I've never really had to do this before, but I am actually contemplating packing a bunch of PowerBars for an upcoming work trip. I'll be on a chartered plane winging around Siberian oilfields, on a trip so jam-packed and exhausting that I am really regretting signing up for it. From the schedule I was given, it appears that there will be very long stretches between meals, plus many occasions when I will want to skip the late-night dinners and crack-of-dawn breakfasts in favor of a few more moments of sleep. My question is: who's got suggestions for a food product that is packable, non-perishable, and non-crushable, suitable for sneaking into my suitcase/handbag, and filling and nourishing enough to replace a meal? I really hate PowerBars, by the way.

a jar of peanut butter, and a loaf of bread (probably wonder bread ... there's so many chemicals in that stuff that I don't think it COULD go bad)

The bread may get smushed, but it's still usable.

I have discovered an array of sausage products that require no refrigeration and have no nitrites, that they carry at Whole Foods.

These can make an entire meal for me quite easily on a train or airplane.

I also carry nuts with me, such as macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans. If you eat peanuts, these will work.

For longer trips on Amtrak when I am feeling cheap, I have actually taken the little single serving, ready to eat bowls of dinty moore stews. They make both a beef stew and a chicken and dumplings that believe it or not, don't taste half bad at room temprature.

Not the most gourmet option by a long shot, but not bad at all when you feel like something a little more substantial.

"Trail mixes" as previously suggested are good options though I'd add more fruit to the mix than just nuts. Maybe the instant oatmeal packs too (for the fibre) though I'd ration 2-3 per meal for these. Alternative to this is making a muesli mix that you can soak in milk to eat.

OK, I guess I have some more criteria:

1. Not so high-fat (peanut butter, nuts, and sausages are killers)--I think I'll be gaining about ten pounds on this trip as it is, with no exercise time and a lot of big carb- and alcohol-loaded meals.

2. No preparation required (the muesli sounds great, but I won't have access to the milk, a bowl, a spoon, etc.)

So far trail mix appears to be winning. I might just take a spin around my local Whole Foods clone to see what I can cobble together. I'll look for the sausages--where in the store do they live, richard?

Other alternative is to make your own granola if fat is a concern. I don't know any recipes for low-fat ones but they're allegedly out there. Dried dates are also an excellent source of nutrition and fibre (if not sugar).

You might want to consider good-quality meat jerky and pemmican as it's dehydrated and light (hard to find though) and I think most of the fat has been taken out.

The sausages earlier mentioned are the winter sausages often found in Europe. They have a waxy or powdery white coating, are very firm (dessicated), bit withered at the ends and have a string to hang them up. Unfortunately, fat-wise, they contain quite a bit of fat as that acts as a preservative.

I'd avoid any liquidy stuff (including viscous stuff like PB - it'll find a way to escape).

Tuna now comes in a pouch and doesn't have all that water like in a can. Can't beat tuna for a good high energy food. The pouches are easy to pack and carry. There are also pre-packaged tuna and crackers that work well. Instead of powerbars look at the cereal bars. They are more like food and less like cardboard. Again they travel well.

Power bars (tm) are rather hard. They're made to be dense and compact and need to be ingested with water.

Avocet/Clif bars are much more palatable.

agreed. I find Clif bars a rather good source if I have to skip the odd meal (the cool mint chocolate has caffeine kick too!) and they're lower in fat (about 3-5g per 250 cals so not bad).

I wouldn't use these as meal replacements though... you'll likely end up nutrient deficient after a few days.

just get some military 'survival' food packages.

mre's?
ewwwww

I've got a carton in the garage for emergencies. I don't think they taste that bad. I did but all of the different kinds that were availible to try before deciding on my selection. YMMV.

Jerkey is a good suggestion.

Pemmican is powdered jerkey mixed with fat.

You can buy packs of small "tubes" of peanut butter in the grocery store next to the jars of pb. Good for some protein in a pinch.

I will look into the tuna packets and jerky suggestions. Maybe I can get some biltong or jerky at LHR on my way through. Since I won't have access to a pocket knife (it was confiscated one day last year when I forgot to take it out of my handbag before a flight), that could be a good finger food option.

Sorry, sowalsky, but I will pass on the MREs. I can't imagine where I would get hold of them, in any case. I'm guessing they take up a lot of suitcase room, too.

Thanks to all for the suggestions on how to avoid the dreaded Power Bar. I spent a lot of time in Zimbabwe gnawing on rusks for sustenance, and I do not wish to recall that experience.