Feeding hungry troops on the go

Napoleon Bonaparte once said that ‘An army marches on its stomach’! Well the same can be said about kids! Getting the family out into the great outdoor is just about one of the best things to do with your day, but it can become a very long, teeth pulling exercise if your ‘troops’ aren’t properly fueled up.

Keep them hydrated

First and fore most make sure there is plenty of water available to drink. Choose the size of your child’s bottle carefully so that they don’t have to carry heaps of excess water. Remember 1 liter of water weighs one kilogram. If you are planning a longer tramp (or the weather is hot) and feel that your child will need more water than they can carry you have two choices, either you as the adult can carry some extra to top them up, or you can use some of the cool ‘water treatment’ options like the Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System which means you can drink straight from the local stream or lake.

The other thing to consider is how much gear I should expect my child to take. Of course this will in part depend on your child but as a rule a child’s backpack should weigh no more than 10% of their body weight. It is also important that the pack fits well….but that’s a whole other story.

So back to the food. Once you have an idea of how much your child can carry, time to think about what to take. It again depends on your child’s individual likes but also you need to consider what type of tramp you are doing. Is it just a short 30min walk, or a whole day, do you need lunch or just a snack?

Easy access snacks

Depending on the design of the child’s backpack have quick access snacks that you can eat along the way. These snacks should give your child a quick energy boost, but also provide some more sustained energy. Scroggin (nuts and dried fruit) is a brilliant quick snack. It is easy to eat and doesn’t melt in the heat. Other option could include some fruit (make sure it’s not the ‘dribbley’ messy kind).

If you are stopping for lunch have something that is not too heavy as you still need to walk back home or to the car. Sarnies are always a good option with some chicken or ham, and salad. The carbs will give the kids a quick energy boost whilst the protein will help sustain their efforts on the way home.

Aim for ‘nood food’

If possible try and aim for as little rubbish as possible. Remember what you take with you needs to come back and be disposed of responsibly. Lunch boxes with sealed compartments can be really handy for this and make it quick and easy for the kids to access with minimal fuss.

If your family is anything like ours you’ll need a few secret weapons. For us it the occasional lolly (sweets), or in the winter a wee bit of chocolate. Save them for the dire moments when a little extra ‘rocket’ fuel is needed, and of course keep them in Mum and Dad’s Pack!

What’s your fail-safe fuel guaranteed to keep your little explorers going until the next rest stop?