What are the best sandwiches for outdoor adventures? August is National Sandwich Month – who knew? I’m dishing up my list of 10 tasty sandwiches for hikers, bikers and paddlers alike!
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What are the Best Sandwiches for Outdoor Adventures?
The best sandwich is the one that you are going to look forward to eating – seriously! If you dread hauling a soggy, tasteless sammie out of your pack on a mountain bike ride or hike or your drybag on a river paddle, what is the point of carrying it in the first place?
Sandwiches for outdoor adventure need to be portable. Ingredients must be chosen with care so that they don’t go bad in heat. Your best sandwich should be easy to eat.
But, above all – whether you’re hiking, biking, or paddling – it should be tasty.
Need a good backpack or dry bag to hold your sammies? Check out MEC’s selection!
A Little Sandwich Trivia
We know now that August is National Sandwich Month, but did you know that the Earl of Sandwich is responsible for it all?
Yup.
On August 6th, 1762, he turned the lunch menu on its head when he asked for a meal between two slices of bread. The sandwich was born.
It didn’t take long for the idea to catch on and now there is a sandwich to match anyone’s personal preferences.
BLTs, paninis, grilled cheese, pastrami on rye, hoagies, rubens, clubs, gyros… hungry yet?
Best Ingredients for Hiking Sandwiches
Dense breads work well. Think crusty baguette, ciabatta buns, sourdough, whole wheat tortillas, pita or multigrain bagels.
Use lean deli meats when possible. Smoked ham and turkey or chicken work well. Lean roast beef is another good choice. Hummous and cheese are two of my fave protein choices.
Tip: If you’re worried about animal proteins and heat, pack your sandwiches next to a frozen water bottle to keep cool and eat them earlier rather than later.
Leaf lettuce doesn’t keep. Romaine is a better choice. Tomatoes and cucumbers will make your sandwich soggy. Grated carrots and cabbage are good options. Pickles – including pickled onion or beet – also add a delicious crunch.
Keep in mind that condiments need to keep well in heat. Be careful with mayonnaise. Mustards relishes and barbeque sauces work well. Pesto sauce makes a tasty condiment. Hummous works as a condiment as well.
The key to using condiments in sammies that are being bounced around in a pack, put in a bicycle pannier or stuffed in a drybag is to use them sparingly. Soggy sandwiches simply don’t hold a lot of appeal.
Tip: If you’re worried about mayonnaise in a sandwich, consider using the individual serving packets – like those found in some fast-food restaurants or available online at Amazon – and add to your sandwich at lunchtime.
My List of the 10 Best Sandwiches for Outdoor Adventures
Before I dish, it’s important to note that my list of yummy, trail or river-worthy sandwiches is garnered from years of adventures in the Canadian Rockies and Southern Alberta Prairies in the summertime and in the southern United States in the winter.
As such, we rarely need to worry too much about sandwich ingredients getting too hot for food safety. On the rare occasion temps are high, we opt for ingredients that hold up in well in the heat and skip things like chicken and mayo. You’ll want to keep this in mind based on your own trail or river conditions.
1. Good Old PB & J on Multigrain
Peanut butter and jam. It’s a staple for many outdoor enthusiasts. Why does it work? Peanut butter is high in calories and protein. Jam (or jelly) provides quick energy. Both keep well in the heat.
Feel free to switch it up. Try another nut butter like cashew butter or almond butter. Switch out jam for honey (my personal choice) or go wild and use a banana or apple slices (love the crunch!).
2. Roast Beef, Horseradish Sauce and Arugula on Whole Wheat Kaiser Rolls
Here’s something you may not know – these days I’m not a big meat-eater. But I live with a carnivore. So, while I might prefer a PB & J, he would love a roast beef sandwich on a kaiser roll.
Horseradish sauce can easily be swapped out for mustard if you prefer. Both keep well when it comes to warm temps. Arugula gives a nice bite even though it won’t keep as crisp as romaine does.
