Fuel for Camping
As I have mentioned in my travel posts over the past four years, my #1 vegan food tip is to pack tons of snacks. Actually, this isn't just a tip for vegans, as we discovered when traveling through Turkey during Ramadan. My sizable stash of Trader Joe's trail mix, sesame sticks, and dried fruit saved us at least one meltdown apiece.
You may also recall that one of my summer 2015 goals was to do more camping, so imagine my delight when Vegan Cuts advertised their deluxe camping box:
Thanks to this (mostly) snack box I've been introduced to several yummy new protein bar/cookie brands—Skout and Grab the Gold and Nii and NuGo Fiber d'Lish (I love Larabar, but new flavor combos are always nice)—as well as an organic, relatively-natural alternative to Red Bull called Dark Dog.
Ha, ha! Does it actually work? Well, I tried it one afternoon at Falcon Ridge while feeling fuzzy headed around 5pm—I was indeed tempted to take a nap, but at 5pm? come on—and it actually did work. Not a jarring jolt of energy, more of a ten-minutes-later oh-wow-I-feel-peppy-again sort of boost. Much, much better than Red Bull. Here's an explanation from the Dark Dog FAQ:
DARK DOG energy drinks contain the caffeine of guarana, which is much better for the stomach than the synthetic caffeine used in most other energy drinks. DARK DOG products do not contain chemical substances such as inositol or glucuronolactone that are found in other energy drinks.
It wasn't too sugary either (made with cane sugar), but I can't say I'm going to be picking up a case of it anytime soon only because I'm trying to wean myself off caffeine. (I've had several conversations lately about reducing my coffee intake, and the general advice seems to be to drink water and eat a little something, like a handful of nuts, if your energy is flagging.)
The breakfast cereal cup (with oats as well as amaranth, chia, flax, etc.) from Rokit Fuel packs ten grams of protein, twice as much as regular oatmeal, and it was really tasty too. The paper-and-plastic cup does seem wasteful though—I'd be more likely to buy it in the future if it came in little packets like regular instant oatmeal. I haven't tried the tea and coffee brew bags yet, and I am a bit skeptical, but I'll let you know in my next camping post if they're worth seeking out.
As for the toiletries, the Campn Stick (all-natural bug repellent) was wonderfully effective (I only got bitten when I neglected to use it, ha) and the Dr. Squatch soap came in handy (har har) too. I think it's marketed for men just because it has an herbal rather than a sweet or flowery scent. Actually, I rather like smelling like gold moss.
Being able to dig fun new goodies out of your bag when peckish enhances the already-awesome camping experience. Whatever you do and wherever you go, for the sake of your companions, make sure you have enough to nibble on!
(Not that I've ever been the crankypants of the group. Oh, no.) ;)