123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Sports >> View Article

Backpacking Food - What To Pack

Profile Picture
By Author: Steve Gillman
Total Articles: 89
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

Weight is always a concern with backpacking food you'll be carrying everything on your back. Some will tell you to find your weight savings in other areas, and argue for the necessity of healthy, meaning heavy, food. My experience, however, tells me that we can enjoy lighter loads and worry less about healthy food on short trips.

In the Sierra Nevada I ate more than 60 granola bars in five days with no ill effects. No stove meant a lighter pack, and it was very convenient to not cook. Of course, I usually supplement my backpacking diet with berries and other wild foods, so it probably wasn't all that unhealthy.

Different Foods For Different Backpackers

Each of us is unique. I don't suffer when I have no cooked meals, but you may. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the backpacking food question. You have to balance the weight/health/taste/cost issues in your own way. Consider the following points, though, in making your choices.

The lightest food is that which has the most calories per ounce. Pure fat wins the contest (oils), followed by high-fat foods (nuts), low moisture ...
... carbohydrates (granola bars), proteins (beef jerky), and then bread, fruit, veggies, etc. Nuts, for example, because of their fat content, have 50% more calories per pound than pure sugar.

Look at the lables. Choose foods you like, but choose the ones that are higher in calories for their weight. In that way, you get what you want, what your body needs for energy, and you keep it light. I usually plan for about 3000 calories a day. This isn't quite enough (I'm 6'3", 160 pounds), so I'll lose a pound or two on a weekend trip.

Bringing high-calorie foods like mixed nuts (2700/pound) and tortilla chips (2100/pound), I can get by with about 20 ounces of food per day. For a four day trip I'll carry around 5 pounds. Eat a big meal before you go, and you can carry less food (although you'll carry it inside you anyhow). You can cut weight if you know which berries to eat along the trail. I've eaten an entire meal of rasberries during one break while hiking in Colorado.

Healthy Backpacking Food

For a healthier trip, try this: Eat a large salad right before you leave, and right after you get back. If you also eat berries and herbs along the way, you can concentrate on bringing only light backpacking food, and your health won't suffer.

A more obvious alternative is to spend some money. Enough money, and you can feast on nutrition-packed, calorie-rich foods the whole time you are hiking. Try bee pollen, spirolina, raw nuts and seeds, molasses, dried papaya - I could go on, but you get the idea.

Finally, don't forget the freeze-dried meals and other traditional backpacking foods. They are not necessasrily healthy, and can be very expensive, but they sure are convenient and tasty. You can always pack ramen noodles if you want cheap food.

About the Author Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His advice and stories, and a backpacking food calorie counter, can be found at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com

Total Views: 378Word Count: 516See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Sports Articles

1. Conference League Final Extract: Enzo Maresca Praises Chelsea's 'serious' Mentality After Win Against Noah
Author: Samina Khan

2. Europa League Final Allusion: Manchester United Confirm Ruud Van Nistelrooy Departure As Ruben Amorim Flies In
Author: Samina Khan

3. Champions League Final 2025 Tell Tail: Scores, Results, League Position, Schedule, And Fixtures
Author: Samina Khan

4. Conference League Final Tree Ware: Stats Of Clubs, Players, Matches, Goals, Wins
Author: Samina Khan

5. Europa League Final Dustup: Amad Diallo Lifts Manchester United, Spurs Fall To Galatasaray
Author: Samina Khan

6. Champions League Final Delving: Insights On How Milan's Bravery Secured Victory Over Real Madrid
Author: Samina Khan

7. Betting Demo Id: A Beginner’s Guide To Risk-free Betting
Author: onlinebettinid

8. Champions League Final Marathon: Liverpool And Barcelona Rise As Arsenal And Psg Struggle
Author: Samina Khan

9. Europa League Final Peril: Tottenham Hotspur Strongest Starting Xi Prediction At Galatasaray
Author: Samina Khan

10. Conference League Final Notion: Challenged As Larne Learn From Early Conceding, Says Rohan Ferguson
Author: Samina Khan

11. Champions League Final 2025 Biathlon: Gyökeres, Kane, Lewandowski, And Raphinha Tied On Five Goals
Author: Samina Khan

12. The Importance Of Regular Office Cleaning In Liverpool Street For A Healthy Workplace
Author: Steve Humphrey

13. Europa League Final Herd: Scoring Race Samu Leads The Pack 2024/25 Season
Author: Samina Khan

14. Champions League Final Epilog: Sporting Stun City, Milan Beat Real Madrid, And Liverpool Stay Perfect
Author: Samina Khan

15. Italy Winter Olympic: New Safety Standards For Skiers In 2026
Author: eticketing

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: