Cook · No-cook · 3,000–4,000 cal/day
What we eat
up there.
Backpacking food is a calories-per-gram problem with morale stakes. These are the breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that have actually made it out of our packs and into our mouths — calorie counts and weights included so you can plan for your own appetite.
The math
Plan for ~3,000–4,000 calories per person per day when you're actively hiking with a load. Less for short days, more for big-mile days at altitude. It's almost impossible to actually carry enough food for 4,000 cal/day on a long trip — you'll lose weight, and that's fine for a few days. Fat (olive oil, peanut butter, cheese, nuts) is your highest calorie-per-gram lever.
On a 2-night, 3-day trip, a typical food bag for one person looks like: 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 6–8 snacks, plus electrolyte mix. Roughly 1.5–2 pounds of food per person per day.
Hot tips
- Repackage everything. Mountain House bags are the only "in original packaging" exception. Otherwise: oatmeal in a ziploc, olive oil in a small Nalgene, snacks loose in a stuff sack.
- Olive oil is rocket fuel. 240 calories per tablespoon. A small bottle adds calories to almost any savory dinner without much weight.
- Cold-soak in summer. Couscous, instant beans, instant mashed potatoes all work with cold water in a tight-lid container — saves fuel on hot days.
- Day-1 luxury. A single fresh thing (avocado, real cheese, a soft-boiled egg) on day 1 is worth its weight every time.
- Coffee. Starbucks Via packets are heavier than a Stanley pour-over but pack flat. Worth it for the ritual.