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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Cooking

Dehydrating Food for Backpacking: DIY Trail Meals at Home

Your own chilli, a quarter of the weight, ready with one cup of hot water.

Quick facts

Time
30–60 min prep + 5–14 h drying
Difficulty
Easy, needs patience
Best for
Multi-day hikes, canoe trips, base camps
You need
Dehydrator or fan oven, baking paper, scale, zip bags

What you need

  • Food dehydrator or fan oven with oven thermometer
  • Baking paper or solid dehydrator sheets
  • Sharp kitchen knife or mandoline, cutting board
  • Kitchen scale
  • Freezer-grade zip bags or vacuum sealer, permanent marker
  • Clear jar for the dryness check and for cold soaking
  • Insulated pot cozy
  • Small leak-proof oil bottle

Step by step

  1. Cook and prepare lean

    1 Cook and prepare lean

    Cook meals as usual with lean meat and little fat. Heat meat to 71 °C, drain and blot off fat; blanch firm vegetables briefly.

  2. Slice thin, spread evenly

    2 Slice thin, spread evenly

    Cut pieces about 3–6 mm thick and the same size. Spread sauces 3–5 mm thin on baking paper, one layer per tray.

  3. Dry low and slow

    3 Dry low and slow

    Use a dehydrator or a fan oven with the door ajar at about 50–70 °C for 5–14 hours, depending on the food.

  4. Test dryness, then cool

    4 Test dryness, then cool

    Vegetables snap, fruit is leathery, sauces crumble. Let everything cool completely before you pack it.

  5. Pack and label meal bags

    5 Pack and label meal bags

    Weigh one portion per bag, seal it airtight and write the meal, the date and the water it needs on it.

  6. Rehydrate at camp

    6 Rehydrate at camp

    Cover with boiling water and let it stand 10–15 minutes in a cozy, or pre-soak in safe cold water first to save fuel.

Common mistakes

  • Drying fatty mince or adding oil before drying – the food turns rancid within weeks.
  • Cutting pieces in different thicknesses, so some burn while others stay moist inside.
  • Drying too hot, so the outside hardens and traps moisture inside.
  • Packing food while it is still warm, so condensation forms in the bag.
  • Not testing a recipe at home – and finding out at camp that it stays crunchy.
  • Cold soaking in untreated water or leaving soaked food standing for hours in the heat.
  • Forgetting to write the water amount and date on the bag.