How Much.. and what kind of Trail food do YOU bring

[Stavman]

I keep thinking back to my Old Days of Backpacking (20+ years ago).. Top Raman...Oatmeal....Choc Pudding in my Water Bottle...
Ahhh Those where the days...

Ive been dehydrating food, jerky mainly, for a Few years now... so when I decided to start Backpacking again in Nov 2015... I was amazed at the Options these days... I mean I could have Steak and Lobster... if I wanted ;)

Bout 10yrs ago.. Wife and I did a 3day 2 Nights at Ramona Falls In the Mt Hood Wilderness area... Got some Mt House (I think) Freeze dried meals... yer basic oats and Freeze Dried Coffee.... It was ok I guess... Dont remember it being Nasty... but was spendy.. and well.... was Trail Food...

So with the endless Web Resources available these days, in November, i stumbled upon "Recipes for Adventure" by Glenn McAllister..... My new Hiking Food Bible... and yes it was a Zen moment for me

I mean... dehydrating Chili.... who woulda thunk It... So I immediately ordered the book and started reading...

Ok.... I learned so much... spent a week dehydrating everything I could Find.. Bannans, Onions, Peppers, Serrano Peppers, Beef, Fake Crab, Potatoes (awesome Potato Bark... mmmmmm).. Ratatouille, Home made Chili, Tomatos, Salsa, Shrooms... and Im sure at least 10 more things....LOL... Also did Eggs and polenta...MAN that is good... with ham and peppers and Cheese...Ymmy Breakfast..

So...as you can guess... I am hooked.... Now that said... it is cheaper.. does take some time, but so worth It..and when vaccu packed... can tuck em in any corner of yer Pack

So here is 2 pics of one I did last Trip.... Looks Nice huh.. everything for 1 day (cept forgot my pill pack.. Ill remember this time) nice and simple... Menu on a paper towel.. use it later to Clean up with... Nice huh (beer for scale only )

Wrong... this was 1lb 9oz...LOL

I basicaly over TREATED/TRAIL FOODED myself...
So after I got home... I measured what I put In... what I ate... what I didnt eat... what I needed... what I didnt

Breakfast
I was good... the new Instant Coffee's ROCKS... like those a lot.. I add some Hot Chocolate for flavor..
My Oats Or Eggs/Polenta with Dehydrated ham and veggies where perfect and Light

Snacks/Lunch
I find I dont really stop for Long... Pee break.. Water.. Snack... 10-15min.. ok lets go.. (im solo hiking remember) so a Lunch really didnt make sense... Pack off stop every 2miles ish... or after major Uphills if needed..

I took about 12oz of Summer Sausage, Cheese and Crackers for my 1st day Lunch... ya... Lasted 2 days... way too Much.. was tasty but could be 1/2 and be fine... and Ditch the Crackers

Trail Mix or GORP I do Love... Chocolate, peanuts, Fruit.. whats not ta love... I had an 8oz bag for 1st day, and same for 2nd day... 8oz lasted even till drive home... so 3-4oz a day is Good....

Peanut M&M's.... my 2nd go to treat... same with Gorp... cut what I had in 1/2 easy... cant remember the weight... but wasnt a huge anmount.. id say 3oz/day was a Good late night treat before Bed.... and Good energy durring the Day

Jerky/Pepperoni... Love this as well... My portion on this was pretty good... 3oz ish... Easy ta grab on a stand up break and not as much salt as GORP so less water consumed

Candy.... Honestly... cant say I ate any.. and as you can see (pics)... had WAY too much... Maybe a couple for desert...

So recap on Snacks/Lunch Id say 8-10oz MAX a day will get me by... Nice Breakfast and EPIC dinner does wonders

Diner....... The 5star meal of the Day...
Isnt it so great... that after a long day hiking... site seeing... picture taking... ya Get camp set up.. and some of the most basic food tastes like yer at a 5 star restaurant. Well why not make that Kinda Food
Now I dont usually do a 1cup water 1 cup dry... I need more more food than that , most of mine are 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 mix which is a Nice big meal

My 1st Night I had my World Famous (ok ive only made it 2x) SPICY!!! Chili and Cheese Mac..... (note to self.. real spicy food on the trail is NOT a good idea).
Basically Macaroni.. Powdered Cheese, Powdered Milk, My Dehydrated chili, salsa, Serrano's and onions.... was Epic... after a Long Hike a great meal... at a Campfire.. listening to an Audio Book.... well.... its hard to beat isnt it

I took a backup Diner.. just because... it weight was 6.5oz and was 1-3/4 water to 1-3/4 mix...so a big meal... so the diners are really light...and lots of good protein and calories...

