food efficiency and meal ideas

[paul]

Aiming for either a calorie count or a food weight is pretty random unless you have baseline on what works for you, gleaned from previous trips. What works for one may not work for another. I have tried to keep records of how much I take and how much I bring back at the end of the trip, and have used that info to dial my quantities in with the goal of arriving back at the car with nothing but crumbs in the pack.
That said, for a 2 or 3 day trip you can get away with almost anything foodwise. A little hunger is no big deal for that short of a time. If you brought no food at all your energy might be low and you might sleep rather cold but unless you have specific health issues no harm would be done.

[bobby49]

About the only food records that I keep are of the total food weight at the start and at the end, and then divided by the number of trail days. I keep track of the best foods that worked, and the worst foods that didn't work. However, I shoot for foods that require no cooking and perhaps only a splash of boiling water. That allows me to carry the tiniest stove with the least amount of butane fuel weight. Plus, I assume that I might have a stove failure, so a great deal of my food can be eaten without any boiling water, and maybe without any water at all.

[limpingcrab]

In my opinion, like others have said, bring what tastes the best. Unless you're out there for a month you don't really have to worry about paying much attention to fiber and protein and what's healthy or not. Your body wants calories, unless you're living off of sugar packets you'll have what you need for a long backpack trip by just eating what tastes good. Some things I love while backpacking: sea salt and vinegar kettle chips, peach-ring candy, peanut butter tubes with animal crackers, protein yogurt trail-mix from costco, poptarts, sour gummy worms, fish. For dinner my favorite is ramen with tuna packets (or fish) dumped in.

The lightest way to go is not cooking at all, which I do sometimes, but like you I enjoy a hot meal in the evening.

I generally have no trouble eating until I'm over 10k feet, then my stomach gets picky.

The vast majority of times that people feel like this it's due to dehydration. Drink way more water than you think (with some electrolytes mixed in on occasion) and your energy and appetite will likely improve. I probably average 8 full liters per day at the higher elevations and feel fantastic compared to friends who sip their water and have a bit more with meals, even when they're more physically fit.

[longri]

With all due respect, I disagree with everything you just posted. :-)

[TahoeJeff]

I probably average 8 full liters per day at the higher elevations and feel fantastic

You honestly drink that much water everyday backpacking?

[bobby49]

I know that I, for one, drink about 4-5 liters per day. Most of one is at breakfast. I start the trail with one of water and one of Cytomax or Gatorade. Once in a while I have to scoop up and filter more during the day. Then most of one is at dinner.

Some hikers drink a lot of plain water. However, if you mix some electrolytes into the water, it will help your body to retain the water better in the tissues.

[freestone]

I only drink when I'm thirsty. One of the simple highs of life on the trail is quenching the thirst but I can't get that if I'm forcing it with fortified fluids. But lucky me, I don't sweat profusely.

[limpingcrab]

With all due respect, I disagree with everything you just posted. :-)

Ha! That's what the internet is for, right?

You honestly drink that much water everyday backpacking?

Yup, I don't filter so it makes it easier to scoop and go. When I cross water I force down a whole liter, which is uncomfortable for a couple minutes, but then I never have to carry any water and some studies have suggested that feast/famine is a more efficient way to hydrate anyway.

Very effective way to reduce pack weight!

Like Bobby said though, it helps when I add gatorade powder for two of those liters every day.

[bobby49]

Gatorade or Cytomax are OK, but they don't need to be full strength. If I use just enough powder that I can taste it in the water, then that is sufficient. Otherwise, I avoid the yellow snow.

[longri]

I used to drink a lot of water every day. I didn't keep track but it wouldn't have surprised me if it were 8 liters/day when in the backcountry. One time a friend commented on this habit that he'd noticed in others, that they would "drink and pee, drink and pee". He thought it was ridiculous. At the time I was a drinker-and-pee-er and so I didn't comment. I thought that all that water passing through was doing me good.

More recently I've gotten lazy about drinking water to the point that I let myself get dehydrated from time to time. And here's the thing: It has had absolutely zero noticeable effect on my appetite or lack thereof, my endurance, or anything really. When I'm severely dehydrated it is an issue. But at a lower level the effect, which I'm sure is still measurable, is too small for me to notice.

I don't worry about it anymore.