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The Best Camping Snacks For Your Next Trip

By Drew Ortiz
Last updated: 14 Jan 2023
If there is one thing that outshines our hunger for adventure, it is our appetite for food. Foodie gang, rise! Camping essentially amalgamates these two appetites of ours for an all-in-one experience. So, to help you make your next camping trip all yummy and chill, we are here to introduce you to the best camping snacks in 2023. From beef jerkys to fresh fruits and assorted nuts, trail mixes come in all sorts of varieties and combos. However, if there is one that they all deliver, it is the promise of fresh and delicious snacks when you're out backpacking. Today, we will be taking you through all there is to know about these camping essentials and the best way to go about buying one for your next trip. So, without further ado, let's pack our backs and jump right in!
Featured image courtesy of iStock
Show Contents
Finding the Most Flavorful Camping Snack of 2023
  • 1 LOOV Wild Organic Dried Blueberries – Best Overall
  • 2 CLIF BARS – Energy Bars
  • 3 Power Up Trail Mix – Most Reliable
  • 4 GU Energy Nutrition Energy Gel – Most Variety
  • 5 Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Pack – Best Flavor
  • 6 Nature’s Heart Nuts Snack – Gluten-free
  • 7 Karma Cashew Nut Snack – Most Convenient

Finding the Most Flavorful Camping Snack of 2023

LOOV Wild Organic Dried Blueberries – Best Overall

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

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.

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CLIF BARS – Energy Bars

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

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.

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Power Up Trail Mix – Most Reliable

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

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.

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GU Energy Nutrition Energy Gel – Most Variety

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

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.

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Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Pack – Best Flavor

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

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.

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Nature’s Heart Nuts Snack – Gluten-free

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

Key Features

  • Flavored with onion, garlic, and chives.
  • Gluten-free and 100% vegan
  • No added sugars or additives
  • 0% trans fat

The healthy mixed nuts are a perfect pair for any day trip. There are three packs in one packet that makes it suitable for sharing with your buddies and family. These keto-friendly low-carb options make an option for camping snacks too. It is highly easy to store and carry around during the trip as compared to other food options that aren’t only messy but unhealthy too. 

Nature’s heart claims to source the nuts directly from farming families rather than relying on mass production and unethically sourced food options. The nuts do not contain any added sugars and provide plant protein benefits with no genetically modified additives.

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Karma Cashew Nut Snack – Most Convenient

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Photo courtesy of Amazon

Key Features

  • Six delicious flavors, including peri peri chili and cinnamon sugar
  • Wrapped and roasted recipe
  • High in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
  • Twice the fiber of other cashews

This variety pack of delicious cashews is a great way to keep yourself going when camping or hiking. These wrapped cashews may be different from the oil-fried kind you may be used to from the supermarket. They offer more flavor and maintain a beneficial nutrient profile. You’ll get all sorts of minerals and vitamins, plus the antioxidant properties are equivalent to those of blueberries. These cashews also have twice the amount of fiber as skinned cashews. There are six unique flavors to choose from in this variety pack, all of which are all-natural and vegan.

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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.

People Also Asked

What is the best trail snack?

All the camping snacks mentioned in our best-of list boast pros that significantly outweigh their cons and maybe bought without batting a second eye. If, however, we were to choose one as our top-picked trail snack, we would go for the LOOV Wild Organic Dried Blueberries. Full of nutrition and laced with flavor, this camping snack contains dried berries that are great for snacking or for pairing along with yogurts and smoothies for some fruity fun. The LOOV Wild Organic Dried Blueberries are also free of preservatives and full of energy.

Is beef jerky a healthy camping snack?

Beef jerky is a high-protein, low-carb snack that's ideal for snacking after a trail or a workout to get an instant energy boost and nutrition that the body needs. One ounce of beef jerky contains around 116 calories and 9.4 grams of protein. It does have some sodium though, so you should consume it in small amounts.

Is trail mix a good snack for weight loss?

Trail mixes are the perfect blend of nutrition and flavor. The combo of nuts, fruits, and some candies is great at providing you with an energy boost when on the trail, while simultaneously not harming your diet. Talking about the latter, just make sure that the trail doesn't contain too much sugar or sodium.

author-image
By Drew Ortiz
Drew likes to say that he grew up in the wild, which is partially true. He grew up in a farmhouse, surrounded by woods, fields, and a creek. Drew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list of the best products to keep you from falling to the perils of nature. Nowadays, there is rarely a weekend goes by where Drew isn't out camping, hiking, or just back on his parents' farm.
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