How to Pack Food for Hiking: Day Hikes, Overnighters & Multi-Day Trips

Hiking food

Packing food for hiking sounds simple—until you’re halfway up a ridge hungry, rummaging through your pack because your lunch has buried itself beneath your sleeping bag. Whether you’re heading out for a quick day hike or an extended multi-day mission, how you pack your food matters. It affects your energy levels, your efficiency on the trail, and even how much weight you carry.

Here’s a practical guide to organising and packing food for day hikes, overnight trips, and multi-day adventures, including how to store it in your pack, how to keep it accessible, and how to protect it from rodents in huts.

🥾 Day Hikes: Simple, Streamlined, and Quick Access

Day hikes require the least planning, but smart packing still makes a big difference.

What to Bring

• Lunch (sandwich, wraps, cold-soaked meal, rice crackers & tuna)

• 1–2 substantial snacks (nuts, bars, bliss balls, dried fruit)

• “On the go” snacks (lollies, scroggin, fruit leather)

• Emergency snack (muesli bar or gel)

How to Pack It

• Snacks:

  Keep these in the hip belt pockets or top pocket of your pack for instant access.

  
  

• Lunch:

  Place lunch at the top of the main compartment or in an external pocket so you don’t have to unpack everything at midday.

  
  

• Emergency snack:

  Store at the bottom of the lid pocket or somewhere you won’t accidentally eat it.

Useful Tools

• Small mesh bags for grouping snacks

• Paper bags for lightweight organisation

• Reusable zip bags for sandwiches or wraps

• Label bags if you tend to snack too early and run out later

🏕️ Overnight Hikes: More Food, More Structure

Overnight hikes mean dinner, breakfast, and snacks—so organisation really starts to matter.

What to Bring

• Breakfast (oats, Weet-Bix mix, dehy, muesli)

• Dinner (dehydrated meal, pasta, couscous, etc.)

• Snacks and hot drinks

• Optional dessert (choc pudding, custard, treats)

• Next-day lunch

How to Pack It

Use a “day system”:

• Day 1 lunch + snacks at the top of the pack

• Dinner + breakfast low in the pack

  • Dinner can go halfway down

  • Breakfast below it

  
  

Everything you won’t need until the hut should stay low and central for better weight distribution.

Organisation Tips

• Use one mesh bag per day (label: Day 1, Day 2) so you only unpack one at a time.

• Keep hot drink sachets together in a small pouch.

• Use paper bags if you want the lightest option—they’re great for dry foods.

🎒 Multi-Day Hikes: Full Systems & Weight Management

Multi-day food quickly adds weight and bulk. This is where efficiency pays off.

What to Bring

• Breakfast for each day

• Lunches (simple is best)

• Dinners (dehy or pasta/rice mixes)

• Plenty of snacks

• A small stash of electrolytes

• Emergency rations (enough for a full extra day)

How to Pack It

Organise by day, not by type.

Put each day’s meals into a labelled mesh or paper bag:

• Day 1

• Day 2

• Day 3, etc.

Inside each:

• Breakfast

• Lunch

• Dinner

• Snacks

• Drinks

This means at the hut each night, you only pull out ONE bag. The rest stays sealed and organised.

Where Each Day-Bag Goes

• Day 1: Top of your pack (lunch/snacks in lid or hip pockets)

• Day 2: Middle of pack

• Remaining days: Lower down, above your sleeping bag

As the trip progresses, your pack gets lighter and more spacious.

Weight Choices

• Prioritise lightweight, high-calorie foods

• Avoid dense, heavy items like canned food, glass jars, fresh fruit

• Opt for:

  • dehydrated meals

  • wraps instead of bread

  • nuts, chocolate, scroggin

  • instant rice, couscous

  • bar-style snacks rather than bakery items

  
  

🧺 Mesh Bags vs Paper Bags for Food Organisation

Mesh Bags

Pros:

• Reusable

• Easy to see contents

• Durable

• Great for multi-day systems

Cons:

• Slightly heavier

• More expensive upfront

Paper Bags

Pros:

• Ultra lightweight

• Cheap

• Easy to label

• Perfect for dry food

Cons:

• Can rip

• Not ideal if moisture is a risk

• Not reusable

Tip:

Use mesh bags for long trips and paper bags for overnight hikes or when trying to minimise weight.

🚀 Quick Access: Snacks, Lunch, and Drink Mixes

A well-packed pack keeps what you need most often within arm’s reach.

Where to Put:

• Snacks: hip belt pockets, shoulder pockets, top lid

• Lunch: top lid or outer pocket

• Electrolytes: small pocket in lid

• Lollies/gels: front stretch pocket

• Emergency snack: bottom of the lid

Never store your snacks deep in the main compartment—if you have to take your pack off every time, you’ll stop eating early and risk bonking later.

🐭 Rodent & Possum Proofing Food in Huts and Tents

New Zealand doesn’t have bears or major predators to worry about—but huts can definitely have mice, rats, and possums.

In Huts:

• Never leave food out

• Never leave food in your pack (mice chew fabric!)

• Use:

  • Odour-proof bags

  • Dry bags

  • Hard plastic containers (for very mousey huts)

    
    

Store food in:

• hanging loops/nails/hooks

• under an upturned pot on the bench

• or inside a sturdy dry bag weighted with something heavy

In Tents:

• Keep all food inside the tent, not the vestibule

• Use an odour-proof bag inside your dry bag

• Avoid crumbs—clean up before bed

🧭 Final Thoughts

Packing food for hiking is all about balancing access, organisation, and weight. Whether it’s a short day walk or a multi-day mission into the backcountry, a little structure goes a long way.

• Day hikes need quick access

• Overnighters need smart organisation

• Multi-day trips need a proper “day system”

• All trips benefit from rodent-proof storage and lightweight meals

Dial in your system once, and every hike becomes smoother, lighter, and far more enjoyable.

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