Many responsible parents struggle with the question of whether or not to take alcohol with them on the trail or to the campgrounds.  For starters, alcohol is prohibited in most State and National Parks.  It can also be heavy, takes up space and can impair judgement (which is critical to wilderness and Baby Squatch survival).  All that aside, there is nothing better in the entire world than a lukewarm beer in the middle of the wilderness (this is a scientific fact) – the novelty of it alone is enough to excite the tastebuds.  An ice cold beer pulled straight from a cooler tastes pretty nice too!  If you are a nervous parent, I have one question for you – If you would order a beer when you are at a restaurant with your little one, why not have one when you are camping?

When making the decision on what type of liquid libation to bring, the choice for this Sasquatch is simple.  I do not like liquor, no matter how manly it may be.  All Sasquatches are deathly allergic to wine.  Their larger than average brains get larger than average headaches after a night of imbibing in a sultry pinot.  That leaves beer – the (relative to alcohol content) heaviest and largest of the three beverage choices, which makes it the obvious choice for a Sasquatch who doesn’t care about 1 or 2 extra pounds.  And if you are car camping, then there are no excuses!

Beer makes the most sense as a trail and camp beverage for a variety of reasons –

1. It takes a while to drink.  When I am at camp enjoying the evening, I want to keep things slow and easy – savoring the limited resources I brought there.
2. It tastes good.  It is a scientific fact that more people enjoy trail beer than trail liquor or trail wine combined.  More people drink trail liquor because of weight…but more people ENJOY trail beer.
3. It is the safest.  When spending time in the wilderness with my family, I DO NOT bring alcohol to get drunk or even buzzed.  I bring it because beer helps me relax and unwind.  I also get sick of the “taste” and “feel” of water and crave something different.  If you drink liquor on the trail you can get yourself and your family into SERIOUS trouble.  Idiots have killed themselves after overdoing it on alcohol in the backcountry (and the frontcountry!).  If we are backpacking, even as a Sasquatch, I can’t carry enough beer to get crazy drunk and still have enough room in my pack for everything else we need.  I could personally carry enough liquor to get an entire party drunk and still have room left over.
4. The cans can easily be crushed and stowed in your trash bag.
5. Craft breweries now make a ton of canned beer that is absolutely delicious.

Unless I am backpacking for 2 weeks or longer, I will always plan space in my pack for a beer or two for both myself and my backpacking partner.  They are generally gone after the first night, but it always makes that first night away from home easier.  Beer is such a wonderful addition to a backpackers toolkit that after I took Mrs. Sasquatch backpacking for the first time, I asked her what her favorite part was…to which she quickly replied – “THE BEER”

I have tried many different “backcountry” beers and have finally found my favorite.  If you are fortunate enough to live anywhere that Bell’s Beer can be found, then I HIGHLY recommend trying their Two Hearted Ale on your next outdoors adventure.  The 16 oz cans (TALLBOYS!) are perfect for backpacking or light car camping as it allows you to pack just one and not be left wanting.  The IPA character of this beer allows it to be enjoyed lukewarm and still taste fantastic.  See my entire review here

Cheers!

Sasquatch