Food for Seven Days

“I am going on my first seven day trip and I am somewhat concerned about the food I should take. I am sure some of you have seen my menu before and realize I don't pack light.

Anyway, I will not be able to re-supply and I will have to pack light. this trip is a lesson actually, in the virtues of packing light and going farther distances.

So - what do I take that I will be able to carry, want to eat, keep me warm at night, and will keep me satisfied for that length of time. We will be above 9 - 10,000ft most of the time in the Mono Pass area.”

“Snickers, lots of snickers and a multivitamin.”

“1. Oatmeal for breakfast.
2. Five snack items for during the day
(granola bars, fruit bars, candy bars, etc.)

3. Noodles and something for supper.
(Like 4 0z. noodles with a boulion cube and a tin of chicken.)

Tea and hot chocolate.
(Hot chocolate has a lot of calories)

Try to hit around 2 to 2.25 pounds of food per day.
last edited: 6/23/05 9:55:45 AM”

“Instead of a tin of chicken, try the chicken in foil bags, they have tuna in the foil too- much lighter then canned, and no icky water to drain off either.”

“Moose goo baby, put it on everything!”

“There are also some GREAT instant Mashed potatoes....in a bunch of flavors ..and ya just add hot water to the pouch....I like the southwestern kind...and the loaded potato......
another treat is to get some cornbread mix..divide it up..put in a baggie....add powdered milk....mix with water and fry in a pan...wonderful....try the mexican...or regular and have it with honey or syrup....corn fritters ...yummmm...

hot and spicy ramen...add chunky peanut butter for a Thai taste....

stove top with a pouch of chicken...yummmm

and who can hike without pepperoni???”

“lots of meal ideas on whiteblaze

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7394

also check out sarbar's site

http://www.freewebs.com/freezerbagcooking/index.htm
last edited: 6/23/05 10:35:43 AM”

“When some friends of mine did the John Muir Trail (at hyperspeed - 10 days!), one guy checked into various food ideas, and, being one for simplicity, chose a giant jar of peanut butter - that was it! Foodwise, it worked out OK. Unfortunately, he forgot to bring along a spoon, so ended up using his lip balm as a scoop. Oops!

No, we have not let him forget about that.”

“For good dehydrated food check out Enertia Trail Foods (www.trailfoods.com). Their food packs down small but packs alot of calories and flavor. Also, a variety of energy bars to eat during the day.”

“You probably won't need 2 pounds of food a day. We eat more like 1 lb on a vacation trip, and 1 1/2 to 2 on a thruhike. It takes a few days for hiker appetite to kick in, especially when you are at altitude. Nothing worse than carrying food you don't want to eat. (I'll force myself to eat in order to get rid of weight, my husband can't.)

For a week-long trip I would bring cereal and oatmeal and dried milk for breakfast (7 days of oatmeal gets old, but cereal is really bulky), 7 granola bars, english muffins or tortillas, cheese and/or peanut butter, a pound or so of gorp, 1 pound of cookies, 7 candy/protein bars, liptons/mashed potatoes/stovetop stuffing, 3 or 4 hot chocolates, 3 or 4 soups. If you're in the Sierras, you'll need to be able to put it into a bear canister, which means bulk is important.”

“Yeah, I took Enertia meals on the 5-day trip I took a couple summers back. They're tasty, although weren't really as filling as I could have used.

Are you carrying a bearproof canister? I found it impossible to get all my food in the canister even for the 5-day. Maybe I just eat a lot :-) ....”

“Yea...I forgot to mention whether I would be taking a bear can or not. I would rather not but if I am in areas where it is required I will take one. I know that I won't be able to fit seven days worth of food so maybe we can bag the rest and hang off a granite face.

I will look at enertia foods - hopefully the altitude will affect my appetite as it usually does at altitude. Although when I went to Whitney last week I was ravenous!”

