Cook Vs. No Cook
As we slammed back another frozen burrito by definition, but soggy burrito by reality, our stomach protested at the taste, but loved the quick calories. Instead of taking the pack-off, stopping and having our legs cool down to much, this soggy burrito was just what we were craving, not so much taste, but our body demanded it nonetheless. That burrito would power us the next 10 miles of a 40 mile day, without having to break, and cook food, or get food out of our packs. It was the perfect tool for the job.
Great Meal. Quick, easy, no mess. Word of Warning: Will get extremely soggy after 3+ Days!
As you can see from the title, in this article we want to take a shot at the Cook Vs. No Cook hiker debate. If you are a new hiker, or beginner and do not know what this means, we will give you some context. When out hiking a trail whether that is 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles, or even 3,000+ miles food decision's affect the way your body functions as well as appeases the mind with creature comforts when there is so few. Pretty much anything you can buy at a grocery store, realistically you could pack out onto a hike. This could be anything from a Rotisserie Chicken to a can of Spaghettio's. Of course you probably will not pack out either of these items due to weight and practicality, but we wanted to give you far flung options to show you, that realistically you could choose to pack out any food you wish, it is your preference, and your poor back that will make the decision.
We are not going to get into the food choices as heavily, because of the vast variety, and that being an entire different article itself, defining what foods are best for each option, whether that is Cook Vs. No Cook. What we want to tackle with this article is what each option gives you in pros and cons, for different types of hiking styles, as well as different hiking mentalities. We are going to focus on the Big 3 of pros/ and cons with each style. Our Big 3 of these are Weight, Time, and Enjoyment/Taste. There are more factors that go in as skill level and preferences evolve, but we found these are the Big 3 that revolve around this decision making.
