Enought Food vs Weight... [Archive]

jima59

03-05-2011, 17:46

garlic08

03-05-2011, 18:07

I bring leftover pizza or a deli sandwich along with some extra fresh fruit and veg for the first meal. Otherwise I have my hiking food need pretty dialed in and I usually arrive at a resupply stop just a little hungry with the last peanut eaten a few hours ago. If I arrive with extra food, I consider it a failure of sorts.

fiddlehead

03-05-2011, 20:12

That's pretty good Garlic.
And always my goal but, I find it hard to do (arrive slightly hungry with my last morsel having been eaten hours ago)

To answer the OP's question, I would say I worry about food weight IF I am carrying more than 4 or 5 days food. Once I carried 10 (JMT) and really needed to carry lightweight food (instant mashed potatoes, more oatmeal, more pasta, less cheese, pop tarts, less chicken in a can, etc)

I would use the dehydrator a lot more if I was hiking out west where i need to carry more food.
On the AT, i rarely carry more than 3 days so, don't worry about it and carry lots of good stuff: bear claws, sandwiches, even apples sometimes.

Mountain Mike

03-06-2011, 00:05

I lost more weight on AT than PCT. One trick I used to sustain weight is squeeze parkay. It went in everything to add calories.

Panzer1

03-06-2011, 00:28

I generally carry one extra day worth of food with me. It gives me the flexibility to take a unplanned zero in the middle of nowhere.

Panzer

chasegru

03-14-2011, 16:49

stories from thru hikers about how much weight they lost,,, and then they complain about the weight they are carrying,, it seems to me that you would pig out and eat all you want as much as you can carry,

Seems to add up but for a few problems:
-You carry extra food (weight), you burn more energy and therefore need more energy, a self fullfilling (and ineffecient) prophecy.

-You carry extra food (weight), you slow down. If you slow down enough to take an extra day in between resupply points now you need A LOT more energy.

-You pig out (binge), your body does not effeciently store binge energy for use at a later date so you end up storing a fraction of the calories you carried...AND binges will cause your metabolism to spike causing your body to burn through your food even faster.

My take: best to carry what you need, and little else (as with all things on the trail).

Grampie

03-14-2011, 18:16

For the calories you burn during a thru-hike, you can't carry enough food to sustain your body weight. Buy food with as much calories as you can. when you go into a town to resupply eat the stuff that you don't bring out on the trail. Eat fruit and vegs and drink milk. When you are on the trail eat stuff that's light weight and easy to cook.

chasegru

03-14-2011, 18:42

For the calories you burn during a thru-hike, you can't carry enough food to sustain your body weight.

I've seen this stated time and time again but haven't seen the science and frankly I disagree. You will likely experience some body recomposition during a thru hike as your body fine tunes itself to hiking all day long (most hikers experience this as weight loss).

I maintain that with a solid, well planned balance of macro nutrients one can carry enough calories to maintain a healthy body weight. (I can only imagine the storm that's going to follow this post...)

Monkeywrench

03-14-2011, 22:20

The figures I've seen have a hiker burning somewhere around 5,000 - 6,000 calories per day. I think my longest stretch between resupplies was 7 days. How much does 42,000 calories of food weigh? That would be 35 pints of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.

I am 6'3" tall and at one point in my hike I weighed in at 159lbs, fully clothed and wearing my boots.

chasegru

03-15-2011, 09:30

I think my longest stretch between resupplies was 7 days. How much does 42,000 calories of food weigh?

I am 6'3" tall and at one point in my hike I weighed in at 159lbs, fully clothed and wearing my boots.

Monkeywrench,
Without knowing your start and stop for those seven days, I went ahead and assumed it was you haulin': Andover to Katahdin.

I this case you'd need to carry 27 lbs of food and have a pre food pack weight of 13 lbs... you're right, that's not really feasible, you'd lose weight.

If you have different start/end points, let me know and I'll run the numbers..

Pedaling Fool

03-15-2011, 10:01

When you are considering your food for a thru hike segment, do you really worry about the weight... I mean I keep reading books and stories from thru hikers about how much weight they lost,,, and then they complain about the weight they are carrying,, it seems to me that you would pig out and eat all you want as much as you can carry, especially the first day or so out of a resupply stop. Now I"m not talking about canned goods etc,,, but hell I'd take pounds and pounds of gorp and quick cook foods that go fast....what do you do.
Generally speaking you need less food when initially starting out because your appetite actually regresses in the beginning of a hike. And as you hike week after week you can make adjustments to how much food you carry, it's not a big deal, either you take a little too much or you take a bit too little and you'll just have to ration more before the next town stop, all part of hiking.

