Stories of the trail…
The supermarket: a food source for multi-day hiking?
Prices quoted are Australian dollars.
Why did we assess supermarket food for bushwalking?
We were curious about whether packaged foods from supermarkets could offer a nutritious and cheaper alternative to the freeze dried and vacuum packaged foods offered in adventure equipment stores and to the noodles popular among bushwalkers.
The advantage of prepared, freeze dried bushwalking foods is their light weight and ease of rapid preparation. Some require nothing more than adding hot water, stirring and eating straight from the packet. Light weight counts for much when you have to carry enough food in your pack for multi-day walks.
Their disadvantage is price. Most of the freeze dried foods available in bushwalking stores are sold as complete meals. They range from around the $10 mark to around $16.
Although there are no directly-equilavent bushwalking foods to compare type and size with the supermarket alternatives we tested, a rough idea can be gained by comparing serving size and price with foods sold at a major Australian adventure equipment store present in most cities:
- Back Country Cuisine Instant 160g packet of mashed potato, 5-serve, is $5.99
- Back country Cuisine 175g packet of spaghetti bolognaise, sold as a ‘regular serve’ (presumably a single serve?), sells for $16.50
- Campers Pantry Penne Pasta, single serve, sells for $7.95
- Strive vacuum sealed (not dried) Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato and Basil Sauce, two-serve, is $10.95.
What we tested
We tested three quick-cooking items purchased at a Woolworths supermarket:
- Safcol wild caught tuna and chilli sauce
- Continental mashed potato and pumpkin
- Vetta macaroni pasta.
The tuna comes ready to eat, however we cooked it with the macaroni in a fry pan at home. In the bush, we would prepare it in our Jetboil MiniMo propane/isobutane-fueled cookset.
We were unfamiliar with foods like these from the supermarket as we usually get our foods from a local IGA (Independent Grocers Association), a wholefoods store and the local greengrocers. The supermarket shelves were crammed with a confusing variety of offerings. We chose those that offered the shortest cooking times and ease of preparation.
On the trail, shortness of cooking times means less fuel used. That means less fuel need be carried compared, for example, to people boiling rice or pasta on a hikers’ stove for their evening meal. Short preparation time enables you to prepare a quick meal when the weather is wet or cold.
If you walk in places that allow open fires then your cooking is limited only by the availability of fuelwood, so you might bring pasta or rice as a base for your meals. Many national parks no longer allow open wood fires and designate fuel-stove only areas because of damage to standing vegetation by firewood collection, the scarcity of firewood around popular campsites and the danger of bushfire.
The foods we tested would be useful for car camping too, especially, like us, when you travel in a mini-van where space is a prime consideration when it comes to deciding what to bring.
How many does it feed?
According to the packet, the tuna and macaroni are sold as a one-serve size. Combined, they make two smaller serves. With the mashed pumpkin and potato added there was plenty for two people.
Adequacy of size is a subjective assessment. Much depends on the quantity you usually eat and whether you eat more because of the extra energy consumed in a day ‘s walking. People are advised to try the quantities at home before taking them on the trail.
What do we think?
Weight
At 395g for the three foods (plus the minimal weight of the plastic bags they come in), the packages were light enough to carry on multi-day walks. Added to this would be the weight of breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
Individual weights of foods tested:
- Safcol tuna: 160g
- Continental pumpkin and potato: 85g
- Vetta macaroni: 250g.
Packaging
All of the foods come in plastic bags and are compact in the pack.
The downside is the plastic waste of the packaging. The same applies to freeze dried and vacuum packaged bushwalking foods. The solution lies in buying a vacuum sealer and the reusable plastic ziplock bags some models use (and which can be purchased separately) and preparing your meals at home before setting out.
Nutritional value
The tuna and macaroni have Health Star ratings of 4.5 and 4 out of a maximum rating of 5. The potato and pumpkin carries no rating.
The three packages combined into a meal offer a mix of carbohydrate and protein plus whatever vitamin content the foods have. Guessing in the absence of a nutritional analysis, the combined foods suggest a nutritionally balanced trail meal.
Serving size
We found that a combination of the tuna, macaroni and mashed potato and the pumpkin was plenty for two. The tuna and macaroni by itself would be plenty for one. Both are sold as single serve.
Remember that serving size is a subjective estimation.
Taste
Keep in mind that taste is a personal and subjective sensation, so your experience of these foods might be different to ours.
I had low expectations about what the combined meal would taste like. I was pleasantly surprised. Alone, the macaroni would be a bit bland. The mashed potato and pumpkin would be alright. The tuna added to the taste of the meal with its chilli sauce flavour.
Price
At $3.50 for a single serve 160g packet, the tuna works out a roughly similar cost per serve to a 95g can of tuna. Woolworths has a 300g house brand penne pasta for $2.50. Compare that to the 150g packet of Vetta pasta macaroni for $1.40.
The cost of our meal was $7.40, still cheaper than the price of freeze dried or vacuum packaged meals from adventure equipment stores and, perhaps, a greater quantity per person.
Finally, a question
What is your experience with supermarket-sourced food for hiking?
Do you have a favourite combination?
Let’s know in the comments below.
Product details
SAFCOL WILD CAUGHT TUNA
Ready to eat
Serving size: 1
Content: 160g
Health Star rating: 4.5
Price: $3.50.
Note: the package claims ‘responsibly sourced’ and says the fish were caught without the aid of fish aggregating devices.
CONTINENTAL SMASHED SENSATIONS
Type tested: Pumpkin and potato with sour cream and caramelised onion.
Also available: Cauliflower and potato; pea and broccoli
Serving size: 2
Content: 85g
Health Star rating: none notified
Price: $2.50.
VETTA SMART PASTA MACARONI
Serving size: 1
Content: 150g
Health Star rating: 4
Price: $1.40.
