Is This Too Much Food?

Here's what I've gathered for food so far. I know the rule of thumb is 1.5lbs/day. I don't have a kitchen, postage, or jewelry scale, but I figure it's roughly four pounds total. Admittedly, that's a pretty wild guess. My bathroom scale only measures in 0.5 lb increments, and I don't think it's very accurate. this stuff's gotta last me for dinner, the next full day, and breakfast and lunch the day after that, with one extra meal just in case. It just looks like so much:

From left to right, top to bottom it's
1) dried tomatoes
2) oatmeal snack bars
3) peanut butter
4) cheese crackers
5) Fritos
6) freeze dried peas
7) Snickers
8) craisins
9) trail mix
10) homemade zucchini and celery crackers
11) dehydrated carrots, broccoli, cabbage, pineapple, and mushrooms
12) pre-cooked bacon

Oh man, I just remembered, I have a nine oz. summer sausage and an eight oz. cheese in the fridge too! That's over a pound more food!

I wasn't sure what to get for this trip exactly, so I just got a little of everything!

Not my kind of food, for the most part, but you're the one who will be eating it, not me, so I can't judge!

For a longer trip, you need to pay lots of attention to calories per ounce and eliminating bulky packaging. But since this is a weekend trip, food weight is not that critical. Some folks take steak (frozen if it's hot weather) and beer for an overnighter!

Go ahead and take what you have ready--but take notes! What do you like or dislike when out on the trail (and tired)? How much is left over at the end of the trip? Or were you still hungry after gobbling up everything in sight? What did you crave while out there? What did you toss aside after the first bite?

You may decide that items like chips and crackers aren't that appetizing when reduced to crumbs, as often happens in backpacking. Again, that's not so critical for short trips in which there are less occasions to squash things down. And some of us are happy to eat the crumbs with a spoon.

After a few short trips, you'll have a better idea of what food works for you.

For future trips, you might also look up the site trailcooking.com, which has lots of recipes for simple one-dish meals, many based on common supermarket ingredients.

I'm still always experimenting, although less than I've done in prior years.

Have a good trip!

Excellent advice from OM. WE don't usually take 1.5 pounds per person---closer to one pound per person. But that's because breakfast is instant oatmeal, hot cocoa, and some dried fruit. Very little weight there. And dinner is usually a freeze-dried dinner (8 oz. max)plus dried Miso soup, plus fruit and some kind of chocolate.

The Fritos in particular are very high calorie and relatively lightweight---but bear in mind that they will probably get crushed somewhere along the way, and Fritos dust doesn't taste the same.

Of course, for the first night you can take just about anything. WE know people who start out on the trail with a frozen steak, and assume it will defrost during the day's hike on the first day...

I did the frozen steak idea on a weekend paddling trip and it worked great. Beer adds too much weight - a flask of scotch cuts the weight but is the perfect sleep aid before bed.

Everything I have is high cal., other than the dried fruits and veggies, and those are very light and provide good nutrients and fiber, right?

I would not worry a lick about nutrition or fiber for a short trip. Only when you are out for a week or more does a poor choice of food make much difference. Take what you like. Take a deli sandwich (as long as it does not have eggs or mayo that can spoil). Eat extra veggies when you get back home. It is wise to take the same kind of food you regularly eat. Noodles, cheese, jerky, nuts and dried fruit - all good if your system can handle it. Your digestive system may rebel at something entirely different. This is why I do not like freeze dried meals. They taste OK but my belly does not like them. Same with candy bars. I never eat them at home and if I take them backpacking, I get a belly ache.

Like others have suggested, I wouldn't judge by weight. I add up the calories and figure on 2500-3000 calories per day, depending on the intensity of my trip and season. I'm only 130 pounds, so YMMV!

Cheers,
Carry

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I wouldn't take the low cal stuff. Even if a long distance I'd just eat better in towns.

I definitely would not take a just in case meal. Well, probably if I went out on a remote winter trip.

hmm, I don't think your selection of food is good. I would try to get some dry meals. Sierra Trading has great deals, just look for the 30% and 40% off coupon.

Get meals, what you have is more of a "snack", in between meals.

kinda looks okay to me... mostly all the snack is consumed in the evening !

I would counter the weight-only criteria, only because good food is one of my luxury items. Up there with being dry and warm. I have been really enjoying the Pack It Gourmet and Trailtopia freeze dried meals lately. Man, they have come a long way. Plus Mountain House's staples like biscuits and gravy. I still use little of my favorite spices or hot sauce and good to go. I usually repackage them in my own Food Saver bags, keeping a couple of the company bags to resuse for cooking.