Food can make or break your DofE expedition. The proper meals will keep you energised and in good spirits, while the wrong choices can leave you exhausted, grumpy, and struggling to keep up. This guide will break down what to eat, how to plan your meals, and common mistakes to avoid! Choosing the right foods will make your expedition consistently better in mental and physical performance and recovery afterwards. Remember, foods affect your mood and focus.
You must consume 3000-3500 calories daily to support the energy lost, a mix of carbs, fat, protein, and fibre. This is not the time to lose weight! If you eat less than this, you will make more mistakes and lose muscle mass!
- ✅ High Energy: You’ll be walking for hours daily, so you need calorie-dense food to keep you going. Foods heavy in carbohydrates are excellent.
- ✅ Lightweight & Compact: Every gram counts! Carry food that doesn’t weigh a ton. Remember, you'll be carrying your food for the entire expedition! Dehydrated food is lightweight and only requires boiling water to prepare.
- ✅ Tasty & Enjoyable: If you don’t like it at home, you definitely won’t like it after a 40km hike!
- ✅ Cooking times: You may not cook in the morning or at lunch, so it should not take much time to cook/clean up/pack away.
Some foods sound like a good idea… until you get out there. Avoid:
- ❌ Fresh items which spoil easily: Fresh food spoils quickly, so stick to long-lasting options. This can cause potential food poisoning. Let's be honest for a moment; that’s the last thing you need in the middle of nowhere.
- ❌ Easy to Cook: You’ll only have a small camping stove (Trangia or Jetboil), so meals should be simple. No Filet Mignon's!
- ❌ Sugary snacks/energy drinks: You CANNOT live on these and should consume them in moderation. Sugar crashes will happen, making it harder to stay energised.
- ❌ Canned foods: They take up valuable space and weight in your bag. Plus, carrying multiple cans of food isn’t great for your back after a 40km hike.
Staying hydrated is critical on an expedition; dehydration can lead to fatigue, cramps, and even more serious issues. You will need to drink 4L per day.
- ✅ Carry at least 2 litres of water per day. (Your DofE supervisor will ensure you have an adequate supply of water at numerous checkpoints)
- ✅ Use a hydration bladder or water bottles for easy access.
- ✅ Rehydration tablets (like Dioralyte or electrolyte tablets) can help replace lost salts.
- ✅ Flavoured squash drops or tea bags can make plain water more enjoyable.
Tip: If you plan to refill your water bottle/hydration pack from water in a stream, carry water purification tablets as necessary! Parasites aren't extra protein!
☀️ Breakfast (Fuel for the Day)🥪 Lunch (Quick & No Cooking Required)🌙 Dinner (Warm & Filling)🍫 Snacks & Energy BoostersYou need a quick, high-energy breakfast that’s easy to prepare. Foods high in carbohydrates are essential for walking as they can easily be broken down into glucose, fuelling your muscles and brain.
- ✅ Instant porridge (add hot water & stir)
- ✅ Cereal bars or flapjacks
- ✅ Pre-made pancakes or breakfast biscuits
- ✅ Hot chocolate for warmth and morale
Lunch is usually eaten on the go, so pick food that’s easy to eat cold. Your team may not enjoy you cooking on the trail. Also, avoid foods that generate a lot of rubbish unless you can dispose of it properly.
- ✅ Wraps or pitta bread (last longer than typical bread)
- ✅ Peanut butter, Nutella, or jam (great energy boosters)
- ✅ Cheese (Babybel or hard cheeses last longer)
- ✅ Pre-cooked pasta or rice pouches
- ✅ Cured meats (Pepperoni, chorizo – avoid fresh meat!)
- ✅ Trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, or energy bars
Tip: Avoid anything that gets squashed easily (looking at you, bananas 🍌, choose apples as a substitute)
After a long day, you need a hot meal to boost morale and keep you warm. High-protein meals are ideal for restoring muscle, vital after a long, exhausting day!
- ✅ Instant noodles (Super Noodles, ramen, Pot Noodle) Lightweight, quick, and easy.
- ✅ Pasta with sauce (pasta packets or sachets of pesto/tomato sauce) Boil & mix. Add tuna for protein.
- ✅ Couscous (lightweight & cooks fast; add hot water) – Great with canned tuna or chicken.
- ✅ Boil-in-the-bag meals (Wayfayrer, Summit to Eat) – More expensive but filling and easy (around £3.50 for one meal!)
- ✅ Instant mash (Smash) + sausages/cheese – Simple, lightweight, and great for cold nights.
Tip: If using a Trangia, bring a small oil bottle to stop food from sticking to the pan.
DofE expeditions burn a lot of calories, so snacking is essential! They're great mood boosters, so definitely carry them.
- ✅ Cereal bars, flapjacks, and protein bars
- ✅ Chocolate bars (Snickers, Mars, Dairy Milk; avoid ones that melt quickly, especially in warm bags!)
- ✅ Jelly sweets (Haribo, Wine Gums, Jelly Babies – quick energy boost)
- ✅ Nuts and dried fruit (trail mix is perfect)
- ✅ Energy gels (great for quick recovery, but not essential)
Tip: Keep snacks somewhere accessible (like your hip pockets) so you don’t have to dig into your rucksack! You're most likely going to snack as you continue your expedition. If you plan to share (how lovely, so thoughtful!), consider dietary requirements (i.e. vegetarian etc,).
- DO NOT get canned tuna that requires a can opener; the last thing you want to do is jab a knife into it to open it (yes, that really happened)
- Bring a scouring pad if you burn the pan from cooking, and NEVER leave an empty pan on the stove whilst it's still on. You can make a hole through it.
- Eat properly; otherwise, you'll feel more tired than usual. Once you've done your expedition, reward yourself with a large meal!
- Bring seasonings to make expedition food bearable (i.e. Tajin)
- Drink small amounts of water regularly, not when you are thirsty. This already means you're dehydrated!
- Don’t underestimate the weight of your food. Carry a balance between calories and weight.
- Yes, you can bring protein powder with you. It's also useful on your expedition as in the gym.