Lipsmackin' Backpackin': Lightweight, Trail-Tested Recipes for Extended Backcountry Trips

by Christine Conners, Tim Conners

Lipsmackin' Backpackin'

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Travel, Guides

214 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a book that tells you what you need to do at home to prepare and what you need to do on the trail.

My only complaint was a lot of the recipes call for frying oil in a pan. Not sure what to do with the oil when you are done with it when backpacking. It seems a little messy.

There were enough recipes in here that could be adapted to be GF (gluten-free). A lot of the other trail-food books I had read were all pasta based, not so with this one. You can also use GF pasta if needed, although I prefer a more paleo-type diet usually.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a ziploc over an alcohol stove style cooking. Most of these recipes are no brainers-meaning that they are not overly creative or unique, but there is a decent section on how to dehydrate and properly store food for mail drops, and how to increase the consumption of vegetables vs noodle a la ramen or lipton style cooking. For a novice backpacker, not a bad idea.

[Damien Tougas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good recipes, but more processed and unhealthy recipes than I would have liked.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little recipe book to spark your creativity --or simply give you tried and true recipes to follow-- for your next backwoods adventure. I've read nearly every page and made a ZILLION of the recipes. Whew! I highly recommend for backpackers looking to travel light without eating couscous or instant mashed potatoes every meal. Variety is the spice of life even while hiking!! There is also a vegetarian edition for those interested which I have briefly looked at since I eat so little meat anyway! Enjoy the food on the trail or at home! I found my new favorite corn chowder recipe from this book and it never made it to the dehydrator, it was so yummy!! Haha. Enjoy!

[Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very knowledgeable guide to preparing delicious trail worthy foods. i wish i had read this book earlier in my camping career. There are a lot of great ideas and recipes that are workable in the outdoors as well as thought out guidance on weight saving, nutrition and sources. I bought copies for both my kids who are in their 20s.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest and say that dinners are why I bought this - snacks and breakfast aren't that hard to make, but dinners, especially for a group, can be challenging. I did a quick count, and 40 of the 59 dinners require a dehydrator. Of the ones that don't, the authors include recipes with ramen, spam, and macaroni and cheese, none of which I need a cookbook for and two of which I bought the book to get away from.

And then there's the "Trail-grown sprouts" dinner which suggests growing sprouts for three days in netting, presumably in your pack, and then eating. This is hardly a full meal. There are also a few dinner recipes with the main ingredient being plants or fish caught while in the backcountry, such as "Sandy's Weed Salad" with "Collect greens along the way in a plastic sack and wash them in streams" and then toss with dressing as the directions. Most experienced hikers know to not plan on a meal being caught or harvested in the wild.

The book is also padded with information about National and Historic Scenic Trails in the United States, which is ok information I guess, but a) is of very little use to most people unless they plan on traveling the entire country, and b) odd to have in a cook book.

I will probably sell this book and look for another that doesn't have so many major meals (e.g. dinners) that require a dehydrator.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took my son hiking overnight. Outdoors? High-altitude? Lightweight? Seems like a great place to do some cooking, right? This book was pretty good. There are some excellent recipes (tried the Chainsaw's Pumpkin Pleaser), and quite a few recipes that are uninteresting variation of the recipe on the facing page. Overall, an excellent book for the purpose.

Went up dry. Woke to a Winter Wonderland. Pretty cool. Great memory. Go again next week.

Oh, the JetBoil system is pretty awesome, if you are looking for a fast/lightweight cooking system.

[Wayne Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor

I have to give this book one star for one reason alone. There is a whole page dedicated to the Sunrise Bagel, as follows:
One bagel cut in half
Add butter
Wrap for the trail.

REALLY?!? That's the recipe? A waste of paper and very dissapointing. However, the vegetarian version is much better.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a backpacker or camper looking for some good and easy trail food, this is a great book. Many new ideas to add variety to your menu. I haven't tried them yet, but I have many bookmarked for upcoming trips. There's also some food system ideas and descriptions of various long trials throughout the US

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

These recipes don't have to used just for backpacking. Any road trip where you have to stay in cheap motels and have a coffee maker to heat up water would be a good place to make most of them. Or even just prep a lot of these meals to throw together quickly after a long day at work or whatever. Some of the recipes require a food dehydrator, but many don't or can be adapted for home cooking.

[Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Collection of user contributions is charming but uneven. Look for recipes by Dave Hicks.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just reading through made me hungry! There are lots of tips and techniques on how to take tasty, nutritious, energy-restoring foods with you on the trail. A great resource!

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great backpacking recipes and ideas. Loved it.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheese cookies--better with bacon!