How to keep your food bag organised while hiking

Learning how to be organised and stay that way throughout your hike a hard skill to master if it doesn't come naturally but if you develop a routine, regardless of the weather or how tired you are, it's a skill which can enhance your experience and cut down on stress. The more you practice, the more efficient you’ll become and more enjoyable your on-trail experience will be.

Let's take your food bag for instance. How often do you find yourself emptying the entire contents of your food bag each time you prepare a meal or look for a snack? Being unorganised with food can lead to skipping snacks throughout the day or delaying meals. This can have a huge impact on how you feel and your performance.

By understanding the relationship between good food bag organisation and daily caloric intake, we can make sure our energy levels stay consistent throughout the trip, which keeps us in peak form.

Here's some advice on food bag organisation that you may find useful:

1. Before your trip, divide everything into 5 piles: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, drinks
2. Decide on what you will be having on the first day of your hike and place any snacks, drinks, lunch etc into easy to reach and convenient places on the outside of your pack.
3. Place the 5 piles into their own zip lock bags labeled Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Drinks and put them into your food bag with the dinner zip lock bag on top.
4. Throughout the day there should be no need to open your pack or your food bag when you want something to eat. Your food for the day should be organised and in a designated spot on the outside of your pack. Hip-belt pockets or side pockets are perfect for storage. 
5. When you arrive in camp, take out your food bag, prepare your evening meal and decide on your breakfast for the morning. Enjoy your well earned rest.
6. In the morning while having breakfast, decided on your food the day. Take note of how you felt the day before and if you need an extra snack to give you an energy boost.
7. Pack your days food into your designated storage pockets and have your evening meal arranged at the top of your food bag so it's there waiting for you when you arrive into camp.

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