Paddling burns fuel, walking in burns more, and the carry out at the end of the day takes whatever is left. Food on a packraft trip has three jobs: keep you moving on the water, get through a dunking in one piece, and weigh as little as possible on the walk. Plan it around those three and you eat well from the first stroke to the last climb.
Eat little and often
The paddling day runs best on steady fuel, not one big lunch. A handful of something every hour keeps your energy even and your head clear, and a clear head makes better calls on the water.
That means snacks within reach while you paddle. A small drybag clipped in front of you, or a PFD pocket, holds the day's grazing food. If you have to land and unpack to eat, you will skip it until you are flat.
- Nuts, trail mix and dried fruit
- Muesli or energy bars that do not melt into the wrapper
- Hard cheese and salami or jerky for salt and fat
- Lollies or dried fruit for a fast lift before a portage or a long crossing
Weight versus water
Everything you eat goes on your back for the walk in. Dried food wins on weight because you add the water at camp, and on a river trip the water is right beside you. Treat it before you use it (see the field note on treating water).
The trade is fuel and time. Dehydrated meals need boiling water and a few minutes to soak. Fresh food needs none of that but is heavier and spoils faster in the heat. Most good trip menus mix the two: fresh for the first night, dried after that.
| Feature | Weight to carry | Heat tolerance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried meals | Very light | Excellent | Dinners on multi-day trips |
| Couscous, noodles, instant rice | Light | Excellent | Fast dinners that cook in the pot |
| Wraps and tortillas | Moderate | Good | Lunches that do not crush |
| Hard cheese and cured meat | Moderate | Fair in heat | Lunches for the first few days |
| Fresh fruit and vegetables | Heavy | Poor in heat | The first night |
Pack food for a swim
Assume your food goes in the river at some point. Every meal sits inside a drybag, and anything that turns to paste when wet, like bread, crackers or powdered drinks, gets its own inner bag or a zip-lock too.
Split the food between two bags on a multi-day trip. If one bag goes missing or gets soaked, you still eat. Keep the next meal on top so you are not unpacking the whole load at every stop.
Pack for trim as well. Food is one of the heaviest parts of a camp load, and it gets lighter as the trip goes on. Put the heavy bags low and forward on the bow, strap them tight, and rebalance each morning as the load shrinks.
Hot days and cold days
In summer heat, fresh food turns fast. Soft cheese, cooked meat and anything with mayonnaise are day-one foods at most. Keep food bags out of direct sun on the bow where you can: a pale drybag or a cover over the top helps. You also sweat salt, so salty snacks and an electrolyte mix in your water are worth the space.
Cold changes the plan the other way. A hot drink at lunch is worth the few minutes it takes to boil a pot, and a hot dinner does more to rewarm you after a wet day than any extra layer. Add fats in cold weather: nuts, cheese, a spoonful of oil or butter in the evening pot. On a cold trip, carry a little more fuel than you think you need.
Cooking at camp
Cook on a stove, on durable ground, well back from the water and the tent. A light canister or spirit stove with a single pot covers most packraft trips. One-pot dinners keep the washing up simple, and simpler cleaning means less food waste near the river.
Wash up away from the water. Carry a pot of water up the bank, scrape food scraps into your rubbish bag, and scatter the grey water on soil. Carry all scraps out, including peel.
Keep camp food away from animals
Possums, rats, currawongs and ravens learn fast where campers keep their food. Close every bag at night, store food in the tent vestibule or a hard container, and never leave a pot of leftovers out. Feeding wildlife, even by accident, teaches animals to raid the next camp.
A simple day on the water
- Breakfast: porridge or muesli with powdered milk, coffee or tea.
- On the water: a handful of snacks every hour from the drybag in front of you.
- Lunch: wraps with cheese and salami, fruit, a hot drink if it is cold.
- Afternoon: bars or lollies before the last crossing or the walk out.
- Dinner: a freeze-dried meal or a one-pot noodle or couscous dish, something sweet after.
- Spare: one extra meal and a bag of snacks in case the trip runs long.
That spare meal is not optional. Wind, low water and a slow portage all add time. Carry a day's buffer and a late finish stays comfortable.
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