Blog #2: Food on the PCT
Food is such an interesting topic when it comes to backpacking because while you can eat pretty much whatever you feel like eating out on trail, there are a lot of nuances to the choices backpackers and thru-hikers make when standing in the grocery store. Perishable vs. nonperishable, water weight, specialty backpacker meals… All of that and more comes in to play when talking about backpacking food. When I first started backpacking I had so many questions about what kinds of foods to bring, and I definitely have made some interesting choices over the years, and learned what works for me and what doesn’t. I feel excited to dive even further into the backpacker food world with this trip, and try out all kinds of combinations.
While I feel good about what I’m planning on taking food-wise, I’ve had a lot of questions from family and friends about what I’ll be eating along the trail this year, and what the logistics of carrying food for days looks like. These questions have ranged from “How many calories will you need in a day?” to “Will you really be carrying six months worth of food?” I went ahead and compiled the most common questions and answered them all below. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments at the bottom of this post! Also at the end I inserted an image of what a 2-day food resupply could look like. Check it out!
How many calories per day do you need to eat?
This will greatly depend from person to person, the terrain being covered, the distance per day, and some other factors, but a general range I tend to hear is about 3,000-5,000 calories per day.
Isn’t food heavy? How much do you carry at once?
Food IS heavy! Generally it’s said that a thru-hiker should pack about 1.5-2.5 pounds of food per day of hiking. This means if I’m out on trail for 4 days, I’ll have ~8 pounds of food with me, which is quite a lot! The good part is my food bag will start to weigh less and less as the days go on, so my pack will get lighter each day. On the PCT, I could be carrying anywhere from 3-5 days at a time. It’s only in the High Sierra in California and some remote sections in Washington that the number of days could be more (7-10+ days).
How do you get more food once you’ve run out?
Once I’m nearing the end of my food supply, I will need to resupply in a town at a grocery store or any store that carries food (gas stations, Dollar General, etc). If the trail goes right through or near a town, I can walk into the town to resupply. If the trail is far away from the nearest resupply point, I’ll need to catch a ride into town. Once I do my resupply, I’ll typically also do things like laundry, charge my devices, call home, and do any other necessary chores before heading back out on trail.
For the most part, I plan to just buy food along the trail as I go. However, there are a few places along the trail where it will be beneficial to send a box of food to myself instead. A good example of this is in the remote areas of Washington where there are not frequent trail towns, and the areas that the trail passes by may not have grocery options.
What kind of food will you eat?
I go into much more detail about this in the second half of this post, but generally I’ll be avoiding water weight whenever possible. Foods that can rehydrate easily will likely be staples of my diet. I’ll likely pack out dried fruits, granola bars, flat breads, dried meat/packaged meat or fish, hard cheeses, chips and crackers, candy, drink mixes (coffee, electrolyte replacers, tea, etc), and a myriad of other items that are lightweight and pack a lot of calories.
How do you cook your food?
I will have a tiny stove with me that screws on top of a small gas canister (see image below). Then I put my 750ml pot on top and I’m able to cook!
Another “cooking” option is called cold-soaking. This method doesn’t require any fuel, and only needs a small tupperware with a screw-top lid (the Talenti brand ice cream jars are very popular for this on trail). A few hours before I want to eat I would add dehydrated food to the bowl, add water, put the lid on, shake it up, and then wait several hours while I hike and then eat!
Do you have to eat the same thing over and over?
It’s certainly possible that I’ll end up eating a lot of the same things, so my hope is that I can try and get creative and outside of my comfort zone so that I switch things up to stop myself from getting bored of what I'm eating.
What happens if you run out of food?
This is where rationing of food and proper planning is very important. This is something I’ll get better and better at as I go, but a good rule of thumb is to plan exactly what I’ll be eating each day while I’m doing my food resupply in the store. Additionally, packing an extra dinner / meal is always a fail-safe in case I end up miscalculating or I have to be out on trail longer than I expected.
