Drying flour tortillas to save weight?

[Doug Coe]

I like how whole wheat tortillas fit in my bear can. But they’re heavier per calorie than Triscuits.

So, I’m thinking maybe if I dried them a bit they’d be lighter. But how to do that and have them still pack tightly in a stack? And how horrible would they be to eat?

Anyone have experience drying tortillas, either on purpose or accidentally, and how were they to pack and eat?

[Rob]

Dried tortillas are called tortillia chips!  My favorite is Santitas although they aren’t whole wheat.

[MJ H]

Dried tortillas are called tortillia chips!

Remind me not to eat in any Mexican restaurant you run.

I suspect that dried tortillas would be close to inedible for everybody except the ravenously hungry. So, maybe for backpacking.

[Matthew / BPL]

Not the same thing but John Ladd or someone else on the JMT Yahoo group likes buying blue corn taco shells and carefully breaking them in half so they nest well. You can’t make a wrap with them but they’d be ok with cheese or instant hummus or whatever. I’m not sure how they’d do in a cal/ounce comparison but I suspect it’s high because of the fat (and because Fritos are quite high in calories).

I’m a crushed Frito kind of guy personally. I’ve got a bag in the can right now.

[Todd T]

…if I dried them a bit they’d be lighter. But how to do that…

I don’t understand the question.  The hard thing is keeping them from drying out.

[Ken Thompson]

No Doug you cannot. Have you tried the corn/flour tortillas by The Tortilla Factory?

You could pack in masa harina and fry your own corn ones. The smell alone is worth it…

[Doug Coe]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I found a recipe for spreading oil on flour tortillas and baking them, but I’m too lazy for that, I guess.

I do carry Fritos for snacks. Hmm, could just bring more for lunch. Or tortilla chips. The whole grain aspect of whole wheat is appealing though. I’ll have to see if I can get Triscuits to fit in my bear can for this trip.

[Matthew / BPL]

I know a person that packs a mix of crushed Triscuits and macadamia nut pieces. He pours the mix into a pouch of tuna in olive oil each day for lunch and eats it with a spoon.

[W I S N E R !]

“I know a person that packs a mix of crushed Triscuits and macadamia nut pieces. He pours the mix into a pouch of tuna in olive oil each day for lunch and eats it with a spoon.”

That might be the finest thing I’ve heard all day.  Going to try it.

And +1 on the crushed Fritos.  As a snack alone or added to instant potatoes to add some crunch to a burrito.

[Matthew / BPL]

Same guy likes protein shakes which he prebags with two peanut m&ms as a shaker ball to break up lumps. After the shake is done he eats the m&ms.

He’s a thinker.

[Doug Coe]

I settled on bringing Fritos, potato chips, and some (fewer) Triscuits.

[Philip Tschersich]

Crushed and vacuum-packed Chili Cheese Fritos are pretty close to mountain money.

But they do make a lousy wrap.

[Author]

Posts