[pct-l] Food Options

[Brian McLaughlin]

----- Original Message -----  
> So basically, my question is: what is the cheapest, lightest way 
> to carry enough food for 3 guys. I do have a stove.

The cheapest way is to buy fairly ordinary food at
a supermarket and make up your own meals from
the ingredients you buy. The lightest way is to buy
only dehydrated foods. A supermarket has a surprising
number of products that fit this description, from
ramen noodles to raisins to nuts to sauce mixes,
not forgetting mashed potato flakes and oatmeal,
even dehydrated onion flakes. Take an exploratory
trip to the store and scope out each aisle.

The trickiest part of your question pertains to the
"enough food for 3 guys". To get that right you'll
need to read those Nutrition Information labels
carefully, calculate the amount of calories per gram
or per ounce and estimate how many calories 3
guys will need to eat in two weeks. 

The number of calories that equal "enough" will 
depend on how many miles you walk, how much
altitude gain you make, body size, pack weight, 
and many other factors. With good planning you 
can carry 3000 well-balanced calories in a little over 
1.5 pounds. You may need closer to 4000 -- or 
even 5000 or more, if you are really churning up the 
trail. Thru hikers often eat 5000 calories a day
later on in their hikes.

I hope this gets you started. Happy hiking.