Backpacking food

[bwanacarl]

I am just curious what you guys think is a reasonable amount of food to budget per day of backcountry backpack hunting. Let's assume water is readily available and you want to spend 5-6 days without needing a resupply. Any favorite brands of freeze dried foods, or other suggestions for substitutes? I understand this varies from person to person and terrain has a lot to do with it, but I simply want to start a discussion on the topic and see if anyone suggests something myself or another reader has never thought about.

 

[Daniel_M]

3000 calories per day, more if your active. I eat like a horse on our float hunts but still manage to lose 15-20#.

If weight isn't a huge issue, I sure do like Hawk Vittles. Packers Potatoes, the stews, the pastas. All real good.

My normal go to for every morning is home packed oats. 3/4 cup dry, throw in some craisins, brown sugar walnuts and sliced almonds.

Packit Gourmet is another good source for non-traditional type goodies.

 

[RosinBag]

I go with 1 to 1.5 pounds of food per day. It would be nice to get 3000 calories, but it will not ever happen on my weight restriction, it would be closer to 2.5 pounds per day. I also wont stop to eat 3000 calories a day either, decent breakfast and big dinner, everything else has to be eaten on the go. I bet I get closer to 2000 calories a day, if that if I were counting them closely.

 

[rye_a]

I usually bring oatmeal fortified with weight gainer or Mountain House freeze-dried breakfast, Cliff Builder Bars for lunch, and Mountain House for dinner. Snacks consist of dried fruit (mangoes, strawberries, cherries are great and can often be found in the bulk aisle), Cliff Shot Blocks, Honey Stinger Waffles or anything else that comes in at 100+ quality calories per ounce. I'll sometimes bring a fishing rod so I can supplement with the occasional trout feast.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm in the 1-1.5lbs a day, usually get around 2,500 calories. Mountain House would be my favorite commercial brand.

 

[Jager]

My favourite is jerky made from good cuts of meat.

 

[vcb]

My typical list.
morning. Pop tart and coffee from my bag as I am waking up.
mid morning snack. Granola bar and one GU.
lunch. Peanut butter sandwich
afternoon snack. Granola bar and one GU.
dinner. Mountain house. Chili Mac and cheese is my favorite.
dessert. Two Tylenol pm and nitty night

 

[jmez]

My list:
Breakfast 2 packs instant oatmeal with 1 scoop protein powder, vacuum packed, and starbucks via
Lunch: Peanut butter bacon and honey tortilla or tuna fish on a tortilla, vacuum packed, apple
Supper: Moutainhouse and starbucks via
Snacks: I take 1 pack peanut butter crackers, 1 pack trail mix, 1 clif bar and 1 granola bar eat these mid morning and mid afternoon.

Each days food goes in a 1 gallon ziplock bag. Use the bag to put trash back in and haul out. No idea what it weighs for each day.

 

[muleman]

dessert. Two Tylenol pm and nitty night

+ 1

 

[Becca]

These are rough estimates, as the calories (especially in the MH meals) can vary, but its a pretty good example of what we usually take. We try to save the higher cal entrees for days we worked harder. Often also throw in a few extra snack/dessert items like a bag of m&ms, trail mix, or choc covered blueberries etc.

Breakfast
Instant Oatmeal Packets x2=
*(160cal x2)=320 cal
(1.5oz x2)= 3oz

Fruit/nut mix=
300 cal
2.5 oz

Starbucks Via=
0 calories
0.1oz
* *
Breakfast Subtotal: 620 calories and 5.6oz

Day Snacks (I usually allot about 4per day, but often don't eat them all)
Clif/Lara Bars/candy bars x4

250 calories x4= 1000 calories
2.5oz x 4= 10 oz

GU energy gels 2 per day
100 cal x 2= 200 cal
1oz x2= 2oz


Dinner
Mountain House Meal (Calories vary, but this was average...we save the higher calorie ones for heavy packing days and always allot a 2 serving pouch per person)
600 cal
4.8 oz

Grand total : 2420 calories and 22.4oz per person per day

 

[rodney482]

Here is what I take

breakfast bars
oatmeal
coffee
crackers
large variety of mountain house supper
backpackers pantry cheesecake
backpackers pantry granola/milk/blueberries
mountain house chicken salad lunch
mack and cheese
candy bars
gum
propel straws diff flavors.

 

[Sunspot]

Add instant mashed potatoes to your meal for more carbs and calories.

 

[gethuntin]

those that take tuna packets due eat them as is or pack mayo up the mountain? I am thinking mayo packets but that would take a lot to make them taste even decent

 

[Daniel_M]

I add tuna to Lipton Pasta side dishes- anything with noodles.

 

[Trout bum]

My daily food intake is pretty much like Becca's list. I only eat about two Clif Mojo bars per day and eat habanero almonds mixed together with beef jerky or elk jerky throughout the day. Love the energy and the taste of that combo.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

This is what I packed for 6days of scouting. I wasn't so concerned w/ weight as I was with economy & convience.

Breakfast: Vac sealed pkg of Granola mix w/ fruit & nuts & 1pt powdered milk mix. And 2 coffee tea bags. (next time, I might spike the powdered milk w/ some protien powder.)

Lunch bags contained: one power bar, 4 peices of pepperoni stx, Keebler Crackers w/ PB, single serve pkg of trail mix, single serve pkg of melba toast w/ nuts & fruit, a Kool Aid pkg, and two Crystal Light Lemonade w/ Tea pkgs. These worked well and I could move a lunch bag to an outside pocket on the pack so I didn't have to dig into my pack. The Kool Aid & Lemonade Tea pkgs were slipped into the cargo pocket on my shorts so they were handy when we came across water sources and took breaks.

Dinners: were a mix of 4min Pasta meals supplimented w/ foil pk chicken, Ramen w/ Idahoan instant potato's & 4pcs of Jerky, and a couple MH meals which I didn't use.

I never felt hungry.
Hunt'nFish

 

[blb078]

What brand was the foil pack chicken? I tried some from Walmart, think it was Tyson and it tasted like ass. Out of curiosity how much did that 6 days of food weigh?

 

[Hunt'nFish]

What brand was the foil pack chicken? I tried some from Walmart, think it was Tyson and it tasted like ass. Out of curiosity how much did that 6 days of food weigh?

Foil chicken is Kroger Brand 7oz, 210cal/pkg, 45gms protien/pkg, enough sodium to taste pretty good right out of the bag.
(note: 1pkg will do two pasta or ramen meals....so split it w/ a buddy, same w/ the Idahoan potato's.)
I wish they made foil pk beef, I could do that w/ beef ramen for a switch.

Weights:
Pasta/chicken days........ 1.5lb x 2
Ramen/Idahoan days.........1.2lb x2
MtnHouse days.........1.0lb x2
Plus 1/2lb of Jerky
Total: ~8lb

 

[PhillyB]

They have corned beef in the foil packs. I dont mind it, but its not for everyone.