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Food calorie weight

Calories divided by calories per ounce

The food-weight page starts from ounces per person. This page starts from calories. You type how many calories each person should get in a day, how many calories are in an ounce of the food you packed, and how many people and days. The result is ounces and pounds. Water is still the water planner. A MET calorie estimate is the hiking-calories page, which does not weigh the bag.

Inputs

Result

Fill in the fields and press Calculate.

Disclaimer: Food weight from the calories and the density you enter. It is not a meal plan.

How to use

  1. Enter people and days.
  2. Enter the calorie target per person per day. The box is empty on purpose.
  3. Enter the calories per ounce of the food you will actually carry. A fatty menu and an oatmeal menu do not share a number.
  4. Press Calculate. The hero is pounds. Ounces are beside it.

How it's calculated

Ounces = people × days × calories per person per day ÷ calories per ounce. Pounds = ounces ÷ 16.

The page does not suggest a calorie target or a calories-per-ounce figure. Both are inputs. Hiking calories, from a MET value, is an energy estimate for the walk, not a menu.

Worked example

Two people for three days at 2,500 calories each, with food at 125 calories per ounce: 2 × 3 × 2,500 ÷ 125 = 120 ounces, which is 7.5 pounds. At 100 calories per ounce the same calories weigh 9.375 pounds. The denser food is the lighter pack.

Assumptions

The same target and the same food density for everyone, every day. Packaging is included only if your calories-per-ounce figure included the wrapper. Water, fuel, and the stove are not included.

FAQ

What calorie number should I use?

The one you planned. This page will not fill in a trail ration.

How do I get calories per ounce?

Divide the calories on the package by the ounces of that package, including any wrapper you will carry if you want the pack weight.

Is this the MET calculator?

No. Hiking calories uses a published MET, a body weight, and hours. It estimates energy used. This page estimates food carried.

Why not the food-weight page?

Use that page when you already know ounces per person per day. Use this one when you know calories and a density.

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