Meal planning for extended backpacking (no resupply)
Posted: February 23rd, 2021, 6:47 pm
After an unsuccessful attempt at a 9-day, 100 mile hike in Yellowstone NP last September, I am reaching out for some advice. While the main reason for bailing on day 2 was the incoming smoke from the PNW wildfires (and not wanting to be 3 days from a trailhead in unhealthy air), we also ended up with an uncomfortable amount of weight on our backs... primarily because our itinerary didn't allow for any resupplies and we were equipped for temperatures below freezing.
I got really nerdy about meal planning for the trip... I made a spreadsheet that took my health stats along with the trail length and gain, and calculated that I would burn between 3200-4500 Calories each day (I packed 2700-4000 depending on the day). Each day's food fit within a gallon Ziploc and weighed in at or just below 2 lb. And I didn't think that was unreasonable, since my research pointed to so many long distance thru-hikers consuming 4000+ Cal/day.
But in the end, it just seemed like SO MUCH FOOD. 17 lb. Like there was no way to eat it over 9 days. But my nerdy math said I needed it, so I was very hesitant to leave any of it behind.
We are now looking at a thru-hike of the Uinta Highline Trail (Utah) this coming summer, which is a 100-mile trek with no opportunities to cache a resupply. And I want to avoid carrying every bit of excessive weight possible. I already have a pretty lightweight (not ultralight) kit, and since I will again need to pack for high elevation and potentially below-freezing nights, food seems to be the easiest place to trim the weight.
Questions:
1. What's a good target Cal/day range (around 13 miles, +2500'/day, 8 days)? How many days can I run a Calorie deficit before it catches up with me? Will I run out of food if I only pack my daily value (~2300 Calories) over 8 days?
2. What are some of your go-to high-Calorie, low weight backpacking foods, especially low/no prep?
3. Any other advice for long distance hiking with no resupply opportunities?
I got really nerdy about meal planning for the trip... I made a spreadsheet that took my health stats along with the trail length and gain, and calculated that I would burn between 3200-4500 Calories each day (I packed 2700-4000 depending on the day). Each day's food fit within a gallon Ziploc and weighed in at or just below 2 lb. And I didn't think that was unreasonable, since my research pointed to so many long distance thru-hikers consuming 4000+ Cal/day.
But in the end, it just seemed like SO MUCH FOOD. 17 lb. Like there was no way to eat it over 9 days. But my nerdy math said I needed it, so I was very hesitant to leave any of it behind.
We are now looking at a thru-hike of the Uinta Highline Trail (Utah) this coming summer, which is a 100-mile trek with no opportunities to cache a resupply. And I want to avoid carrying every bit of excessive weight possible. I already have a pretty lightweight (not ultralight) kit, and since I will again need to pack for high elevation and potentially below-freezing nights, food seems to be the easiest place to trim the weight.
Questions:
1. What's a good target Cal/day range (around 13 miles, +2500'/day, 8 days)? How many days can I run a Calorie deficit before it catches up with me? Will I run out of food if I only pack my daily value (~2300 Calories) over 8 days?
2. What are some of your go-to high-Calorie, low weight backpacking foods, especially low/no prep?
3. Any other advice for long distance hiking with no resupply opportunities?