Written by: Scott Conro

Are you backpacking for the first time? Not sure what foods to pack and not sure where to start? This post is for you!

Transitioning from day-hiking to a backpacking trip requires a variety of additional considerations. Some questions will focus on gear. What shelter will I sleep in? What sleeping bag and pad should I buy? What clothes do I need to bring? What water filter is best for me? What size pack do I need to carry all of this gear?

Other questions will come up about food. How much should I pack? How can I make sure I’m eating enough? What food should I bring? Day-hikers may be able to get away with a sub-optimal nutrition plan, but on a multi-day backpacking trip, inadequate nutrition will catch up with you. You will need to be a little more intentional about how you fuel yourself to feel and perform your best. Walking all day is already hard, don’t make it harder!

Basics

Before getting into food selection and fueling tips, let’s start by reviewing the three macronutrients and why each are important for hikers:

Carbohydrates are your best friend while hiking because they provide a quick and easy source of energy to keep your legs moving. This is especially true of simple carbs, or what is often referred to as simple sugar. Simple sugars are easier for the digestive system to process compared to complex carbohydrates (like starches), fats, and proteins, allowing them to enter your blood stream quickly for use. Once there, they are metabolized rapidly for energy (ever light an almond on fire? It doesn’t burn as quickly as a sugary marshmallow!). This quicker digestive process is one reason why simple sugars are a useful tool in the toolkit of athletes that need a lot of rapidly available energy, like hikers.

Backpacking uses significantly more energy than does daily life, and it can be hard to meet these energy needs by relying on whole foods alone. Dietary Guidelines suggest keeping added sugar to under 10% of energy, but these recommendations don’t really fit for hikers who need fast digesting energy throughout the day. Simple carbs like honey, fruit snacks, candies, gels, or Gatorade powder can be helpful fuel sources to meet your increased energy needs. Although frequent intake of these types of foods may not be recommended for the general population, they can be considered healthful for hikers trying to meet their energy needs. Eating simple carbs on a backpacking trip doesn’t mean you will be neglecting nutrients! Quite the contrary; these fun foods will be used to supplement a food bag prioritizing nutrient-dense carb sources that include some fiber, like oatmeal, tortillas, dried fruits, pasta, rice, etc., as well as sources of protein and fat.

Protein-rich foods are important for muscle recovery. Our bodies are always breaking down and building up muscle, especially during a tough hike. Adequate protein is necessary to build and recover muscle. Target 5-10 grams of protein every hour on the trail to help you reach 1.4-2.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight daily (Jäger et al. 2017). You don’t need to eat excessive amounts, but backpacking takes a lot out of your legs. Portable, shelf-stable options include jerky, tuna or chicken packets, freeze-dried beans or eggs, nuts, cheeses, etc.

Fat sources add caloric density to food, giving you more calories without adding as much weight to your pack. Although adding fatty foods to your food bag can help you reduce pack weight, backpackers should prioritize carbs to meet the extra energy needs of the trail. Think of fats and oils as add-ons to your other snacks to help you feel full and support micronutrient needs. Consistent carb-rich meals and snacks that include some higher-fat foods like jerky, cheese, sauces, nuts, or seeds will be sufficient to meet dietary fat requirements.

Now that you have a better understanding of the role that each macronutrient plays in a backpacker’s diet, let’s go through some considerations when packing your food for a trip.

Food Choice Considerations: Plan Your Pack Before You Pack It

Are You Going to Eat It?

The most important consideration for backpackers is getting enough energy (calories). It’s HARD to eat enough. Here are some considerations to make sure you are packing food you want to eat:

What sounds good? Are you going to eat what you pack, or will it end up at the bottom of your food bag uneaten?
Is it easy to make? Is it easy to store in your pockets and eat while walking?
Try a variety of flavors. Have both salty and sweet snacks to choose from.
Packing different textures might make snacking more appealing. Have some crunchy items and softer items easy to reach.

Do Your Foods Provide Enough Energy?

You are almost certainly going to need considerably more calories while backpacking compared to a usual day back home. Total energy needs vary greatly between individuals and could range from 3,000 to 6,500 calories each day depending on body size, distance hiked, speed, vertical feet climbed, terrain features, camp activities, and so on (Hill et al. 2008). Backpackers often determine how much food to bring through trial and error, but intuition may not be the best strategy, as evidenced by research observing high rates of under-fueling in backpackers (Hill et al. 2008; Pojha et al. 2014; Saenz et al. 2024; Weiss et al. 2023).

Thinking about meals in terms of what you usually eat or how MUCH you usually eat is NOT going to be helpful. You are likely not going to be able to meet your energy needs by eating three or four meals a day like you do at home. For one, you would need much larger meals than you are used to eating to meet your needs. Eating large meals like that will be challenging when you intend to do a lot of walking. Also, large meals can be tough on your digestive system while blood is being pumped to places other than your gut.

