DIY Bikepacking Food Ideas - Make Your Own Menu

Planning your food doesn’t have to be complicated—just tasty, fuel-rich, lightweight, and backpacker‑friendly. Whether you're grazing through towns or going deep into the wilderness, this guide helps you eat well on the move.
- Plan your resupply strategy
If your trip is more than a couple of days it's important to consider:
- Are you riding through towns often or staying remote for days?
- Can you resupply groceries or restaurants, or should you carry everything, will you follow your dietary restrictions?
- Will you have access to water and a stove, and additional fuel—or should you cold soak or eat stoveless meals?
- How much packing space do you really have?
- Are you comfortable with eating the same food throughout your trip?
- Are you a coffee drinker?
Shorter or frequent resupply trips allow more flexibility; backcountry-only segments call for more planning and calorie-dense, lightweight solutions.
- Storable staples to get you going
Even on resupply routes, pack a durable beginner kit:
- Tortillas (tough, flexible, and multipurpose). Just a word of note here that gluten free tortillas are neither tough or flexible, unfortunately.
- Nut butter packets or small jars (PB, almond)
- Energy bars or granola bars (mix of protein, fat, carbs)
- Trail mix or nuts
- Electrolyte drink tablets or powdered mix. Add an an option that contains calories such as Tailwind
- Dried fruit. Banana chips are incredibly calorie dense
- Heavy-duty fuel for remote sections
When you're off-grid with no food stops:
- Instant couscous, rice (cold‑soak or boil quickly), or mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are generally quite easy to find.
- Tuna packets or pouched salmon (protein + sodium)
- Hard cheese (cheddar, gouda – holds up for a couple days). If you're lactose intolerant we recommend chewable Lactaid. It seriously works.
- Dehydrated meals. Repackage these into quarter freezer bags so you can cut down on bulk and weight. This is an easy hack.
- Mac and Cheese or Ramen Bombs (ramen with mashed potatoes and anything else you can stomach)
- Snacks to graze on all day
These will keep the pedals turning all day:
- Trail mix (sweet, salty, energizing)
- Jerky or meat sticks
- Energy or granola bars
- Gummy candy or energy blocks (quick sugar hit)
- Nut butter smeared on tortilla or crackers
- Peanut butter pretzels
- Meals that require no cooking (stoveless)
Great for minimizing gear or if you’re too beat to cook:
- Tuna or hummus with crackers or tortillas
- Cold-soaked couscous, noodles, or rice
- Cheese + nuts + dried fruit as an energy‑dense mini meal
- Various bean dips or dehydrated hummus powder
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- Hot meal ideas when you do have a stove
Perfect if you carry a stove and want something warming at camp:
- One-pot ramen bombs (add jerky or dehydrated veg)
- Couscous or instant rice with olive‑oil, spices, bouillon
- Mac & cheese with add‑ins like salami or dehydrated veggies
- Dehyrated meals - we love Farm To Summit!
- Coffee!!

Farm To Summit
Based out of Durango, Colorado, Farm To Summit created delicious dehydrated meals while working with local farmers.
- Add flavor, calories & comfort
Small extras can make a big taste difference:
- Olive oil packets (for extra calories and fat)
- Condiment packets (hot sauce, mayo, jam, mustard)
- Spice packets or bouillon cubes are great for replacing sodium
- Chocolate chips
- Sample daily meal plan
Day 1 (frequent resupply path)
- Breakfast: tortilla + nut butter + dried fruit
- Mid-ride snacks: trail mix, energy bar, electrolyte drink
- Lunch: snack wrap (tuna, cheese, tortilla)
- Dinner: mac & cheese + jerky
- Treat: chocolate or gummy candy
Day 2 (remote section, no resupply)
- Breakfast: cold-soaked oats + nut butter
- Snacks: trail mix, gummy bears
- Lunch: couscous + tuna + olive oil
- Dinner: ramen bomb with dried vegetables
- Evening: oatmeal or granola bar and hot tea
Why this works
- Flexible for different trip styles (towns vs wilderness)
- Minimal gear needed: cold-soak options reduce stoves
- Lightweight, calorie-dense, shelf-stable options
- Easy to munch while riding or resting
No matter how you choose to build your meal plan make sure you've got more calories than you think you need. This is your fuel and if you run out it's going to be a struggle to get to the next town. Before you go out for your first trip it's always a good idea to experiment and see what works.
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