One of the questions I get asked all the time is:
“How much food should I bring backpacking?”

Honestly? It’s one of the things I struggle with the most when I first started backpacking.

What if I get hungry?
What if I don’t pack enough food?
What if I pack way too much food?

Food is heavy and every extra “just in case” snack has to carried mile after mile, uphill and downhill on the trail.

For my most recent three-day, two-night backpacking trip, I decided to pay close attention to what I packed, what I actually ate and what came back home with me. My hope is that seeing a real backpacking meal plan will help you feel more confident planning one for your own trips.

My Backpacking Food Plan

Before every backpacking trip, I use the same simple process.

First, I figure out how many days and nights I’ll be out on trail. Then I calculate how many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts and electrolytes I’ll need.

For this trip, my meal plan looked like this:

  • 2 breakfasts
  • 2 lunches
  • 2 dinners
  • 1 emergency meal
  • 2 desserts
  • 10 snacks
  • 3 electrolytes

Looking at everything spread out on my floor before packing my bear canister, it honestly felt like a LOT of food.

My prediction before heading to the trailhead? I’ll probably come home with way too many snacks.

Why Backpacking Food Used to Stress Me Out

Years ago, when I was thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I had to carry a hard-sided bear canister for the first time before entering the Sierra section.

I wasn’t just frustrated. I actually cried.

Not only was I trying to figure out how to open the bear canister, but I also couldn’t understand how all of my food was supposed to fit inside.

Looking back now, it was pretty funny. At the time though, it felt impossible.

Since then, I’ve learned that meal planning is something that gets easier with every trip you go on. You learn what your body wants to eat, how hungry you tend to get and which foods are worth carrying and which ones to leave at home.

Day 1

Because I spent the night before at a nearby front country campground, breakfast was super easy. I had leftover pizza and a hot cup of tea before heading to the trailhead.

Lunch was…more leftover pizza.

Cold pizza might not sound glamourous, but it’s honestly one of my favorite backpacking lunches. There’s no cooking, no unpacking my stove and I can hike while I’m hiking if I want to.

For dinner, I had a Pinnacle Foods Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta that I’d repackaged into a freezer Ziplock bag to save space in my bear canister.

Even though my dinner was delicious, I noticed something surprising. I wasn’t nearly as hungry as I expected.

By the end of the first day, my bear canister still looked pretty full and I started wondering if I’d packed way too much food for this trip.

Day 2

Breakfast ended up being one of the biggest wins of the trip.

Instead of bringing two separate freeze-dried breakfasts, I divided one Peak Refuel’s Biscuits and Gravy meal into two servings before leaving home.

I’m just not very hungry first thing in the morning, so this worked perfectly for me.

I also packed tea for both mornings.

Sitting by the lake with Megan, drinking hot tea while enjoying a slow morning together, ended up being one of my favorite moments from the entire trip.

For lunch, I packed a Good-To-Go Carrot Ginger Power Bowl.

I’ve become a huge fan of no-cook lunches because they’re so simple. I just added water, enjoyed the scenery while it rehydrated and then lunch was ready.

No stove.
No boiling water.
No digging through my pack.
Just super easy.

The Snack Situation

This is where things got a little excessive.

For snacks, I packed:

At the time, I thought I’d eat all of it.

Spoiler Alert…I didn’t.

As it turns out, I wasn’t nearly as hungry as I thought I would be.

Day 3

Breakfast was the second half of my biscuits and gravy and another cup of hot tea.

Unfortunately, I turned my breakfast into biscuits and gravy soup because I added way too much water. It still tasted pretty good though!

On the hike back to the trailhead, I stuffed my hip belt pockets with snacks “just in case” we stopped for a break.

We never stopped.

Instead, we hiked straight back to the trailhead and my first stop back in town was a cheeseburger, fries and because it was hot out, a lavender milkshake.

No regrets.

What Food Came Home With Me?

So…did I pack the right amount of food?

Not quite.

Here’s what ended up coming back home with me:

  • My emergency meal
  • Two Kind Bars
  • Some pickle-flavored cashews
  • An untouched bag of sesame sticks
  • An untouched bag of dried edamame

Looking back, I definitely packed way too many snacks.

But honestly?

I’d still rather overpack a little food than spend an entire trip worrying about running out of it.

What I’ll Do Differently Next Time

Every backpacking trip teaches me something new.

Here are my biggest takeaways from this trip:

I’ll Keep Packing No-Cook Lunches

These were hands-down one of my favorite parts of the trip. They’re fast, convenient and let me spend more time enjoying the scenery instead of cooking.

Tea is Worth Carrying

Even though it adds a tiny bit of extra weight, those slow mornings in camp with a hot cup of tea were absolutely worth it.

Splitting Freeze-Dried Meals Works Better For Me

I’m just not hungry enough in the mornings to eat a full freeze-dried breakfast. Next time, I might even experiment with splitting some of my dinners in two portions as well.

I Need Fewer Snacks

Apparently, I still pack snacks like I’m a thru-hiker. Old habits die hard.

I’ll Always Carry an Emergency Meal

Even though I didn’t need it for this trip, I still carrying one extra meal essential. I’d much rather carry an extra meal than find myself wishing I’d packed more food if something unexpected happen.

Backpacking Food Gets Easier

When I first started backpacking, meal planning for a trip felt overwhelming.

Every trip felt like a guessing game. But every trip teaches you something.

Little by little, you learn what works for your body, what foods you actually enjoy eating on trail and how much food you really need.

Eventually, meal planning becomes one of the easiest parts of preparing for a backpacking trip.

If you’re still trying to figure out backpacking food, I put together the exact process I use into a FREE GUIDE called Backpacking Food Made Ridiculously Simple.

It walks you through how I decide what food to pack, how much to bring and how I build meal plans for trips of different lengths.

I hope this helps make planning your next backpacking trip just a little bit easier.

 

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