Lose the cooler — pack foods that don’t need one

The easiest way to keep food safe on a long hike is to pick foods that are safe at outdoor temperatures on their own, so you never have to carry a cooler at all.

Nuts, dried fruit, jerky, nut butter, hard cheese, cured salami, whole apples, crackers, dark chocolate. That’s a real lunch and it sits fine in a pack for eight hours in warm weather. The stuff that makes people sick — mayo salads, deli meat, soft cheese — is exactly what you shouldn’t be hauling uphill anyway.

Want something cold anyway? Freeze a water bottle and put it in a small insulated lunch bag. It works as an ice pack on the way up and turns into drinking water later. Frozen grapes or a frozen yogurt tube also do the trick.

If you must carry a cold-cut sandwich, know the rule: perishable food is safe for about 2 hours without ice (1 hour when it’s above 90°F). A small insulated pouch with a single ice pack stretches that, but don’t push it.

Your shoulders will thank you, and so will your stomach.