# Where does the food go



## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

So I've been researching bikepacking and looking to do a few short trips to try and get everything sorted out. I've been reading over various peoples gear loadouts (for the sake of discussion lets use https://www.revelatedesigns.com/site/dial-your-ride/) and one thing always seems to be missing: food. Sure they mention they put a few trail butters or bars in the frame bag/gas tank, but its not nearly enough for a few days, much less 15+ days I see some people doing. So where is everybody storing the their food? Are the stopping regularly? Are people running backpacks that's never shown in any of the loadout photos/posts?


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## 5b00 (May 31, 2009)

Generally, food should go in the mouth.

But seriously, heavy stuff and water in frame bag, light stuff in seat bag. On-the-go stuff in the feed bags. I repack every morning so that what I’ll need that day is accessible. Doing that inventory also helps me plan resupply stops, and eliminates temptations like pizza if I’m already lugging around enough calories.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

5b00 said:


> Generally, food should go in the mouth.
> 
> But seriously, heavy stuff and water in frame bag, light stuff in seat bag. On-the-go stuff in the feed bags. I repack every morning so that what I'll need that day is accessible. Doing that inventory also helps me plan resupply stops, and eliminates temptations like pizza if I'm already lugging around enough calories.


So, are you just eating trail butter/bars/gels? I come from a backpacking background and I can't imagine how I'd carry around ~4500 calories per day of bars, dehydrated dinners etc, plus water, plus tools etc in a 8L frame bag. How often do you resupply?


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## 5b00 (May 31, 2009)

nuclear_biker said:


> So, are you just eating trail butter/bars/gels? I come from a backpacking background and I can't imagine how I'd carry around ~4500 calories per day of bars, dehydrated dinners etc, plus water, plus tools etc in a 8L frame bag. How often do you resupply?


2-3 days max. I used to backpack too and have the "carry no extra water weight in food" mentality, so I bring freeze dried stuff. The difference with a bike is that the speed affords you many more resupply opportunities (at least in more populated areas).


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

So what about a 3-8 day trip in, say, the backwoods of Utah?

For comparison, when I backpacked from one end of Zion to the other, I ate 4500 calories/day for 4 days and my food bag was probably 8L. I could probably get that down by repackaging food etc...


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## VegasSingleSpeed (May 5, 2005)

nuclear_biker said:


> I ate 4500 calories/day for 4 days...


This is probably a good segue into food budgets. 
I maybe eat half that amount (if that?) when riding/racing multi-day events, and heavily rely on the proportion of fat metabolism associated with sustained low/moderate-intensity output (as would you during back-packing for 4 days...). So, while I could be flippant and say, "you're eating way too much...eat half as much and your food will last you twice as long", I am now genuinely curious as to how much food other people are eating when they bike-pack.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

nuclear_biker said:


> So where is everybody storing the their food? Are the stopping regularly? Are people running backpacks that's never shown in any of the loadout photos/posts?












It really depends on the trip, but I often put food in a backpack. I do that for a number of reasons.

1. Having some weight off the bike is beneficial for how it handles for techy sections and for HAB sections.
2. Food weigh goes down as days go by so my pack gets lighter. Also encourages me to put the calories in my body.
3. If I am able to resupply enroute I've got my food storage with me in the store to throw stuff into.
4. For bear/animal safety my food is [mostly] in one place for hanging or storage in a bear locker, etc... and I carry my bear spray on the pack so it's always with me.
5. Having a pack is handy on a trip for unexpected items or shifting weight around to make the bike more fun to ride.
6. Riding with a lightly loaded pack doesn't cause me any saddle/hand issues.
7. Limited storage one the bike and I don't like to overload handlebar or seatbag.










I'll usually have some snacks in a front bag that I am munching on that day during the ride.