As for other hikers complaining about excess weight, that's just because hikers are wimps that obsess about weight. Don't think about it and the body will adjust.

sbhikes

03-15-2011, 11:21

Carrying a light load of gear leaves room for more food, but it doesn't seem possible to carry enough. In addition to what chasegru said, add these:

- A lot of trail food just isn't all that good so it's hard to eat a lot of it

- Some trail foods that might pack a lot of calories don't travel well during warmer months, such as chocolate

- It can be hard to hike with a fully stuffed belly, but a fully stuffed belly is what you need to keep the weight on

Men seem to have this problem more than women. Look at any trail journal involving couples and watch as both lose a lot of weight at the beginning, the woman stops losing weight, the man becomes gaunt, the woman ends the hike a little above her lowest weight and the man is still gaunt.

chasegru

03-15-2011, 12:08

Men seem to have this problem more than women. Look at any trail journal involving couples and watch as both lose a lot of weight at the beginning, the woman stops losing weight, the man becomes gaunt, the woman ends the hike a little above her lowest weight and the man is still gaunt.

This is because men (of similar age) have a higher Basal Metabolic Rate, it's the price we pay for increased lean muscle mass.

Monkeywrench

03-15-2011, 14:28

Monkeywrench,
Without knowing your start and stop for those seven days, I went ahead and assumed it was you haulin': Andover to Katahdin.

I this case you'd need to carry 27 lbs of food and have a pre food pack weight of 13 lbs... you're right, that's not really feasible, you'd lose weight.

If you have different start/end points, let me know and I'll run the numbers..

This was the section from Daleville, VA to Three Ridges Overlook on the BRP, just south of Rockfish Gap. I was trying to make Rockfish Gap in time to meet my wife, but didn't quite make it.

I started my hike weighing about 175, with a 42 lb backpack. At one point I wad down to 159, but finished my hike a couple of pounds heavier. I was really dragging by the time I got to New England, and spent a lot more town nights in order to eat more and better. It made my hike more expensive, but probably saved me from abandoning.

I remember shopping for food and laughing out loud at all the foods in the grocery store labeled "Reduced Fat" or "Low Calorie." As a hiker you need to look for the most calorie dense foods you can find. Peanut butter, Nutella, bacon, Snickers bars, olive oil, cheese, Pepperoni.

When calculating calorie consumption, be sure to include pack weight, not just your body weight.

Trailbender

03-15-2011, 15:36

As for other hikers complaining about excess weight, that's just because hikers are wimps that obsess about weight. Don't think about it and the body will adjust.

Until you start getting stress fractures, and having lower back and knee problems. I was discharged for lower leg stress fractures, so I pretty much do what I can to keep my pack weight low. I generally am comfortable with 25-30lbs total.

10-K

03-15-2011, 15:49

I say this all the time but after 800 miles I had gained several pounds and didn't lose it until I quit hiking. About 2 months after my hike ended I had lost the extra weight and now almost a year later I weigh pretty much the same thing.

I guess I should add that I cycle through a 10 lb range and I've gotten used to it. I lost 50 lbs several years ago and have kept it off but I without rhyme or reason I cycle between 162 and 172 two or three time a year no matter what I do.

Pedaling Fool

03-15-2011, 16:33

Until you start getting stress fractures, and having lower back and knee problems. I was discharged for lower leg stress fractures, so I pretty much do what I can to keep my pack weight low. I generally am comfortable with 25-30lbs total.
Dude I started my thru with over 60lbs; I've gone through the stress fractures, so painful it would wake me up at night if I bumped my feet wrong. Weightlifting keeps my back strong. When I'm 80 years old I'll still be one strong mofo...

chasegru

03-16-2011, 08:46

This was the section from Daleville, VA to Three Ridges Overlook on the BRP, just south of Rockfish Gap. I was trying to make Rockfish Gap in time to meet my wife, but didn't quite make it.

I started my hike weighing about 175, with a 42 lb backpack.

The numbers, see attachments, show you burned about 35,500 calories coming out to 22 lbs of food. IMO: very doable- should have been able to carry what you need to maintain weight.

Now, eating all of those calories in a balance that your body efficiently absorbs/uses those calories is a whole new ball of wax.

LDog

03-16-2011, 09:12

The figures I've seen have a hiker burning somewhere around 5,000 - 6,000 calories per day. I think my longest stretch between resupplies was 7 days. How much does 42,000 calories of food weigh? That would be 35 pints of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Don't forget to factor in the weight if the freezer you'll be packing ...

