Lightweight food for backpacking

Mark Huelsing of SoleAdventure.com has been preparing for his Colorado Elk Hunt and recently wrote a great post about backpacking food. I tend to overlook food until the last minute and not plan as well as I should. My last trip I ended up taking enough food/calories, but I could have traveled lighter and packed more variety. I’d also never taken such and in depth look at calories per ounce, nor did I have a target for that ratio.

A goal to shoot for is a 100-calorie-per-ounce ratio.  This will help keep your pack lighter, by avoiding heavy foods, and it will also ensure that you choose foods which have more nutritional value.  When hunting hard in the mountains, fats and proteins are your friend.  These calories will stick with you and provide your body with a substantial store of energy to burn.

Mark also goes through organization, details on various food brands and even a menu for your next backpacking adventure that is surprisingly light at 1.56lbs per day! This is great information to consider for your next backpacking trip, whether it’s a hike or hunting adventure. Read the full post here.

Will Jenkins

Will lives in Virginia with his wife and three kids. He's a passionate bowhunter which led him to create TheWilltoHunt.com in March 2011. Since then he's been published in various online publications. He enjoys hunting whitetails but dreams of heading west. In addition to hunting Will also enjoys backpacking and fly fishing.