Other than when I have a 6 pack of beer aboard my food is more on the bulky/lighter side and I'm usually only 2-4 days between resupply so I am not carrying a month's worth of stuff on my back.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

4500 calories/day is a good bit more than I eat. I've done a bit of backpacking, too, and even then, I didn't eat that much for a 4 day trip. Now, after that, I'm in a bit of a calorie debt and I get ravenous, but for a few days, with the effort I expend, my hunger I would say is actually suppressed and I couldn't stomach eating more.

I've never really gotten into trips long enough where I had to sit down and do real food budgeting with calorie counts per day and all. Still, I wind up packing more food than I can actually eat most of the time.

I don't have a frame bag for the bike yet, so obv my food doesn't go there. Still, I carry a lot of freeze dried stuff and other lightweight items so carrying it high isn't a big deal. On my trips so far, it's been getting split between the seat bag and a daypack that I wear to make up for the lack of a frame bag.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

Okay, now things are getting interesting. Because I'm OCD, I recorded my entire Zion hike on my Fenix 5+. The calorie estimate for the entire hike is 9700 over 5 days or about 2000 calories a day just from hiking. I'm 6'3" at 175-180 and I generally try and get 2400 calories a day to maintain or about 1800 to lose. So 4500 calories sounds about right. I've done a few trail running trips where I wasn't able to break even (who can get 6000 calories in a day) and between the deficit/weight loss and slight overtraining, I took a pretty big hit to my fitness. So I really try and pack it away when I'm active.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

It goes everywhere. 

Some in your frame bag -- like lunch/snacks for that day.

Some in your seat bag (or rack bag), typically breakfasts and dinners that don't need to be accessed during the ride.

I'll sometimes wrap a dinner or two up in my under-bar bag, to fine tune weight distribution.

I typically have a DSLR and sometimes a spare lens, batts, intervalometer, etc... on my back, so I tend to not carry any added food mass in my pack.

One place I try to avoid adding much mass is to the fork legs. Most of my trips/tours are on more technical trail, and I hate how much adding weight to the fork changes handling.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

nuclear_biker said:


> So 4500 calories sounds about right. I've done a few trail running trips where I wasn't able to break even (who can get 6000 calories in a day) and between the deficit/weight loss and slight overtraining, I took a pretty big hit to my fitness. So I really try and pack it away when I'm active.


Nobody can tell you what you need to eat to be happy and perform well. I generally would be running a calorie deficit as well since there is no way I'm carrying 4500 calories a day in food. Personally I don't notice any performance loss over the course of a week, but I am not running super lean body fat levels so I've got a bunch of built in calories to fuel my efforts.

I can get up and crank out a big ride with little to no food intake until later in the day. My body operates just fine that way. I have friends that would have trouble getting rolling without a decent breakfast and snacks along the way.

You have to know yourself and fuel/hydrate as appropriate.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

vikb said:


> Nobody can tell you what you need to eat to be happy and perform well. I generally would be running a calorie deficit as well since there is no way I'm carrying 4500 calories a day in food. Personally I don't notice any performance loss over the course of a week, but I am not running super lean body fat levels so I've got a bunch of built in calories to fuel my efforts.


My doctor always tells me I need to gain more weight, I'm probably running between 10 and 13% BF depending, but even then there should be energy for days.

So, how much would you carry? I still think I wouldn't push much more then 1000 cal/day deficit. I suppose if you just ate bars/gels/trail butter you could maybe squeeze 10 days out of a frame bag, esp since you don't need a cook kit etc. But, I've never done it... so... I really need to do a dry run of packing to see how much space I'm really working with.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

nuclear_biker said:


> So, how much would you carry? I still think I wouldn't push much more then 1000 cal/day deficit. I suppose if you just ate bars/gels/trail butter you could maybe squeeze 10 days out of a frame bag, esp since you don't need a cook kit etc. But, I've never done it... so... I really need to do a dry run of packing to see how much space I'm really working with.


As I noted above I carry a backpack so I am not super space restricted.

