High calorie snacks that are low-weight?!

LondonMTB
LondonMTB Posts: 79
edited July 2010 in Road beginners
Hi everyone,
Usually in the MTB section but am going on a 5-day road ride in France soon, carrying all my own gear (including tent etc), so really conscious of weight. I am a light female with a very high metabolic rate, so that even on a 'normal' (albeit on my feet/stressed all day) working day, I get hungry every 2 hours and eat as much as my boyfriend, and still lose weight easily and rapidly run out of energy stores if I don't get enough energy intake....Anyway, wondering what people would recommend for the following during my trip:

1 - Snacks. Heard various suggestions, any that are particularly good AND light-weight?
2 - Breakfast fuel! My Dad does this trip regularly and eats muesli...We will have NO cooking gear for e.g. porridge...Any other suggestions?
3 - Drinks. I will have my camelbak, was planning on just keeping water, partly as this will be easiest to keep topping up at campsites. But open to any other suggestions, e.g. any energy powders to add to water?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Regarding the water, nuun tablets are easy to carry. You'll need some form of electrolyte.
    Muesli sounds like a winner for breakfast.
    As for snacks, dunno of any that are lightweight and easy to carry. Pain au chocolate? :o
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    I'd have said dried fruit (raisins etc) should have quite a high calorie to weight ratio, or maybe jelly beans / jelly babies etc.

    Museli is a great alternative to porridge, I have porridge when the weather is cool/er, but when its warmer, I can't face it, so museli it is.
  • Buckled_Rims
    Buckled_Rims Posts: 1,648
    Might be better to ask in the Tour & Expedition forum :lol:

    But AFAIK here's my answers:

    1. Eat everything. Buy on the way.

    2. You need a small gas cooker otherwise it'll get miserable. A hot cuppa soup and tea works wonders especially if you're tented in during a storm.

    3. I always think camelbacks promote you to drink too much and carry too much water, but that's me, I prefer bottles. Strangely, avoid drinking too much wine :wink:
    CAAD9
    Kona Jake the Snake
    Merlin Malt 4
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    You can buy sachets of powdered energy ( a miracle of modern science)

    http://triuk.com/product/psp-22-energy- ... 50g-sachet

    Easy to carry and a godesnd when you're,as the French say, Le smegged.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • Rich Hcp
    Rich Hcp Posts: 1,355
    I use NUUN in the water bottle, and carry just water in the camelbak, bet of both saves the pain of cleaning it.

    Food wise, I carry ASDA cerial bars.

    Porridge is a good start, but I think musli is the best bet for breko
    Richard

    Giving it Large
  • simon_e
    simon_e Posts: 1,707
    Flapjacks, doughnuts, cereal bars. Insist on regular cake stops, do a Josie Dew and buy a fistful of bananas daily. Some savoury snacks can provide variety for taste buds that have grown bored of sweet foods. On suggestion I read recently that I liked the sound of was croissants with a filling - ham, cream cheese etc.

    Muesli is good as long as you like it and don't expect to set off at full speed 15 mins after devouring a mountain of it. Soaking it in milk or apple juice is nice and softens it up a bit.

    If you find a specific energy drink helps then take some with you. Best to try some out before you commit yourself, they're all different. Can you fit a bottle to your bike? Water in camelbak, energy/hydration drink in the bottle.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • Niffleman
    Niffleman Posts: 87
    FWIW I have heard people swear by fig rolls as they have lots of energy, are quite light and don't need careful storage. I also find they taste quite nice too, but that is personal opinion. I would tend to agree that it would be worth finding space for a small folding stove between you. I have a light one I use for camping and without any hot food or drink at the end and beginning of the day, I think you might become a bit cross. Or perhaps that's just me.....

    Anyway, enjoy the tour and eat carefully. Little and often is the best way, I think.
  • RobG100
    RobG100 Posts: 40
    Kendel Mint Cake???
  • Philby
    Philby Posts: 328
    Surely it would be easiest to buy stuff en route in the villages and towns you pass through. Suggest taking Nuun tablets and some sachets of energy drink and maybe things like Clif Bars which might be hard to buy in France.
  • Tim jenkins
    Tim jenkins Posts: 34
    Sesame snaps are a light weight high calorie snack.
    Cheers

    Tim
  • LondonMTB
    LondonMTB Posts: 79
    Thanks everyone for the brilliant tips. I should mention we are cheating by eating in restaurants in the evening.....don't blame me I'm just following the plan! So not too hardcore then!
    Will take a few emergency nutritional titbits, and buy the rest en route. So looking forward to it!

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