So I am hoping, this trip, too keep a days Food down to 16-18oz MAX. now Day 1 is just Trail and Diner.. so maybe 14oz. Day 2 is a full day so lets say 18oz. Day 3 is also a half day but less Trail food so maybe 12oz... So for 3 days 2 nights Hoping to be around 3lbs or less... less is Better
They say 1lb a day is a good goal... so am shooting for that


Sorry for the Long Book... but am wondering what you guys/gals do also..... how much a day get you by.. snacks.. and meals

Next trip is Feb 16-18.... Time ta start prepping


Stav

[writelots]

I used to try to keep my food weight down at the cost of taste and interest, and found that I didn't eat what I didn't like, then I just carried it out and didn't get enough calories to keep me happy.

So now I carry what I like and use the length of the trip, miles per day and availability of water to determine how much luxury I have along. Last trip I figured out how to dehydrate guacamole - and this might change the game for me forever ;)

I've found that on a 1-2 day trip, I average more like 24oz per day. On a 4-6 dayer, I get it closer to 20 as long as I know I have water at the first few nights' camps. I like to lean on things like dates and figs rather than energy bars - and pound for pound I think they are a good investment. However, I also used to use a lot of cheese sticks and you can't beat those for taste, but they add up weight wise. My new low-cheese lifestyle will change that a lot, that's where the guac will come in!

I love talking trail food, though - love even more cooking and eating it!

[flagscott]

So I am hoping, this trip, too keep a days Food down to 16-18oz MAX. now Day 1 is just Trail and Diner.. so maybe 14oz. Day 2 is a full day so lets say 18oz. Day 3 is also a half day but less Trail food so maybe 12oz... So for 3 days 2 nights Hoping to be around 3lbs or less... less is Better

They say 1lb a day is a good goal... so am shooting for that

I'm not sure where you heard that 1 lb. a day is enough food. Let's try translating that to calories.

Most of the foods you list probably come to 100-120 calories per ounce. Really oily foods like cookies or kettle chips can push 150 calories an ounce, but we'll be generous and say that your foods are more in the 120 range.

16 ounces * 120 calories per ounce = 1920 calories. That might be an okay amount of calories if you're sitting on the couch all day, but it's nowhere near enough for backpacking. While hiking you're going to be burning well over 100 calories a mile on top of whatever you need to stay alive. Personally, I like to be closer to 3000 calories a day for backpacking trips, which means at least 1.5 lbs of food per person (we usually do 15+ miles a day, so we burn a lot of calories). On my thru hikes, once my appetite picked up, I was typically eating 4000-4500 calories a day--and I still lost weight.

You're obviously not going to starve to death eating 2000 calories a day on an overnighter, but why restrict your calorie intake? Getting to pig out is one of the best things about backpacking. I say don't short-change yourself on food when you're being super active. I'll do almost anything to save a few ounces from my pack, but that never comes out of my food.

[FOTG]

@flagscott

Personally, I like to be closer to 3000 calories a day for backpacking trips

Ya but you are an elephant, you are naturally going to eat more than the average person ;)

[flagscott]

@flagscottYa but you area an elephant, you are naturally going to eat more than the average person ;)

Don't I wish! If I could live off of leaves and bark, my pack would be even lighter...

[big_load]

I do OK on about 24 oz of food per day.

Breakfast: oatmeal or grits, Starbucks Via, a couple slices of pre-cooked bacon
Lunch/walking: trail mix, jerky, nut butter packet, some kind of chewy bar, powdered drink. In cooler weather I add a bit of hard cheese or sausage in a tortilla.
Dinner/before bed: Self-dehydrated meal, one or two tortillas, powdered drink, leftover trail mix, hot chocolate.

Some of my favorite things to dehydrate are shredded beef, shredded pork, refried beans, rice, spaghetti, and beef stew.

Sometimes I bring fresh food for the first night's dinner, like a big sandwich.

[Nighthiker]

MRE's mainly but also take dried foods and trail snacks.

[Stavman]

I love talking trail food, though - love even more cooking and eating it!

agree 1000% as you can tell by my 1st Post... and nothing like a great gourmet diner on the trail

Personally, I like to be closer to 3000 calories a day for backpacking trips, which means at least 1.5 lbs of food per person (we usually do 15+ miles a day, so we burn a lot of calories). On my thru hikes, once my appetite picked up, I was typically eating 4000-4500 calories a day--and I still lost weight.

Hmm calories... good Call.... never really thought about that..... Ill look into that more this trip. Maybe my 24oz wasnt so much after all
I have dropped about 6lbs outa my pack since last Trip so will look into the Calories more for This one..