If I bring a stove and I'm not going to see civilization typical day might be:

Breakfast

- instant oatmeal x 2 packages
- tea + 2 sugar cubes + some powdered dairy-ish product [sometimes 2 cups]

Lunch

- a couple bars
- peanut M&Ms
- beef jerky
- pretzels

Dinner

- my go to backpacker meal is chicken shanghai noodles [~1020 calories]

I have been known to carry 2 - 6 beers to start a trip depending how brutal the climbing is out of the gate.

Sorry I don't have calories for all this especially lunch since that's really more of grazing all day as the mood strikes me. I just throw food in my pack based on my feel for what I'll need and then work through it. I'd say I bring food home with me ~50% of the time, eat it all 25% of the time and maybe 25% of the time I might have liked to have something extra. I've never come back from a trip bonking as I get to the vehicle. I always finish strong with lots of energy.

I used an online calorie calculator [can't say how good it is] for my stats it said a normal at home week of work and light activity I needed 2300 calories and a heavy daily activity week I needed 3300 calories. So I'm probably hitting somewhere near my normal week energy needs and going into deficit ~1000 calories. At least based on those numbers.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

vikb said:


> As I noted above I carry a backpack so I am not super space restricted.


This might be the ticket on longer trips. Pretty great photos by the way! I got a little sidetracked.

I generally go for a flask :thumbsup:.

Edit: Side note... I really didn't care for oatmeal despite being able to pack it full of great stuff like fruit (flash dehydrated), nuts, flax etc. It was a big mess in the cook kit and I was really having to force it down about 1/2 through. I think I might do dry milk and cereal for my next trip. Just add water.


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## 8Trak (Jan 20, 2004)

Nestle Nido powdered milk + granola + freeze dried fruit is an easy breakfast that can be eaten cold or warm. I'm with you.. I like the crunch of granola vs. the mush of oatmeal.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

nuclear_biker said:


> This might be the ticket on longer trips. Pretty great photos by the way! I got a little sidetracked.
> 
> I generally go for a flask :thumbsup:.
> 
> Edit: Side note... I really didn't care for oatmeal despite being able to pack it full of great stuff like fruit (flash dehydrated), nuts, flax etc. It was a big mess in the cook kit and I was really having to force it down about 1/2 through. I think I might do dry milk and cereal for my next trip. Just add water.


Oatmeal is just dead easy which I like. Water is plentiful in BC so cleaning out the mug I eat it from is not a big deal. But, for sure everyone is different. I kinda hate powdered milk so anything based on that is not going to work for me.

The flask is smart. Unfortunately I don't enjoy any hard booze so I have to carry beer. I have seen dehydrated/freeze dried beer once. I have to try it sometime and see if it doesn't taste awful.

BTW - if you are looking for easy to eat portable calories 1 tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories. You can add some to a freeze dried meal or just drink it straight to bulk up a meal.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

I'm going to start a different thread: "Where Does the Water Go?" :lol:

I like certain things: bagels, peanut butter, and honey go a loooong way. Prepared thusly = ~450 cal each
Dried meals: 800 cal minimum
Flour tortillas
Non-sugar water flavor powder. The packets are tiny, but I can flavor 2L to my taste from one packet.
Oatmeal isn't my favorite, but it packs easy.
Powdered drinks like Hammer Perpetuem for fuel on the bike (double bag those, and then bag that - that stuff goes everywhere!).
Dried fruit + nuts

So a moderate breakfast, 2 bagels, trail food, snacks, dinner = ~2500-3000 cal/day <--This is for average exertion

I had 4 days of food in the frame bag and a fanny pack. I did have a backpack, but that had luxury items that I dropped at the cabin. I did not use my handlebar feed bag. I still had my tent and sleep gear too, and spare clothes for unpredictable weather.
(that bar roll looks really fat now that I look at it)








Then I rode unencumbered.
















But jeeze if it wasn't like work getting enough water. It was readily accessible, but I felt like I was always filling up and never getting enough.

