Tag Archive for: hiking

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Diversify your Backcountry Meals!

backcountry, fuel, subscription box, hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, montana

backcountry fuel, hunting, eating, food, cooking, camping

Each year brings on a number of different hunts, some day trips and others week long backpack missions.  Each has one thing in common, fuel.  What you put in your backpack and your body has a great impact on your performance in the field.  Generally the more calories the better and often happier you’ll be.  They come at a price though, weight.  As you fine tune your setups you begin to weigh calories to weight and try to maximize the equation in your benefit.  Eventually we all find foods that fit the bill and taste good, for a while a least.  By November we often dread another Beef Stroganoff Mountain House or a Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar.  It’s easy to come by and trying new things can be expensive and hard to find.  This year as I began to prepare for another fall in the mountains I dreaded the thought of the same old foods filling my pack.  Fortunately I’d seen the Backcountry Fuel Box started by Cody Rich and got my hands on one.

backcountry, fuel, box, monthly subscription, food, backpacking, camping

I opened the box one day at my desk and proceeded to eat the first thing in the box, a Protein Puck.  Dang that was good!!  I had a hard time not eating the whole box at my house.  Over the next three months I got to try a bunch of cool food products from small backcountry nutrition brands.  Here were a few of my favorites:

green belly, meal to go, hunting, backpacking, fuel, montana

I got to try the Peanut/Apricot version and it was great.  There are two bars in each package coming in at a whopping 650 calories and 33% of your daily nutrition.

fbomb, meal to go, hunting, backpacking, fuel, montana

Next up was the FBOMB.  I got to try the Macadamia with Coconut version and it also was awesome.  These small packets are filled with nut butter and this one is Macadamia nut butter and Coconut Butter.  It tastes great and provides 205 calories in 1oz of weight.  Big on calories, taste and light on weight.

The Protein Puck in Almond Butter – Dark Chocolate was the first thing I ate out of a Backcountry Fuel Box and it was tasty as hell.  This one comes in at 460 calories for 3.25 ounces of weight.

So far I haven’t really been diving into the dinners that come in the boxes, I’ve been saving them for hunts.  There’s usually about 10 items in each box and they come on a monthly basis.  It’s super easy, subscribe and each month a box shows up in your mailbox or doorstep.  You’ll be able to use the food to supplement hunts and try new products you might not have easy access to.  I would highly recommend them.  You can learn more and subscribe super easily at their website > wwwbackcountryfuelbox.com

– Zack Boughton

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Trekking Poles for Hunting

In the past I had seen only hunters in the high country using trekking poles for sheep hunts. I never really thought they would benefit my everyday hunting endurance and performance. This last summer I finally tested a pair of trekking poles, primarily using them for summer scouting hikes and during parts of the hunting season. I was greatly surprised how beneficial they were, while still being lightweight and not cumbersome. Below are 4 reasons why you should think about adding a trekking pole to your hunting gear arsenal.

1) Trekking poles help you balance. When hiking steep inclines, declines, and sidehills, trekking poles give you a third contact point with the ground. This allows you to have better balance and stability. I found that trekking poles in wet or snowy conditions was a life saver.

2) Gain better rhythm & hiking pace with trekking poles. On my first scouting trip using a trekking pole I noticed not only that I was able to hike faster, but also able to gain a rhythm in my hiking pace. Over long periods of hiking I noticed less fatigue, not to mention being able use arm strength to aid in pushing uphills and slowing impact on downhills. This was critical for long hikes, steep ascents, and also when packing out heavy loads.

 

3) Feel safer on technical hikes. When scouting this past summer, I had a steep ascent to a ridgetop that was covered in downfall. This stuff is nasty and I had no choice but to leap frog through the fallen trees. Having a trekking pole to help aid my balance, allowed myself to not fall and get speared by short branches on fallen trees. Overall I felt more comfortable in sketchy hiking situations when using a trekking poles.

4) Trekking poles have multiple uses. Not only are trekking poles a great hiking aid, but they can also double as a rest for your binos while glassing. I can’t stress having a steady rest when glassing enough. If your binos are shaking, your not picking up those small details on the hillsides.  Also, if you need a shelter you can use the trekking pole as a support for your tent or rain fly. This allows you to leave tent poles behind and possibly cut weight out of your overall backpack weight. The uses are endless, but creativity is a must. There is an Easton Connex accessory that makes your trekking poles into a pair of shooting sticks, which comes in very handy.

I highly recommend the Easton Carbon 3 Trekking Pole. Its easy to make height adjustments, lightweight, comfortable to use, and stays locked when heavy weight is added onto pole. The Carbon 3 poles come with powder baskets and tips for hardpack or snowpack conditions.

 

-Travis

 

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