Typical long distance thru hikers require about 4000 - 6000 calories per day, which requires that they eat a lot! The secret to trail food is to find the lightest weight food that packs the greatest energy boost and is easy to prepare.

Preplanning for meals along the trail is easier said than done. Many long distance hikers report that an appetite for certain foods changes dramatically after the first month or so of hiking. With this in mind, we plan to purchase food in small towns as we walk up the trail. Long distance hikers commonly need to carry about 2 pounds of food per day.

We will cook with our Brunton Flex Canister Stove, a Swedish design.

This little marvel of technology offers an oversized burner head for even heat distribution, precision simmering control, a collapsible burner head for maximum portability, and four curved pot supports providing an extra large cooking surface.

Typical boil time (1 L of water) is about  3 minutes.  

The Brunton Flex Stove and one isobutane fuel  canister packs away nicely in a our Evernew titanium non-stick cooking pot. 

To accommodate both of us, we will carry the larger 1.8 liter version (pictured on the far left). This lightweight pot with frying pan lid will serve dual purposes - cooking and food serving (plates).

One “spork” and  titanium mug (per person) will complete our outdoor kitchen.

A typical hiker’s menu for one day might include:

Breakfast: 2 packages of instant oatmeal or 2 frosted PopTarts, 1 fruit bar or 1 cup dry granola mix, hot cocoa mix and/or instant coffee

Lunch and Snacks: 2 slices of pita bread or tortillas with peanut butter and honey, or packaged tuna or chicken spread, granola bars, candy bars, 1 small block cheese, 1 cup mixed nuts and 1 cup dried fruit (GORP), Gatorade

Dinner: 1 cup tuna mixed with Mac-n-Cheese) or 1 20-oz freeze-dried meal, Ritz® crackers, cheese slices, 1 cup hot apple cider mix.

What will we carry and how much will it weigh?