I am planning on backpacking the Napali Coast in Kauai come January for at least 3 weeks. I figure I need to plan well on what foods to bring. High protein/carb meals. I am going to be burning up ALOT of calories, 11+ mile trail up/down steep valley trails to basecamp.. There are some native fruits/foods ill be able to forage but for the most part need to pack my own.

I plan to pack no more than 13lbs for food items so I need to pack the most nutritious and lightest of them all. I'm not really keen on weight saving meals, dehydrated foods or the most nutritious for its weight so any suggestions/recipes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

First, are you going to be camped there for 3 weeks or is camping just a week in your itinerary?

- Remember its not distance backpacking by any measure. My multiple trips on Kona highlight the need to bring a little more to contribute to any party, as the beach camps are very popular and somewhat crowded. Any sort of dehydrated meat should be good but not sure about the starches. Water wasn't a problem but certainly needed treatment.

In one case, sea kayakers came in to unload their fish (and booze), but everyone contributed to the meal (I'd inadvertently packed a few boxes of starches and donated them to "the cause", but there's also the fuel issue). Got to brush up on my cooking fire skills for my return trip in a few years.

I will be camping for at least 3 weeks near Kalalau Beach. I know there are "permanent" residents who live there, so called the 'long lost tribe' of the Kalalau Valley, people who make the own bread, hunt wild boars/goats, disperse and hide up in the valley when Park Rangers come ha- so Im sure I can barter a few meals in that sense.

I have heard of boats coming in to drop off and sell supplies but in the winter months id assume it would be not as often.

I guess any advice about what are the best nutritious and lightweight foods to pack is what I'm interested in knowing (grains,rices,quinoa,dehydrated foods,tasty recipes ect.), ill be using a whisperlight stove and also have a campfire setup.

Thanks to anyone who can be of help!

A Whisperlight isn't the lightest stove around - and is pretty noisy IMO - and overkill for a warm place like HI.

As for recipes and what to use - just read the back threads - Laurie, I and Teresa have posted a lot of recipes over the years and we all use whole grains in some our meals - as for what to take for ingredients,....well, that is up to your taste buds. If you like Quinoa, take it. If you don't but love pasta, take pasta. Any whole grain food will be easier to make if you precook and dehydrate at home - otherwise you have to use more water and a lot longer cook time - and a bigger pot/more fuel.

You can probably bring some fresh carbs (like bread) on the hike in, plus some gatorade or other electrolyte containing substance to stay hydrated. Don't know if there's a bakery like Tex's on the big island to grab some malasadas (filled donuts, . filled with healthy stuff, of course)....

After arrival, 3 weeks on the same stretch of beach, so it sounds to me your situation is more a basecamp requiring a variety of different foods (example: a different protein and starch combo every night, different breakfasts every morning) - thus I will need to defer to the cookmeisters on the forum. I do not see how to avoid dehydrated or prepackaged freeze dried meals for 3 weeks living out of a pack, though. Even fishing would get old to this fresh fish-lover (Hawaii and California are my favorite trips for this reason).

If it were me, I'd do things like a few Italian dehydrated meals (a few spaghetti and meat sauce, a few angel hair and pesto), a few American meals (beef stew), a few clam chowders (dehydrated again) when the north storms hit the beach, some Tex-Mex rice n'beans type combos, etc...... heck, even some glammed up typical backpacker fare like ramen with egg powder dropped in like egg drop soup ... I'm going to need to eat lunch soon. Speaking of soups, once adjusted the nights will seem a little cool and can be wet, so maybe a different soup mix for every night? You may have to plan your meals like a space mission. Just have enough food to hike out!!!

In terms of barter, anything but fish. Fish is pretty inexpensive in Hawaii, so typical American fare may be the best option as this is at a premium (either imported or grown on the island for tourists). Hog is always "in season" but in some areas are hunted out. I've only gone in for a few nights at a time so canisters worked for me. White gas with a campfire backup sounds fine.

Edited by hknewman on 12/13/2011 12:57:35 MST.

Some of my favorites on my only long backpack were:

Cap'n Crunch with Nido (I wished I had this every day)
Bear Creek Soups with PackIt Gourmet Sour Cream Powder, especially the Chili
Sarah’s chocolate pudding cocoa, I loved that stuff for dessert

When I did the Na Pali Coast, we planned on three nights there. After two nights, we were done. I wasn’t feeling too comfortable with the locals, they barely let you get into camp without telling you all the rules. Then, they are watching you like a hawk, checking on your cooking, water disinfection, and cleaning methods. We brought a bunch of Rice Krispy Treats, homemade beef jerkey, a can of Easy Cheese, a pack of Ritz crackers, a package of pepperoni, a bunch of other regular snack food, and a few dehydrated meals. Everything was eaten but the dehydrated meals. I don’t even think I’d take a stove again. The way there was way harder than the way back. I know it should have been the same, but I guess the diminished food supply helped on the way back. At the time, it was definitely the hardest hike I had ever done. It was also the first time I used hiking poles, and I’ve never gone back to hiking without them. Oh, and try to avoid camping within rockfall distance to the cliffs, we heard them falling all night.

Three weeks? Wow, I hope you have some ideas for things to do there.

I can't offer much advice other than maybe contacting Uncle Mikey for some dried fruit. I picked up a pound of it before I did that hike and it was a nice treat. I bought a dehydrator right after I got home from that trip and have been taking dehydrated pineapples and bananas on most of my trips since then.

http://unclemikeys.net/