How Many Days of Food Can You Carry Backpacking?

By Alice Nichols

Backpacking is an incredible way to see the world, but it requires careful planning and preparation. Knowing how much food to bring and how many days you can comfortably carry it is a key part of this.

How Much Food Should You Bring? Generally speaking, you should aim for about 2-3 pounds of food per person per day of backpacking. This will give you enough variety and nutrition to keep you going throughout your trip.

Depending on your dietary needs, you may need more or less food than this recommendation. For example, if you are a vegan or have food allergies, you may need to bring more food in order to meet your nutritional needs. Additionally, if you plan to do a lot of strenuous activities such as hiking or climbing, you will likely need more calories than someone who is just taking a leisurely stroll through the woods.

How Long Can You Carry That Amount? Depending on the terrain and conditions, it’s generally possible to carry up to 5 days’ worth of food while backpacking. Of course, if the terrain is especially challenging or if you have a lot of gear with you, then it may be difficult to carry that much for that long.

In such cases, it’s best to plan ahead and break up trips into smaller segments so that there’s less weight being carried at any one time. Additionally, having access to resupply points along the trail can help lighten the load and extend how far one can go without needing to carry too much at once.

Conclusion: Ultimately, how many days of food one can carry backpacking depends largely on the terrain and conditions as well as dietary needs and activity level. In general though, it’s safe to assume that one can comfortably carry 2-3 pounds of food per person per day for up to 5 days while backpacking.