If you’re anything like me, hiking isn’t just about the views—it’s also about the snacks. What can I say? I’m a food-motivator hiker! I’ll share with you 10 of my new, favorite cheap and easy hiking snack ideas that you can find at either a grocery store near you, get them online or even make them yourself…and each snack is under $2.00 per serving.
Whether you’re a beginner or well-seasoned hiker, these cheap, easy and delicious hiking snack ideas will help you get motivated to go out for your next hike.
Fillo’s Walking Tamales
I recently discovered Fillo’s Walking Tamales on my most recent backpacking trip in Arizona with a group of students from The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System and they’re so good!!
If you’re a fan of tamales, you’ll love these because they’re ready-to-eat, shelf-stable and delicious.
Fillo’s Walking Tamales are a super easy hiking snack because you can eat them right out of the package. No stove or boiling water required! If you’re looking for a little extra flavor or spice, you can even add a packet of hot sauce right on the tamale.
Walking Tamales come in a few different flavors like salsa verde, bean salsa habanero, bean salsa roja and sweet corn elote and they’re vegan friendly. Each Walking Tamale is 250 calories per serving, has 6 grams of protein and comes in at $1.99 each.
I’ve found Walking Tamales at my local grocery store and in the grocery section of my local WalMart and Target, but you can also find them online on Amazon.
Perfect Bars
At this point in my hiking journey, I’m pretty sick of most protein bars out there, but the one protein bar I still enjoy eating whenever I’m out on trail are Perfect Bars. Perfect Bars are not only tasty, but they make for a healthy hiking snack option.
Each bar is packed with 20+ superfoods and whole food protein, which comes from minimally processed ingredients like freshly ground nut butters, eggs and milk. Besides using better-for-you-ingredients, Perfect Bars are delicious and they’re gluten-free.
My two favorite Perfect Bar flavors are Peanut Butter, which has 340 calories and 17 grams of protein per bar and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, which has 330 calories and 15 grams of protein per bar.
If you’re a fan of pumpkin pie, you’ll want to try the Pumpkin Pie seasonal flavor, which is pretty good too.
Since Perfect Bars are free of chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients, you’ll find these in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. Then once you get home, these bars will need to keep them in the refrigerator. Perfect Bars are safe to eat for up to an entire week outside of the fridge at room temperature.
When sold individually, Perfect Bars can be anywhere from $2.50 to $3 each, depending on where you live and the store you buy them from.
I can find Perfect Bars at most of my local grocery stores, and in the grocery section of my local WalMart and Target, but you can also find them in the refrigerator section at Costco, online at Amazon and through the Perfect Bar website directly.
I tend to eat Perfect Bars on most of my hikes and have found that the least expensive option for me is to buy a box of 12 at my local Costco, which makes each bar come out to about $1.70 each.
Vermont Smoke & Cure Meat Sticks
I love including some form of a meat stick as a hiking snack because they’re high in protein, lightweight, easy to pack and easy to eat while hiking. Right now, the meat sticks from Vermont Smoke & Cure are my absolute favorite.
I go back and forth between the Hickory Smoked Beef, Oven Roasted Turkey and even the Hickory Smoked Hot & Spicy Turkey Sticks, which aren’t really all that spicy. They’re just full of flavor. Vermont Smoke & Cure meat sticks are gluten free and don’t include any MSG.
The full-sized, 1 ounce beef sticks come in at 100 calories with 6 grams of protein each. The full-sized, 1 ounce turkey sticks come in at 60 calories with 9 grams of protein each.
If I want an even more portable meat stick option, the mini 0.5 oz-sized meat sticks variety pack comes with yummy flavors like beef & pork, hickory smoked uncured bacon pork and BBQ seasoned beef.
I’ve found the full-size individual meat sticks at my local grocery store for $1.50 each. You can also find Vermont Smoke & Cure meat sticks and the mini meat sticks variety packs online at WalMart, Target, Amazon or can order them through the Vermont Smoke & Cure website directly.
