Meal Plans for Everglades Paddle Trips
I've provided a quick calculation for estimating calorie needs during a paddle trip that
would include camp activities such as hiking, carrying the boats, setting up & taking down
camp, meal prep, etc. If you first want to get an estimate of your calorie requirements
during a kayak/canoe trip, click here.
would include camp activities such as hiking, carrying the boats, setting up & taking down
camp, meal prep, etc. If you first want to get an estimate of your calorie requirements
during a kayak/canoe trip, click here.
Meal plans are for individual (not guided) leisurely paddling trips where cooking equipment
is minimized to one stove. Coming soon, I will have meal plans for guided paddling trips
in the Everglades. These meals will be developed for the Everglades Area Tours run by
Capt Charles Wright in Everglades City, Florida.
To read 6 meal plans and the strategies for developing them, click here.
is minimized to one stove. Coming soon, I will have meal plans for guided paddling trips
in the Everglades. These meals will be developed for the Everglades Area Tours run by
Capt Charles Wright in Everglades City, Florida.
To read 6 meal plans and the strategies for developing them, click here.
| Here are a few tips for packing and preparing foods for paddling trips into the Everglades. WATER You have to bring your own water, there is no fresh water to be found on this trip. During the winter months (Nov-Mar) the temperatures can vary from 40s at night to 80s during the day. The amount you take will depend on your body size and ability to sweat, environmental temperature, length of paddle time, cooking requirements, and hygiene needs. I take one gallon per day for myself and this has always been just enough or slightly more than I needed. I do clean my dishes in the ocean water (the sand and shells are great for scrubbing), but I use my fresh water for bathing. NO-HASSLE BREAKFAST I prefer to avoid cooking breakfast. One reason is that the no-see-um bugs can be menacing at dawn and I don't want to be out there firing up the stove and getting breakfast and coffee made while under attack. We like to head out early usually (due to tides and weather) and will often be awake when it is still dark. To make the packing go more quickly, I eat my breakfast (hot or cold) in the tent. BRING A THERMOS I like to boil water the night before for oatmeal, coffee or tea in the morning. I prefer to not make the coffee the night before, so I have a single filter that I use in the morning with the hot water. A good thermos (like Nissan) will keep your water hot enough and you can use it in your sleeping bag to keep your feet warm on those occasional cold nights. Make sure it doesn't leak! The night before, I bring my breakfast food and utensils & cup into the tent. After breakfast, I start packing my clothes and sleeping bag. SPORT DRINKS While paddling, a sports drink is great for replenishing both fluids and carbohydrates, but also have plain water on hand. There are sport drinks that include protein, but these should not be your only source of fluid. Your sport drink should provide you 15-18 grams carbohydrate for every cup. Don't wait until you are thirsty, start drinking right away and drink at least 8 oz of water before you begin paddling. For a sport drink I prefer Gatorade, but your preference will dictate what works best for you. I keep 1 1/2 liters in a Camelback stowed behind my seat and I have the hose coming up under my spray skirt for easy access to the bite valve. There's no excuse for allowing yourself to get dehydrated during a paddle! I prepare my Camelback drink the night before and store it in one of the hatches (never store food or water in the cockpit overnight because the raccoons will have it in their hands before your head hits the pillow). RACCOON MANAGEMENT Never leave your food out unattended. Always keep your food and water sealed inside the hatches (a covered cockpit does not count!) when not in use. Raccoons are notoriously looking for unsuspecting kayakers to provide them with food and water. Don't wake up to a cockpit full of empty wrappers and food crumbs. ZIP LOCK BAGS Pack all your foods in zip lock bags, unless they are packaged already in tightly sealed bags. I take boxed food items out of the boxes to reduce bulk. When packaging, keeping air in a bag will help foods from getting crushed. Once you use the food items in a bag, you can use that