Joshua Hodge

A Vegan's Guide to Hiking and Camping (Food and Equipment)

A major consideration for vegan hikers and campers is finding suitable food and ethical equipment and clothing. Though vegan food and clothing options are easier to locate than they were, sourcing quality gear that lends itself to a vegan lifestyle can be a challenge. In this post we cover both food items for camping and some of the more challenging hiking/camping gear.

Please note: we are not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned below, and we have not used affiliate links — all advice is impartial.

Camping Food For A Vegan Diet

The trick, when sourcing food for your hike, is to collect items that will last the duration of the trip. Below are some ideas to get you started:

1. Fresh Fruits

If your outing is planned for a day or two, don’t forget to pack fresh fruits. Give preference to fruits that can last easily without refrigeration, and perhaps take some beating. Apples are the best in that fashion. Pears are fairly good as well, but be careful of weight and pressure on them. Oranges and bananas are good to pack, but place them above heavy items.

Fruits for a camping trip — choose firmer kiwis and plums

Fruits for a camping trip — choose firmer kiwis and plums.

In case you choose to carry soft fruits, be sure to put them in a hard container. This is not the most alluring option for those who want to camp light, but you can make it work.

2. Potatoes And Corn

Potatoes are excellent. They’ll last days, even weeks. There’s an endless amount of recipes that go from being very simple to however complex you want it to be. Potatoes are an efficient filling food item — a ‘must have’ when camping.

Potatoes are both warming and filling on a cold evening outdoors.

Potatoes are both warming and filling on a cold evening outdoors.

Corn on the cob is often recommended as well. It is a good choice and tastes wonderful right off the grill. It’s a reasonable choice for those going for car camping. For hikers, it is better to skip corn simply because of the ratio of edible parts to non-edible parts — it’s a lot of extra weight.

3. Grains

Rice, oats, and pasta are easy to carry and simple to cook. Oats can be used for breakfast while rice and pasta can be lunch or dinner.

Noodles are easy, but avoid disposable cutlery.

Noodles are easy, but avoid disposable cutlery.

4. Sauces, Spices, Condiments, And Herbs

Food should taste good and this is where the magic happens. Rice can be cooked with plain water, but that’s too bland. Add some herbs, spices, and sauce, and you have a tasty meal. Packing these items is easy to miss: do not forget them!

With a little sauce and spice, you can enjoy luxury food outdoors.

With a little sauce and spice, you can enjoy luxury food outdoors.

5. Dry Fruits And Nuts

Dry fruits, seeds and nuts last a long time and are easy to bring along on camping trips. They’re light weight and effective for maintaining energy levels.

A trail mix is ideal energy food for hiking and camping.

A trail mix is ideal energy food for hiking and camping.

You can eat them separately, or better yet, mix them to create something of a ‘trail mix’. Consider placing them into ziplock bags. They’re light, easy to manoeuvre and resealable.

6. Vegan Burgers And Sausages

These items are best used if you’re car camping and can bring along a grill and a cool box or cooler. The burgers and sausages will have to stay in the cooler until the grill is fired up. It’s extra work to cook them, but they are a luxury in a camping environment!

Try our recipe for vegan garlic and chive burgers.

Try our recipe for vegan garlic and chive burgers.

7. Baked Goods

Cookies and biscuits are excellent camping companions. Whether you choose store-bought or bake at home, be sure to pick something that can last days.

Home-baked biscuits always taste better on a trip than their shop bought counterparts.

Home-baked biscuits always taste better on a trip than their shop bought counterparts.

Selecting Vegan-Friendly Hiking/Camping Gear

Some hiking/camping equipment and clothing are easier to find than others…

Below we discuss some of the more challenging items and offer some inspiration on where to source them:

1. Synthetic Material Sleeping Bags

Many warm sleeping bags use down or wool. It is better to use sleeping bags made from entirely synthetic materials. Look for sleeping bags with polyester fill, lining, and shell. Of course, different types of material will be utilized for each purpose.

Nitestar Alpha 375 Sleeping Bag — Blacks

Nitestar Alpha 375 Sleeping Bag — Blacks

Having a synthetic sleeping bag is the best choice. It’s also one of the relatively easier things to find and can be purchased online or in a shop. For those who are looking for specific directions, Blacks and Cotswold Outdoor have excellent collections that include clothes, gear, and yes, sleeping bags.

Mountain Hardware, Lamina sleeping bag — Cotswold Outdoor

Mountain Hardware, Lamina sleeping bag — Cotswold Outdoor

2. Hiking And Camping Boots

Finding suitable hiking and camping boots is a tougher decision. It is difficult to break away from the classic materials without sacrificing durability.

Will's Vegan Sport Cross Trail Boots

Will's Vegan Sport Cross Trail Boots

EthicalWares Tibet Walking Boots

EthicalWares Tibet Walking Boots

A few companies have been making waves with quality boots and, thankfully, their prices are reasonable. For quality, vegan-friendly boots, try Vegetarian-Shoes , Wills Vegan Shoes and EthicalWares .

3. Vegan Camping Backpacks

Most of the camping/hiking backpacks utilize synthetic materials, so it isn’t too difficult to find something of high quality without sacrificing your ethics. The North Face Surge Rucksack or Osprey Farpoint 40 are high-quality backpacks that will last for years.

The North Face Surge Rucksack is sturdy, practical and supportive to your back on long hikes.

The North Face Surge Rucksack is sturdy, practical and supportive to your back on long hikes.

The Osprey Farpoint backpack is durable, spacious and the waist strap is reassuringly comfortable.

The Osprey Farpoint backpack is durable, spacious and the waist strap is reassuringly comfortable.

4. Ask A Friend

This is perhaps the simplest solution. If you have a friend who goes camping regularly and is a vegan, ask if you can borrow their gear. Remember that camping gear can be expensive: if they choose to lend it to you, be responsible and careful with the items.

We would like to thank Deep Blue Mountain for their contributions to this post.

We hope you found our vegan guide to hiking and camping useful. If you have any additional tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.