Backpacking Meal Planning: Your Full 2025 Guide

Meal planning is key, whether you're a seasoned backpacker or just starting out. When you're out on the trail, the right meals can make a huge difference in your energy levels and overall experience. Planning ahead ensures you have enough nutritious food to keep you going without carrying unnecessary weight.

Consider the balance between nutritious meals and the weight of your food. You want meals that are lightweight but packed with the nutrients you need for hiking. It's a challenge to strike the perfect balance, but with a little preparation, you can enjoy tasty and healthy meals without being weighed down.

The type of hike will impact your meal planning. For a day hike, you might need just a few snacks and a lunch. Multi-day treks and thru-hikes require more detailed planning to ensure you have enough food for each day. Tailoring your meal plan to the length and intensity of your hike will help you stay energized and make the most of your adventure.

I've worked with a certified nutritionist to help you plan balanced and tasty meals for you and your family. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to make your next backpacking trip a delicious success.

How to Meal Plan for Backpacking?

Consider the energy demands and activities for each day. Assess the intensity and duration of your hikes to determine how much energy you’ll need. Longer, more strenuous hikes require more calories and nutrient-dense foods to keep you energized and prevent fatigue.

Calorie needs vary depending on the difficulty of the hike, pack weight, elevation gain, weather conditions, and individual metabolism. Plan for a higher caloric intake on days with steep climbs, heavy packs, or extreme weather. For example, colder temperatures increase calorie needs as your body works harder to stay warm.

Consider how much time you’ll have for food prep. This will impact the types of food you bring. For quick, on-the-go meals, consider no-cook options like wraps, energy bars, and trail mix. For evenings when you have more time, you might prepare one-pot meals or more elaborate dishes. 

Write down a sample menu to give you an idea of what you need. Organize your meal plan by day, listing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. This helps ensure you pack enough food and avoid unnecessary weight. Use meal planning apps or spreadsheets to keep track of your menu, especially for longer hikes.

Easy Backpacking Meal Ideas and Recipes

Your options vary depending on whether you plan to cook or want instant foods. If you're open to cooking, you can bring along ingredients for simple recipes like pasta with premade sauce packets or rice with dehydrated vegetables and canned meat. If you prefer instant meals, look for options like freeze-dried dinners that just need hot water.

Packaged and processed foods are lightweight and easily available. These are excellent options for backpacking because they reduce the need for bulky, heavy ingredients. Items like instant noodles, dehydrated meals, and energy bars are convenient and require minimal preparation, making them perfect for a quick meal on the trail.

Get creative to prevent meal fatigue during long trips. Mixing up your meal choices can keep things exciting and ensure you’re getting a range of nutrients. Think about your favorite home recipes and how you can adapt them for the trail. For instance, make a trail version of oatmeal with dried fruits and nuts, or try a tortilla wrap with peanut butter and honey.

Consider your dietary needs and your family’s too, as you may need to substitute ingredients. If anyone in your group has allergies or dietary restrictions, plan your meals accordingly. Many recipes can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free, vegetarian, or meet other dietary needs. This helps everyone enjoy their meals and their time away.

Breakfast Ideas

You don’t have to eat oatmeal every day, but if you do, add extras to make it interesting. Think about mixing in dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or even a sprinkle of dark chocolate.

Here are some other easy breakfast ideas:

Source: USDA Food Database*

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day², and if you have more time, you could try prepping a breakfast burrito or omelets. These can be filled with a variety of ingredients, like cheese, veggies, and pre-cooked meats. 

Other easy camping breakfast ideas include pancakes with dried fruit, yogurt with granola, or even simple smoothies made with powdered milk and freeze-dried fruits. These options ensure you start your day with a nutritious and enjoyable meal.

Lunch Ideas

Include a variety of meal elements to keep your lunches nutritious and enjoyable. By mixing and matching items from the categories of protein, carbs, fats, and other additions, you can create balanced meals that meet your dietary needs and preferences. 

