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High calorie foods

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Does anyone make their own trip foods? I need something at least vaguely palatable that won't freeze solid, doesn't weigh a lot, and has the highest calorie per gram possible. I am experimenting with lard/macadamia nut powder/pemican bars, wrapped in seaweed, but so far I haven't really made a bar. Too wet after baking. I can keep a packet or bar of something inside my drysuit to keep it thawed, if necessary. I'm burning probably 3k to 4k calories a day on trips, and usually running 2k deficit. Well, maybe not usually, but often enough to lose over a pound a day in weight, and a temporary weight loss of 3 or 4 pounds that I rehydrate back at night. I can't afford prepackaged expedition meals that run 10 bucks a meal, there's just no way. I'm game to try anything, I may be missing something obvious here.
 
Logan bread. You can add lots of things to it to increase the calorie content. Find multiple recipies online. I bake mine a little longer than what is necessary to lengthen shelf life.

"To sustain life, backpackers eventually require sustenance. Classic conflicting forces are usually at play: bulk, weight, calories, nutrition, shelf life, and taste. How do you create a compact, non-perishable, quality source of tasty calories? Is it even possible?
According to legend, in the 1950’s this very challenge faced an expedition team set on summiting Mount Logan. The resulting recipe, Logan Bread, meeting all desired requirements, is now referred to as the pinnacle of do-it-yourself energy bar-dom."
 
Do you have a home dehydrator? I dehydrated enough food (all breakfast and dinner meals) for my team of 7 paddlers in a voyageur canoe to race (and to win our class) in the Yukon 1000 mile canoe race. Six full days, paddled exactly our riules allowed 18 hours/day, No one lost any weight and energy levels remained high all the way. Did it twice
 
I will check out Logan bread. Bread is something I can make and carry. I bought filming and editing gear this year, so next spring I'll get a dehydrator. Right now every penny has to go toward paying rent and bills over the winter while I'm gone, and then there's always something when I get back that demands immediate attention. But next year for sure. If you can race on what your dehydrating, that gives me hope. Thanks.
 
I've relied on oil for giving me fat and calories. Sounds like you're out in colder weather however so oil might not be so friendly (solidified). I use a heavy dose to fry my bannock and also add it to my quinoa, lentils, and veggies. Otherwise nuts and peanut butter (with bannock).

Curious what kind of tripping you're doing and the duration. I've found that for the 1st 1-2 weeks I don't need as much food as I think (less than I eat at home) even when working very hard as my body seems happy to consume what I've stored in my own body. Then after a couple weeks the appetite kicks into high gear. My dog seems to be the same way. Some days she'll hardly eat anything and then after 1 1/2 weeks she's always looking for more food.

I used to dehydrate quite a bit but don't much anymore, I use dry ingredients instead. I can cook lentils and quinoa just as quickly as a dehydrated meal. All I dehydrate anymore are frozen veggies and apples/bananas. No need to dehydrate bannock mix or oatmeal either.

Alan
 
You might want to dedicate a few bucks toward the purchase of Alexandra & Garrett Connover's book The Winter Wilderness Companion. You'll be surprised how many more calories it takes to remain fuctional in cold weather as well as how many can be conserved with even a minimal sized hot tent.
 
I've relied on oil for giving me fat and calories. Sounds like you're out in colder weather however so oil might not be so friendly (solidified). I use a heavy dose to fry my bannock and also add it to my quinoa, lentils, and veggies. Otherwise nuts and peanut butter (with bannock).

Curious what kind of tripping you're doing and the duration. I've found that for the 1st 1-2 weeks I don't need as much food as I think (less than I eat at home) even when working very hard as my body seems happy to consume what I've stored in my own body. Then after a couple weeks the appetite kicks into high gear. My dog seems to be the same way. Some days she'll hardly eat anything and then after 1 1/2 weeks she's always looking for more food.

I used to dehydrate quite a bit but don't much anymore, I use dry ingredients instead. I can cook lentils and quinoa just as quickly as a dehydrated meal. All I dehydrate anymore are frozen veggies and apples/bananas. No need to dehydrate bannock mix or oatmeal either.