Instead, plan to eat small amounts consistently while you are on the move. This may be a radical change in HOW you eat and requires a new plan of action to estimate how much food you’re going to need.

So, where to start? A general rule of thumb to estimate your calorie needs while hiking is to aim for 150 calories per mile. You will add this number to your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the amount of energy your body uses at rest. How can you learn about your RMR?

A simple way to estimate your RMR is to multiply your weight in kilograms by 24 hours in a day. Then, add that number to your estimated hiking needs. Here’s how to do it:

This is a very general rule of thumb and only a starting point. You will likely need to adjust this number depending on various factors like pack weight and difficulty/grade of the trail. It might be helpful to work with a dietitian to modify your plan, especially if you find you’ve lost body weight after previous backpacking trips.

To recap:

You need to eat frequently instead of having a few big meals.
To determine the number of calories needed in a day, use 150 kcal per mile planned + estimated RMR.
Spread this out throughout the day by aiming to eat 2-400 kcal/hr.

How can this help you shop for your food?

Check the nutrition facts label on the back of packaged foods to estimate the amount of energy you are putting in your food bag.
Make a list of all the products you plan to buy and their respective calories. Use a calculator to multiply the number of servings in a package by the calories listed on the nutrition facts label. Write this down on paper or in a notes app or build a spreadsheet.
Try to match the amount of energy in your food bag with the energy needs you calculated using the method above.

How Much Will Your Food Weigh?

While it’s important to minimize pack weight, don’t skimp on food for a lighter load! Instead, choose items with less water weight. An old rule of thumb is to aim for at least 100 calories per ounce of food. This works out to be about 3 lbs for 4,800kcals. Aiming for this target still includes the high carb items you need like oatmeal, pastas, dried rice, most types of dried beans, many dried fruits, snack bars, candies, cookies, etc. While this is not a perfect rule because you will want to carry some nutrient dense or protein-rich foods that do not always hit this mark, this guideline can help direct you toward similar options of lesser weight.

For example, choosing tuna in oil instead of tuna in water, dried instead of fresh fruit, flour instead of corn tortillas, or dried instead of ready to eat rice will all lighten your load and get you closer to 100 calories per ounce. Another way to reduce weight is by packing drink mixes instead of ready-made drinks (example: electrolyte powders instead of a bottle of Gatorade). Choosing items to add water to later can keep your food bag light without sacrificing available energy.

Here is an example of what not to do. When I (Scott) first started backpacking, I made the mistake of bringing with me nine pre-mixed meal replacement shakes up to an alpine lake for a three day stay. The combined weight was more than 5.5lbs with a total of 1,980 calories. I already had an inefficient and heavy gear kit, but those shakes added significantly more weight. It was a miserable three and a half hour hike up a 3,000ft climb…and I was only getting 23 calories per ounce of weight from those shakes for the effort! Some fun and convenient food is ok (soda, electrolyte drinks, protein drinks), but know that the weight adds up fast. Choose powders when you can.

Volume: Does Your Food Take Up Too Much Space?

You only have so much room in your pack and pockets. How can you reduce the space your food takes up? One way is to transfer foods from their original package into a Ziplock to get rid of unneeded bulky wrappings and trapped air. Some items like chips can be crushed down and transferred to snack size baggies for more economical storage in the food bag or in your pockets for easy access (have you added M&Ms to a salty “chip shot” before?). Consider buying your food a few days in advance of a backpacking trip to make sure all of it will fit nicely into your pack. This is extra important if you will be carrying a bear canister.

Are You Going to Remember Fiber?

It is hard for most people to get enough daily fiber to meet recommendations, especially on the trail. It is estimated that only about 5% of Americans consume enough fiber to meet the recommendations (25 grams for women, 38 grams for men), with the average intake being about 16 grams per day (Quagliania and Felt-Gunderson 2017; USDA 2021).

Fiber comes from plant foods, which can be hard to access when supplying in the backcountry but is important for your gut and keeping your bowel movements regular. Most fruits and vegetables are high in volume and low in calories due to their high water and fiber content. They are hard to store, going bad or becoming damaged easily. To eat more plants and boost fiber intake in the backcountry, choose dried fruits, nuts and seeds, nut butters, or packaged foods containing some fiber, like a Larabar. For dehydrated meals, look for added beans and lentils. Prepared meals with dehydrated vegetables can add fiber to your day. Also consider packing oatmeal. Most commercial forms of oatmeal are good sources of fiber. As an added bonus, oatmeal is an easy food to add high calorie and nutrient dense ingredients to, like chocolate, seeds, and dried fruits.