Use the table below to choose different components and combine them for a complete and satisfying lunch on the trail. If you have the option, you can also add in some fresh veggies and fruit.

Dinner Ideas

It’s satisfying to eat a nice hot meal for dinner when backpacking. You can opt for store-bought dehydrated meals or take ingredients to cook your own. One-pot meals are particularly useful as they are easier to cook and there’s less clean-up.

Author’s Tip: Although it may be difficult to cook using a multi-step meal kit recipe while backpacking, you can use menus for inspiration. Many meal delivery services have one-pot meals such as stews, soups, pastas, and curries (above) that would be ideal to cook using a camping stove. HelloFresh has a Cookbook on its website filled with different recipes. Filters will help you find what you’re looking for.

You can also rehydrate meals in a ziploc bag. Meals based on instant rice, noodles, or cous cous are great for this. You can prep these meals and label them at home so you know what you’re getting. This way, there’s no dirty dishes and minimal effort. In colder weather, insulate the bag while the ingredients rehydrate.

Easy Cook Dinner Meals

• Instant Mashed Potatoes with Chicken and Gravy 🍗: Rehydrate instant mashed potatoes with hot water, mix in canned or pouch chicken, and prepare gravy according to package instructions.
• Couscous with Vegetables and Tuna 🐟: Pour hot water over instant couscous and dehydrated vegetables, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in tuna.
• Ramen Noodles with Veggies and Jerky 🍜: Cook instant ramen noodles with dried vegetables in boiling water, then add chopped beef jerky before serving.
• Quinoa and Bean Salad 🥗: Cook instant quinoa with hot water, mix in canned or dried beans, and drizzle with olive oil and dried herbs/spices.
• Dehydrated Meal Packs 🥣: Add boiling water to the pre-packaged dehydrated meal, stir, and let sit for the recommended time.

Delicious Dinners That Take a Bit Longer

• Campfire Chili 🌶️: Rehydrate dehydrated ground beef and vegetables in boiling water, add canned beans and chili seasoning mix, and let simmer until flavors meld.
• Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Veggies 🍝: Cook quick-cook pasta, mix in rehydrated tomato sauce and dehydrated vegetables, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Rice and Lentil Stew 🍲: Cook lentils and dehydrated vegetables in boiling water until tender, then add instant rice, vegetable broth powder, and spices, and simmer until cooked.
• Chicken and Rice Casserole 🍚: Cook instant rice with dehydrated vegetables, mix in canned or pouch chicken and cheese powder, and let sit to blend flavors.
• Vegetable Stir-Fry with Noodles 🥕: Rehydrate rice noodles and dehydrated vegetables in boiling water, drain, then stir-fry with soy sauce, sesame oil, and tofu or chicken pouches.

Lightweight Backpacking Snacks

Backpacking Meal Planning: 10 Top Tips

1. Pack lots of quick-releasing energy snacks: Keep energy levels high with snacks like trail mix, energy bars, and dried fruits.
2. Add oils or ghee to increase calorie content of meals: Boost the calorie count of your meals by adding lightweight, high-calorie fats like olive oil or ghee.
3. Bring spices/condiments like hot sauce for flavor: Enhance the taste of your meals with small packets of your favorite spices and condiments.
4. Dehydrate your meals at home: Prepare and dehydrate meals at home for lightweight, nutritious, and tasty options on the trail.
5. For long trips, eat fresh food at the start of your trip: Consume fresh items like fruits, vegetables, and cheese in the first few days to reduce weight and prevent spoilage
6. Consider your fuel needs: Plan meals based on cooking times and fuel efficiency to ensure you have enough fuel for your trip.
7. Repackage meals to minimize bulk in Ziploc bags: Reduce space and weight by repackaging bulky items into Ziploc bags.
8. Practice your meals at home: Test your meal prep and cooking techniques at home to familiarize yourself with the process and ensure you enjoy the taste.
9. Taste test dehydrated meals: Try out different dehydrated meals before your trip to make sure you like them and they meet your nutritional needs.
10. Cold-soaking: Use cold-soaking methods for meals like overnight oats, couscous, or ramen to save on fuel and cooking time.