bag for garbage. ORGANIZATION Separate foods accordingly; breakfast, snacks and dinner. Use nylon bags for food items. For instance, one nylon bag will contain your breakfast items, one might contain all your snack items, one can contain your lunch items, and another for your dinners. I package the dinner foods so that one meal is contained in a zip lock bag for easy access. When loading up the boat, place your lunch and snack items in the most easily accessible place. WINE WITH DINNER Would you like wine with your meal? Yes, yes I would! On most evenings, I split a bottle with a friend or two. I find that a typical (750ml) bottle fits snugly in the bow or stern. The other option is to pack boxed wine, which can be quite good. Boxed wine can be removed from the cardboard box and packed as just a plastic container (which comes with it's own spout). Get a couple of those 2-piece plastic wine glasses and a pull-tab pocket wine bottle opener and you are set! GARBAGE DISPOSAL What about garbage? You may be able to burn some, but don't count on it. For one, no campfires are allowed in the backcountry, only on the beach sites. What you can't burn, store in your empty zip lock food bags until you can properly dispose of it back at the marina. FREQUENT EATING Try to eat at least every couple of hours. Having a sport drink on board is good for this because you can continuously fuel your body without stopping. Spread your snacks and lunch out over the course of the day so that you are getting a good amount of calories every couple of hours. EMERGENCY FOOD Pack an extra meal and couple extra energy bars. One never knows what is going to happen out there in the wilderness. Be prepared for an extra night out. |
Two meal plan examples:
Meal Plan 1: Cool food for the first day
Bringing a small cooler for the first night’s dinner allows you more options. This will be a
long paddle day (16 miles), so figure 4-5 hrs of steady paddling with frequent rest periods
(including lunch) throughout the day. Since this is the first day of paddling, breakfast is
consumed at home or in a restaurant.
Breakfast (breaking the fast).
1 cup Total cereal
¾ cup non-fat milk
1 banana
1 pc Arnold’s whole wheat toast with 1 tbl peanut butter & 1 tbl raspberry jam
TOTAL CALORIES 550
Pre-paddle snack
1 pck Oreo thin crisps
TOTAL CALORIES 100
While paddling
1 ½ liters Gatorade (or a comparable sport drink)
1 Clif bar, oatmeal raisin walnut
2 Stretch Island Fruit Leathers
Starkist Lunch-to-go with extra Melba toast crackers
Balance Trail Mix Bar, chocolate chip
TOTAL CALORIES 1150
After paddling (before dinner)
1 Tbl peanut butter
1 whole wheat tortilla
1 medium banana
1 Tbl honey
1 Tbl soy powder
TOTAL CALORIES 450
Dinner
½ box Pacific roasted red pepper soup (1 box supplies 2 people with about 1 ½ cups each)
2 soy or turkey burgers
1 kaiser-size hamburg bun
1 slice onion
½ medium tomato
Mustard & ketchup
2 1/2 cups Kraft macaroni & cheese made with ½ tbl olive oil and 1 cup non-fat dry milk
(1 package of Kraft will supply 2 people)
10 ginger snap cookies
TOTAL CALORIES 1300
TOTAL CALORIES 3550, 64% carbohydrate, 20% fat, 16% protein, 570 grams
carbohydrate, 155grams protein. For a 70 kg person that’s 8.1 g/kg carbohydrate and 2.2
g/kg protein.
Meal Plan 5: Long day of paddling
This will be a relatively long paddle day (14 miles), so figure 4-5 hrs of steady paddling
with some rest periods (including lunch) throughout the day.
Breakfast
2 pck Heart to Heart apple cinnamon instant oatmeal, with 1 Tbl honey, 8 raw almonds
and 1 Tbl soy powder
TOTAL CALORIES 525
While paddling
1 ½ liter Gatorade (or a comparable sport drink)
1 Kashi TLC bar, roasted almond crunch
1 Balance Trail Mix bar, fruit & nut
2 dates
Whole wheat pita bread
1 6-oz can tuna packed in water, with 1 pck mayo and 1 pck relish
TOTAL CALORIES 1150
After paddling (before dinner)
½ liter (2 cups) Gatorade
1 pck (1.5 oz) vegi (soy-based), beef or turkey jerky
1 cup green tea with ½ Tbl honey
1 Pudding snack
8 vanilla wafer cookies
TOTAL CALORIES 525
Dinner
Kavli Hearty Thick crispbread, 4 pieces
½ can Progresso tomato basil soup
DiGiornio linguine, cooked in garlic and olive oil, dehydrated veggies, 2 Tbl soy powder
added (soy powder can be added to the soup)
2 Healthy Valley chocolate tarts
TOTAL CALORIES 1250
TOTAL CALORIES 3450; 65% carbohydrate, 20% fat, 15% protein, 550 grams
carbohydrate, 160 grams protein. For a 70 kg person that’s 7.9 g/kg carbohydrate and
2.2 g/kg protein.