Fueling Tips

Now that you know what to pack and why to pack it, let’s put it all together with a plan of action. Follow these tips:

Start the Day Fueled

Beginning the morning with a meal is a great way to kickstart your day with energy. It is hard to get enough calories while backpacking, so get ahead by eating a breakfast with at least a few hundred calories, prioritizing carbs and some protein. A meal of oatmeal with mixed nuts, dried fruits, or chocolate is a classic way to get carbs, protein, fiber, and fat to feel full and start the day strong. But don’t limit yourself to certain foods just because it’s early in the day; bars, drink mixes, or any other foods that you’ll actually eat are fine options. The most important thing is that you eat something. Plan the night before and set yourself up for success by making food items easy to get from your food bag and having your stove ready to go if you need to cook. Your legs will thank you later for fueling early in the day.

Eat When You’re Not Hungry and Fuel Hourly

Whether it’s the excitement of the day or loss of appetite from activity, you may not feel hungry even when you need energy. With increased energy needs, feeling hungry may be a sign you’ve waited too long to eat or you’re not eating enough. We often rely on hunger signals to tell us when to eat, but in the middle of a big hike, waiting for those signals is likely to result in under-fueling.

Nobody likes hitting a big uphill section feeling under-fueled. Prevent that by having a plan to eat frequently, aiming for hourly snacks. Start early in the day soon after breakfast so it becomes a habit and you don’t fall behind on energy. Prioritize easy to eat carb sources for quick energy. Items higher in protein, fat, and fiber are important to include as well, but these items take longer to digest which can slow carb digestion, cause GI issues if eaten in high amounts, or make you feel full and sluggish. You might also get tired of chewing if prioritizing higher fat and fiber foods (I’m looking at you, mixed nuts!). Simple carbs, quick energy, happy hiking.

As a general rule of thumb, aim for 2-400 calories per hour, coming primarily from carbs with a small (5-10 g) amount of protein.

Make Snacks Easy to Reach

Are your snacks easy to get to? Put snacks in easy to reach places in the outside pockets of your pack. Better yet, before heading off on a long stretch, load up the hip pockets on your pack, pants pockets, or a fanny pack for easy-access calories. This can help you get a variety of flavor and fuel options without having to stop, which can feel like a hassle when you’re in a good groove enjoying the walk.

Practice with Poles

Trekking poles can make the snacking process clunky. They make it challenging to reach for the snacks in your pocket, to open and store the package, and to get the food to your mouth. Have a plan in place to tackle this issue before leaving for your trip. Do you want to put both poles in one hand? Hold poles under armpits? Maybe you can wedge the poles between your sleeping pad and your pack? You’re going to eat a lot while hiking. Play around with strategies to make the process smooth starting on day one so you’re more likely to reach for your food and eat enough.

Optional Lunch

You don’t need to stop to eat, but lunch can be a great time to focus on getting a larger meal in. It may also be a great time to choose foods that take more time or energy to chew. Some backpackers may find they feel better eating smaller amounts consistently while on the move. This is totally fine; just make sure you’re eating throughout the day by eating frequently and having plenty of snacks easy to reach. Keep in mind that you might need to eat even if you don’t feel hungry. As mentioned earlier, hunger signals are not the only indicator you need to eat. If you are hungry midday, consider stopping to eat a larger meal and take it as a sign to eat more each hour.

Recovery Dinner

Dinner should be big, but not too big. You used a lot of energy hiking, but you should have been replacing a lot of that while hiking (you were eating frequently throughout the day, remember?). That said, you still used up much of your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores during the hike. Eating a large meal that prioritizes carbs will help you adequately recover what was lost, giving you the best chance to perform well and feel your best the next day. The protein in your dinner will help your muscles repair overnight. Dinner is also a chance to pack in nutrients that are harder to eat on the move, like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Focus on balanced dinners with carbs, protein, fiber and some fat to help your body prepare for another big day of hiking.

What About Hydration?

Falling behind on hydration can negatively impact your performance and can be dangerous (Kersick et al. 2018). Hydration needs are highly individualized and can be determined through sweat testing and working with a Registered Dietitian. As a general rule of thumb, aim to drink water first thing in the morning and target 16-20 ounces every hour while hiking (this should work for most hiking temperatures). Find a water filter that works well for you and try to drink when you snack. Consider adding salty snacks to your routine or supplement with electrolytes, particularly in warm weather. Also remember that water is heavy! Know the water sources so you only have to carry what you need. Still, try to err on the side of caution and bring a little more than you think you’ll need in case the section takes longer than you expect, or a seasonal stream has dried up.

How Do Ready-Made Meals Fit into Your Eating Plan?