-F


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Just no to chugging evoo. Go for nutrient dense. Drier kinds of cheese. Salami, beef jerky or such. Hard boiled eggs will last a day. Peanut butter and some wheat type bread. New England tourer here. Never that far from a store for me, plus I like beer at the end of the day. Never carry a backpack, all on the bike. Rear rack and small bags for over flow food/beer works for me. Breakfast is rolled oats, raisins and those shelf stable creamers, good for instant coffee too, starbucks is not bad. Couple of freeze dried meals. Look at say salmon in foil pouches too. I have a bar bag for all day snacking.


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## 101 (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm a big eater and I don't perform well unless I get a good spread of macros for my primary meals and a lot of carbs throughout the day. I also don't carry a backpack. I've found 3 days to be very doable and 4 full days to be a problematic fit.

In the 2 top tube bags I carry: DIY dehydrated fruit, drink mix, homemade granola, gels, stingers and charcuterie.

I carry homemade peanuts butter balls in the handlebar bag.

On my Downtube, the red bag carries oatmeal, dehydrated meals, dessert, coffee, powdered butter (which I add to Coffee and dehydrated meals and is a huge fat boost) and whey protein (which I add to oatmeal and desserts). If I must cram for a 4th day, I add dehydrated meals in my seatbag (which is a expedition size bag I had customized for use with a dropper post for this very reason), but not a big fan of having more weight on the seat other than cuben fiber and a air mat, so these meals get eaten first. I can also fit a meal or 2 in the frame bag if need be depending on how much water I need to carry. I carry my stove, fuel and titanium pot in the bottom of my frame bag, a pump and a 100oz reservoir which may be empty or full depending on the situation. If it's full, there's not much room to spare.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

subbed...lots of good info here...preparing for a possible jaunt on the GAP/C&O in the spring

back in the 90's, I did a week of hiking with my sister on the AT as she thru-hiked. We met in the Smokey Mountains and parted ways near the Delaware Water Gap I remember that my food for that trip was 2 jars of peanut butter, 4 bricks of sharp cheddar cheese, apples ,and 3 loafs of hard sourdough bread from where I worked. I dipped the bread in the PB, and just ate off the cheese and apples. Was never hungry, and it was easy to carry...very little waste...no cooking, so no stove, no clean up...also had a bag of granola and homemade Chex mix that was on the go munchies

I would probably try something like that again, but might add the oatmeal thing if I decide to use a stove.


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## Hambone70 (May 8, 2019)

Great info!

I'm absolutely loving keto. I have so much more energy, no brain fog, sleeping much better, no migraines, lowest body fat in decades.

It is tougher to plan and pack for keto. So many bikepacking foods are heavily carb-based. Many keto foods are perishable, so that's a challenge. Resupply can be difficult, too.

Any tips/tricks from other bikepackers eating keto?

Edit: currently packing nuts (Brazil, almonds, pecans), avocados, EVOO sardines & tuna, hard-boiled eggs, freeze-dried blueberries & raspberries, bulletproof coffee in the frame pack. Zipfizz for extra energy. Need a bit more variety!


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## 101 (Nov 14, 2017)

Hambone70 said:


> Great info!
> 
> I'm absolutely loving keto. I have so much more energy, no brain fog, sleeping much better, no migraines, lowest body fat in decades.
> 
> ...


Next Mile Meals are dehydrated keto meals that are really good. If you do a lot of bikepacking, though, I'd suggest getting a dehydrator and experimenting with DIY. High quality dehydrated meals from boutique brands tend to run about $15 per entree, which is fine for a vacation trip, but gets very expensive for regular weekend outings.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

101 said:


> Next Mile Meals are dehydrated keto meals that are really good. If you do a lot of bikepacking, though, I'd suggest getting a dehydrator and experimenting with DIY. High quality dehydrated meals from boutique brands tend to run about $15 per entree, which is fine for a vacation trip, but gets very expensive for regular weekend outings.


A happy middle ground is to buy instant {pasta, rice, veggies, whatever} and make your own instant meals without having to dehydrate everything. I guess getting protein in here can be a little tricky, but same deal with normal home dehydrators.


