[pct-l] Food Supplies for 6 day Hike

Travis Beals trbeals at berkeley.edu
Mon Mar 31 12:32:17 CDT 2008


Hi Edan,

I usually plan on 1.5 pounds of dried food per person per day. 19  
pounds sounds just right for two people for six days (i.e., 1.5 lb /  
person / day plus a pound of "emergency food") if you're not big eaters.

A good rule of thumb for dried food is 1800 Calories / lb. This  
assumes that the food is entirely dry, and is composed entirely of  
carbs and protein (each 4 Cal / g). If your food has a bit of moisture  
but also a bit of fat (9 Cal / g), it will average out to be about the  
same. Thus, you'll be getting 2700 Calories per day with your plan.  
Since you're hiking, you'll be burning more than this, but your body  
can handle a bit of a calorie deficit for a week. You might find you  
burn off a couple pounds of fat.

If you want to make sure you're never hungry, bring a few pounds more  
food. I suggest bringing a couple of whichever flavor of PowerBar you  
hate most--you'll only eat it if you really need it, which guarantees  
you'll have it available if an emergency should arise.

-Travis



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