Food packing question

[ec.hiker]

I know this has been answered many times but if I were to average it out how man days worth of food would I need to take at a time I am thinking 5 days of food will leave me plenty of room for error and since my food options are pretty lilght I feel that is a good round number of days worth of food. Food for me and my partner for 5 days is 8 lbs and includes
5 packs of pop tarts
1 quart of oatmeal
2 big bags of gorp
15 servings of coffee and splenda
5 bags of assorted pasta or rice dinners
10 granola bars
drink mix assorted flavors
pepporonni and salami sliced and vacummed they sell it at the dollar tree and I love it
that is four punds of food a piece without water I am probably over doing it but maybe not this is where my friends and associates hmm hmm you guys and girls come in lol

[swjohnsey]

Don't sound like 5 days of food for two to me. Add up the calories and divide by 10. Why use Splenda when you need calories and sugar is cheap?

[garlic08]

Depending on your fitness level, metabolism, body weight, pack weight, and what kind of hiking you're doing (miles per day, kind of terrain, weather?), you should probably carry between 1.5 to 2 pounds per day per person minimum. I don't think you have nearly enough there.

[Blissful]

Not food for 2 people that's for sure.
Besides that, the nutriton level is poor. Hardly any protein unless your trail mix is loaded with nuts. But you have none for dinner. Rice doesn't go far. No calcium at all (and calcium is important for muscles). No veggie option or fruit (again unless its in your trail mix. You don't say). Pop tarts are pretty useless nutrition also. I use them one day max. What is your lunch? I'd limit coffee with dehydration and effects of caffeine.

[Croft]

Ditto the comments regarding protein and veggies/fruits. Recommend foil packets of tuna and/or salmon to add to your rice side. Dehydrated cooked ground sirloin works good, too. Also recommend dried fruit to add to your gorp if it doesn't have it. And either dehydrate or purchase freeze-dried vegetables--again to add to your rice side. Coming out of town, I'd usually bring one piece of fresh fruit and a fresh tomato and have them with lunch and/or dinner the same day. Snickers bars got me up the mountain, but protein kept me hiking all day. And don't forget one electrolyte drink a day--especially in the summer.

[ec.hiker]

The gorp we carry Is homemade and incredible. It has 5 types of nuts bannanna chips dried apples appricots cranberries pineapples pumkin seeds and coconuts it is coated in powdered sugar. We take vitamins and have protein powder we mix into just about everything I guesse I should have put that in there. I still don't see how this isn't enough food for 5 days breakfast poptarts and oatmeal mixed with protein powder gorp snacks through out the day. lunch salami and peporoni sandwich with a granola bar. Dinner the pasta or rice meal. Oh ya I am brining a bag of mash potatoe flakes to add to pastas to thicken up and add calories and side dish for reice dinners. I will definatly grab some tuna pouches. I just can't see us eating much nore than this a day. I really should have put in the supplements we are taking every morning sorry but we will be taking a multi vitamin calcium and potassium. And more than likely Ibuprofin ha ha

Ditto the comments regarding protein and veggies/fruits. Recommend foil packets of tuna and/or salmon to add to your rice side. Dehydrated cooked ground sirloin works good, too. Also recommend dried fruit to add to your gorp if it doesn't have it. And either dehydrate or purchase freeze-dried vegetables--again to add to your rice side. Coming out of town, I'd usually bring one piece of fresh fruit and a fresh tomato and have them with lunch and/or dinner the same day. Snickers bars got me up the mountain, but protein kept me hiking all day. And don't forget one electrolyte drink a day--especially in the summer.

[flemdawg1]

I think your list is fine. Hiker Hunger won't kick in for afew days/weeks. You definately won't starve to death.

[Procras108r]

Hey E.C.Hiker,

two questions....1) How can anyone review your list if you don't include everything and 2) If you are going to refute those you ask to review your list then why ask it in the first place

[Blissful]

The gorp we carry Is homemade and incredible. It has 5 types of nuts bannanna chips dried apples appricots cranberries pineapples pumkin seeds and coconuts it is coated in powdered sugar. We take vitamins and have protein powder we mix into just about everything I guesse I should have put that in there. I still don't see how this isn't enough food for 5 days breakfast poptarts and oatmeal mixed with protein powder gorp snacks through out the day. lunch salami and peporoni sandwich with a granola bar. Dinner the pasta or rice meal. Oh ya I am brining a bag of mash potatoe flakes to add to pastas to thicken up and add calories and side dish for reice dinners. I will definatly grab some tuna pouches. I just can't see us eating much nore than this a day. I really should have put in the supplements we are taking every morning sorry but we will be taking a multi vitamin calcium and potassium. And more than likely Ibuprofin ha ha

Well that looks much better. Enjoy.

Only thing I would hesitate is coating your trail mix in powered sugar. I know if I get that stuff in my lungs (its powder so it can go airborne), it hurts. You have plenty of good sugar from the fruit, imo.

[Speakeasy TN]

Well that looks much better. Enjoy.

Only thing I would hesitate is coating your trail mix in powered sugar. I know if I get that stuff in my lungs (its powder so it can go airborne), it hurts. You have plenty of good sugar from the fruit, imo.

I'd avoid the powdered sugar for a whole different reason. Licking your fingers would be a heck of a way to pick up giardia! Biggest contributor is hand cleanliness not water filtration. Pardon the pun, just food for thought......

[mweinstone]

it has been talked about that gorp transmits more trail illness due to the sheer number of hands going in the bag. all the sticky things in it grab the dirt off fingers like a cruper at a crap table grabs the wages of sin.????what???? off night.....

the list is for two tiny hikers with stomachs the size of walnuts. perfect for learning the lesson of how much you should have brought. from day one youll be hungry and by the first store you will gorge so uncontrolably , then puke, then buy all the right stuff, like 10 times what you have,...then have alot of good eats. hike on!!!!



into the most hungery you ever evered.

[mweinstone]

by the fith day i would be eating the trail! and have long ago sent my partner away.

[mweinstone]

my rage and hate for my mistake of bringing such a pitence of lousy foods would resinate in my head as my hands would grab shelf after shelf of revenge food. i would need to desimate the memory of such a forced fast with revenge eating. revenge eating starts when eating more causes uncontiousnes. then after a breif coma, one is clensed.

[mweinstone]

5 days for 2 human beings hiking long distance:

pancake mix bluberries coffie proteen powder vitimans

gorp salami chease tortilla tuna peanut butter sun tea jerkey

diners potatoes chicken hot chocolate boullion

2 lbs each per day
thats a menue!

[mateozzz]

I think a lot depends on how big you are. If you are 150 lb and your partner is 120, then you are close if all you are doing is a 5 day section hike. I would throw in something more for lunch, like a packet of tuna and crackers and maybe another bag of candy bar or pop tarts. If you and the partner are 200, then multiply everything by 1.5. If you are talking about a thru hike, then eventually you will be eating double or triple what you have listed.