Gluten Free Hiking Snacks
There are a ton of options for gluten free hiking snacks.
If you’re new to being gluten free or you’re new to hiking, or both, I hope this post is helpful for you.
I started hiking way before I had to cut out gluten, so I was used to being able to pack things like tortillas, sandwiches, ramen, dehydrated meals with noodles, all the carby things.
Options are a little more limited now, but the number of gluten free products on the market seem to be growing by the day. For this post, I wanted to focus on snacks. I will put together a post on backpacking meals, so stay tuned for that.
When I’m packing for a hike, here are some things I keep in mind:
Temperature and time - will snacks melt or spoil along the way
Sturdiness - either the snack will not get smooshed along the way or it’s still easy to eat if it is smooshed
A mixture of salty, sweet, carbs and protein
In addition to prepackaged individual items, you also can bring things like cheese, oranges, apples, carrots, bell pepper slices, trail mixes, etc., that you have at home or pick up at a grocery store on your trip.
A few specific tips and recommendations:
I absolutely love Quinn stuffed pretzel bites for hiking - especially the peanut butter and the PB&J flavors. They are sturdy and they have the salty/sweet thing going on.
Another reliable brand is Bobo’s. Everything I’ve tried from Bobo’s has held up well and tastes delicious.
I have tried a few of the gf energy waffles. They crumble to bits and, for me, are not worth the effort.
Fritos are sturdier than potato chips, but both are delicious whether they’re whole or crumbled.
Gluten free Oreos hold up well and are just as delicious crumbled.
There are a million energy gel options and they mostly come down to personal preference for texture and taste. My favorites are the Clif Bloks in the mountain berry and margarita flavors.
Reusable silicone baggies can help protect items more than typical plastic baggies.
Overall, everyone is a little different as far as which snacks they prefer to take with them, like salty or sweet, heavy or light, etc. The weather and your hike can also determine what you need to pack. For example, in really hot and dry environments, or on hikes where you are really challenging yourself, you’ll want to bring plenty of salty snacks and electrolytes.
A few packing and prep tips:
Place your snacks toward the top of your pack, this will help stop things from getting smooshed when you sit down or if your pack takes a hit somewhere on a trail.
I pack mine in a small reusable bag, specifically this roadtripper pod from REI.
Bring more than you think you need. Accidents happen and you are safer with more food vs. running out. This goes for water, too.
Reusable silicone baggies can help protect items you pack from home more than typical plastic baggies.
Bring along a small trash bag to keep wrappers, peels or other bits to throw away later.
