2 Pounds of Food Per Day Clarification

[Chaps]

I am trying to figure out food portioning for a CT thru-hike (or any hike) next summer and would like the forum's advice on the following: I have read in various places that I should budget two pounds of food per day while hiking. Let's say that is an accurate assessment. For the sake of simplicity, let's also say that dinner is the only meal of the day not ready to eat and that I need to add two cups of boiling water to it for it to be ready for consumption. Finally, let's also say that this dehydrated dinner weighs four ounces before water is added.

The two cups of water I need to add will weigh 16 ounces. When calculating my daily food weight needs, does this meal count as four ounces (just the dehydrated food) or 20 ounces (the dehydrated food plus the water)?

For this question, please disregard protein, carb and fat concerns. I can do that math separately.

Thanks.

[12trysomething]

It is the dry weight. I also offer this. Good luck.

http://youtu.be/7uRB_J2xc_Y

[bigcranky]

Dry weight. Also, the 2-pounds suggestion is just that, a rough rule of thumb. Some folks who are subsisting entirely on freeze dried food carry closer to 1 pound per day, and many average 1.5 or so. Me, I like to eat well, so 2 lbs is much closer over the long run.

Don't forget meals in town - for a 4 day section, it's really only 3 full days and a lunch. Plus snacks (which are usually the heaviest thing I carry.)

[Coffee]

Approximately two pounds per day at reasonable caloric density (110-120 calories/ounce) is 3500-3800 calories per day. That's about the minimum I need when hiking 15-20 miles per day. I can get by on slightly less if hiking shorter mileage and try to take a little more (or pack more dense foods) if I'm planning on more than 20 miles per day, especially multiple 20+ mile days in a row. I find the extra food weight more than worthwhile for the extra energy provided and avoiding the unpleasant feeling of going to bed hungry.

[slbirdnerd]

I'm just a section hiker and please don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you know your food needs better before you go on a thru. If you haven't backpacked a lot yet, get out on weekends or even run through a few days of your hike menu at home to see if you've got too much or too little. I still always pack too much food but am getting better.

Like Cranky says, the 2 pounds rule is a generalization, I personally could not eat that much in a day. I also go with very light, dehydrated, freezer bag meals--some of my dinners weigh in at 5 oz before cooking. I put together my own--not MH or anything.

[bamboo bob]

I never carry more than 1.5 pounds a day. maybe less for short trips. Possibly near the end of thru-hikes I would have more. Most people I think carry way too much food. And end up carrying it into town.

[Coffee]

Then only way to know is really to see what works based on personal experience. I adjust my eating as a segment goes on with the result almost always being that I consume everything before the next resupply, but then I've met some hikers who apparently do well on remarkably little food.

[rafe]

2 lbs. is just a starting point, a ballpark figure. I suspect it applies primarily to serious long-distance hikers, particularly thru-hikers, and particularly when they are well into their hikes and have lost most or all of their excess body fat. From personal experience -- on short section hikes I generally can't consume anywhere near that much food. On my last section hike on the LT, I found I had almost zero appetite for the first couple of days.

[Chaps]

Thanks for the info, guys. Very helpful.

[colorado_rob]

Just one more data point: I maintain my body weight (180 lb) with 1-3/4 pounds per day, including packaging, about 3500 calories, hiking fairly big days generally (18-22). Sometimes I go with 1.5 pounds for shorter trips and just get a tad hungry. 2 pounds I find myself returning with food. And as Big Cranky says, don't forget to adjust for partial days when resupplying or passing through an area with food available.

[Deacon]

Just one more data point: I maintain my body weight (180 lb) with 1-3/4 pounds per day, including packaging, about 3500 calories, hiking fairly big days generally (18-22). Sometimes I go with 1.5 pounds for shorter trips and just get a tad hungry. 2 pounds I find myself returning with food. And as Big Cranky says, don't forget to adjust for partial days when resupplying or passing through an area with food available.

I concur with this. My number is 1.6 pounds per day over long distances.

[LeadZeppelin]

I ate about 2 pounds per day on the CT, and I lost a lot of weight. I was hiking 25+ miles per day though. I was eating as much as I could, but you can only eat so much. If the CT were longer I'm sure my appetite would have grown even more, but only being out there a few weeks, there wasn't really enough time.

[Spirit Walker]

When we hiked Colorado the first time, my husband had issues with the altitude. He could barely eat. He's also not one to force himself to eat when he's not hungry. We ended up carrying way too much food. Generally, the first week or ten days of a trip neither of us is all that hungry. Hiker hunger doesn't really set in for me until about two weeks in.

The only time we carry anything close to two pounds of food per day is after months on the trail. Our normal food is much closer to 1 - 1.5 lbs. But then, DH doesn't eat nuts, which can add a lot of weight.

[Starchild]

It's a rough estimate, with freeze dried you may do better. Just FYI A down and dirty recheck of the food I get during a town supermarket resupply stop is to weight it on the produce scale. If the weight is not in the range of 2/d I need to check why not - usually I got too much and need to put back a few things.

[OwenM]

When we hiked Colorado the first time, my husband had issues with the altitude. He could barely eat. He's also not one to force himself to eat when he's not hungry. We ended up carrying way too much food. Generally, the first week or ten days of a trip neither of us is all that hungry. Hiker hunger doesn't really set in for me until about two weeks in.

The only time we carry anything close to two pounds of food per day is after months on the trail. Our normal food is much closer to 1 - 1.5 lbs. But then, DH doesn't eat nuts, which can add a lot of weight.

I just came back from a week in CO, though only part was on the CT. Similar issue for me at altitude. I carried ~8.5lb of food for 7 days, used less than half of it, and that after forcing myself to eat a couple of times. Had 6 Ziploc snack bags with 2 packs of oatmeal in each, and used ONE. 6 dehydrated dinners, and ate 3.
'Course I also dropped a few pounds...

[Del Q]

I find that 2lbs per day is the top limit, bars and other things weigh a lot, sunflower seeds, etc

Am actually laying out all gear and food for my fall section hike next weekend, once I have all food laid out I usually pull back a few bars and other things to lighten the load a bit.

Goal is to come into town with NO FOOD - have been doing much better the last 2 years

Pretty obvious stuff but I missed this early on................also, not packing for the meals I should be able to grab in town.

[MuddyWaters]

It all depends. I would expect 1.5 to be plenty in first half, and more later. But here's the thing, if you don't like what you have, you may not eat it, and just end up carrying it. On a short hike , I can lose a half pound per day, and I don't have much fat to lose. I'm never hungry at all, and hike 18 to 25 most days. This becomes real problem on longer hikes. Bring food you have experience with and know you like on trail. You may find you would rather skip than eat another bar, pop tarts, or ramen, or pasty soupy pasta.

Things I will always eat are candy bars, trail mix, peanut MMS, beef sticks, cheese, peanut butter, bacon jerky. I have gotten sick of macncheese, spam, tuna, poptart, oatmeal, pasta sides, pepperoni. Even found myself not wanting soft oatmeal raisin cookies, and they are my favorite.

[Del Q]

Just weighed in, 9.5 lbs for 5 days, that includes about 12 ounces of 120 proof whiskey.