Meal Plan 1: Cool food for the first day
Bringing a small cooler for the first night’s dinner allows you more options. This will be a
long paddle day (16 miles), so figure 4-5 hrs of steady paddling with frequent rest periods
(including lunch) throughout the day. Since this is the first day of paddling, breakfast is
consumed at home or in a restaurant.
Breakfast (breaking the fast).
1 cup Total cereal
¾ cup non-fat milk
1 banana
1 pc Arnold’s whole wheat toast with 1 tbl peanut butter & 1 tbl raspberry jam
TOTAL CALORIES 550
Pre-paddle snack
1 pck Oreo thin crisps
TOTAL CALORIES 100
While paddling
1 ½ liters Gatorade (or a comparable sport drink)
1 Clif bar, oatmeal raisin walnut
2 Stretch Island Fruit Leathers
Starkist Lunch-to-go with extra Melba toast crackers
Balance Trail Mix Bar, chocolate chip
TOTAL CALORIES 1150
After paddling (before dinner)
1 Tbl peanut butter
1 whole wheat tortilla
1 medium banana
1 Tbl honey
1 Tbl soy powder
TOTAL CALORIES 450
Dinner
½ box Pacific roasted red pepper soup (1 box supplies 2 people with about 1 ½ cups each)
2 soy or turkey burgers
1 kaiser-size hamburg bun
1 slice onion
½ medium tomato
Mustard & ketchup
2 1/2 cups Kraft macaroni & cheese made with ½ tbl olive oil and 1 cup non-fat dry milk
(1 package of Kraft will supply 2 people)
10 ginger snap cookies
TOTAL CALORIES 1300
TOTAL CALORIES 3550, 64% carbohydrate, 20% fat, 16% protein, 570 grams
carbohydrate, 155grams protein. For a 70 kg person that’s 8.1 g/kg carbohydrate and 2.2
g/kg protein.
Meal Plan 5: Long day of paddling
This will be a relatively long paddle day (14 miles), so figure 4-5 hrs of steady paddling
with some rest periods (including lunch) throughout the day.
Breakfast
2 pck Heart to Heart apple cinnamon instant oatmeal, with 1 Tbl honey, 8 raw almonds
and 1 Tbl soy powder
TOTAL CALORIES 525
While paddling
1 ½ liter Gatorade (or a comparable sport drink)
1 Kashi TLC bar, roasted almond crunch
1 Balance Trail Mix bar, fruit & nut
2 dates
Whole wheat pita bread
1 6-oz can tuna packed in water, with 1 pck mayo and 1 pck relish
TOTAL CALORIES 1150
After paddling (before dinner)
½ liter (2 cups) Gatorade
1 pck (1.5 oz) vegi (soy-based), beef or turkey jerky
1 cup green tea with ½ Tbl honey
1 Pudding snack
8 vanilla wafer cookies
TOTAL CALORIES 525
Dinner
Kavli Hearty Thick crispbread, 4 pieces
½ can Progresso tomato basil soup
DiGiornio linguine, cooked in garlic and olive oil, dehydrated veggies, 2 Tbl soy powder
added (soy powder can be added to the soup)
2 Healthy Valley chocolate tarts
TOTAL CALORIES 1250
TOTAL CALORIES 3450; 65% carbohydrate, 20% fat, 15% protein, 550 grams
carbohydrate, 160 grams protein. For a 70 kg person that’s 7.9 g/kg carbohydrate and
2.2 g/kg protein.
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