“On page 75 of the current Campmor (www.campmor.com) catalogue you will find 7 Mountain House single serving freeze dried meals. They are all good, except perhaps for the vegetarian one which I haven't tried (everything I eat has a face and a mother).

I use an extra large, insulated driver's mug with a lid; I pour in the food and add hot water and cover. After a few minutes I have a hot (even in winter) and tasty meal - use a lexan spoon, especially in the winter.

The meals would never fit in a normal pack and so I re-package them rolled up in freezer bags.

Flavoured instant oatmeal is good, but don't forget instant cream of wheat for a change.

For lunch I eat granola bars (smaller than the meal-type bars) and fruit leathers. Snacks are trail mixture.

My favourite non-alcoholic beverage is Gatorade crystals - they are also good hot like tea - and instant coffee with Coffeemate - instant hot chocolate in the winter.

Good luck.

Doug”

“Bring a bag of tortillas and a tube of peanut butter. Both will fit into a bear container and makes for a good snack before eating the dehydarated food. More bulk for the belly.”

“LMAO at Bison!”

“I was thinking bringing peanut butter and jelly. tastes pretty good if you roll it up in tortilla shells.

i also bring lots of mixed nuts.
enertia meals
beef jerkey
oatmeal or grits
coffee (need my coffee)
dried milk

as you can see i like it easy. dont' wanna cook a big meal while on the trail.

I am still working on getting all my stuff in the bearicade. we'll see how that will work within this week I hope.”

“Gremlin, you left out your favorite alcoholic beverage =)”

“I am a big fan of tortilla shells, Peanut butter (extra crunchy not pre-chewed) and Nutella. I use the instant oatmeal for breakfast and Ramen with either freeze dried chicken chunks or chicken in the foil package. Snickers and trail mix for snacks. I tend to pack too much food and am working hard at cutting it down. Less wieght more hiking.”

“Alcoholic beverages don't need to go into the bear canister. Unless you do something silly like bringing Bailey's.”

“what about coco barcadi or vanilla barcadi? (not sweet)”

“... alcohol (I'm not fussy, eh?).

When I bring peanut butter - generally in a squeeze tube, except in winter, I prefer pita bread to tortillas.

Pepperoni or salami is great with peanut butter and pita, BTW.”

“I don't know about them, a bear might find them sweet.
Stick with tequila! Bears don't like it But I do. And I could help you drink what you don't want.”

“May 2005 I took an eight day backpacking trip. On the fourth day I hit the wall. Although I was carrying a lot of food it wasn't doing me any good. A bag of bagels saved my hike from being cancelled. I was lucky enough to find a gas station at a road crossing and it had a few food items.

I talked with a nutritionist when I got home and found out that my menu was way short on carbs and protein. So, whatever you pack, make sure you pack food with the proper nutitional value to fuel your body. This isn't a problem on short weekend trips because we return home and restock our bodies. On long trips we need to take our menu more seriously and take care of our bodies.

Enjoy the trip and plan your menu carefully!!”

“I'm with MDSHiker on this. You need 2 lbs. a day to stay up to speed. Otherwise you will get weak and weary. You have to have fuel to go the distance.”

“Those potatoes Divinity mentioned are Idahoan brand. They're very good and only require boiling water (no milk) and about a 5 minute wait. You can also get salmon in those pouches which IMHO taste better than the tuna. Ounce for ounce the tuna in pouches is cheaper than the tuna in cans.”

“As for cans versus pouches...here are my feelings:
Tuna..do the pouch
Salmon..do the pouch
Chicken..canned is better tasting-and the brothe is very usuable in recipes. No need to drain.
Now if you are using chicken for say chicken wraps-then do use pouched chicken.”

“I was using the chicken in pouches, but went back to cans because of taste. If I were packing for a week, I would figure on dehyrdrating beef to go in the meals. But for a shorter trip, the cans don't add that much.”

