I take only a pound of food per day because I just can't eat any more. If I take any more, I end up packing it back out again (and in a rehydrated condition, making it heavier). I do a lot of dehydrating for trips of more than 2-3 nights and I try to concentrate on lots of calorie-dense foods, like nuts. I use freeze-dried fruit instead of the dehydrated stuff for trips of 5 days or more, because the weight savings are significant--half the weight for the same amount of calories. I do not, however, use freeze-dried sawdust dinners. I cook and dehydrate my own dinners, adding freeze-dried vegetables.

14 lbs. base weight plus 1/2 lb. fuel plus 2 lbs. water plus 9 lbs. food for a 9-day trip comes out to 25 1/2 lbs. Actually, 9 days of food comes out a little less than 9 lbs., since for 9 days I need only 8 dinners and 8 breakfasts.

1.5 lbs. per day of food is plenty for men who are not significantly underweight. You have to concentrate on dehydrating and on calorie-dense foods to do it, but most gear lists I've seen for the PCT and CDT involve about 1.5 lbs. of food per day. Here is a list with 9 1/2 lbs. of food for 7 days. For 14 lbs. base weight and 1.5 lbs. of food per day that would be a total pack weight for 9 days of about 30 lbs., or 32 lbs. if water sources are less frequent.

Sabre, if you look at the "27-lb., 7-day gear list" on the home page, you'll get lots of ideas on how to keep that weight under 30 lbs. Interestingly, the list includes a far heavier tent and backpack than what I carry. I make up for part of the difference with my sleeping pad and my Ursack (since I can't hang a food bag).