Warioto Walker

03-16-2011, 09:26

I intend to walk GA next month. I have packed 10 MRE's. This should be plenty. RIGHT? I would really like to know. They have been field stripped and any items not utilized, have been disposed of.

chasegru

03-16-2011, 09:34

I intend to walk GA next month. I have packed 10 MRE's. This should be plenty. RIGHT? I would really like to know. They have been field stripped and any items not utilized, have been disposed of.

How many days you looking at taking?

Monkeywrench

03-16-2011, 09:38

Monkeywrench

03-16-2011, 09:49

The numbers, see attachments, show you burned about 35,500 calories coming out to 22 lbs of food. IMO: very doable- should have been able to carry what you need to maintain weight.

Now, eating all of those calories in a balance that your body efficiently absorbs/uses those calories is a whole new ball of wax.

Doable? Sure. I doubt many thru-hikers leave town with 22 lbs of food in their pack, though I think I came close a few times. I used to call it the FBFH (Food Bag From Hell) when humping it up the first climb out of town.

Actually, in this particular 7 day stretch I was carrying far less than 22 lbs of food. I left town with 4 days food in my pack, planning to resupply at Glasgow or some other town. One night I lucked into some great trail magic and had a huge dinner cooked for me by a trail angel, and the same night a weekender gave me some pasta and sauce mix, so I was ahead 2 dinners. That's when I decided to skip the resupply and stretch my food out for 7 days. My last dinner was a foil packet of tuna and a handful of cashews. My breakfast the last morning was a half cup of dried cereal with powdered milk. After my wife picked me up and we got into town, I made her stop at the first fast food place we passed and I inhaled a burger and fries in the car while we were driving to a restaurant to get lunch. This was her first visit since I had started my hike, and she was pretty grossed out by the way I could put food away.

Warioto Walker

03-16-2011, 09:59

I am hoping to make it to DCG in 6 days. I don't plan to stop for food. My pack weighs 48 pounds, water, food and all. This is my first trip, so I would appreciate the advice. Thanks.

Pedaling Fool

03-16-2011, 10:22

I am hoping to make it to DCG in 6 days. I don't plan to stop for food. My pack weighs 48 pounds, water, food and all. This is my first trip, so I would appreciate the advice. Thanks.
How much food do you have for each day? When backpacking your appetite actually regresses in the beginning. In other words, you'll actually eat less because your body is freaking out.

Warioto Walker

03-16-2011, 10:35

Fog Horn

03-16-2011, 11:03

I have packed two per day. I walk quite a bit in the woods. I'm more curious about having enough. I don't want to get to Neels Gap and waste money on food I don't need. I underestimate myself everytime I hike. If I get to DCG by night 4, can I make it to the next highway in NC in one more night? I should have enough leftovers to hold me over for two more days. This is another reason I have packed 10.

Two per day should be fine, but you might want to pack something cold for breakfast, like bagels or honeybuns. The thing I've found with MRE's (and I've consumed more than my fair share of them) is that often times you don't get the full feeling from them. They have enough calories to sustain you, so that is what you need to remember when you feel hungry again a few hours later. I usually always supplement my MRE's with pogey bait like beef jerkey and eat my MRE's in more of a snack like manner all day long rather than a meal. One hour I'll have the cookie, another hour I'll have the cheese and bread, another hour I might eat the meal, and another hour I might eat the side dish. Thats just me though.

I think the real tragedy about bringing MRE's on the trail with you (aside from the weight which makes no real difference to you since you'll only be out there a few days) is that you have no one there to trade with. You'll have to eat all your jalepeno cheese spread instead of being able to swap it for peanut butter :)

Warioto Walker

03-16-2011, 11:13

Hey! you're a grunt. I have three cases to pick and choose from. I do miss the trading though. I have made some great meals by trading around. Who eats tuna in a tortilla any way? Trash is one of my worries. My buddy and I have talked about pogey bait, but hadn't decided yet. I think you just added another pound or two to my packing list.

Warioto Walker

03-16-2011, 11:20

I apologize for calling you a grunt, but you have to be military to know what pogey bait is. Thanks for your input.

Fog Horn

03-16-2011, 11:27

LOL no, they don't let me be a grunt, my ovaries get in the way. We're out there every day with the grunts though (and not just making their coffee). If trash is a huge concern, and since you are only out there a couple of days, you could take everything but the meals out of their packaging and consolidate them. One giant freezer bag of crackers, for example. The only issue I see with this though is that the MRE side foods, like cakes, cookies and crackers, seem to crumble easily, so you might end up with a giant bag of crumbs instead.

(and no one should take grunt as an insult :) They're the back bone of our defense, and arguably the most important players in our military)