At some point in the heart of a 12 or 24 hour drive, the coffee just won’t cut it anymore. It’ll be somewhere east of Elk Mountain. The adreneline that kept you sharp over the top will fade once you’re rolling downhill and the snow clears and the road turns dry and black again. It might be south of Page, when the moon goes dark and all the stars come out and there is nothing but the Milky Way and the dashed yellow center line and darkness.
You’ll reach for the seeds. The bag is half empty, not because you needed them earlier, just because they are delicious. But now, in the belly of the night with your bird-hunting buddy catnapping and the promise of birds at dawn, you shove a handful of spicy sunflower seeds in your mouth and put on a podcast.
There is something magical about seeds, particularly when coupled with coffee, that will help you navigate a long drive.
But these are things you already know. You also know that we rarely endorse things that are not beer, dogs or Mexican restaraunts. In fact, we even created a category for durable goods, that up to this point has only been used once. “These products are things we’ve used in the field, in real time, in real cases, for years. Not just a weekend. In the field, for years. This is the shit that works. That we like. That we’ve had for a long time.”
With all that in mind, I’ll lay it on the line.
There are three kinds of sunflowers seeds in current production that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
3. Spitz, chili lime: These are sweet, but not overly so, with just enough spice to keep it interesting, but not so much that your lips are non-functional after only a couple of pounds.
2. David’s, cracked pepper: These do not start out hot, but near the bottom of a pound bag, you’ll have to stop for chapstick if you didn’t plan ahead. These are the go to seed for late-night driving.
1. Lays, original, extra long: These seeds are like Dr. Pepper, Schlitz beer, nacho flavored Doritos, and the Beatles. They are timeless. I prefer the small bags for easy consumption.
Mouthful of Feathers 
Ha! I can relate. Long Nevada drives after tromping the chukar country call for those seeds too. I know most of the stores around the state that stock them and what flavors they will likely have. Used to be Copenhagen and coffee but I had to mellow with age and seeds are the next best thing. Keep the shell cup handy!
To the purist those “flavored” seeds are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. After many years of western Kansas road trips, baseball and softball games, high plains pheasant covers and sun baked asphalt-hard fairways (out where they are sometimes referred to as Rooshian Peanuts), I can tell you that David Originals are REAL sunflower seeds!
Bigs Old Bay Seasoning, amazing and will likely give you coastal texican flashbacks.
I can’t believe dill pickle didn’t make the list…
Man, Old Bay? That sounds amazing. I’m going to have to get online to find those!
Spitz dill pickle needs at least an honorable mention. Kept me going through many a midnight shift. Going to give cracked pepper a go tonight.
The wife just “loves it” how I spit the spent shells on the floor board of the pickup. They dry quickly and are easily swept out…usually 2-3 months later. You know…she does have her own set of wheels and really doesn’t need to even be in my truck. The Setters don’t seem to mind, though.
Let’s just hope the wife is not a follower of MOF!
No worries, Tom. She’s not one of the chosen 11 who peruse MOF