I put together a few trip planning resources to share with you as I’m wrapping up preparations for my first trip of the season in Escalante, Utah this spring.
Last month, I broke down my gear list for this trip and how the location specific conditions are influencing my selections.
Today I want to share my process for creating a fast, healthy backpacking meal plan. This process is essentially the same whether I’m planning for a trip that’s 5 days or 5 months. It allows me to know that I’m meeting my calorie goals and macronutrient goals so that I feel my best on trail. It also ensures I’m fueling my body with the right foods for optimal energy and recovery.
Plus it allows me to know I’m carrying enough food, but not way too much. On a 5+ day trip, my food bag is often the heaviest single item in my pack, so it’s worth the time to do some planning to make sure I’m packing efficiently.
I breakdown my process step by step here:
Hope this helps you create a healthy backpacking meal plan for your own backcountry trips this spring!
If you’d like to replicate this process for yourself, this is all laid out step by step in my performance nutrition and meal planning for backpackers course. This template, along with several others, are included.
The course walks you through figuring out your calories needs, macro targets, choosing a cooking style, how to create a balanced meal, how to create your own easy, healthy recipes, where to shop, and how to put it all together in a meal plan. And much more.