Lipsmackin' Backpackin': Lightweight Trail-Tested Recipes for Backcountry Trips

We have 8 backpacking cookbooks including both of Christine's books. Lipsmackin' Backpackin' is by far our most used book in our kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow, use easy to obtain foodstuffs, are tasty, quick to prepare, and are even great out car camping where storage space is still at a premium in our little VW campmobile or for a quick busy nite at home dinner. We bought this book in 2000 just before a 50 mile rim to rim extended hike in the Grand Canyon. Most of our older books dating back to the early 70's called out items that were hard to find early on and next to nonexistent now days. Freeze dried meals may be light but are expensive to use for the number of nites we spend out on the trail every year. Not to add 1 meal isn't enough and 1 for each of us is way too much, meaning that we have always had to repack 3 freeze dried meals into 2 meals or add extra ingredients to bulk them out. Rice mixes and couscous get old. The recipes in Lipsmackin' Backpackin' were so yummy sounding that we packed a weeks worth of them into the Grand Canyon, without even trying them at home first. Every one of the recipes we tried has been a keeper. Except for a few recipes of our own that we have come up with over the years, or a few favorites, we have hardly used our other books since. It is our gift of choice for Christmas, wedding and birthday presents. We are the backpacking coordinators for a local hiking club and the first thing we recommend to beginners trying to think of something to eat when backpacking, is to buy this book. Note that while Christine makes good use of a dehydrator, we have found that preparedness stores carry a wide variety of dehydrated or freeze dried vegies, fruit, or meats to buy in bulk (even peanut butter powder and the ever elusive sour cream powder) so it is possible to produce many of the meals with a well stocked backpack foods pantry. On the other hand, we didn't buy our two dehydrators just to make apple rings with. With a little planning and a spring weekend of assembly line packing each year, we have a whole seasons worth of meals packed and ready to go down in our basement. Then all we have to do is make our minds up on which meals to take when we pack our packs. Cooking our meals usually does not take any longer than it takes our friends to cook what ever red or white glop they are making. Plus we can control portions so much easier and rarely have leftovers to pack out.

Tim and Christine spent many hours researching this book which was published in 2000. Drawing on their own experiences and that of acquaintances, Tim and Christine have provided us with yummy recipes that reflect many cultures and tastes. Most of the recipes require at home preparation. Many call for dehydrating or drying the food and then re-hydrating it on the trail. The book has a nutritional breakdown for each recipe and packable cooking directions to take with you on the trail. There are even instructions on how to grow your own fresh sprouts in your backpack. I've tried several of the recipes with great success. You will find everything from almonds to zucchini in this resource. You'll also enjoy reading the anecdotes and appreciate the way the recipe instructions are divided into two parts; at home and on the trail. There are recipes for both vegetarians and meat eaters. I found that I could easily modify the meat recipes to suit a vegetarian menu by increasing the amount of veggies and omitting the meat. Lipsmackin' Backpackin' is a veritable compendium of excellent recipes with the backpacker in mind. This well written recipe book contains over two hundred pages of mouth watering recipes to enhance your outdoor experience.

If you love the outdoors but tire of a monotonous diet of granola ,ramen and peanut butter, you will be delighted with this book. I have other books but this one is the best. The Connors supply simple recipes with precise explanations on exactly how to use a dehydrator, how to reconstitute and divide the servings. I chanced (without taste testing first) the chicken curry salad and the creamy cilantro tuna salad on a 5 day backpack trip. Wow, were my friends impressed. I look forward to trying other recipes and further enhancing my reputation as a gourmet backcountry cook. Thank you,Tim and Christine!

This well thought out and researched ("hey friend what'ja eatin over there") book is a must for anyone who likes to eat while backpacking. The diverse recipes are easy to follow and offer ideas that anyone can use, independent of their personal eating habits. From the simple and quick off-the -supermarket-shelf meals to the involved I-like-to-cook meals, this book offers them all. And if your interested in your nutrition, there is a nutritional breakdown for every recipe - a great addition. I can't wait to go backpacking again so I can start eating well.

Finally someone got it right! These are real recipes by back country hikers. This great book contains a wealth of practical, how-to info for preparing delicious, high energy trail food. Get this book and you won't be eating the same dry cereal for weeks at a time!