Backpacking Trip Sample Menu

When planning meals for your backpacking adventure, it's essential to consider various factors. These include dietary needs, allergies, available cooking equipment, and even wildlife concerns in the area. Tailoring your menu to these specifics ensures you have nutritious, safe, and enjoyable meals throughout your journey. The calories consumed will depends on the quantity and brand you buy so do check the nutritional info carefully.

What Food to Take When Backpacking?

• Food that you like and enjoy eating 😀: Ensure you pack your favorite snacks and meals to keep your morale high and energy levels up.
• Fresh foods like cheeses and veggies that produce little waste 🧀: Hard cheeses and sturdy vegetables (e.g., carrots, bell peppers) add variety and nutrition while producing minimal waste.
• Lightweight food that’s nutritionally dense 🥜: Nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and whole grain crackers offer a high calorie-to-weight ratio and essential nutrients.
• Ready-to-eat dehydrated food 💦: Brands like Mountain House and Backpacker's Pantry offer meals that only require boiling water, making them easy to prepare and packed with calories.

• A variety of tastes and textures to keep meals interesting 🍽️: Include a mix of sweet, savory, crunchy, and soft foods, such as crackers with cheese, trail mix with dried fruits, and energy bars with different flavors and textures.
• Vacuum-sealed foods like tuna, proteins, and rice mixes 🐟: Compact and long-lasting, items like vacuum-sealed tuna, chicken, beef jerky, rice mixes, and beans are easy to prepare and provide a good mix of protein and carbs.
• Electrolyte tablets and quick-energy snacks for advanced hikers🪫: Electrolyte tablets help replace lost electrolytes and prevent dehydration, while energy bars, trail mix, dried fruit, and energy gels provide fast-absorbing carbohydrates and electrolytes for immediate energy.
• Meal replacement shakes 🥤: Powdered versions that can be mixed with water offer quick, balanced nutrition, providing a substantial amount of calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
• Mood boosting foods 🥰: Dark chocolate, nuts, and seeds contain nutrients like magnesium and antioxidants that can help improve your mood and reduce stress, enhancing your overall backpacking experience.

How Many Calories Do I Need? 

When planning meals for a backpacking trip, it's crucial to account for your increased caloric needs. Due to the physical exertion of hiking, your body will burn more calories than usual, so you'll need to ensure you consume enough to maintain energy levels and overall health.

These values are baseline estimates for moderate activity. When backpacking, you should add an additional 500-1,000 calories per day, depending on the intensity of your hike, pack weight, and environmental conditions⁴.

Follow these tips to help you plan your calories:

• Calculate daily needs 🧮: Use the table above to determine your baseline needs and add calories based on your hike's intensity.
• List calories for each meal and snack 📃: When planning your meals, list the calories for each item to ensure you meet your daily caloric needs.
• Add extra calories 🎒: Pack a bit more food than you think you need to avoid feeling hungry and to account for unforeseen circumstances.
• Shorter trips 🧭: Some backpackers opt for a slight calorie deficit on shorter trips, compensating with larger meals before and after the hike. This approach might not be suitable for everyone, especially on more strenuous hikes.

Kid-Friendly Backpacking: 9 Tips for Families

When backpacking with kids, 1 thing is certain: they will be hungry. Packing a little extra food is always better than dealing with a hangry child on the trail. Ensure you're carrying calorie and nutrient-dense options to meet their energy needs. Including some liquid or solid fats can help boost calorie intake. 

Variety is key to keeping meals interesting and preventing boredom. With thoughtful planning, you can keep your family well-fed and happy throughout your adventure.

Here are 9 top tips to consider when backpacking with your kids.