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## 101 (Nov 14, 2017)

nuclear_biker said:


> A happy middle ground is to buy instant {pasta, rice, veggies, whatever} and make your own instant meals without having to dehydrate everything. I guess getting protein in here can be a little tricky, but same deal with normal home dehydrators.


You can do that, but dehydrating allows you to eat actual gourmet meals very similar to how you eat at home. If you eat nutrient dense foods at home with lots of fat, protein vegetables etc and then Do a sudden change to low quality instant foods, you may have trouble -both performance and gastrointestinal. I want to change as little as possible about the meals I eat in the Backcountry, I want the psychological satisfaction of having eaten a "real" meal and I don't want to have to deal with dirty dishes.


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

vikb said:


> The flask is smart. Unfortunately I don't enjoy any hard booze so I have to carry beer. I have seen dehydrated/freeze dried beer once. I have to try it sometime and see if it doesn't taste awful.


https://bikepacking.com/plog/beer-backcountry/ There is this.


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## Quercus agrifolia (Jan 30, 2005)

Not much to add other than to sing the praises of DIY dehydrating. Get a dehydrator at any thrift store and experiment. My favorites are putanesca (red sauce) with mushrooms over a small pasta like orzo, with ground beef added. Top with hot sauce and a little pack of Kraft parm. So good.

Mushroom risotto with ham has also been a hit.

The beauty of these meals are 1) CHEAP, 2) customizeable, 3) pack WAY smaller than Mountain House, 4) you can control the sodium content.


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## Central Scrutinizer (Aug 30, 2005)

Big +1 on home dehydrating. Lots of good info & recipes here: https://www.backpackingchef.com/

Also, for 101 and other keto folk, jerky (beef, etc.) is a good option. The main problem trying to stay keto while bikepacking is that fatty foods don't dehydrate/store well.


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## 101 (Nov 14, 2017)

Central Scrutinizer said:


> Big +1 on home dehydrating. Lots of good info & recipes here: https://www.backpackingchef.com/
> 
> Also, for 101 and other keto folk, jerky (beef, etc.) is a good option. The main problem trying to stay keto while bikepacking is that fatty foods don't dehydrate/store well.


You can get about a 6 month shelf life out of dehydrated higher fat content food, which isn't unreasonable at all.


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

Quercus agrifolia said:


> Not much to add other than to sing the praises of DIY dehydrating. Get a dehydrator at any thrift store and experiment. My favorites are putanesca (red sauce) with mushrooms over a small pasta like orzo, with ground beef added. Top with hot sauce and a little pack of Kraft parm. So good.
> 
> Mushroom risotto with ham has also been a hit.
> 
> The beauty of these meals are 1) CHEAP, 2) customizeable, 3) pack WAY smaller than Mountain House, 4) you can control the sodium content.


+1. Go visit backpackingchef.com. Buy his book "Recipes for Adventure" too. I use about 1.5x his "Large" portions for a meal.

Mountain House is decent enough, but is bulky, expensive, and not always that great (I'm looking at you bland Chicken* and Rice). If you buy the individual servings the 1x portion is too small, and the 2x is too big. Then the packaging is just Y'UGE.

*May contain less than 2% chicken

Even Ramen is greatly improved with just a quarter cup of dehydrated chicken, and another quarter cup of random veggie mix (corn, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, or whatever you fancy).

If the soaking times form the book put you off, it is easy to soak most anything without pasta in it (package in a separate bag) overnight for a vastly quicker cook in the morning.

