Meal Plan Like a Pro with these 5 Easy Tips

Dinnertime - Loowit Trail, Mt. Saint Helens, WA (Photo Steven Mortinson)

Getting the fuel you need doesn’t have to be complicated. I like to focus on the experience and keep my meal planning simple, so I thought I’d share a few tips that have served me well.

While this method won’t score you any fine-dining points, it will get you on the trail in short order. These 5 simple tips work for everything from overnighters to multi-week through hikes.

Counting Calories Beforehand Gives Piece of Mind on the Trail

Tips & Tricks

Meal Planning

Plan Meals by Day and Use A Calorie Target
Laying out Your Calories By day makes it more likely you’ll make it through your whole trip without running out of food. Especially important for long through-hikes with several days without resupply. Find a flat surface and lay those meals out! I target 3,000 calories/day for multi-night trips. Start with extra and adjust as you learn your needs.
Start with Breakfast and Dinner
Two packets of oatmeal w/ pack of nut-butter for breakfast and a freeze dried dinner is where I start. Whatever you use bookending each day gives you a framework to start with.
Supplement to reach your calorie target
Start with foods that have easy calorie counts. Energy bars, gummies, and candy bars are all good options.
Fill in with Tasty Snacks
Pick foods that you’ll want to eat after several days on the trail. Many bars are sweet, so it helps to supplement with salty and savory food (jerky, chips, cheese, salami)
Keep ‘em Separated
Keep your meals for each day organized by bagging them individually. I use plastic produce bags from the grocery store inside a dry-bag (Ursack bear-proof bag when I’m in bear country)