HikeSpan · Food

Trail food weight calculator

People times days times ounces

Food weight for a trip is how many people eat, how many days they eat, and how many ounces each person eats in a day. This page multiplies those three numbers. It does not assume a ration. Water is not food, and the water planner is a separate page.

Inputs

Result

Fill in the fields and press Calculate.

Disclaimer: Food weight from the ration you enter. It is not a nutrition plan.

How to use

  1. Enter the number of people and the number of days.
  2. Enter the dry food you plan per person per day, in ounces. Look at a bag you have actually packed, or add a menu. The box starts empty.
  3. Press Calculate. The hero is pounds. Ounces are beside it.
  4. Add water on the water planner. Do not type water ounces into this form unless you mean to count water as food.

How it's calculated

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

A half day is allowed if you type it. There is no calorie model on this page. The calorie page uses a MET value and a duration, which answers a different question.

Worked example

Two people, three days, 22 ounces each per day: 2 × 3 × 22 = 132 ounces, which is 8.25 pounds. At 20 ounces the same trip is 7.5 pounds. The difference is the ration you chose, not a hidden default.

Assumptions

The same ration every person, every day. Packaging you will carry out is included only if your ounce figure included it. Water, fuel, and the stove are not included.

FAQ

What ounce number should I use?

The one from the menu you packed. This page will not fill in a typical ration.

Does this include water?

No. Water is the water planner. Food is this page.

How do calories fit?

They do not, on this form. Hiking calories estimates energy from a MET value. It does not weigh the food bag.

Can days be a fraction?

Yes. A day and a half is 1.5 if that matches how you count meals.

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