Thanks Flagscott

Breakfast: oatmeal or grits, Starbucks Via, a couple slices of pre-cooked bacon
Lunch/walking: trail mix, jerky, nut butter packet, some kind of chewy bar, powdered drink. In cooler weather I add a bit of hard cheese or sausage in a tortilla.
Dinner/before bed: Self-dehydrated meal, one or two tortillas, powdered drink, leftover trail mix, hot chocolate.

Some of my favorite things to dehydrate are shredded beef, shredded pork, refried beans, rice, spaghetti, and beef stew.

Great ideas... Ill be bringing some Torts this trip for sure....

I do make some GREAT Trail food.... my Chili Mac was the BOMB... and my Seafood Gumbo is epic as well. Great ideas with the shredded Pork and Beef Idea... as well as refried beans.. Ill add those to my List of To-Do's and To-Try

I have some Home made Refried Beans im gunna try Now..and some Canned black Beans and Peas and Corn, these will go Great in the Chilli Mac, Taco Mac and my Seafood Gumbo... May also add a pack of Tuna or Salmon in the Pouch to my Seafood Gumbo....

I also did some Research on High Calorie foods/snacks
Adding 2oz of Olive Oil to my Meals a day adds 480 calories...
Adding 5 Torts a day, 2 at breakfast, 3 Diner adds 500 calories..
(above 2 adds 7oz and 980 calories which is 140/oz) so just those add 1000 calories and close to 200 more by adding more Nuts to my GORP... so easy 1200 calories added..

So lets see what we would have for Calories...
Bfast- Aprox 1120 calories aprox. Weight 8oz
Polenta/Eggs with Ham, Cheese, Milk, onions and peppers Aprox 600 calories
If I do 2 packs of Oats it would drop about 300 calories... so Ill do my Eggs for sure
2 torts adds 200 calories
1oz Olive Oil 240 calories
Maybe add some PBJ for More Calories
Coffee with Hot Choc for Creamer 80 calories

Trail/Lunch Aprox 1770 calories aprox. Weight 12oz
4oz Gorp-- Heavy choc and Nuts 640 calories
4oz Peanut M&M 600 calories
4oz Jerky/pepperoni 530 calories
Alternate Torts/Crackers with Cheese and Sausage for 1st day.. should be similar weight and Calories

Diner Aprox 1440 calories aprox. Weight 12oz
Chili Mac with Cheese, Veggies, Black Beans, Shrooms and Serrano peppers aprox. 600 calories
Seems most my Diners are about the Same calories and weight so this is pretty standard
3 Torts for 300 calories
1oz of Olive Oil 240 calories
2oz of either 2 mini snickers or M&M's 300 calories


Aprox Total weight 32oz
Aprox Total Calories 4330
Avg Calorie/oz = 135

Ill check these once I pack everything.. shopping for some stuff tomorrow Then Ill start Pre Packing the Backpack and organizing my Food..

Fun Fun Fun... and thanks all for the Comments... keep em coming


Stav

[Stavman]

Some good Trail snack Info for ya

Sesame Bread Sticks 1oz/150calories
Pepperoni 1oz/150c
Peanut/cheese cracker packs 1oz/150c
Peanut M&M's 1oz/150c
Fun Size snickers 2ea=1.2oz/160c
Summer Sausage 1oz/90c
Sharp Cheddar 1oz/110c
6" Flour Torts 1oz/100c
Olive Oil 10z/240c

So now to start mixing and Matching my Trail Food....

[Stavman]

Time for my 3rd trip in my Back to Backpacking extravaganza

Since my Wife is Korean... Gunna do Some Raman this trip... Oh Not yer basic Raman... oh No

Stav's Spicy Seafood Raman
1 Pack of Spicy Seafood Raman (Paldo Brand from Asian Store)
Both Packs of seasoning and dried stuffs added
1/3 Cup Mixed Dried Shrimp and Crab (fake Crab) Maybe add some Beef also
1/3 Cup of Mixed Veggies.. Onions, Spinach, Peppers, Jalapenos, shrooms..etc
1/4 cup Salsa Leather... Spicy Salsa Leather
1-1/2T Cheese
1T Powdered Milk
Garlic Powder, Ginger, Crushed Red peppers and Cilantro... to taste
1T soy
1/2oz Olive Oil


This should be a Game Changer..... Knock off of my Jambalaya I made

So So Good...

Thinking Cheesy Taco Mac and Cheese for 2nd Night

and of course my Breakfast Burritos for Breakfast/Brunch


Love ta see yer Favorites.....

[hikeaz]

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