Backpacking meals help

In preparation for our trip, I am trying to lay out meals. I want to have around 4000 calories each day but also be as light as possible. I am leaning on having a Mountain House or like-wise breakfast of the granola with some instant coffee. Lunch of 2 of the honey-peanutbutter-bacon sandwiches, and a mountain house dinner. Water and some of those Emergen-Cs to break up the monotony, but I was curious about snacks in between? Green Belly meal bars? Snickers? Dehydrated fruits and vegetables? What have yall found to be the best?

Also, we are going for 14 days (total trip) with 10 days in the field, would you pack 5 days in and then go and replenish? or just take all 10 days in?

I know a lot of this depends on the terrain and the plan, so here is ours; SE Idaho, 3-8 miles down the trailhead with a bivy/spikecamp camp-plan.........

I make some energy bars out of dates, seeds and nuts paired with some jerky or salami to supplement my meals. Apples if you don't mind the weight. Cliff bars will work the same if you like to eat them. To much simple sugar in them for me. I like to throw in some carrots. Travel well and the fresh veg is a nice change. I'm happy to just eat mountain house dinners 2 meals a day.

TrickyTross said:

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Also, we are going for 14 days (total trip) with 10 days in the field, would you pack 5 days in and then go and replenish? or just take all 10 days in? I know a lot of this depends on the terrain and the plan, so here is ours; SE Idaho, 3-8 miles down the trailhead with a bivy/spikecamp camp-plan.........

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Are you walking in to the spike camp and then walking out further from there? How many people are in your group/how many tag holders, what season. 5 miles in to a spike camp then 3-4 more miles to where you kill your bull is rough without horse especially if you are off trail and in difficult terrain... make sure you have a meat care plan, keep your head when you are out there, 2 guys with 2 elk down, 10 hrs from the truck in august is not a recipe for ethical decisions.

If I had ten days in the field I would plan two five day trips, and scout two areas. Kill one bull at a time per 2 people and try to keep it within 2-3 hours of the truck (that could mean 6 miles on a trail or 1.5 miles in oak brush) I would go in for five days at a time, if you aren't successful in that time period then head back out to the truck and move locations, you will have likely done a thorough job hunting the area in that time period/ or you will have killed an elk and will be able to get more food at the truck. That said it will depend a lot on where you are hunting, you might need to carry in all your food 4 miles in on a flat trail, stash it then taken enough for a couple days at a time and come back.

I typically try to get my gear light enough that I carry everything the whole time, yes it's more weight but if we want to drop over the ridge to a new basin we have our camp and don't have to come back. I have never even tried to count calories, but 4000 seems like a ridiculous amount, I can't imagine I break 2000 a day if that. We typically have coffee for breakfast and then hit the trail, I'm not hungry at 4-5am, then a snack at 9-10 when the action is over... usually bars or something, at noon we will do lunch which is usually cured meats, some cheese, peeta bread... maybe a pbpj, then a snickers or a bar during the afternoon, typically we split a mt house for dinner between two people or maybe 2 between 3 guys. Don't make yourself miserable, but also it's only 10 days, everyone has their own needs and style personally I like to focus on hunting bring enough food so it's not a distraction, but I don't bring so much that my pack weighs a million pounds and slows me down, also I have yet to hit the truck and not had food left over. That said I do bring more food for late season hunts and I do have some backups in the truck just in case.

4000 is no problem depending on your LBM and how much hiking you're doing. I'm in the same boat. I'd need 6-7 mountain house meals a day, not gonna happen. I take along nuts and nut butters, things with lots of fats to make up the deficiency. Not lightweight, but either am I lol

Bigjay73 said:

4000 is no problem depending on your LBM and how much hiking you're doing. I'm in the same boat. I'd need 6-7 mountain house meals a day, not gonna happen. I take along nuts and nut butters, things with lots of fats to make up the deficiency. Not lightweight, but either am I lol

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Thanks man! Ill keep that in mind. What does your daily menu look like?