3. Ham and Cheddar Cheese on Croissants
Ham and cheese are staples. Add mustard and you have a simple, yet tasty sandwich guaranteed to bring a smile to a hungry biker, hiker or paddler’s lips. While croissants aren’t as hardy as some other bread choices, they add a richness that can’t be beat and deserve consideration for making one of the best sandwiches for outdoor adventures.
4. My Personal Choice for Best Sandwich for Outdoor Adventures
My personal choice for best sandwich for outdoor adventures is a multigrain bagel with smoked salmon cream cheese and avocado. Bagels stand up no matter what pack, pannier or drybag you stuff them into. The options of ingredients that work well in bagels are endless, but my new favourite is smoked salmon cream cheese and avocado. Dial it up a notch by adding a few pieces of lox and you have a sammie worth expending energy for – yummy!
5. Curried Chicken Tortilla Wraps
These are one of our favourite paddling sandwiches – especially when we have a small cooler. Take leftover chicken from the night before and shred in a bowl. Add powdered curry to taste (about a tsp or so). Grate two carrots and two sticks of celery chopped fine. Mix in mayonnaise to taste (a few tablespoons should do the trick).
Place a dollop of the chicken mixture on a whole wheat tortilla. Top with a small handful of sliced romaine lettuce. Wrap tightly. Keep cool until you are ready to eat.
These sammies work best when ingredients have time to meld together but you can also keep mayo out and add in a packet to each wrap when it’s lunchtime.
6. Smoked Turkey & Swiss Cheese on Baguette
Deli meats and cheese – can’t go wrong! Smoked turkey with slices of Swiss cheese on a baguette is a tasty treat. Butter one side of baguette and add mayo on other (if desired). Top with a slice of smoked turkey, a few slices of Swiss cheese and a handful of spinach.
Enjoy!
7. BLT Pita
What do you need? Whole wheat pita wraps, several strips of cooked bacon, sliced romaine lettuce, tomato chunks (store in small plastic container until ready to eat), avocado chunks, mayonnaise packets and Montreal steak spice.
Fill pitas with bacon, romaine lettuce and avocado. When ready to eat, add in tomato chunks and top with mayonnaise. Sprinkle on some Montreal steak spice seasoning and dig in!
8. Proscuitto and Brie on Herb Ciabatta buns
Choose an extra creamy brie and spread thickly on an herb ciabatta bun. Top with prosciutto and arugula. Note that you can remove the meat from this (and almost all of these sandwiches) and still have a lip-smacking meal!
9. Veggie Wraps
Take a multigrain wrap. Spread a tablespoon of basil pesto across the wrap. Top with diced, seeded cucumber (less soggy), chunks of avocado, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a small handful of sliced spinach leaves. Wrap tightly and try to keep your hands off until lunch time.
10. Salami and Asiago Cheese on Sourdough
Cured meats like salami and hard cheeses like asiago stand up well on outdoor adventures. This simple sandwich combines a few slices of salami, a few slices of asiago cheese and mustard on a couple slices of crusty sourdough bread. It’s a hearty backpacking meal and one of the best sandwiches for outdoor adventures of any kind.
That’s it, that’s all.
What’s your favourite sandwich for outdoor adventures?
Leave your answer in the comments below.
crescent, black forest ham, spinach, & either a honeycup mustard or a cherry chutney. I always pack ingredients separately, (unless it is pb & j)
Cherry chutney – yum! We’re going to have that one to our list!
Being a Boy Scout leader, we strive to show our scout show good we can eat on the trail. Salami, bacon, Turkey, hams, arugula, hard cheeses (cheddars/smoked provolones) are all on our list. Aldi’s has some amazing ciabatta rolls, and tortillas are always a hit. Hummus, cilantro (‘cause it tastes good even squished) are good add-ins. I watch sandwich shops and get good Mayo packets, along with different mustards.
All great ideas for tasty sandwiches!
Safeway Ham/Turkey mini Croissants FTW!
Everyone’s got a fave – thanks for sharing yours Bryan!