Hiking Food For Long Distance Backpacking - 5,000 Calories Per Day

[CRAPCANNONS]

Is there nothing better than plastic to keep food in?

Or at least an inner lining made of something else, ex. wax paper, etc

Thanks.

[upupaepops]

How big are you? That's a LOT of calories, even with the extra trail burn. I'm 5'9", and I carry 2500 calories a day, and my food weight is 1 to 1.5 pounds per day, so about half of what you are carrying. On my last Weminuche trip in CO, 5 days, I had 7 pounds of food, and I only dropped about a pound of body weight over the 5 days.

[blackwoodspress]

@upupaepops I'm 6 feet and 200 lbs. For shorter hikes this many calories is a bit overkill and you can get away with a lot less. This is more for a multi-month hike like a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike. I typically lose about 30 pounds on a long distance hike, despite eating all this trail food and everything in site in towns.

[DouglasLee777]

IMPORTANT INFO ON PLASTIC AND HEAT: Google search this PHRASE, click on first linked article... paste below in.

"BPA mimics estrogens, binding to the same receptors throughout the human body as natural female hormones"

[DouglasLee777]

Awesome, we can just pick up bunches of ideas. Short and to the point on each item, thanks!

ps: the plastics release molecules that mimic hormones. For guys, it is just like taking female birth control pills. So, could mess with your tits and sex drive. Simple solution, carry stainless steel bottle :) and NEVER drink or cook out of plastic.

[rycka1983]

Do people still teach how to take basic elements of food and then make something ou of it? I mean not to buy pre-prepared stuff in plastic?

[blackwoodspress]

@rycka1983 Yes, a couple of good websites for making your own hiking food at trailcooking dotcom and onepanwonders dotcom. As a thru-hiker I resupply from grocery stores and small markets along the route and have no time for food preparation, but if you are going on shorter hikes you can make better tasting and healthier trail food from raw ingredients.

[rycka1983]

@blackwoodspress Thanks for reply :-).

[DennyRec]

Excellent video to us newcomers to back packing but I'm enjoying it very much. I changed packs once already and purchased what I should have gotten in the first place. This the area I have trouble planning one time not enough food and the next to much food. This video was helpful. Thank you

[jonasgadegaard2710]

Great informative video!!

I don't know about lunch though, but I'm sure it works for you :-)

[BrokenAeroVT]

What? No Oreos, peanut butter or Snickers?! DUDE! lol. Just kidding. Great video. I once cleaned out the Oreos from a doll shop along the AT in CT I think it was, to the dismay of the hiker in line behind me who only had granola bars left in the counter basket to choose from. I regret not sharing at least one pack, and I would certainly do that without hesitation if I had to do it again, but your body can get really greedy out there, haha.

[Qutdoors32]

try Velveeta shells and cheese it comes with noodles and a cheese packet like your mac and cheese but it does not require you to add olive oil to make it taste good.

[biopermeable]

Do you ever find that the string cheese or salami goes bad? If so, how do you prevent that from happening without a cooler?

[blackwoodspress]

@biopermeable My resupply stops are typically 5 days apart. String cheese and salami will last that long (and probably longer) because they are loaded with preservatives. They do tend to get a little greasy after a few days but aside from that they are fine.

[BrokenAeroVT]

@biopermeable As long as you use the individually wrapped cheeses, and eat as you open, you should be fine. Notice the grocers leave cheeses out in the isle uncooled, even though many of the ones in the cooler can be kept safely there as well. You'll definitely regret trying to eat a slab opened on day one and eaten over two or three days, haha. Been there, done that. Trust me. I've used Cracker Barrel individually wrapped cheese safely.

[TheTomD]

Where do you get those little bottles for oil/sauce and for spices?

I've never been able to find them...!

[blackwoodspress]

@TheTomD I get the little bottles at REI. They have a bunch of different sizes and usually weight less than an ounce.

[BrokenAeroVT]

@TheTomD Not to advertise, but when I packed mail drops for the AT, I bought many cheap translucent bottles of various sizes from online retailers ~like~ specialty bottle dot com. I say "like" because I can't remember which 1 I finally shopped with. I filled the bottles with things like sesame oil spiked peanut oil 4 my oriental dishes, heated lard 4 my beef dishes, margarine 4 potatoes & bread & 8oz bottles 4 HEET fuel. Use USPS publication 52 for hazmat shipping guidlines if mailing drops.

[tmahendr]

i hope this guy doesnt have preexisting heart problems.

[blackwoodspress]

@tmahendr I don't eat like this all the time, only on long distance backpacking trips. At home I eat healthy, but on a long hike there is only one way to get enough calories - junkfood. Eating crap like this for six months will not hurt your health especially when you are exercising 12 hours a day. After completing a long hike my cardiovascular fitness is off the charts. Of course it would be a very bad idea to eat a diet like this with a sedentary lifestyle.

