I will post this in the solo forum as well.

Just curious as to how much weight you give per person per day. That is if you even measure. I know when I go with a group, we never even weigh our food. We just make sure that we have waaaay toooo much. Ha ha.

I have a solo in less than two weeks and am planning on al dehydrated food. I have just over 22 pounds for 14 days (not including coffee). Just curious on how much you all would recommend.

Thanks.

See reply on other thread.

What dates are your trip?

You'll probably be coming out right after I go in on the 3rd...?

In on the 25th, out on the 7th. Going in on 49 and looping clockwise all the way around the gunflint. Coming out on the south lake trail by Birchlake.

Where are you heading, how long?

Going in at #37, Kawishiwi Lake on 9/3 and up to Malberg. Where I go after that is still being debated by the committee in my mind and may not be decided until the last moment ;). Plan 1 is to loop up through Boulder and around to Makwa. Plan 2 is over through Alice and back through Boulder. Plan 3 is up to Little Saganaga. I just can't seem to make up my mind :). Coming out on the 11th.

That weight sounds very light, especially for 14 days. I'm positive I had more than that for 9 days. I have a high calorie requirement though so I eat two mountain house pro packs each night for dinner. My biggest weight culprits were uneaten bannock mix and GORP.

Boonie, I want to enter there in the spring. Plan on Boulder/Adams then west to Frasier/Thomas then down to Alice and back out.

I don't go by weight, I go by calories.

since I carry about 10-20 pounds of food with me permanently, I try to consume at least 2000 calories but not more than 2500 per day. Usually I come back weighing 5-10 pounds less.

but I usually gorge at the restaurant when I get out, so it's all for naught

Much of this reply is a copy from the Gear Forum by the same Title and Author.

I have never weighed my food. I take one freeze-dried meal/dinner and one breakfast meal per day, with two extra meals/dinners in the event I'm wind-bound or I decide to extend my trip. I take what I need to stayed fueled and nourished. I also pack along protein powder for at least one protein shake per day.

For lunch, (which is usually on the trail), consists of Clif bars, granola/trail mix, banana chips, sunflower seeds, and dried fruit.

But to expand on the original reply, much like ZaraSp00k, I also lose about 5 to 10 pounds every trip, despite eating well. This was also the case after my family Quetico trip from two weeks ago.

I went from 214 pounds to 209 pounds and I didn't think I really did that much. Although I tripled portaged with the canoes and the heavy packs to make things easier on my wife and son, it wasn't a high mileage trip and we took three lay-over days for fishing and relaxing!

I think it must be the lack of fats in a typical canoe-tripping/backpacking menu and the reliance on freeze-dried and dehydrated food.

Hans Solo

actually Hans I think it is more that you burn a lot more calories than you think while tripping.

it is right up there with X-country skiing for burning calories

2000-2500 calories is about half or a third of how much is probably burned on the average day for me, that's why I lose weight and I suspect you do too

If you want a "Rule of Thumb", 2 - 2.5 lbs of food per person per day is the old standard. However, I think the better way is to simply plan out per meal, such as:

I am going to have 1 dehydrated meal per supper;
I am going to have 2 oatmeal packets and 1 coffee packet per breakfast;
I am going to have 1 cup of GORP and 2 jerkys for 3 lunches;
Crackers, cheese and salami for 3 lunches;
x amount of snacks, and x amount of drinks, etc.

Then whatever it works out to is it.

I also don't go by weight. I plan my morning and evening meals and pack all ingredients for each meal into a gallon size freezer bag. Lunch is usually snack type foods (granola bars, meat sticks, jerky, gorp) and on the go so I pack that stuff all together in a separate bag.

My breakfast and dinners are generally all dehydrated.

All food and related items go in the barrel pack.





One of my favorite meals is shepards pie. Made with dehydrated hamburger, mashed potatoes, dehydrated corn and a packed of brown gravy. Yum

i ate dehydrated food for over a month on a longer canoe trip, i will never touch it again. i do all the cooking at home, i have a good idea of how much to bring per person/meal. it's a vacation, not a prison sentence, i like to eat well but don't want to screw around too much with cooking. i buy mostly bulk foods, my family is fussy about healthy foods, organic is important. pasta, beans etc, nothing processed. a garlic and onion are essential. i never weigh anything, it is not helpful information, we have to eat, so what does it matter. one favorite that we use often is falafel. trying to make the perfect camping falafel is one of my camping goals, been making it for thirty years but perfection eludes me.

if for some reason we have to extend our trip time i bring enough oatmeal for several extra days.

quote jwartman59: "i ate dehydrated food for over a month on a longer canoe trip, i will never touch it again. i do all the cooking at home, i have a good idea of how much to bring per person/meal. it's a vacation, not a prison sentence, i like to eat well but don't want to screw around too much with cooking. i buy mostly bulk foods, my family is fussy about healthy foods, organic is important. pasta, beans etc, nothing processed. a garlic and onion are essential. i never weigh anything, it is not helpful information, we have to eat, so what does it matter. one favorite that we use often is falafel. trying to make the perfect camping falafel is one of my camping goals, been making it for thirty years but perfection eludes me.


if for some reason we have to extend our trip time i bring enough oatmeal for several extra days."

