Backcountry food price per day

[Hunter1212]

How much is everyone paying per day for food on a backcountry hunt?

 

[grfox92]

How much is everyone paying per day for food on a backcountry hunt?

I don't know exactly but not much. I don't eat any freeze dried meals when I'm out. Not that I wouldn't. I just haven't.

Average day for me looks like, 2 packets of oatmeal for breakfast, a bagel with a can or packet of fish or chicken, ramen and can of fish for dinner. Lots of bars, granola or trail mix in there through out the day. Probably less then $10 a day.

I'm a fan of nuts because of how calorically dense they are. A handful of peanuts is a meals worth of calories.

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[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

For backpacking I buy Peak meals in bulk and can usually get down to $10/meal. Two of those per day, bars for breakfast and misc snacks. Maybe $25-$30/day.

Truck camping I usually stick with cheaper stuff. Sandwiches, ramen + canned chicken or something like that. Probably closer to $15-$20/day.

 

[WoodBow]

Probably about $10-15. A freeze dried supper accounts for most of that expense.

 

[svivian]

$10/ day if i prepare my own stuff. Could get out of control quick with MTN houses and $3 protein bars.

 

[cnelk]

Why?
You still gotta eat if you’re at home or in the woods.

Cost neutral

 

[Poser]

I’d say that the longer I’m out, the more expensive the day to day cost will be.

Doing overnighters, I’m not as concerned about the cumulative effect of consecutive hard days. If I’m going out for 10 days, I may go “no expense spared” and take more expensive, calorie dense foods to ensure a premium experience and maximum enjoyment.

 

[JEEF]

I really like to eat on the cheap, mostly snacking through the day with lunch being tortilla wraps (tuna salad packets) and calorie/carb load at dinner with what is coined by thru-hikers the "Ramen Bomb" (Ramen, instant potatoes, and meat of your choice - I like pepperoni).

 

[Snowcrest6]

I eat a lot…..about $30 a day

 

[huntersdog]

$10 Worth of mountain house food.

 

[Titan_Bow]

The freeze dried meals, especially the more boutique ones now, can be quite expensive when you are talking a multi day backpack hunt.
For several years now, I have been making my own meals, and preparing most of my camping food at home, from scratch. I’ve been doing this for health reasons, not cost reasons. However, my guess is it would be way cheaper than buying prepared meals.
For breakfasts, I have 2 packets of oatmeal, with dried butter, dried blueberries, hemp seeds, peanut butter powder, and sometimes a scoop of protein powder. This comes out to 600-700 calories and I adjust based on my caloric needs.
For snacks, I will homemade jerky, dried fruit and nuts.
I make my own “granola bars” by mixing nuts, seeds, dates, dark chocolate and dried fruit. Throw that all in a food processor and press out into bars that are super calorie dense and healthy.
Lunches are typically peanut butter on a bagel, or a packet of tuna or salmon on a bagel.
For dinner, I dehydrate my own meals. You can even dehydrate leftovers as you get closer to hunting season, and the cost goes down even more. I usually do dedicated batches though, as I’m trying to get high calorie food. But Some of my favorites are venison chili Mac, venison vegetable chili, I make this Indian spice chicken and rice that’s really good, etc. the thing about the dehydrated meals, is that you are in control of the process and the ingredients.
I have high blood pressure that I control by diet and exercise, and I have to keep my sodium intake to a minimum or I have problems. Processed foods and freeze dried foods are extremely high in sodium and I cannot go days on end eating that stuff without my BP spiking.
So long post, but making your own is probably going to be the cheapest route, but you would have to be thinking ahead, buying ingredients in bulk or on sale, etc. and doing it at home.


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[Bull_n_heat]

I think it's pretty easy to be well less than $10/day. I eat a lot of dehydrated pot meals (Ramen, rice, or noodle dishes) that you can pretty simply add dried game to. I have done dehydrated ground meat in the past, but have gravitated towards dried shredded meat because it is much easier to dehydrate and rehydrate and just seems much better tasting. I also make my own breakfast skillets with dehydrated roasted potatoes, salsa packets, cheese and shredded meat. That was a breakfast game changer, and can be used for dinner too.

Beyond that, it's a variety of bars and oatmeal. I try to shake that up as much as I can

 

[Scrappy]

I don't care, I ain't going hungry in the mountains ever again.......

 

[Deepwoods]

New member here but figured I would start contributing somewhere I do quite a bit of backpacking, remote mountain biking and long day hunts. I used to use the freeze dried/dry food for backpacking and hunting almost exclusively. However, after mixing in endurance biking I learned that I can eat light every hour and go all day. Cliff bars, almond butter bars, protein bars, trail mix, dried fruit and drink mixes etc do a very good job as long as you meet your calorie requirements based off your exerted output. If the temps allow, perishable foods can even be taken on multi day trips. The great thing about packaged bars etc is that you don't need to tote a stove or start a fire. All this to say, I am fairly frugal and I try to eat for ~$15 or less. I buy products when they are on sale and stock up.

 

[Ouzel]

Let’s see.
At spike camp, 2 Mtn house meals 1 breakfast, 1 dinner, Lunch sack with 1 sandwich, apple, bumble bee tuna snack kit, assorted mini candy bars, so roughly $25
Base camp, breakfast 2/3 eggs, bacon, hotcakes, Lunch sack same as above, dinner could be hamburger, steak, pork chops, chicken, or elk/deer/sheep/moose liver if successful day, tenderloins if someone is feeling gracious so I’m guessing nearly the same $25, never really broke it down, but it will surely add up when start adding store bought jerky, power bars, etc.

understand all my back country adventures are supported by my string of mules, even when camped at timberline, it’s a comfortable outing.

 

[Backyard]

‘Bout $5.
I make all my own. Cant stand or afford to eat the package crap.


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[magtech]

Let's see.. over a few days ill go through:

1 big bag of mountain trail mix
2-4 peanut butter crackers or the cheese ones a day.
2-3 chewy bars a day
1-2 crunchy bar a day

Prices are whatever walmart charges.

Thats most of my diet. At night I might eat a knorr rice packet or half of it. I need more water than food. Its not like I expect to maintain weight, but this is enough to keep me going.

 

[Marble]

How much is everyone paying per day for food on a backcountry hunt?

I'm probably $15-20 daily. One big meal morning and evening. Snacks in between. Sometimes a larger meal. It could go as high as $25 I guess depending.

I do backpackers pantry primarily. Every once in awhile I'll get something else and mix it up. I like to get 700-800 calories at breakfast and the same at dinner.

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[Elkangle]

This is kind of an abnormal meal plan but it's what I did...I didn't do up a spreadsheet this year but I'm sure it's in the same ball park of 25-30 a day

 

[dieselchessy]

Id say around $20. I might eat a freeze dried meal a day if at all. I use Idahoan powdered spuds, Costco bacon bits mixed with dried cranberries and almonds, Lipton or other powdered soup packs, snack bars bought while on sale, mixed nuts, dehydrated fruits, ect…Make my own jerky. All manner of powder drink mixes like crystal light, squincher, liquid IV.
Pretty easy to assemble meals trying to target calorie and carb dense stuff that won’t clog your pipes.

A half package of Idahoan mashed spuds to supplement your dinner will fill the tummy for a good nights sleep.