[pct-l] alternative to bread?/Lunch foods.

[Edward Anderson]

Gideon,
First, I will say that I am not married to bread. I am quite versatile as to what I eat on the trail. A thought that has crossed my mind is- why not just get your starch at dinner rather than at lunch? I do eat starchy foods as an important part of dinners. For lunches I eat various kinds of energy bars, various kinds of nuts and also various kinds of dried fruits. Also cheese - I have found that the the BabyBels (I bring three of the flavors) will keep for weeks and even months without refrigeration. Another cheese that I have become aware of recently is sold by Stater Bros. Super Markets. It is their brand. It is sliced and individually packaged in 3/4 oz sealed packages. I have been rodent testing it now, unrefrigerated, for nearly two months with no apparent changes. It is still delicious. Another lunch food that I have also been testing is the Mountain House Beef Jerky sold by Costco. It is available in a 12-pack - each weighing 1.25 oz. With
 lunches, I often include Tang as a drink. Please understand that my rodent testing is of the packaging material, not the food. Break open the package and the rats and mice will eat the food. The packaging must be of the same kind of plastic used to make the OPSaks - which let no food smells out. I have previously tested many other pre-packaged foods this same way. I will soon run another series of tests, and this time will document with dated pictures that will be taken during several weeks. There will be other unprotected foods there too. These will, of course, be eaten. You will also see rodent turds in the pictures. What I have learned from previous tests is that UNpackaged foods stored in ZipLock freezer bags and Food-Saver freezer bags can be detected and eaten by rodents. 
Only OPSaks have passed my tests. As for crackers, which are dry, lightweight, and starchy - why not just hang them, in a small net bag, outside your pack?
 
MendoRider-Hiker 

________________________________
 From: Gideon Scher <gideonscher at gmail.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:40 PM
Subject: [pct-l] alternative to bread?
  
Hi to all

In my hiking, both short and long distance, I carry bread for my lunch as
my starch (supplemented by tuna for protein) as well as for snacking
(peanut butter sandwiches). I carry one loaf of whole-wheat bread for 4
days worth of lunches (i.e 4 slices per lunch, 16 slices in a loaf). I then
carry more bread for snack stops. My problem is that it takes up lots of
space in my pack. I have tried less bulky tortillas, but they go moldy
pretty quickly.

Can anyone please recommend an alternative starch that I can use for lunch
and snacks? I want it be less bulky than bread, provide the same
nutritional value and not require the use of a stove or preparation prior
to eating (no noodles, couscous etc) .

Many thanks,
Gideon

PS: feel free to reply off list too
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