“I'm packing for 9 days right now.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, coffee, vitamins, precooked bacon

Lunch: Tuna/Salmon in pouch with tortillas (4), cheese stix and pepperoni (3), Hummus (2), wheat thins & Lavosh crackers

Dinner: (8) Mountain House dinners repackaged in Freezer baggies (ziploc or glad, don't use generic), Nestle's vanilla hot chocolate (5), Lipton Cream of Chicken soup (3)

snacks: TJs cashews/almonds/cherries, 10 snack bars (assorted), mini-Snickers, Cytomax & Gu (2/day), cookies and whatever I throw in on the way up

And it should all fit in the Bearikade Expedition with room for my stove and pot and cup.”

“The number I have always used for trip using primarily freeze-dried dinner meals is 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds per person per day. There is lot's of good advice here (SnowNymph for one). Just make sure you weigh it all and don't go over your limit.”

“I will be printing this thread out so I can use it when I am buying my food. Thank you all for the help with this.”

“I was looking at www.backpacking.net at that guys 7 day food supply. Sounds really low to me but then again if he can get by with it more power to him

His TYPICAL 7-DAY FOOD SUPPLY

Keep in mind the importance of carrying extra food for emergencies.
Believe it or not there is extra food factored in here. This is
pretty close to the actual food resource that I took for a 7 day trip
on The Pacific Crest Trail - I came back with leftovers. Granted, I typically don't have a voracious appetite on short trips, but longer trips require different planning and, ultimately, more caloric intake,
in order to maintain strength and stamina over the long haul. Each of us must become intimately knowledgable about our own requirements.
The list below is only "typical" for me -- not necessarily for anyone
else.

Weight in Ounces
Breakfast:
gourmet coffee bags, sealed in foil packets 12ea.@.20oz 2.40

instant cereals--oatmeal w/ raisins,
7-grain, blueberry granola--each in a one-pint freezer bag--6 ea.@ 4oz 24.00

Snacks:
altoids eppermints 2.00

energy bars--7 ea.@ 2.5 oz 17.50

fruit leather, individually wrapped, various flavors--cherry, strawberry, grape, apricot--6 ea.@.7 oz 4.20

dried berries & cherries 6.00

string-cheese, jerky (beef or turkey) & bagels 15.00

Dinner:
instant soups--chicken noodle, cream of chicken, pea soup--each sealed in foil packets--6 ea.@.6 oz 3.60

corn tortilla chips--crushed and put
in 1-gallon freezer bag 12.00

mountain house freeze-dried corn-3 ea.@ 1.75 oz 5.25

mountain house freeze-dried dinners pasta primavera, chili-mac, sphagetti, chicken polynesian, lasagna, beef & green peppers--6 ea.@ 5 oz 30.00

special treats: mountain house freeze dried strawberry fruit crisps-3 ea.@ 2.5 oz 7.50

stash herbal tea bags, sealed in foil
packets, various flavors--licorice root,
ruby mist--7 ea.@.10 oz .70

Electrolytes,Vitamins,Minerals:
alacer E.mer'gen-C electrolyte/vitamin/
mineral supplement powder: 4 packs
per day--24 ea.@.11 oz 2.64

Allowance for wrapping materials not
already included in stated weights: 4.21
Total Weight in Ounces: 137.00

TOTAL FOOD WEIGHT AT START OF 7-DAY OUTING: 8 lbs 9.00 oz”

“yeah...i keep reading this thread, but I am not packing exacteally what everyone else is packing for food. I may end up copying one of you thou.

heehee, already have the altoids. can't live without my altoids.

man ewker, you really made me want to pack my licorice tea, but I ain't. I rather pack the coffee I think. I think some of my foods I can really pack tight if I try harder.”

“Basically his menu is the same as mine, except my Suppers/Dinners are heavier (and need to be.) Also, I eat two packets of Oatmeal for breakfast-I guess that doubles the weight for that. And, I DON'T EAT FREEZE-DRIED STUFF.