1. Involve kids in planning: Let your children help choose meals and snacks. This gets them excited about the trip and ensures you pack foods they will eat.
2. Choose familiar foods: Stick to foods your kids already like and are familiar with. This reduces the chances of them refusing to eat, especially when they’re tired from hiking.
3. Pack balanced meals: Ensure each meal includes a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to keep energy levels steady. Use the caloric needs table to determine appropriate portions for each family member.
4. Portion control: Pre-pack individual portions for each meal and snack. This makes it easier to manage meal times and ensures everyone gets their share.
5. Keep it simple: Choose easy-to-prepare meals that don’t require extensive cooking or cleaning. Opt for no-cook options like wraps and sandwiches for lunch.
6. Healthy snacks: Pack plenty of healthy snacks such as trail mix, dried fruits, cheese sticks, and granola bars. Kids get hungry frequently, so having snacks readily available is important.
7. Stay hydrated: Ensure everyone drinks plenty of water. Pack electrolyte tablets to add to water for an extra hydration boost, especially if hiking in hot weather.
8. Special treats: Include some special treats like chocolate or cookies to keep morale high. These can be rewards for completing a challenging part of the hike.
9. Emergency food: Always pack extra food in case of delays or unexpected hunger. This can include additional snacks or ready-to-eat meals.

Backpacking Food Preparation

Choosing the right cooking equipment is crucial for backpacking. Lightweight stoves, such as canister, liquid fuel, and wood-burning stoves, offer reliable and quick cooking. Select 1 based on your trip conditions.

Efficient storage minimizes bulk and weight. Use resealable or vacuum-sealed bags to repack food items. Store meals and snacks in compact containers, measure portions and label each bag to streamline preparation on the trail.

Cold soaking rehydrates food in cold water, saving fuel and time, and works well for foods like overnight oats, couscous, and ramen. However, cooking provides the comfort of a hot meal, especially in cold or wet conditions.

Pack multi-functional utensils to lighten your load. A spork, combining spoon and fork, is a great space-saver. Include a lightweight pot, a collapsible bowl, and a knife or multi-tool. 

Food Safety and Storage

Fresh foods like dairy can spoil quickly, especially in warm temperatures, so it's important to plan accordingly⁵. For wildlife safety, use bear canisters or hang food from tree branches to keep it out of reach of animals. Always follow local guidelines to protect both your food and wildlife.

FAQ

What is a good backpacking meal plan?

A good backpacking meal plan includes balanced meals and snacks that are high in calories and nutrients. Plan for a mix of hot and cold meals, incorporating dehydrated or freeze-dried options for convenience. Make sure to list calorie counts to ensure you're meeting your energy needs​.

What type of food should you take backpacking?

Take lightweight, non-perishable foods that are high in calories and nutrients. Good options include dehydrated meals, instant rice, pasta, nuts, dried fruits, jerky, and meal replacement bars. Also, pack spices and condiments to enhance flavors​.

How much does 3 days of food weigh when backpacking?

For a 3-day trip, expect your food to weigh about 4.5 to 7.5 pounds in total, assuming you pack 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of food per person per day. Adjust based on your caloric needs and food choices​​.

What is a good breakfast for backpacking?

A good backpacking breakfast is easy to prepare and nutrient-dense. Options include instant oatmeal with dried fruits and nuts, granola with powdered milk, and pancakes with dried berries. These provide a good balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins​.

Can I dehydrate my own backpacking meals?

Yes, you can dehydrate your own meals. This allows you to control ingredients and save money. Dehydrated meals are lightweight and easy to rehydrate with hot water, making them perfect for backpacking​.

References

1. https://momgoescamping.com/backpacking-meal-planner/

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X17300045

3. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf

4. https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/outdoor-resources/how-many-calories-do-you-burn-backpacking/

5. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/news-press-releases/pack-food-safety-your-next-hike-or-camping-trip

*. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/