Work out backpacking food weight instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Daily food weight is the energy requirement divided by the energy density of what you carry, and volume assumes about 550 grams per litre of packed food. Energy density is the whole game in food weight: moving from 4.0 to 5.0 kcal per gram saves nearly a kilogram over five days at the same calorie intake.
Daily weight
grams per day = kcal per day / kcal per gram
Total weight
kg = grams per day x days / 1000
grams per day = kcal per day / kcal per gram. Daily food weight is the energy requirement divided by the energy density of what you carry, and volume assumes about 550 grams per litre of packed food.
Energy density is the whole game in food weight: moving from 4.0 to 5.0 kcal per gram saves nearly a kilogram over five days at the same calorie intake.
Enter days on the trail, energy needed per day, energy density of your food. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.