Are you walking in to the spike camp and then walking out further from there? Yep
How many people are in your group/how many tag holders, what season. 5 miles in to a spike camp then 3-4 more miles to where you kill your bull is rough without horse especially if you are off trail and in difficult terrain... make sure you have a meat care plan, keep your head when you are out there, 2 guys with 2 elk down, 10 hrs from the truck in august is not a recipe for ethical decisions. 4. middle 2 weeks of September. Since we are driving out I guess we will know those distances when we get out there.... We have a few plans for meat care. Thanks to Randy and others, I think we will be alright in that regard

If I had ten days in the field I would plan two five day trips, and scout two areas. Kill one bull at a time per 2 people and try to keep it within 2-3 hours of the truck (that could mean 6 miles on a trail or 1.5 miles in oak brush) I would go in for five days at a time, if you aren't successful in that time period then head back out to the truck and move locations, you will have likely done a thorough job hunting the area in that time period/ or you will have killed an elk and will be able to get more food at the truck. That said it will depend a lot on where you are hunting, you might need to carry in all your food 4 miles in on a flat trail, stash it then taken enough for a couple days at a time and come back. Thanks man

I typically try to get my gear light enough that I carry everything the whole time, yes it's more weight but if we want to drop over the ridge to a new basin we have our camp and don't have to come back. I have never even tried to count calories, but 4000 seems like a ridiculous amount, I can't imagine I break 2000 a day if that. 4000 is not too crazy. Its also what is recommended based off my height, weight, and the anticipated physical output that comes with hiking and mountain hunting. http://www.bmrcalculator.org/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-a-day/ is a good place to start and I would suggest talking with your doctor. Mine helped me find how many calories I need a day. But I may need more fuel than you

We typically have coffee for breakfast and then hit the trail, I'm not hungry at 4-5am, then a snack at 9-10 when the action is over... usually bars or something, are noon we will do lunch which is usually cured meats, some cheese, peeta bread... maybe a pbpj, then a snickers or a bar during the afternoon, typically we split a mt house for dinner between two people or maybe 2 between 3 guys. Don't make yourself miserable, but also it's only 10 days, everyone has their own needs and style personally I like to focus on hunting bring enough food so it's not a distraction, but I don't bring so much that my pack weighs a million pounds and slows me down, also I have yet to hit the truck and not had food left over. That said I do bring more food for late season hunts and I do have some backups in the truck just in case. My purpose in asking is to see if anyone has done this and what their day to day looked like. Thanks for your contribution!

rideold said:

I make some energy bars out of dates, seeds and nuts paired with some jerky or salami to supplement my meals. Apples if you don't mind the weight. Cliff bars will work the same if you like to eat them. To much simple sugar in them for me. I like to throw in some carrots. Travel well and the fresh veg is a nice change. I'm happy to just eat mountain house dinners 2 meals a day.

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You dehydrate any of it?

You should check out some backpacking websites or magazines for some ideas to switch things up if you're not interested in a bunch of mountain houses. I've come upon a whole bunch of good, easy dehydrated/lightweight meals from Backpacker magazine and they could help you either save a bit of cash or have a more wholesome meal than what you'd get in a MH bag.

Additionally, you probably don't "need" 4000 calories/day as long as you've worked on putting on some weight/eating well before your trip. Your body will store some, and if you're in good shape it will know how to use it. I am a skinny guy that played defensive line in college football, so I do understand the calorie input. Just remember: 4000 calories is a crap load of food. However, if you're set on eating that much, make sure you bring with stuff that you like a whole lot, even if you have to carry more to your spike camp. 4000 calories of food that you're going to get sick of isn't going to make your trip better. You'd be better off going with less calories of quality food. Just because you're putting that much into your body doesn't mean that it's going to use it all.

Good point that everyone is different. A lot depends on how much you hike while hunting. I burn around 5500 cals a day if I'm hiking more than 4 hrs with a pack which isn't hard to do, a normal day at work I only burn around 3500. I get grumpy when hungry, and it's worth it to me to eat more while hunting to keep my mind in the game. Soldiers March on their bellies, I hunt on mine lol

I won't comment on caloric intake as I tend to consume less calories than I probably burn. I will comment that variety is the spice of life when it comes to long trips. Honey-Bacon-PB sandwiches sound good until you force yourself to eat them for days on end...same goes for Mtn House. From my experience that combo will make a mockery of your digestive system. Also to consider is the amount of trash backpack meals create...have a game plan because 10 days will create a lot of trash. When working with Mtn House, consider either the Pro-Pak or repackaging in quart ziplock freezer bags or open them to squeeze the air out to save space.