Harmony House (and others) sell dehydrate veggies that often make sense compared to preparing them yourself, and this can ease the barrier to entry.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

str8edgMTBMXer said:


> subbed...lots of good info here...preparing for a possible jaunt on the GAP/C&O in the spring
> 
> back in the 90's, I did a week of hiking with my sister on the AT as she thru-hiked. We met in the Smokey Mountains and parted ways near the Delaware Water Gap I remember that my food for that trip was 2 jars of peanut butter, 4 bricks of sharp cheddar cheese, apples ,and 3 loafs of hard sourdough bread from where I worked. I dipped the bread in the PB, and just ate off the cheese and apples. Was never hungry, and it was easy to carry...very little waste...no cooking, so no stove, no clean up...also had a bag of granola and homemade Chex mix that was on the go munchies
> 
> I would probably try something like that again, but might add the oatmeal thing if I decide to use a stove.


Like that simplicity, appreciate the shared info. :thumbsup:

OP-
My first thought to the question was my method of doing a bit of searching to see what others do on similar size trips, that terrain or the rides in that area. 
My go-to for learning up on things is that tactic and of course, posting here is a great resource too.

I do understand some 'downtime' at work enables some of us to have more time or opportunity devoted to these computer-related endeavors. 

Regional biking, bikepacker links or sites might offer insight, or even bag layout of what goes where. Some of this you decide on your own and learn as you go. Ideally its laid out to access as and when you need it as last packed in = first out. I had to sort this out myself a few times for some early trial and error on my first o/night then a 2n/3 day trip. I'm not a well organized person and usually a last minute put it together on-the-fly kind of chaos method. 
All input here has been very helpful for me to review as well.

I advise shake down rides to keep the gear cinched and tested on terrain similar to what will be ridden. Fixing and adjusting on the trail isn't 'fun' but may be necessary on even the best of set-ups. Having practice and knowing what might shake loose first will only make it easier. *Have a few extras such as straps, tie downs or boot laces. Be prepared to jury rig and adjust or fix with some variety of things like that and won't take up any room or weight really. I had/have a home-made makeshift bar roll and straps that worked well but I also know (for me) it's an easy justifiable expense to just do it right and get the bar stand-off type pre-designed set up as revelate or ortlieb. I likely had some extra cinching down and checking to do that was just part of my DIY set up. This being approx. 10# of pack including grab bag snacks, drybag rolls of sleeping bag, liner, pad, pillow and tent.

Added, I had similar weight in the frame bag and on the rear saddle for a 31# steel h/t bike. Clothes, food cooking stuff/stove, fuel, tool, pump etc.. A water bottle with snacks in it or water on the down tube and 2 fork cages, a 70 or 100 oz bladder filled or part-way filled as needed and replenished. Guessing 60 - 62 # total. No back pack, all on the bike.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

bachman1961 said:


> Like that simplicity, appreciate the shared info. :thumbsup:


thanks man! Those meals were inspired by - and here comes a HUGE nerd alert - all of the fantasy novels I read as a child, and currently. All of my "heroes" from those books always did their epic adventures with roughly the same kind of things in their packs.

I KNOW, that that was all fiction, but I was curious to see if it would work...and it did, at least for me. My sister thought I was crazy, and stupid, but it has been like that all of our lives...

The fact that it was also simple was a bonus...and also part of the reason. On that same trip I had just 2 shirts, 2 prs of shorts, 4 prs of socks (wet socks suck) hiking boots and Tevas, and a rain coat...



bachman1961 said:


> OP-
> My first thought to the question was my method of doing a bit of searching to see what others do on similar size trips, that terrain or the rides in that area.
> My go-to for learning up on things is that tactic and of course, posting here is a great resource too.
> 
> ...


all of this info is getting me totally psyched to do some long trips! Just got my new tent today as well...Tarptent Stratospire 2

...and another "nerd" moment...I LOVE the whole act of packing the gear, then tearing it apart and redoing it in a "better" way, then redoing it...finding that exact awesome use of all of the space, and tinkering with zip ties, bungees etc...love reading about and seeing other peoples set ups!


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

Back in Spring the guy who runs Rogue Panda posted on his FB page his menu for an upcoming hike. He had to abandon it and a lot of the rest of the season due to a serious bike crash, but here's the text. You can imagine this all packs down pretty small. The drink mix thing is what got me. Never occurred to me to carry so much of it.