[CDoggsRandoms]

This may be a dumb question since I live in North Carolina but are bears bad on the Pacific Crest Trail, I didn't know if you were the only one who would have enjoyed that food! Great video and happy trails! =-)

[biblesnbarbells]

Good vid. Thanks for posting.

[TheUrbanPrepper]

What size Sea To Summit bag are you using to store all of your food?

[blackwoodspress]

@TheUrbanPrepper My food bag is actually made by Granite Gear. It's a 16L Air Zipsack. Weighs 1.7 ounces.

[adaman04]

Great video. What I always like is though there are some items in your food pack that I'm not a huge fan of, there are several that sound great right now and I just ate lunch! It's all about sharing ideas with one another. Thanks for making this vid!

[lonewulf2009]

how can u afford a 5 month hike?! are you rich? i'd never get away for that long....as much as id love too:(

[blackwoodspress]

@lonewulf2009 A five month hike usually costs $3,500 to $5,000 not including gear (which is another $1,000 to $2,000). On a day-to-day basis long distance hiking is less expensive than normal living (less than $1,000 a month). You just need to save up the money, take the time off from work (many hikers do long trails between jobs or request a leave of absence) and then reduce all of your back home expenses (like rent, bills, etc.) It's a big commitment, but you don't have to be rich.

[lonewulf2009]

@blackwoodspress fair enuff and thanks for the reply

[lawson863]

@blackwoodspress I thought you were doing a 5 day hike, because your food is for five days. What do you do stop somewhere and resupply?

[blackwoodspress]

@lawson863 Yes, generally on longer hikes like the PCT I will go into town every 5-7 days to resupply.

[adamslurch71]

You can pack more food with less weight, its called MRE's and protein bars. I have gone on 7-15 days hikes and thats all I carry, you can easily get 6500 calories a day and carry no more than 17 pounds for a 15 days hike. no need to carry a stove, or anything else, yes I will agree MRE's dont taste the best, but if you after hiking and seeing the outdoors and being away from life then they do the job, fill you up and offer a lot of different meals and snacks throughout the day.

[SuperSteamroller]

Great videos! Ziplock- Double Zipper Heavy Duty Freezer Bags-Quart size. They are freezer and microwave safe. It is a non BPA baggie.On the back of the box it says "This product is not formulated with Bisphenol A."

This is the only baggie I would use.It is definately safe to pour hot water into.Toxins from this baggie would be very minimal to none.

[loufromlou]

do you think it would be better to have a little pot and put the food and water in that just because i know eating out of heated plastic isn't that good for you.although i know we eat of of plastics all the time but just a thought. that is what i was gonna do. however, if sealing the ziplock makes it cook fast than putting food in a pot, that might be worth it i guess.

[blackwoodspress]

@loufromlou From a health standpoint it is probably better not to eat out of a plastic baggy. Sometimes I will cook in my pot and sometimes in a baggy. The main benefit of freezer bag cooking is you don't have to clean your pot afterward.

[cobyson100]

dude..you're too fat / protein heavy..your looking at it from a calorie standpoint instead of an energy standpoint. If you had ZERO fat the entire hike you would have way more than enough fat stores to use in your body....fat burns on the flame of glycogen which is limited....I admire your planning and active lifestyle but the fact is that you can afford to lose a couple lbs and that means a 60%carb/ 20/20 prot and fat diet.

[blackwoodspress]

@cobyson100 That depends on the length of a hike. On a 5 month hike such as a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike fat stores do not last. Before a long hike l typically put on an extra 10 pounds just so that it will take longer to burn off, but despite that (and eating 5,000 calories plus per day) it's gone by the end of the hike and I'm down to skin and bones (like most hikers). I know all about nutrition, but on a long hike different rules apply. 60/20/20 good for general fitness, not backpacking.

[finishstrongdoc]

Got tired of stuffsack-drysack thing for food, got a nylon carry-on bag, now I'm not so messy at AT shelters. Maybe I'll be sorry if rodents get into it but I guess i could carry drysack to put food in at nite. Just thot I'd pass that along To anyone else who's messy like me at the shelters.

[stefihuntalova]

Just to get an idea, what is the price of a 5 day resupply like this one ?

Thanks for the video

[blackwoodspress]

@stefihuntalova I usually spend about $50 for five days worth of food.

[TheRussellEmerson]

something i love for shorter trips, like a weekend or long weekend, is Bisquick shake and pour pancake mix. it just takes water. you pour it in, shake it up and put it into a greased pan (just take a tiny thing of Crisco) you can put peanut butter in them or eat them plain (syrup is messy to be in a pack.)

[chuninuzomaki]

I love the idea of a tortialia wrap on a hike, you've just given me the idea to do so sir.

[BCoutdoorsurvival]

A main staple for me on the trail is homemade trailmix, which includes peanut mnms. That said, you might try peanut butter mnms if you're a fan of peanut butter.

[blackwoodspress]

@BCoutdoorsurvival I love PB M&Ms. Another great addition to trail mix is goldfish crackers. It kind of breaks up the sweetness and gives it a salty, crunchy texture.

