I will admit that I have been lurking on the High Sierra Topix forum. A question about the "NOLS" cooking method was asked. There are a few of you on this forum that also are on the Sierra forum. So I thought I would give an answer here.

The NOLS method is to use bulk bags of basic foods and then just cook from scratch from those ingredients. The question asked was had anyone done this. Yes I have. I was the first editor of the NOLS Cookery, that has been now edited by many others who followed. So here is the scoop.

The method is designed for groups. We also did a lot of teaching how to cook and use this method. It really is the only reasonable way to ration large groups for long term. Mountaineering expeditions also use this method a lot. You decide what your dailhy ration weight will be. Usually 1.5- 2 pounds per person. You then multiply days out x people x daily ration weight. For example, a 10-group party with a 15-day ration at 2 pounds per person per day (typical ration for 18-21 year old males) =300 pounds of food, or 30 pounds per person. You base the food selection on nutritional balance, calories, portions for breakfast, lunch, dinner. At NOLS this has been developed over the years based on minimal nutritional requirements (NOLS as a commercial group that "feeds" students who are sometimes associated with universities, follows government guidelines), and what students actually eat. It is pretty practically based - the person in charge of rationing will, for instance, note that say, soy nuts always come back unused,so they then try a nutritional equivelent, but different food. So the actual food is what the typical NOLS student likes. Each student is then given 1 or 1/2 pound bags of basic foods re-packaged in freezer-quality plastic bags that are closed with a simple knot. One of the first classes that a NOLS student encounters is a cooking class for the first night out! Some do not even know how to boil water on a stove! You learn how to cook from scratch. A big part also is the spice kit - pretty extensive bag full of small bottles of spices. What always surprised me is that even on mountaineering courses, the cooking classes were about the favorite. You eat what you need to keep up energy without a lot of worry about how long the ration lasts. When things get low, everyone dumps what they have left in a big heap, and the food is re-distributed. This works in large groups because everyone has different tastes and caloric needs. Although students sometimes squawk it really works out quite well.

The whole point is that if you had to pre-package individual meals for 300 pounds worth of food, it would be a daunting task. Pretty much most expeditions of any length or size use this method. The method is really quite "institutional" in scope. What is key are the cooking classes. I have used this method myself but I know how to cook from scratch. You also have to develop your own ration list based on what you like. And, if you are solo hiking, you can mis-judge and end up eating up all your food several days before you finish the trip. I used this method when my daughter and I did a 18-day trip -- she (at 17 years old) ate ALL of our trail food in 7 days! Like a typical teenager with access to a refrigerator! Another thing that is taught at NOLS is survial - fishing and foraging skills. So if food runs out, nobody starves.

So when you ask, does it work? Yes, but you have to know what you are doing. When I am solo, I usally do the per-meal packaging, but with a larger group I use the bulk method. One thing I really like about the NOLS method is its flexibility. I cook what I feel like. I have no package that says "dinner, Aug 18". If you have the proper poundage of food and some experience you rarely will run out of food. It works best with groups because there are always those who will eat less one night for whatever reason, and it all seems to even out in the end quite well. It definitely is a method that is a bit harder to pull off for solo backpacking.

It is not for everyone. You cannot be a worry wort. You have to have a laid-back attitude about food. We always taught that you should never be cold, hungry or thirsty. If you are, you are doing something wrong. Hungry? then eat - right now, not save for later.