Thru-hike food planning is like a beloved fulltime job. I investigate what and how much to eat. I research recipes and experiences of other thru-hikers. I whip out my food scale and use an online nutrition calculator. And my oven is dehydrating for several weeks.
Here are 10 things I keep in mind when assembling meals and snacks for thru-hiking. And I’m working to make dehydrated meals and trailmix available on my Etsy Store!
1. Importance of Research & Planning
When I first started out, this is what I thought 3 weeks of food should look like. Each day is laid out from top (starting with oatmeal) to bottom (ending in electrolytes).
But I overpacked! Because I stopped at some restaurants along the way and I didn’t know how much dry ingredients expand with rehydration. So now I keep those in mind and test before I depart.
2. Different Hike Distances
No matter which trail it is, it’s reasonable (weightwise) to carry about 4-5 days worth of food in my pack. The rest of my food can be shipped to spots along the trail.
But planning this is challenging: Will there be an outpost every 4-5 days? When should I complete my food prep so it all ships in time? What happens if my package is lost? How much will postage cost? Will I pack enough food? Are there grocery stores not far from the trail?
For many trails, these questions have been answered by previous hikers and lists of shipping destinations are often available online with a little digging!
3. Packing Based on Calories & Macronutrients
So, what does 4-5 days worth of food look like? Instead of using weight as a guide, I use the recommended daily average (RDA) of calories and macronutrients.
To find these values, I consider myself an “athletic person” - hiking roughly 20km per day, often uphill, carrying about 35lbs of added weight. So for an athletic person these are the RDAs (found online):
- Calories: anywhere from 2500-4500 kcal per day;
- Protein: 1.1-1.5g per kilogram of bodyweight;
- Fat: 1.2-1.4g per kilogram of bodyweight;
- Carbs: 6-10g per kilogram of bodyweight;
Once I calculated these values for my bodyweight, I check nutrition labels of prepackaged snacks and use a free online nutrition calculator for the breakdown of fresh/dehydrated items.
4. The Importance of Weighing Food
So if calories and macros are the guide, why should I weigh food at all? For two reasons:
- Enables more accurate calculation of nutritional values. Nutrition calculators will ask you to input the weight of each food. NOTE: Unless you say otherwice, it'll assume the food is fresh. But 15g of FRESH sweet potato has a different nutritional value than 15g of DRIED sweet potato, which becomes a larger amount when it's rehydrated.
- Weighing gives me an idea of how much my pack will weigh overall - At the beginning of the trek, food will weigh more but it gets lighter every day! Also, protein sources may LOOK smaller (i.e. protein bar vs a baggie of pasta) but they weigh much more.
I pack dehydrated food and trailmix in reusable zipper bags that weigh 0 - 1g. This gives me room for my favourite trail lunch: canned fish. The can is heavy and takes up a lot of space in my garbage bag, but it’s worth it!
5. The Best Items for Dehydrated Meals
Technically, I could snack my way down a trail. But a pasta dish at the end of a 20km day gives me new life the next morning. So to me, the hours I spend dehydrating are worth it.
I'm still experimenting, but so far, my favourite rehydrated foods are egg noodle pasta, peas, and sweet potato. I add some white beans for extra protein. I also dehydrated pasta sauce and excellent quality ground beef (or trail "pepples" because of how it dries). And I've experimented with fruit leather - this is what it looks like before it's dehydrated!
To keep these foods lasting ages, I avoid fat so that, especially the meat, doesn't go rancid. But fat is soooo tasty! So for the sake of tasty food, I pack cheddar cheese and lightweight spices: sumac, sea salt, and pepper. And sometimes powdered cheesy sauce and gravy but these are very salty.
6. Selecting Prepackaged Food & Snacks
Pros of prepackaged food are that its efficient on the trail, nutrition values are already calculated, they cut prep time by a LOT, and make great trail treats. Cons are the waste if often plastic, and sometimes they’re heavy on preservatives.
Here are some of the snacks I pack:
- Cheese: Hearing that chedder cheese doesn't actually need to be refridgerated was a great discovery because it contains delicious fat. Although, I would recommend a smaller bar.
- Energy bars: Chocolate Brownie and Peanut Butter Banana Clif bars are my favourite; it's 250-260 kcal with adequate carbs and 10g of protein each!
- Trailmix: I made my own with high quality nuts, coconut flakes, dried fruit, and candy coated chocolate. The combination of textures and sweet/salty flavour was THE BEST.
- High Protein Oatmeal: A little less convenient than an energy bar, but simple enough.
- Bone Broth: When I'm too tired to rehydrate food, an energy bar and bone broth tide me over.
- Tamales: Like cans of fish, it's a flavourful, macro-rich treat.
7. Water & Hydration Considerations
Water availabilty is a huge consideration. A hike through a desert is much different than some place where fresh spring water flows freely. I might invest in a larger canteen one day if I ever hike in a desert, but right now my water canteen can hold 3L of water and my additional water bottle can hold 0.5L. So I refill my water every 1.5 days - or more, definitely, if it's available.
Some other considerations are the filtration and electrolytes: I make sure I have a water filter, the means to boil water, and water purification tablets just in case. That's three ways to filter! And I pack electrolytes because, especially for challenging hikes, rehydrating with water isn't enough to fend off dehydration.
8. Packing Essential Vitamins & Minerals
For most of the year I live and work indoors. So living on a trail for 3-8 weeks doesn’t give my body enough time to make all the adjustments it needs to thrive. Therefore, thru-hiking is a huge stress that might seriously impact my vitamin levels. So I bring supplements too, but sometimes even that doesn’t work perfectly.
9. Changes in Appetite & Body Composition
Like many other hikers, I notice that my appetite completely changes over the course of the hike. For Days 1-3 my appetite is roughly the same as when non-hiking. By on Days 3-4 I start to have a greater appetite. And by Days 7-8 the "Hiker Hunger" truly hits.
What does Hiker Hunger feel like? It's not that the taste of food changes or cravings strike. It's more like I must blindly shovel food into my mouth. This is especially noticeable when stopping over in town. I want is so much more food!
This appetite change is accompanied by noticeable changes in body composition. By Week 2 of near constant walking up and downhill, core stabilization (of my pack that swings back and forth as I walk), and dietary changes, I'm much leaner. You can see it here:
10. Finally, The Importance of Treats
Out on the trail, simple pleasures go a long way. I appreciate tea to start and end my day. And I add a scoop of skim or whole milk powder to oatmeal or pasta to make it creamier. I'm generous with adding chocolate to trailmix. And I throw in many Clif bars so I don't feel like I have to ration them. These luxuries are an amazing gift. One of the wonders of hiking is that after days, I truly appreciate the little things and it puts a whole lot into perspective.