> 5 days of hiking, 12 pounds of food. Time for AZTBAM Part 2! The section from Sunflower to Pine is one of the most remote parts of the whole AZT. Here's what I'm eating:
> 
> Left: liquid nutrition! Breakfast smoothies, a big bag of my new daily mix, plus one @tailwindnutrition Rebuild per night. In total, 5 out of the 12 pounds are drink mixes.
> 
> ...


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

So first of all, thank you all so much for the insight. This thread has been really helpful as I plan for my first trip. 

Home dehydration sounds like a good option if I end up taking a bunch of trip/have space. That said (and I haven't really researched this yet so forgive me if I have out of date info) but I thought that dehydrating meat required special preservatives or a special type of dehydrator. Is that still true?

It's also interesting to hear peoples opinions on hot meals/cold meals. I always find that a warm meal is a real moral booster, even on the hottest summer nights (although I often camp in the desert where all nights are cool nights).


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

Dehydrating meat has a few things to watch out for.

First, get the leanest stuff possible for maximum shelf life. That means boneless skinless chicken breasts, and 96% lean ground beef for the meat I do myself.

Second is include a starch so that it will actually absorb water. I use potato flakes for chicken, and fine bread crumbs for the geound beef. Chicken also does best if tenderized and/or pressure cooked. Smaller bits also rehydrate better than big chunks of course.

Once fully dry I keep mine in the freezer, but otherwise do nothing special.

There are other options as well. Mountain house sells #10 cans for chicken, beef chunks, and ground beef. These are not awfully priced, but you will want to store open cans in a freezer. The flavor is best described as benign, compared the the seasoned chicken and ground beef I do myself. You can also try various TVP vegetarian meat substitutes, which is not necessarily the tastiest, but is also not awful, and rehydrates very well. I’ve see several recipes that use beef jerky as the meat, but have never done this myself.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

A side note. My food co-op now has powdered peanut butter and coconut milk powder. When I see them, I think about how they might fit into a bikepacking or backpacking menu.

If you're thinking about powdered peanut butter, here's a comparison between Jif and PB2. What's the Deal with Powdered Peanut Butter?

Z Natural Foods Organic Coconut Milk Powder All Natural Creamer  (602 reviews on Amazon)


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

June Bug said:


> If you're thinking about powdered peanut butter, here's a comparison between Jif and PB2. What's the Deal with Powdered Peanut Butter?


Honestly the massive reduction in calories is a pretty big downside imo. For example the JIF natural they test is 5.8 cal/gram whereas the PB2 is 4.6 cal/gram. Normally dehydrated goods are a weight savings because you remove the water, but in this case you're removing that energy dense oil so its actually a loss...


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

June Bug said:


> A side note. My food co-op now has powdered peanut butter and coconut milk powder. When I see them, I think about how they might fit into a bikepacking or backpacking menu.
> 
> If you're thinking about powdered peanut butter, here's a comparison between Jif and PB2. What's the Deal with Powdered Peanut Butter?
> 
> Z Natural Foods Organic Coconut Milk Powder All Natural Creamer  (602 reviews on Amazon)


^^^I had this same thought...



nuclear_biker said:


> Honestly the massive reduction in calories is a pretty big downside imo. For example the JIF natural they test is 5.8 cal/gram whereas the PB2 is 4.6 cal/gram. Normally dehydrated goods are a weight savings because you remove the water, but in this case you're removing that energy dense oil so its actually a loss...


...So I tried the PB Fit. It tastes great, and mixes pretty easily into just about anything. But yeah, if you _need_ the calories, you'll have to mix a 1/4 cup of oil back into it. It's def. more of a calorie cut/loss.

