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Getting hiking and backpacking food

If you are planning to backpack on Hawaii, consider shopping for your hiking and backpacking chow on Hawaii. Food prices are higher in Hawaii, but you have enough stuff to put in your luggage without bringing your food, too. You’ll find supermarkets in the larger towns: Kailua-Kona, Waimea, and Hilo. They have marginally adequate selections of long-lasting, lightweight, quick-cooking foods. I did not find any of the standard freeze-dried backpacking chow, however.

Companions

The standard advice is: never hike alone; never camp alone.

Water

Take your own drinking water for the day. Plan on treating water while backpacking. No open source of water anywhere in the U.S. is safe to drink untreated. Treat water chemically (iodine or chlorine preparations designed for the purpose) or by boiling (1–5 minutes at a rolling boil). It now seems that filtering may be ineffective against the bacterium that causes leptospirosis (below).

At the backcountry cabins and shelters in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the water is supplied by collecting rain from the roofs. It is presumed to be unsafe to drink without treatment and may taste of the roof even if treated. The backcountry water supply is at the mercy of the elements and of previous visitors, so be sure to ask when you get your permit whether there will be adequate water for your trip.