Easy snacks for your day spent outdoors

Your hunting and hiking trips require sustenance. (Leo Foureaux via Unsplash/)

Energy bars are fine, even though some may taste a bit more like hardtack than the chocolate, hazelnut, coconut they advertise. Energy gels are tough to swallow on a good day. Sometimes you just want real food. That’s where this list comes in. Each of these items are whole foods you can throw in your pack and forget about until you realize you should’ve eaten more for breakfast. Whether you’re sitting in trees waiting for an elk to bugle or 8 miles down a trail headed to a waterfall, these snacks will be there for you.

Can’t beat the original. (Amazon/)

Sometimes you want to make your own jerky, and sometimes you just want to buy what’s easiest. Jack Links has been tried and tested for years, and they don’t disappoint. The beef links are 98 percent fat-free and provide 11 grams of protein. They’re also seasoned perfectly to satisfy the salt craving we all know will hit if we’re far enough in the woods.

Squeeze directly into your mouth, or onto fruit or bread. (Amazon/)

When it comes to simultaneous shots of protein and natural sugar, little beats peanut butter. But so often the process of digging peanut butter out of a container with a knife comes at a messy cost. It’s especially not ideal for on the go in the backcountry. That’s the beauty of these little packets. Each one is the perfect amount of peanut butter to smear on an apple or on a piece of bread or even waffle. In a pinch, eat it straight from the pouch.

Sweet snacks for you and the kids. (Amazon/)

Move over fruit roll-ups, these natural fruit bars are the fruit snacks of the future. Each bar is just fruit and chia seeds, offering two half-cup servings of fruit and no added sugar. The ingredient list has four items, letting you know you’re getting what’s natural. Imagine they’re a smoothie on the go—without the cleanup.

DIY mountain snacks. (Amazon/)

For anyone interested in making their own snack sticks, but not quite ready to branch out into their own seasoning blends, this is the perfect fit. Create a high-protein snack from game in your freezer—elk, antelope, deer, upland birds, or waterfowl—and take them with you on the trail. The original blend offers you the perfect place to start and will season up to 20 pounds of meat. Make them all at once or by the pound. The box includes everything you need.