The Best Camping Snacks For Your Next Trip
Finding The Most Flavorful Camping Snack Of 2021
LOOV Wild Organic Dried Blueberries – Best Overall
Key Features
- Lightweight packaging
- Free of preservatives
- No excessive sugar
- GMO-free and high-quality formula
- Tested in laboratories
- Slightly expensive, but definitely worth it
Loov enters the fray with their 100% organic and forest-picked blueberries that are enriched with a high concentration of antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. They are freeze-dried to preserve their minerals and flavor. These blueberries have a sweet taste so they don’t require any sugar or sauces to be added for further sweetness.
The Loov organic blueberries can serve as a crunchy and delightful camping snack at all times. You can add them to your yogurt, cereal, smoothie, porridge, or any other meal for a fruity flavor on the go. They feel super light to consume and will make you crave for more every time you take one. Other than that, the GMO-free, sugar-free, and oil-free formulation of these fruity snacks ensures that they do not take a toll on your health.
CLIF BARS – Energy Bar – Runner Up
Key Features
- Contains 9 -11 gm of protein
- Non-GMO product
- Vegan-friendly
- Eight different flavors
The Clif Bar features sixteen energy boosters of eight wholesome flavors in one packet. These energy bars contain a mixture of 9-11 gm of protein, carbohydrates, fat, chocolate, and vegan-friendly ingredients such as rolled oats, peanuts, and almonds.
Clif Bar claims that their trail snacks are sourced from 70% organic sources. So, rest assured this brand is putting their money where their mouth is and actively helping the environment. They do contain some amount of gluten but are completely free of GMOs, high-fructose corn syrup, and any artificial colors or flavors.
These protein bars are soft and easy to chew. The best part is that they are extremely portable and have a delicious flavor that not only pleases your taste buds but also fuels up your energy so that you can perform well during intensive activities when you’re out camping or hiking.
Power Up Trail Mix – Honorable Mention
Key Features
- All-natural ingredients
- Plant-based formula
- Gluten-free and GMO-free
- No artificial flavors and preservatives
- Five size packages
- Twelve style variations
These trail snacks by Power Up are made from top-quality all-natural ingredients to boost your immunity and keep you satiated for long hours. They include plenty of nuts and dry fruits like peanuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds, cherries, raisins, and pumpkin seeds alongside protein.
This trail mix is formulated of vegan-friendly, keto-friendly and paleo-friendly nutrients with no GMOs, gluten, sulfites, kosher, artificial flavors, or other additives. It is a great snack for keeping up with a healthy diet and can be taken before or after a workout or if you are camping or traveling.
This crisp and crunch pack serves as a delicious addition to any recipe so you can top up any meal with this one. Moreover, the Power Up features six types of trail mixes, each with the same formulation but a different flavor at a super affordable price.
GU Energy Nutrition Energy Gel – Also Consider
Key Features
- Includes 450g of amino acids
- Does not contain gluten
- Kosher-friendly
- Great for vegetarians
- Highly portable packaging
- Variety of delicious flavors
The GU Energy nutrition gel contains dual-source energy from carbohydrates that promote painless carb absorption and provide high-performance energy. The amino acids work on minimizing the fiber damage and keeping you active and energized mentally when you’re out camping or on the trail. And, thanks to the extra sodium for electrolytes, this gel can also maintain fluid balance in your body and improve hydration.
GU Energy offers their trail mix in a variety of great-tasting flavors like chocolate outrage, salted caramel, vanilla bean, and others so there’s no way you’ll get bored of snacking on it. It comes in a portable single-serve packet which is pretty easy to use. Without any doubt, this nutrition energy gel is a great trail snack to fuel up and sustain your energy when you’re out exploring.
Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Pack
Key Features
- 1.25 oz of beef jerky
- Perfect chewy texture
- Rich in protein
- Two buying options
- Easy to grab and go
Looking for a delicious, yet healthy protein snack? Well, look no further than Jack Link’s beef jerky variety pack which will satisfy all your food cravings, and provide you with the instant nutrition that you need. Offered in two flavors, ‘original, peppered, teriyaki’ and ‘sweet and hot, jalapeno, peppered’, this trail mix offers you mouthwatering and nutritiously filling snacking on the go.
A midnight snack or a road trip energy boost, this camping snack is designed to be an all-in-one energizer for every age group. These fat-free trail snacks are prepared from all-natural and leaner cuts of premium beef and compose basic ingredients only with no added MSGs. Every bite is a delight with its original and distinctive flavors like jalapeno, pepper, and teriyaki, which have been slow-cooked and smoked.
Trail Snacks Buying Guide
We understand that you can't wait to buy a packet of trail mix and dig your hands into it. So, let's explain to you everything about them and how you can exactly buy one.
Things to Consider When Buying Trail Mixes
Let's start things off by taking a look at these two factors that you must consider when in the market for trail snacks:
Storage
First and foremost, you must consider the storage options of your trail mix. Will they melt without a cooler? Well, if it has chocolate, butter, or any sort of glazing, chances are it will get all messy on a hike.
Cleanliness
Talking about messiness, the last thing you want on your hike is sticky fingers. So, either ditch the sticky trail mixes altogether or carry some napkins, if nature tends to give you a sweet tooth.
Amount
Lastly, you'll also need to judge just how much food you'll be needing. It is here that you'll have to make a choice between the weight and quantity. As a general rule of thumb, you should always carry a little extra food in case of bad weather or injury. The best thing about snacks is that they are lightweight so you can get more without having to lug around too much weight.
Are Camping Snacks Worth Buying?
Talking about the best things about trail snacks, here are three benefits that they provide and which make them a must-have for camping and hiking trips:
Convenience
Like we just said, trail mixes are professionally packaged to give off a smaller footprint. They are also lightweight and easy to carry around unlike homemade foods that are rather inconvenient to consume.
Healthy
Trail snacks also provide just as much nutrition, if not more, as your average home-cooked camping meals without causing you too much inconvenience when it comes to storage and portability.
Let's take Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Pack, for example. This camping snack's drying process improves the nutritional value of the meat by removing extra layers of fat and nearly doubling its protein content. Quite neat, no?
Longevity
Packaged trail snacks will always have a superior shelf life and freshness to them when stacked up against their home-cooked variants. Period. This is amazing for camping trips where the only form of storage is your room temperature backpack.
Buying Tips for the Best Trail Snacks
Now that you know all about the benefits that camping snacks provide you with, here are two tips that will help you make a more informed decision when buying a pack of trail mix for your next adventure:
Say No To Litter
Do you know that campsites are a major cause of damage to the environment? And, the first and foremost in the list of camping-related baddies that are spoiling mother Earth is litter. Campers and hikers tend to spoil the natural trails and grounds with all sorts of garbage.
You are better than that! So, make sure that your camping snacks are packaged minimally with no unnecessary wrapping. Nevertheless, you should NEVER throw out your trash on such trips. Just carry a refuse bag with you and chuck it in the recycling when you get back home.
Mind the Sugar & Sodium
Sugar and sodium are two bad guys that trail mixes are usually laced with. Granted, they make your snack all sweet and savory, sugar and sodium will also leave you all bloated. So, make sure that you read the camping snack's label and ditch ones that have too much sugar or sodium content in it.
Some of it is okay, to be honest. A little bit of sugar adds to the flavor while sodium can be great at retaining moisture in your body when consumed in small amounts. This is a much-needed thing when you're out sweating on the trail.
How Much Do Camping Snacks Usually Cost?
The price range of camping snacks entirely depends on the type of products included in the package itself. Dry fruits, meat, and premium chocolates will obviously inflate the price tag. You can also expect to pay a hefty price tag for luxurious brand names and vegan formulas. It's always a better option to buy a larger serving size, if available, as this will provide you with a better overall value.