1. Oatmeal for breakfast.

2. Five snack items for during the day
(granola bars, fruit bars, candy bars, etc.)

3. Noodles and something for supper.
(Like 4 0z. noodles with a boulion cube and a tin of chicken.)

Tea and hot chocolate.
(Hot chocolate has a lot of calories)”

“licorice tea just sounds bad”

“And, If he/she carried enough groceries, he/she would not need this stuff:

Electrolytes,Vitamins,Minerals:
alacer E.mer'gen-C electrolyte/vitamin/
mineral supplement powder: 4 packs
per day--24 ea.@.11 oz 2.64”

“how about food for 121 days on trail?”

“That be 242 lbs.”

“You know? The biggest improvement

No, everything's much improved in the fifty years I've been doing this stuff - but food is right up there.

Instant, flavoured oatmeal and freeze dried meals have made things almost too easy.

I am a small guy and not a big eater, but Enertia doesn't give me a large enough portion and I don't think you get value for money. Single serving Mountain House meals are perfect for me.

Round things out with fruit leathers, gorp (and variations thereof), granola (or meal) bars and Gatorade and you have a healthy and balanced diet.

Instant coffee and Cofeemate take care of the rest.”

“Snacks:
altoids eppermints 2.00


what the h3ll????

since when are breath mints concidered a "snack"????
last edited: 6/28/05 12:34:37 PM”

“I agree...when I saw Altoids I instantly lost my appetite. Maybe that is the point.”

“They are almost pure sugar, I would imagine.”

“I'll have to check that out, still, I can think of a better sugar snack than an altoid if that was the goal? you'll definitely get your high off peppermint oil.”

“No kidding.”

“Maybe the altoids are for his breath, not for snacking.. LOL

Does anyone else here like Triscuits as their "salty snack"? Thinkbubelz & I like them with cheese or a squeeze tube of peanut butter.... How about "frosted mini wheats"?

Nutty Bars are our snack of choice (cant' help it, they are addictive-- AND awesome when roasted over a fire), as are soft granola bars (not the ones that cut the roof of your mouth). and of course, GORP / Trail mix --usually we add some dried berries (strawberries/blueberries) to give some extra texture and flavor...

Lots of really great instant hummus and bean dips available.. unfortunately, Thinkbubelz is sensitive to onions, so we usually try dehydrating our own... :-)

I do agree- the foil packs of chicken aren't the greatest-- they actually taste almost like tuna to me (texture-wise as well) .

We tried the foil beef, but that was not good either... (Athough maybe with some spices, you could probably make some taco roll-ups.) They (chicken and beef) both kind of have a "dog food" kind of smell and texture, so we tend to stick with the foil fishes or shrimps.... We also tried the Foil Ham, but found it to be a bit too salty (and a weird texture/flavor)....”

“I add chicken bullion to anything I put foil chicken in.

For a two or three day trip, I just get the cans of chicken. The smaller ones have a pop top.”

“I had the foil pack clams and one of oysters in a light clam sause over spagatti noodles (cooking for two) a couple of weekends ago. It was great. I really could have left the oysters at home-the smoked flavoring was a little strong.”

“What about including olive oil in your diet?

It's supposed to have major calories per ounce. Add a little to your noodles and broth.”

“dissin' my altoids? I love my black licorice altoids. not sure why ewker likes them. I like them because the black licorice, and yeah because u can use them as a breath mint.

if I have to leave them at home because of space...well so be it. for now mine are packed.”

“Black Licorice Altoids seem okay...it is those "Original - Curiously Strong Mints" that came to mind.”

“Yummm smoked oysters are great on triscuits with a slice of cheese... (or just plain on the Triscuit!) :-)

I love altoids (the mint kind)
Tried the ginger ones-- but I'd rather have candied ginger slices instead...
I don't like licorice (Thinkbubelz loves it so I always give him licorice candies and black jellybeans... LOL)
Wintergreen is okay, but not the best...
the Cinnamon ones are kind of weak, too....
The mint ones are the best because I think they are the only ones that don't use artificial flavors...”