Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
That said, I must congratulate you for carrying a full seven days of food in a backpack that weighs only 16 pounds with the rest of your camping gear. I would typically have over 10 pounds of food alone for seven days. That leaves less than six pounds for the pack, sleeping gear, shelter, food prep and cooking gear, rain gear, extra clothing, etc.
Thanks!
I tend to pack really calorie dense things. Things like Jif peanut butter in the squeeze pouch. Honey in a squeeze bottle. Tortillas. 1/2-1 ounce of olive oil per day (careful!) Hard boiled eggs keep a day or two & hard/dry cheeses keep for many days more. Pre-portioned oats, cranberries/raisins/currents, & shaved almonds make for a hearty breakfast. Some basic produce like carrot or two for crunch, a potato or two to boil if the time is right or maybe a mid-day apple or two to gnaw on...& of course gummi-worms for emergencies (
) to break up the monotony of carb, oil, protein. Nothing glamorous. It's strictly a numbers game.
I busted out the sewing machine & sewed up a reusable steeping bag for coffee. 29 grams medium ground, plain, black 2x/day.
I'm not really a fan of Mountain House or freeze dried anything like you find at the local outdoors store on account of the sheer amount of single use package waste that has to then be dealt with & disposed of or carried around.
There really isn't a right or wrong way to do it. I find 3000-3500 calories per day tends to leave a more than comfortable margin for any contingencies & I work back from there. Surprisingly enough, I find I am rarely as hungry as I expect & always return home with a few days extra.
Though, I'd be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge the promise of a ginormous hearty ale, a juicy burger or giant slice of pizza on the way home is also it's own motivation & reward for a job well done.