Ultralight Backpackers incorporate lots of olive oil into their meals to get calories and possibly help with the backup Mtn House can create. A coworker of mine will survive (nay thrive) on pasta, cheese, and instant mashed potatoes. FWIW Loaded instant mashed potatoes are pretty good.

TrickyTross said:

You dehydrate any of it?

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No. I would try it if I had a dehydrator. I don't know that it would save much weight. The recipe I use is based on one that I found on a blog a few years back. I can't find it again or I'd post a link. If you want my version PM me and I'll dig it up and send it along. Basically a bunch of dates, seeds and nuts put through the blender with some eggs and then baked in a pan, cut into squares and portioned out. It is kind of mostly dried already. I put Ancho chili powder in mine. The spice is a good change. I figure if my snacks/supplemental food is starting out mostly dried it works pretty well as is. I don't do real long extended trips so maybe I wouldn't carry the same food if I had to lug it all for 10 days or something like that.

As for calories, I think the only way to really tell is to keep track of food on a trip and look back on what got eaten and what did not. Until you've done it a bunch it's hard to tell. That and the weather and terrain play such a huge part in the equation. I'd rather do what you are doing and carry extra or maximum food so I don't get left hanging if the weather turns real cold or rainy and I need those extra calories to stay warm. Then again, I eat a 2-2.5 serving mtn house for lunch when I've been hiking all day.

Well if you don't burn 4000 calories a day already, you certainly will carrying that much food around. I guess that's why you train off season and find out how much you really need and how much weight you are willing to carry.

This is the video that helped me escape designer backpack meals

https://youtu.be/aLAh77etv14

Check out Heather's Choice dehydrated meals, much better than MH meals.
I also carry honey stinger waffles and the energy fruit chews, Justin's individual nut butters, pro bars, etc for snacks. Brady Miller on gohunt has a pretty good write up on his baxmckpack hunting and spends a lot of time on food, I stole a lot of what I do from his article.

I am leaning on having a Mountain House or like-wise breakfast of the granola with some instant coffee. Water and some of those Emergen-Cs to break up the monotony ... and a mountain house dinner.

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Exactly our bill of fare backpacking. IMO you can't beat Mountain House for ease and speed of preparation, entree options, economy of packaging, taste, weight, compactness ... and minimizing odors in grizzly country. Our lunch snacks include trail mix, protein bars, dried fruit, and water (sometimes with the Emergen C).

Olive oil is great but turns to paste when cool. I like probars meal bars, jelly beans, dried fruit, PB bacon sandwiches, instant coffee, gatoraide packs, meat/cheese stick packs, instant potatoes cooked in freezer bag, stovetop stuffing/bag chicken cooked in freezer bag and mountain houses. I typically dont carry more than 5-6 days, by then socks underwear and base layers supply are nasty and ready to change plus water concerns. A true 10 day hunt packing hunting and camping gear any distance in one trip is pretty tough except in prefect weather which never happens to me so i plan better.

Good thread. I'm just thinking about meal prep myself.

I take almond butter, mixed nuts (cacao almonds are friggin awesome), smoked salmon, hard cheeses, jerky, protein bars, granola bars, precooked bacon, dried/cooked hamburger, dehydrated beans and instant rice, tortillas, MH meals or the like for dinner, protein powder/flax seed/dried milk for breakfast, a ramen or three, coffee, shot blocks or power gel and snickers/candy bars.

I'd take it all (food) with unless you plan to move. 3-8 miles isn't too much for a one way pack, especially on a trail. The spot I'm going sheep hunting this year is about 14 miles from the strip, going for 10 days and packing all food with. Nothing worse than making a xx mile food run and wasting an entire day of hunting. Took me two times to learn that leason...

I usually bring about 1.25-1.5lbs of food per day. Depends on temps more so than anything. Some days I eat 3000 cals, some days 1500. Sometimes I'm just to tired to eat and skip dinner all together. I would bet 4000 cals would be doable in the 2.25lb per day range if you are heavy on the fats. Not bad. Just gets bulky as the days stack up.

Good luck. Planning is just about as fun as the hunt.

