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Here is a complete 5-day backpacking meal plan similar to what I eat on my hikes. It includes three meals and four snacks, providing 3,500 calories from 2 lbs of food per day.

3,500 calories a day is a good baseline calorie goal for most backpacking trips. I eat this amount on hikes up to 500 miles. After that my metabolism kicks into high gear and I have to eat more (as much as 5,000 calories a day) to keep my energy up and stave off weight loss. The easiest way to add an extra 1,000 calories to this plan is to double up on the snacks.

Packaged, processed foods are a staple of my backpacking diet because they are calorie-dense, non-perishable and available everywhere – but some of them are not very nutritious. To get a more balanced diet it’s a good idea to eat lots of whole foods (meat, fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc.) during your town stops and supplement with vitamins.

I hope this gives you some ideas for designing your own backpacking meal plan.

Day 1 (3,474 calories – 32.9 ounces)

Day 2 (3,424 calories – 31.9 ounces)

Day 3 (3,663 calories – 32.9 ounces)

Day 4 (3,254 calories – 31.6 ounces)

Day 5 (3,785 calories – 31.7 ounces)