4-5 days worth of food

[Roberto Requena]

I know this question is completely subjective but can a couple people just post their food weight for four and a half days worth of hiking including snacks. I'm trying to estimate my pack weight for an upcoming trip and I haven't organized my food yet. I know it's different for everyone, but I would just like an idea. I'm hiking a mild 8 miles per day, if that makes a lick of difference to anyone. Thanks.

[Roger Caffin]

750 – 800 grams per day of dry food.

Cheers

[Greg Mihalik]

1.5 pounds per person per day should cover you, provided you're taking high-calorie food. We are typically a little under that.

[Mat Tallman]

This seems to be one of those questions that is better answered by your own experiences. I generally don't need nearly the amount of food that some people take/eat, and function fine at or just over a pound of food per day.

The suggestions above should be safe estimates, but don't be surprised if you need more or less than others, sometimes a good deal more, or a good deal less. YMMV is very relevant here.

[Steven Evans]

Hey Rob,
Take a look at my gearlist right now under my profile. It has all gear and food I brought on the 4 day trip I just got back from. Of course, the above posts are correct aswell – it will vary on the person.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

It seems that about 1.5 lbs/day is about right for me when aiming for about 125 cal/oz, but this can vary a lot from person to person depending on your body size, metabolism, hike difficulty and length, caloric density of your foods etc. It's wise to start on the safe side and slowly decrease it down until you are satisfied on the trail yet not carrying excess food. The key is taking good notes (calories, hike difficulty etc) so you know for the next hike how to adjust.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

The weight comes down to a number of things, of which can include:
What you like to eat
How much you like to eat
What types of food you carry
And how fanatical you are in reaching the magical 125 cal/ounce (most people don't worry that much).

Food is the one item in my pack I just don't worry about weight wise – simply because as the days go by my pack gets lighter.

Worry first about planning a solid diet that has a wide range of what you need (protein, carbs, fiber, etc) that you like – not taking what you think you should eat but in reality can't stomach. Sure, there will be the person who can eat nuts and energy bars the entire week, but before committing to a new diet ask yourself what do you really like to eat?

I usually take a wide range of food – I like food, I like enjoying my meals. Some of it is pure fluff – low calories – but they are items that keep me going on long sections. That can be worth the weight right there.

Having said that I carry 1 to 1 1/2 lbs per day for me, my oldest son carries about 2 lbs or more. He eats a lot.

[John Vance]

I find that for trips under 6 to 7 days, I don't really need that many calories. I carry about 17-18oz per day up to the 6-7 days and then add a bit after that but no more than another 4oz per day.

For a trip of 4 to 5 days my total food bag would be at about 4lbs but I have become a very light eater. My 11 year old son however, takes nearly twice as much food as I do and a lot more sugar.

[Ike Mouser]

I dont know if this is much of an idea, hopefullly some of the others here with more food experience can help me out. I just recently switched to dehydrating my own meals from buying prepacked ones. What i do is just take a vitamin at the begining of the day then eat pretty much simple dehyrated meals like:

beef mac/cheese
chicken w/ rice & adobo mix
beef w/ rice & caldoretta mix
Chicken w/ rice & soup mix

i munch on:
jerky
GORP w/ almond M&M's
High calorie healthy bars

Breakfast/Misc:
Instant Tea/coffee
Instant oatmeal

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