Dehydrated or freeze-dried packaged foods created for backpackers are incredibly convenient and deliciously crafted. However, there is a lot of variety between the different available meals. Here are four questions to ask yourself when choosing between these meals:

Are there enough calories?
Many of these meals will be quite low in calories for backpackers. Everyone has different energy needs while backpacking, but if you are relying on a packaged meal for your calories at dinner, you will likely need at least 800-1000 calories. If it doesn’t have this much, try to supplement the meal with other foods to meet energy and nutrient needs. Olive oil or mayonnaise can help you increase the calories you’re eating. Protein powders might be helpful, especially with breakfast options that are lower in protein. If a meal is low in carbs, add some carb-rich items like pasta, rice, beans, simple carbs, a snack bar, etc. Needs vary, but 90 grams or more is a good starting point.
How much sodium does the meal have?
Higher sodium options may help you replenish what was lost, which is especially important in warm weather. Consider how much sodium the meal has compared to what you’re taking in through electrolytes. If you’ve been sweating a lot without supplementing with electrolytes, a high sodium option might be right for you.
How much fiber?
If your meal only has a couple grams of fiber, you might want to add a snack to get more or swap for a comparable item with more. Some brands contain more vegetables than others. These options can help you get in more fiber…just be sure to practice a high fiber diet before experimenting with one of these meals in the backcountry! The average backpacking meal has 6 grams of fiber, so try to choose one above average or add some fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, or a higher fiber snack to the meal.
How much protein?
Look for at least 20 grams of protein. Most items far exceed this number, so it’s not much of a concern. Still, breakfast options and plant-based or vegetarian meals may not hit this mark. Supplement with high protein snack items or a protein powder if the meal is low in protein, like jerky, tuna, nuts, beans, etc.
How much saturated fat?

Health matters too even while you are on the trail! Keep in mind that these meals can be high in saturated fat. Dietary guidelines recommend less than 10% of daily energy from saturated fats (example: this would be 480kcal [53.3 grams] from saturated fat if eating 4,800kcals in a day). Consider swapping to comparable items with less saturated fat. Some high calorie options may use a lot of cream or red meat, meaning a lot of calories are coming from saturated fat. Sharing a package with a friend can be a great way to lower saturated fat intake. Splitting another option that is higher in fiber with a friend can improve the variety of nutrients you’re getting, making for a more well-rounded meal.

It's Time to Hit the Trail

It’s all about the adventure, and learning how to fuel is part of that adventure. There are a lot of considerations when you head out for a backpacking trip, especially when you’re just getting started. You will make mistakes along the way. Embrace that this is part of the process and don’t worry about being perfect from day one. Take learning moments in stride and adapt for the next adventure. When it comes to food choices, try to incorporate the tips above to help you feel, perform, and recover the best you can. Listen to your body during and after the adventure to make changes that are right for you.

If you are finding your head spinning or aren’t sure how to put it all into practice, it might be time to invest in a consult with a dietitian. You are putting a lot of time and energy into bringing your backpacking trip to life. Maximize your potential by working with a professional.

About the Author: Scott Conro, BS
Scott recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Wellness from Northern Illinois University (NIU) and will begin the nutrition master’s and dietetic internship at NIU in the fall. He has backpacked over 1,200 combined miles on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, completed the Colorado 14ers twice with 200 combined summits, and is working his way through the Colorado Bicentennials. Now in Illinois, Scott stays active between trips to the mountains by walking, lifting weights, and running outside as part of a daily streak three years and counting.

References

Hill, L. C., Swain, D. P., & Hill, E. L. (2008). Energy balance during backpacking. International journal of sports medicine, 29(11), 883–887. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1038492

Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., Purpura, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Ferrando, A. A., Arent, S. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Arciero, P. J., Ormsbee, M. J., Taylor, L. W., Wilborn, C. D., Kalman, D. S., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D. S., Hoffman, J. R., … Antonio, J. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

Kerksick, C.M., Wilborn, C.D., Roberts, M.D. et al. ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 15, 38 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0242-y

Pojha, M., Ocobock, C., & Gookin, J. (2014). Energy Expenditure in the Backcountry. Research in Outdoor Education 12, 99-115. https://doi.org/10.1353/roe.2014.0006.

Quagliani, D., & Felt-Gunderson, P. (2016). Closing America's Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 11(1), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827615588079

Saenz, C., Jordan, A., Loriz, L., Schill, K., Colletto, M., & Rodriguez, J. (2024). Low Energy Intake Leads to Body Composition and Performance Decrements in a Highly-Trained, Female Athlete: The WANDER (Woman's Activity and Nutrition during an Extensive Hiking Route) Case Study. Journal of the American Nutrition Association, 43(3), 296–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/27697061.2023.2282614

Weiss, E. P., Frech, A. M., & Perez, V. R. (2023). Low Energy Availability and Increased Risk of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) During a 3767-km Thru-Hike on the Pacific Crest Trail: A Case Study. Wilderness & environmental medicine, 34(4), 536–542 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2023.06.011

USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 2021. Usual Nutrient Intake from Food and Beverages, by Gender and Age, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2015-2018

The Backpacker’s Guide to Nutrition