OhHeyThereBen said:

You should check out some backpacking websites or magazines for some ideas to switch things up if you're not interested in a bunch of mountain houses. I've come upon a whole bunch of good, easy dehydrated/lightweight meals from Backpacker magazine and they could help you either save a bit of cash or have a more wholesome meal than what you'd get in a MH bag.

Additionally, you probably don't "need" 4000 calories/day as long as you've worked on putting on some weight/eating well before your trip. Your body will store some, and if you're in good shape it will know how to use it. I am a skinny guy that played defensive line in college football, so I do understand the calorie input. Just remember: 4000 calories is a crap load of food. However, if you're set on eating that much, make sure you bring with stuff that you like a whole lot, even if you have to carry more to your spike camp. 4000 calories of food that you're going to get sick of isn't going to make your trip better. You'd be better off going with less calories of quality food. Just because you're putting that much into your body doesn't mean that it's going to use it all.

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Thanks! Ill check out some links and see if I can find some of what you are talking about. Cool if I pm you?

wllm1313 said:

Totally, also apologies I realize that came off kinda dickish.

Using that calculator it says I would need around 2500-3000, and during a normal week I bet I average that a day. But during hunts I definitely don't get near that and to be honest, to me it doesn't matter. I'm not trying to build muscle or get stronger I'm trying to kill an animal(yeah that sounds douchie, but I mean... is what it is), I bet I lose at least 5lbs on a 4-5 day hunt and maybe 6-8lbs. over the course of the fall. (My wife, a doctor, seems to think that's totally fine and she still slaps cookies out of my hands when I get home)

You raise a good point though, everyone is different. The biggest advice I can give you is to go out and test out your setup. Go out and camp for two days with exactly what you are planning hunt with (minus your rifle/bow), pack everything even if it's totally necessary to camp in NC in August, plan out a grueling hike 10+miles, bushwacking, up steep slopes, etc. That will help you figure out what is realistic for the fall in terms of distances, also will help you get familiar with your water filter, tent/tarp, cooking setup, help you decide how much water you need to carry, etc. You might find out your missing something or that a bunch of gear is totally unnecessary.

Sept will likely be decently cool... but it could be hot and you do have to consider the meat you leave in the field. Most guys that I see lose meat don't spend the time properly cooling and selecting a good location for the portion of the elk that get's left in the field between trips, if you are far enough in it could be hanging in a tree for a full day. Make sure you have paracord or something and after you are done butchering take and spend some time thinking about your situation. You might have to move the whole elk a 1/2 a mile with a bunch of trips first before you start walking the whole way out.

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We generally backpack for some game around here. I know, its not the West, but our mountains aint too shabby... We are actually going to be doin quitter a few weekend camps and hikes with more gear than what we usually have for turkey season. In regards to meat, that is what we have been reading, our game plan is to have all hands on deck in order to properly care for it and get it back.... but,we all know how plans work out.... WIth the calorie thing, Im not trying to add muscle or anything, but I stay fairly active and man do I burn through them! Im just going ahead and planning that I will be hiking a whole lot trying to find the elk....
Thanks for all your advice!

Bigjay73 said:

Good point that everyone is different. A lot depends on how much you hike while hunting. I burn around 5500 cals a day if I'm hiking more than 4 hrs with a pack which isn't hard to do, a normal day at work I only burn around 3500. I get grumpy when hungry, and it's worth it to me to eat more while hunting to keep my mind in the game. Soldiers March on their bellies, I hunt on mine lol

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Right on!

Mthuntr said:

I won't comment on caloric intake as I tend to consume less calories than I probably burn. I will comment that variety is the spice of life when it comes to long trips. Honey-Bacon-PB sandwiches sound good until you force yourself to eat them for days on end...same goes for Mtn House. From my experience that combo will make a mockery of your digestive system. Also to consider is the amount of trash backpack meals create...have a game plan because 10 days will create a lot of trash. When working with Mtn House, consider either the Pro-Pak or repackaging in quart ziplock freezer bags or open them to squeeze the air out to save space.

Ultralight Backpackers incorporate lots of olive oil into their meals to get calories and possibly help with the backup Mtn House can create. A coworker of mine will survive (nay thrive) on pasta, cheese, and instant mashed potatoes. FWIW Loaded instant mashed potatoes are pretty good.

Click to expand...

Thanks!!