-F


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

I use the bottom compartment of the frame pack as my main pantry space, also take a hawg camel pack for overflow storage of food and water. The pack is handy for side hikes and breaks, so I keep snacks and break stuff in it too. At times I carry ~7 quarts of water in it, and my filtering gear. Snackage is easy and can supply a lot of calories. I carry a 1lb. bag of chocolate covered peanuts and raisins mixed together, and a lb. of salty and spicy mix. One large meal a day serves as hot evening and cold or hot breakfast meals. I tend not to eat as much while bikepacking, but the choice of sweet or savory snackage all day keep me going strong. Also some carrots for added food texture and fresh snacking, keep well.


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## nuclear_biker (Jun 8, 2017)

I'd like to thank everyone for the interesting info. I'm in Italy right now and my bags arrived 2 days before I left so I've only just got them mounted: I didn't quite manage to do a dry run but I imagine for shorter trips I'll have no problems fitting enough in my frame pack and probably shoving a few days of energy (bars/gels) into the tank bag. Once I start going on longer trips it should be interesting to see how much food I can pack in my not-quite-6-liter frame pack.


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

I am headed out for my longest trip yet, 8 full days, and have also swapped from my ratty rather non-waterproof rear panniers to a 14L seat pack. The route also has up to 80 miles without water.

Feed bag and top-tube bag have about 3 days of snack jammed in them. I have two 5 liter dry bags with most of my remaining food on the forks. That leaves a couple liter of dry food destined for the front roll bag. I jerry rigged two bottle mounts on the rear using a braze-on on top for one hole of a topeak bottle mount adjuster, and zip-ties on the bottom so I can put two 1 liter zefal magnum bottles. My 3 liter bladder and cook pot go in the top of the frame bag. The bottom compartment has tools, water filter, and other heavy bits, etc.

That leaves clothes and sleeping gear for the seat bag, and the remaining tent, rain gear, and remaining food for the front handlebar bag.


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## Jake January (Sep 12, 2014)

I like to keep the eating kit as simple as possible and use as little fuel as possible to cook. It varies from country to country of course...
In the USA the easy staples are oatmeal, pasta, boiled eggs (a dozen boiled eggs will keep un-refrigerated for a week), Depending on the season ya can generally find a variety of fresh fruit/veggies as local market stands.
France/Spain oatmeal is virtually impossible to find, but fresh bakeries, fabulous cheeses and sausages are plentiful and cheap.
All are easy to carry wherever on your kit.
Fresh ground pepper and some pink Himalaya salt are the secrets to making everything quite palatable.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

*So much solid information on this amazing thread. I'd love to see a Food sticky, with this thread at the top. *

For those dehydrating or using various dehydrated things from the grocery store, here's a website (The Yummy Life) with six meals you can put together. It was posted on my state bikepacking facebook page, Texas Bikepacking.

6 Instant Meals-On-The-Go/Just add boiling water


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

I went ultralight for a month on the AT, ran and speed hiked 20-30 miles a day, ate all my meals cold, rehydrated by simply allowing the food to sit while I unpacked/packed. It may not sound exciting, but no stove, no pot, no fuel, and less time spent fussing with meals.

Truly, a trip is not made by what you eat, food is simply a tool. The best meals are the ones you score when you get to a town, get a meal invite from a friendly camper, or the end of the trip eat fest.

I don't skimp on a pad, and I always want some dry socks, but food is just fuel to keep the engine running.



nuclear_biker said:


> So first of all, thank you all so much for the insight. This thread has been really helpful as I plan for my first trip.
> 
> Home dehydration sounds like a good option if I end up taking a bunch of trip/have space. That said (and I haven't really researched this yet so forgive me if I have out of date info) but I thought that dehydrating meat required special preservatives or a special type of dehydrator. Is that still true?
> 
> It's also interesting to hear peoples opinions on hot meals/cold meals. I always find that a warm meal is a real moral booster, even on the hottest summer nights (although I often camp in the desert where all nights are cool nights).


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## VegasSingleSpeed (May 5, 2005)

Nurse Ben said:


> Truly, a trip is not made by what you eat, food is simply a tool.


For you. And perhaps for me, too. But for others, this may not be the case; food might be an important part of the trip.

The trip -the experience- is different for every individual.


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