Justin’s Nut Butter Squeeze Packs
Whenever I’m looking for a super easy hiking snack that’s packed with calories and protein, I’ll reach for a Justin’s Nut Butter Squeeze Pack.
Justin’s Nut Butter Squeeze Packs come in a variety of almond butter and peanut butter flavors. Each squeeze pack is considered one serving and is anywhere from 5 to 7 grams of protein with over 200 calories each and are gluten-free.
I always have a few of the classic peanut butter squeeze packs on hand because not only are these a tasty, easy hiking snack, but I can also use them as ingredients to help bump up the calories and protein content in some of my favorite cheap and easy backpacking meals, like my backcountry Pad Thai, which is literally just a pack of ramen with a peanut butter squeeze pack.
I can always find a wide variety of the Justin’s Nut Butter Squeeze Packs at most grocery stores near me anywhere from $1.00 to $1.49 each and they often go on sale. You can also purchase these individually in the grocery section of your local WalMart or in 10 pack online at WalMart, Target or through Amazon.
Chocolate Covered Almonds
Almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts always make a great hiking snack because they’re high in protein, contain healthy fats and have a fair amount of calories, all of which help keep me fueled for my hikes.
I’ve always been a huge fan of almonds and love them in a lot of things I eat. I especially love chocolate covered almonds, which has always been my most favorite kind of candy. It’s probably no surprise that chocolate covered almonds are also one of my all-time favorite hiking snacks. You can either eat these on their own or add them to your favorite trail mix.
Chocolate covered hiking snacks are less likely to melt inside my pack whenever I’m hiking in a cooler environment.
When I’m hiking in a warm, hot, sunny environment, I like to keep all of my chocolate covered snacks packed deep inside my pack, out of direct sunlight, otherwise I risk having my chocolate snacks getting messy and melting inside my food bag and pack pockets.
Chocolate covered almonds are sold everywhere and often come in either milk or dark chocolate varieties. You can purchase these in bulk or get them in single serving sizes. If you want to get more bang for your hiking snack buck, buy snacks like these in bulk and then repackage them for each of your hikes.
My favorite chocolate covered almonds come in one of these 3 lb. jars from Costco for $15.99 each, making this $0.40 per serving. Each serving is about 11 pieces and comes in at 160 calories with 3 grams of protein.
Planters Dill Pickle Flavored Cashews
Besides almonds, I also love cashews, and I love dill pickle flavored most anything. So when one of my backpacking students told me about Planters Dill Pickle Flavored Cashews, I knew I had to try them.
Like almonds, cashews are high in protein, contain healthy fats and have a fair amount of calories, making this a great fuel booster my hikes. They’re also incredibly easy to pack in my pack and are super easy to eat while I’m hiking.
I tried these dill pickle flavored Planters cashews and they’re delicious and kind of addicting. I love them so much that I’ll buy multiple bags of these at a time whenever I see them at my local grocery store.
When I first discovered these, they were kind of hard to find in my local grocery stores, but over the last few months, I’ve been seeing more of my local grocery stores starting to stock these on a regular basis. You can also find these at Walgreen’s, in the grocery section at your local WalMart and online on Amazon for around the same price.
One serving is about 15 pieces and is 170 calories per serving with 4 grams of protein. I’ve found these at the grocery store for $3.68 a bag, making this snack $0.75 per serving.
(Homemade) Honey Nut Granola
Granola is one of those things where I’ll either eat for breakfast with yogurt and fruit or eat on its own.
For years, I would buy my favorite honey nut granola from the grocery store. Then one day, the company who made my favorite granola stopped making it, so I started making my own.
The Honey Nut Granola I make at home is actually way tastier than what I used to buy in the grocery store and I can also custom tailor it to exactly how I want it. It’s not only super easy to make, but it’s also cheaper to make it myself because I buy all of the ingredients in bulk at Costco.
CLICK HERE for my Homemade Honey Nut Granola Recipe.
Oh Snap! Pickling Co Dilly Bites
I’m a big fan of pickles and dill pickle flavors. Remember those dill pickled favored cashews I just told you about? So it shouldn’t be any surprise that one of my favorite hiking snacks are pickles.