[FloridaFFEMT]

Nice vid... I like seeing what others take along and on what type of trip.

Peace

[Freenorth20]

Never go hiking without your captain crunch lol

[rayachheuy]

You just put hot water into the ziploc bag? Doesn't affect the bag in anyway? Interesting, that definitely makes things a lot easier. I've always brought the premade dehydrated meals from Walmart since I've only done overnights, but this is good information for multiple days. Save some money and some weight.

[blackwoodspress]

@rayachheuy Yep, I just pour hot water into the baggie with the food and put it in an insulated pot cozy for about 15 minutes. I have heard that pouring boiling water into plastic containers may not be the healthiest thing because it supposedly causes the plastic to release chemicals. But I don't worry about that.

[rachiti]

one alternative to olive oil...if the flavour's not to your liking...is ghee. It's butter that's been boiled and the milk solids have been removed so it still tastes like butter but it's shelf-stable. You could find it at most Indian groceries.

[freewill51]

Great video. How does the powdered milk taste? I have never used it. Is it close to regular whole milk?

[blackwoodspress]

@freewill51: The powdered milk isn't great. It's kind of watery and tastes like skim milk that has been wrung through an old sock :P But it does the trick in a pinch. Generally the more fat in the powdered milk the better. Nestle makes a whole-fat powdered milk called Nestle Nido which is very popular among hikers, unfortunately it's hard to find in the West. The only powdered milk I ever find in stores is nonfat or 1%.

[BillyGoat4x4]

@blackwoodspress I just bought some Nido at Food-For-less. There's a pic of a baby on the can. It seems to be marketed to the latino population... It's good compared to non-fat but it doesn't want to completely dissolve in cold water. It almost seems like baby formula, kinda has a sweet taste to it.

[blackwoodspress]

@BillyGoat4x4 Woohoo! I just found Nido in my local grocery store too. It was in the baby section with all the formula and stuff (no wonder I never saw it before). I mix it up by putting it in my water bottle and then shaking it up. Doesn't really want to dissolve well just by stirring but shaking works pretty good for me.

[hikingshoes]

@blackwoodspress

Nido powdered milk is really good.We have it at Wal-Mart here in MS.Enjoyed your video.HS

[jasonbgod4492]

What is the brand of that blue bag for your food? It is immense

[blackwoodspress]

@jasonbgod4492 - My food bag is made by Granite Gear. It is called the Air Zipsack in the "medium" size (which is really large). It weighs 1.7 ounces, carries 980 cubic inches, and the zippered square design makes it easy to root around inside and find what you're looking for without having to dump all your food out.

[kylethelincey]

Fantastic video. Subbed

[teddytarp]

I've watched a LOT of videos about trail food and I learned more from this one then

any of the others by far. Great job! I look forward to checking out your other videos.

You also do a good job answering viewers questions.

[JhonnyQuest2012]

Hey guys,Your life depends on a few things. Water, shelter, and, FOOD. .. Get FREE food.. Go to ( aplus.mysundanceglobal com ), Watch the video and sign up. This food has a 15 yr. shelf life. None GM. The food is great too.

[pgmaxtwo]

Awesome video! Thanks!

[3charter]

I LUV Cap n' Crunch and Fig Newtons!

[megalamark]

Great Video! I saw you have meat and cheese, wont they go bad? If not kept cool? and if you do keep them cool what do you use?

Thanks

-Mark

[blackwoodspress]

@megalamark: I've found that cured meats (like salami and pepperoni) and cheese will last up to five days without spoiling. I don't do anything special to keep them cool, just store them in ziplock baggies inside my food bag.

[megalamark]

@blackwoodspress thanks! :) keep up the great vids!

[mormanman13]

I saw no beef. I would invest in a food dehydrator and make you own dried food, it is well worth it. Also the trail mix, i love that stuff mixed nuts, rasins, reeces peices, sunflower kernels and apercots, its really good. a whole package of each will make about 3 pounds

[iTek42]

Nice vid, man. Had a question for ya about your lunch; Doesn't Salami require refrigeration? How do you keep it from spoiling?

[0aroura0]

OMG I LOVE MILKDUDS!!!

[masterhiker123]

Add powdered milk and butterbuds to your mac and cheese. also olive oil.

and it will taste better than home.

give it a try.

[bbt95762]

Hey thanks for sharing.

I was wondering, for your pasta dinners. Sounds like you just boil the water once, then let the noodles sit in the hot water for 15 minutes? is that right? I haven't tried noodles on the trail yet - but would like to. Never thought about bringing captain crunch, boy, that'd be tasty out there.

Thanks

[blackwoodspress]

@bbt95762: Yep, I just boil water and pour it into a ziploc baggy containing the noodles. Then I quickly stick the noodles inside my pot cozy (made from windshield reflector material) which keeps em warm while they "cook".

[hoot48]

will be following you on the pct,,,

thanks for the vids

do you take a mini dv with you?

[dewolfj]

Awesome. Thanks for the ideas.

[velo0826]

That was a very informative video thank you!