LOL..after 17 days of granola bars for lunch I never want to see another one. After 17 days of oatmeal I am not thrilled about that either but maple syrup and dried fruit help.

And I have 18 left over..you know emergency food for two.

Yes on garlic and onion!

quote jwartman59: " it's a vacation, not a prison sentence"

LOL

I don't think I could eat dehydrated food for more than a week without feeling the same. One thing I've noticed is that food I eat on a trip I never touch at home. Oatmeal, Ramen, hot chocolate,for example, and certainly not any packaged dehydrated food.

I take two bear vaults (the big ones)
My CCS Rucksack with two bear vaults and food weighs between 25 - 33 pounds pack, bear vaults and food.... I like to eat.

I like my meals, I spend a lot of time in preparation, and if you ever trip with me, you will see, that even though they are dehydrated, you would like them....Ask Boppa, or kanoes, or someone.
I like goolash the best, but I also make a wicked Terryacki Chicken and awesome Pizza, oh, and lets not forget my Taco's !!!

SunCatcher

My goal for my food on a solo is simple and light weight. The first day I will have fresh turkey subs for both lunch and dinner (I pack lettuce and have packs of mayo on the side) I will bring in an apple or plum too.

After that it's oatmeal w/dried fruit along with a clif bar most morning and a couple of freeze dried egg casseroles to break that up.

Lunch is salami, cheese, crakers, mustard (packs), cookies, and some protein or Atkins bar type.

Dinner is all freeze dried in the bag cooking and eating. I will try to have 2 fresh fish dinners but no mess so I oil and season filets in foil and bake in coals.

I don't weigh anything but it all has to fit in my Vittles Vault. If I have room I try to put in a small nalgene of First Barrel Jack Daniels.

quote TomT: "
I don't weigh anything but it all has to fit in my Vittles Vault. If I have room I try to put in a small nalgene of First Barrel Jack Daniels.


"

I don't think you need to keep the whiskey out of the reach of bears. No drunk bear will ever cypher a way to open your vittle vault.

Food is important and I will take a few fresh things and have mostly sworn off freeze dry (dehydrated is not that much heavier and offers me what I want at lower cost). I do not weigh the food, it is worth the effort to me to enjoy a meal. I tend to eat very similar to my usual routine.
I find that when I am really active my appetite is down and when I solo I tend to be more active (no one to share the chores). I tend towards one skillet meals and yes you can make oatmeal in a small skillet. When I am on shorter travel trips it is leaner, when on a longer trip I will plan one or two base camp gourmet meals.
Mostly food is an important part of the trip and I take as much as I expect I will eat without much concern to weight or space. And like others I take less than I did when I started tripping.

quote Banksiana: "

quote TomT: "
I don't weigh anything but it all has to fit in my Vittles Vault. If I have room I try to put in a small nalgene of First Barrel Jack Daniels.
"

I don't think you need to keep the whiskey out of the reach of bears. No drunk bear will ever cypher a way to open your vittle vault."

You know, I never gave this much thought and you are probably right. I don't think I'll pack it with the food anymore. Thanks Banks!

quote bhouse46: And like others I take less than I did when I started tripping."

Oh man... I remember my solo to Quetico in 2001 and I had so much weight in two big packs. I took waaaay too much food and ended up burying pancake mix and other things on an Island in Sarah Lake. It wasn't until my 4th solo in 2011 that I think I got real good at paring down my load in the food pack.

In my early years of backpacking, I'd over-estimate my fishing prowess, under-estimate my appetite and return home very hungry. However, my experience canoeing does not replicate my backpacking history. When I go to the BW, I try to plan the same way Bannock does but I always exit with a lot of food left, whether I am eating fish or not. These days, I over-estimate my appetite.

quote Bannock: "If you want a "Rule of Thumb", 2 - 2.5 lbs of food per person per day is the old standard. However, I think the better way is to simply plan out per meal, such as:


I am going to have 1 dehydrated meal per supper;
I am going to have 2 oatmeal packets and 1 coffee packet per breakfast;
I am going to have 1 cup of GORP and 2 jerkys for 3 lunches;
Crackers, cheese and salami for 3 lunches;
x amount of snacks, and x amount of drinks, etc.


Then whatever it works out to is it.
"

Pretty much what I do. I believe that it works out to about 1.5 lb. per day. I've pretty much quit bringing an extra meal for 'what if'. There are always a few morsels left to make it an extra day or two, and I can always stand to lose some weight.

quote Bannock: "If you want a "Rule of Thumb", 2 - 2.5 lbs of food per person per day is the old standard. However, I think the better way is to simply plan out per meal, such as:


I am going to have 1 dehydrated meal per supper;
I am going to have 2 oatmeal packets and 1 coffee packet per breakfast;
I am going to have 1 cup of GORP and 2 jerkys for 3 lunches;
Crackers, cheese and salami for 3 lunches;
x amount of snacks, and x amount of drinks, etc.


Then whatever it works out to is it.
"

I do about the same thing except I do peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch and hopefully a fish meal or 2 with supper and no coffee but hot chocolate.