Alan
I'm starting out paddling, but where I start the rivers are typically small enough that I do a lot of wading, pulling around blow downs, and long lining. Last winter things froze quickly, then I'm pulling the canoe on the ice, mounted on skis. For a while your falling through weak ice, or just have ice on the waters edge, and doing a lot of portaging around ice jammed corners, or swimming it and breaking the ice up. A lot of the time the terrain, at least until the Mississippi, is basically impassable, unless your on foot and unencumbered. If it wasn't January it would be a breeze, its the transitions from 0 degrees to back to 30 a few days later that kill me. It takes a lot of energy to pull yourself up onto the ice after you go in, 2 or 3 times and I'm wiped out.

If its all water, that's easy. If its all ice, thats easy. Its the mix that burns the calories. I'm looking for 30 days without a resupply, which for me is hiking off the river to a grocery store. There aren't many right on the water, Savannah is the best spot on the trip. Total trip could be Dec 1st to March 1st, so 3 months if I feel like it, and can resupply.

I can do all this no problem for a couple weeks. Then, I actually seem to get less hungry. I think I'm a lot better off this year regardless. I was smoking 2 packs a day, now I don't have to pack cartons of smokes. I'm taking less useless stuff. I think the Logan bread looks like a good bet, and then some bags of rice, a bucket of oatmeal, and like instant pasta meals. Also, lots of beef Jerky. Peanut butter would be perfect but it freezes.

Its not THAT hard of a trip, I think the calorie problem last year was just down to poor food choices, and then inability to cook food or melt ice for water. Hopefully I have that solved.
 
Do you have weight restrictions on your food pack/barrel?

I did a 30 day trip out of a 60 liter barrel for both me and my dog. I expected the trip to last closer to 35 days and had a resupply scheduled for day 28. Turns out I was done in 30 days and didn't need the resupply but had to show up at the drop site and take it anyway since I didn't have any way to call in and cancel it. This was a hard working trip that included paddling down the river (with lots of portages around rapids) and then turning around and paddling back up to the car (with even more portages around rapids).

Just curious what and how much you're willing to pack. Do you have a self-imposed weight limit?

I don't vary my meals when tripping which keeps things much simpler for pre-trip prep and also during the trip preparation. Meal time soon turns efficient and automatic. This doesn't bother me at all. I don't mind cooking but it's not something I take pleasure in and everything tastes good when you've been working hard. The same meal often tastes better to me after 40 days than it did after 3 days.

I also look for fat/carb/calorie dense foods. Oatmeal with sugar and raisins for breakfast, bannock (with whole fat powdered milk in the mix) and peanut butter for lunch, and quinoa, lentils, and mixed veggies with a good bit of olive oil for dinner. Snacks are peanut M&Ms and almonds along with a bag of lemon drops for something to suck on after lunch when I start paddling again. As mentioned earlier in the thread the bannock is not exactly fried but cooked in a good amount of olive oil. Enough for a crispy crust but not enough to leave a greasy pan after cooking.

None of the meals are cooked/prepared ahead of time but they're all very fast to cook/cleanup.

Alan
 
Really late reply, sorry Alan.

My weight limit is the boat limit, 350-ish for the Old Town Disco 119 sport. Sort of a kayak hull, low sides. I sink just going through mild riffles, I have an inch or less to the water at the sides, with me, gear, food and dog.

This trip I'm doing a different river, more resupplies, less gear, but heavier solar and camera gear so overall weight might not change too much. I can sink it every now and then, its OK. Dog gets mad, but he swims well.

But my weight limit for food is 30 lbs. Last trip I took a 40 lb bag of dog food lol. I was sooo overweight.

I made my own jerky, I have some decent high calorie oatmeal mixes made, and I did try to make the Logan bread but it didn't turn out well, stayed kinda wet. I should have time to try again.

I'm getting some injury buildup, hamstring, slipped disc, now a shoulder injury. I hope work is done soon and I can go. I just need a two week forecast of below 32, and I'm gone.
 
Original pemmican, 3000/3500 calories per pound. It can be made palatable with the right ingredients. “Kidney” tallow is quite good.
 
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