Even though pickles are low in calories and protein, they contain a fair amount of salt. I don’t know about you, but when I hike, I sweat…a LOT. Sweating means I’ll probably lose of lot of electrolytes while hiking so eating a snack like pickles will help replenish some of those lost electrolytes.
I’ve tried a few different brands of pickles over the years and the brand I’ve been loving recently are the Oh Snap! Pickling Co Dilly Bites. These things are SO GOOD!
First of all, they come in a single serving package, which is super convenient to pack for hiking. There’s no brine added, but there’s usually plenty of yummy pickle juice left over to drink.
The pickles themselves are thick, circular cuts and they’re super crunchy. These guys are fat-free, gluten-free and made with real cucumbers.
You can find these single-serving pouches in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store for anywhere from $1.25 to $1.60 per pouch. One pouch is one serving.
I’ve also found these in the refrigerator section at WalMart and Target. I’ve also seen these sold at convenient stores and even at Costco. At my local Costco, I get a 12-pack of the Oh Snap Dilly Bites for $9.99, making these only $0.83 per pouch.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit is always a good hiking snack option because it’s a concentrated source of nutrients, always gives me a quick energy boost while I’m out hiking and packing dried fruit is always way lighter and easier to carry than real fruit.
There are so many different types of dried fruit to choose from and you can find a wide variety at any local grocery store.
Two of my favorite dried fruit options are the Soft & Juicy Mango and Sweetened Dried Orange Slices, both of which come from Trader Joes. The Soft & Juicy Mango comes in a 6 oz package for $2.29. One serving is 3 slices so each serving comes out to $0.55 each.
The Sweetened Dried Orange Slices come in a 5.3-ounce package for $1.99. One serving is 3 slices so each serving comes out to $0.57 each.
Sadly, I don’t live anywhere near a Trader Joes because there are no Trader Joes located anywhere in the state of Montana. This means whenever I’m visiting out of state, I try to stock up on my favorite non-perishable Trader Joe items and bring them home with me.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, make sure to visit the dried fruit and nuts section and stock up on these cheap and easy hiking options for your next hike.
If you don’t live anywhere near a Trader Joes and visiting out of state isn’t an option, you can find various Trader Joe items online through retailers like Amazon and WalMart, but since these items aren’t being sold directly through Trader Joe’s, you’ll probably pay a premium price for them online.
Single Serving Chicken and Tuna Pouches
You can find a variety of single serving chicken and tuna pouches in your local grocery store, located in the canned food section, near the canned tuna and chicken.
I personally don’t eat fish, so I always opt for the chicken pouches. If you do eat fish, you’ll find a wide variety of flavors of single-serving tuna pouches at your local grocery store.
At WalMart in the grocery section, you’ll find the Great Value brand of single serving pouches of chicken in a variety of flavors like Original, Chicken Salad, Fajita, Lemon Pepper and Applewood Smoke.
There’s even a Pulled Pork in Barbeque Sauce single serving pouch made by Great Value, which is also really good too. I like to add this one to my backcountry macaroni and cheese for a super yummy backpacking meal.
I love the single serving chicken pouches because they’re super easy and convenient to eat as either a snack or lunch while out on trail. They come in a bunch of different flavors, there’s no cooking or refrigeration required, and you can literally eat them right out of the pouch. I like to add these to a tortilla or put them on my favorite cracker.
Single serving chicken and tuna pouches are packed with a fair amount of calories and protein. Each single serving chicken pouch can range anywhere from 70 to 90 calories with 9 to 12 grams of protein each and cost $1.50 per pouch. One pouch equals one serving.
Even if you’re nowhere near a WalMart, lots of local grocery stores will sell single-serving chicken and tuna pouches by other brands like Starkist, Swanson, Tyson and Valley Fresh. Prices will vary amongst brands and store locations.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite go-to hiking snacks are from the grocery store, or if you try any of my favorite hiking snacks out on your next trip.
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