chocolate. There are delicious instant or ready to eat soups.

If you bring provision for having hot water, the entire world of backpacking food opens up. Having hot water, is not as difficult as it once was.

Have a look at the specialized backpacking stoves I list at Products gear

There is also innovative thinking for trailside cooking to be found at the Trail Cooking website. If you rather would use a different container, then do so. But you will not have look further than the food preparation and recipe ideas for freezer bag cooking, for eating well.

If you check out the specialized food products I have listed, you may be pleasantly surprised how many excellent backpacking food items are readily available.