For multi-day unsupported crossings of uninhabited areas such as the Aoyue Trail, Mount Siguniang, and Mount Gongga, how should you prepare your food? I've been thinking about this question. My gear already weighs 12–15 kg — how much food should I bring, and what kind? Referring to the gear shared by seasoned veterans, I've summarized some theories. Feedback from experts is welcome.
Calories burned by the human body
The basic daily calorie requirement for the human body is calculated as weight × 30 kcal/kg — approximately 2000 kcal for men and 1500 kcal for women.
The adult calorie formula: 655 + 9.563 × (W) + 1.85 × (H) − 4.676 × (A) (W: weight in kg; H: height in cm; A: age)
Calories burned per hour for major outdoor activities (METs coefficient × (body weight + carried load) = calories)
The maximum daily calorie expenditure for the human body is around 4000 kcal (twice the basic requirement). Exceeding this will lead to extreme fatigue and difficulty in recovery. Excluding rest time, you can hike on flat terrain for 6–7 hours per day, climb at low altitudes for 4–5 hours, or hike at high altitudes for 2–3 hours. In normal weather, you can cover 25–30 km per day at low altitudes, or 10–15 km at high altitudes. In bad weather, it’s better to find shelter or retreat, as two hours can completely deplete your energy — there’s no point pushing on.
The total daily calories you need to replenish from food equals your basic calories plus those burned through activity.
Lightweight options for outdoor food
Four principles of lightweight outdoor food:
A. Carry dry items, not those with moisture — longer shelf life, won’t freeze
B. Carry items with no or minimal packaging — packaging is inedible and harms the scenery
C. Carry foods with high caloric density — more calories with less weight
D. Choose foods that are ready-to-eat or easy to cook — saves gas and reduces weight
Of the calories the human body burns daily, 60–65% come from carbohydrates, 20–25% from protein, and 10–15% from fat. Carbohydrates provide energy more directly, quickly, and are easier to digest than protein or fat. Therefore, during outdooractivities,the primary focus should be on replenishing carbohydrates, mainly from grain-based foods.
100g of dried grain food provides 300–350 kcal. Consuming 200g per day — that’s 100g of rice/noodles per meal or one naan. 100g of rice (half a bowl) can make one and a half bowls of cooked rice. (Killer, a local expert, recommends cornmeal, and HighlandTrekker suggests instant potato powder. Both have similar calories to rice or noodles, but cook faster, are versatile in taste, save gas, and for that, thanks are due.) (Rabbit reminds us that rice doesn’t cook well at high altitudes — many thanks for the tip.)
Nuts are high in oil and have much higher caloric density than grains, making them great as snacks — 50–100g per day. Pine nuts: 670, walnut kernels: 620, hazelnuts: 600, sunflower seeds: 600, cashews: 590, peanuts: 580, almonds: 520, chestnuts: 350. (Just thought of a dish: pine nuts with corn — yum, tastes great. HighlandTrekker also recommended couscous with added pine nuts to boost calories.)
Dried fruits are high in sugar and have calorie levels similar to grains, also suitable as snacks — 50–100g per day. Dried dates and honey dates: 350, raisins: 340, candied fruit: 330.
High-protein options include beef jerky: 550, milk powder: 480, pork floss: 440, soy milk powder: 420, dried fish slices: 300, dried shrimp: 250. Consume 100g per day. Dried fish and shrimp have lower calories because they contain little fat and are almost all protein. (Killer and Electronic Cabbage recommend cured meat, which varies between 500–690 calories depending on moisture and fat content, but it’s quite tough.)
For high dietary fiber, go for dehydrated vegetables — we recommend preserved evergreen greens (evergreen is a type of vegetable). Just soak in boiling water and you're good to go; one pack can last 10–20 days. Eaten with oats, it helps prevent constipation.
Dark chocolate: 520 kcal, great for replenishing energy — 50–100g per day. Chocolate melts above 25°C, so be careful it doesn’t make a mess of your backpack.
(Not recommended: cream chocolate and white chocolate — they contain unhealthy hydrogenated vegetable oils.)
(Also not recommended: hazelnut chocolate — haha, buying just hazelnuts is much cheaper than the chocolate, and a Snickers is basically peanut wafer chocolate — peanuts alone are much cheaper too.)
Cocoa powder is the raw material for chocolate. It is recommended to bring plain full-fat or medium-fat cocoa powder (which contains some unique nutrients from cocoa butter and cocoa beans, and is high in calories), and avoid low-fat or skim cocoa powder (which has undergone multiple processes of alkali treatment that neutralize many nutrients). Cocoa powder can be mixed with milk powder or soy milk powder for drinking.
The 09 military compressed dry ration 460 (less oily and drier than the 90 type, not as tasty but not greasy either) is suitable for breakfast or trail meals, mainly for emergencies. Energy bars are basically just compressed biscuits coated in a layer of chocolate. Biscuits tend to break easily, and in the end you’re mostly eating crumbs.
Puffed snacks – better not to bring these, they take up too much space.
Ham sausages and instant noodles contain too many additives (the vegetable packets in instant noodles are okay, though).
Cooked preserved meats will generally go bad and have to be thrown away after a day (those that don’t spoil likely contain excessive preservatives, which you probably wouldn’t want to eat anyway).
Canned food and vacuum-packed items are heavy, and like cooked preserved meats, due to their high moisture content, they will freeze into solid lumps in cold environments and become inedible.
Recommended lightweight outdoor recipes
Breakfast: 70g instant cereal, 30g milk powder/soy milk powder (1 small packet)
Lunch: 1 flatbread/nan (100g), 50g beef jerky/fish jerky
Dinner: 100g rice/noodles, 50g beef jerky/fish jerky/shrimp jerky, dehydrated vegetables, seaweed, pickled mustard tuber, butter
Snacks: 50–100g chocolate, 50–100g sunflower seeds/peanuts/almonds/sesame candy/milk candy/dried milk tablets, 50–100g dates/raisins/dried fruit, 1 vitamin C chewable tablet
The total daily food amount above is 550–700g, providing roughly 2200–2800 calories. The 09 compressed dry ration 500g (2300 calories, enough for three to four meals) can be used as supplemental emergency food, but is not recommended for everyday meals. The weekly food carry load for seven days is 4–5kg, which is significantly lighter than the standard 1kg per day.
In case of being stranded with insufficient food, redistribute your supplies — ensure at least 1000 calories per day, about 250–300g of various foods, reduce movement, and wait for rescue.
Final summary:
1. High-calorie dry goods such as nuts, beef jerky, cured meat, chocolate, and dairy products can be packed in larger quantities, which greatly helps with lightweight travel.
2. Foods that cook quickly or can be prepared by simply adding hot water — such as cornmeal, instant potato noodles, instant oats, or roasted rice/flour — save on gas canister use and also help reduce weight.
PS: Train more in daily life, eat more, and build up your body’s energy reserves. That way, you can carry less food when traveling. This is advice from many veteran and expert hikers. Don’t think it’s a joke — in reality, high-intensity outdoor activities often involve shortages of clothing and food, enduring hunger and cold, where it really comes down to stamina and willpower. Not training or building up reserves in daily life will definitely not do.