What about bears? How will you safely store your food?
Food storage is definitely something to be thinking about when going outside, whether you’re car camping or backpacking. For me, I’ll have a waterproof food bag that I can hang in a tree to be away from my tent at night. This method helps keep the food away from all critters, including bears. In some sections where bears are not a concern (like the lower elevations in the desert) I have read that many hikers will place their food bag just outside their tent. In areas like this, I’ll mostly be worried about rodents getting into the food. Additionally, sections like this can lack trees to do a proper hang, so I’ll just be making sure to make the best judgment possible for where I happen to be at the time.
One section worth noting is the High Sierra in central California. In this section of the trail all backpackers are required to carry what is called a bear canister (see image, dog for scale and cuteness lol). It’s a cylindrical container that is bear proof, meaning bears cannot break into the can. This doesn’t mean they won’t try though, so before going to bed each night I will walk at least 100 yards away from my tent, place my bear canister on the ground, and then go back to my camp. This will help prevent bears from coming into my camp, and if they do try to break into the bear can but aren’t rewarded with food, they will move on.
Keeping food away from animals is important for everyone involved. It protects the hiker from having their food eaten, gear damaged, and keeps them safe from harm. It protects the animals because they shouldn’t be eating human food, and in many situations when an animal (like a bear) learns to associate humans with food, they can become aggressive and unfortunately end up needing to be killed. This is incredibly sad, and is no fault of their own as they are just being an animal, so keeping my food secure will be super important to me out on trail!
Take a look below at the different meal options I could eat while out on trail. It’s certainly worth noting that this list is likely limited by my current knowledge base and lack of imagination. I’m sure I’ll be able to expand on this list after a few months into my trip.
Breakfast Foods on Trail:
Oatmeal/Grits
Breakfast bars
Dry Cereal or Cereal w/ Re-hydrated milk
Granola
Nut butter
Breakfast Essentials
Dried Fruit
PopTarts
Overnight oats
Meat sticks/beef jerky
Dehydrated Backpacker Meals
Lunch Foods on Trail:
Sandwiches
pb&j, tuna, meat & cheese…
Ramen
Backpacker Charcuterie (cheese, meat, nuts, dried fruit, nut butter, crackers, etc)
Hummus/dips
Cold-soaked meals like beans & rice, mashed potatoes, taco rice, etc.
Dehydrated Backpacker Meals
Fruit/Dried Fruit
Lightweight Veggies
Dinner Foods on Trail:
Instant Ramen, Couscous, Rice, Noodles
Grocery store “instant” meals such as:
Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
Knorr Pasta Sides
Barilla Ready Pasta
Dehydrated Backpacker Meals
Lightweight Veggies
Snack Foods on Trail:
Granola bars
Trail mix
Chocolate
Fruit snacks / gummies
Nuts
Chips, Crackers
Dried Fruit
Candy
Cookies
Cheese
The list could go on…
Sources of Protein to easily pack out on trail:
Beef jerky
Hard salami
Chicken, Tuna, and Salmon packets
Peanut butter / Nut butter
Nuts & seeds
Legumes
Ways to make food taste better or add more calories:
Bouillon cubes
Shaker w/ seasoned salt or fav spices
Olive oil
Hot sauce packets / condiment packets
Above is an example of what a 2-day food supply could look like for a backpacking trip. These are items I had lying around my house, but as you can see a lot of these items are normal foods you would find in most grocery stores. Every resupply will look slightly different, and I’m positive my preferences and tastes will change as I’m on trail for longer. Additionally, the amount of food I will need to pack out will also increase the longer I’m on trail. I’m honestly really looking forward to finding out what I end up loving and hating!
I hope this has given you a better idea of what I’ll be taking with me when it comes to food and the logistics surrounding backpacker resupply. If you have any questions that weren’t covered in this post, please leave me a comment below!
