5-day backpacking menu

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5-day backpacking menu, food for multi-day hiking trip

Planning meals for a multi-day backpacking trip can feel overwhelming. However, with our 5-Day Backpacking Menu, you’ll have a balanced, nutritious, and delicious plan ready to go. This menu is designed to keep you energized and satisfied throughout your adventure. Moreover, it features easy-to-prepare meals and snacks that are lightweight and packable. In short, it offers a hassle-free way to enjoy great food while on the trail!

What’s Included?

This menu is intended for one hiker with an average appetite and includes:
✔ Three main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
✔ Three snacks daily
✔ A total of 2,455 calories per day
✔ Daily food weight: 465 g (16 oz)
✔ Total trip food weight: 2.33 kg (5.1 lb)

Need More Calories?

If you require more energy, you can easily add 1,000–2,000 extra calories by doubling up on snacks or increasing portion sizes. This flexibility allows you to tailor the menu to your personal needs.

Overall, this meal plan is designed to fuel your journey while being practical and convenient. Enjoy every bite, stay strong, and make the most of your backpacking experience!

5-day Backpacking Menu

Day 1

540 g / 19 oz / 2599 kCal

Breakfast: Cappuccino Oatmeal + Really Hot Chocolate
Lunch: Crackers with Instant Hummus
Snack 1: Smoky Beer Beef Jerky
Snack 2: Puffed Quinoa and Peanut Butter Bars
Snack 3: Cajun Spiced Nuts and Seeds
Dinner: Sardine Pasta with Crunchy Garlic Crumbs

Day 2

399 g / 14 oz / 2414 kCal

Breakfast: Coconut Millet Porridge + Pina Colada Latte
Lunch: Easy Sausage and Cheese Platter
Snack 1: Smoky Beer Beef Jerky
Snack 2: Puffed Quinoa and Peanut Butter Bars
Snack 3: Cajun Spiced Nuts and Seeds
Dinner: Backcountry Feijoada

Day 3

454 g /16 oz / 2237 kCal

Breakfast: Brown Rice Cereal + Matcha Latte
Lunch: Tuna With Crackers
Snack 1: Smoky Beer Beef Jerky
Snack 2: Puffed Quinoa and Peanut Butter Bars
Snack 3: Cajun Spiced Nuts and Seeds
Dinner: Mixed Vegetable Sabji

Day 4

451 g / 16 oz / 2361 kCal

Breakfast: Crunchy Peanut Butter Oatmeal + Pina Colada Latte
Lunch: Raspberry Peach Breakfast Smoothie
Snack 1: Smoky Beer Beef Jerky
Snack 2: Puffed Quinoa and Peanut Butter Bars
Snack 3: Cajun Spiced Nuts and Seeds
Dinner: Trail Chili

Day 5

481 g / 17 oz / 2662 kCal

Breakfast: Fruity Dream + Peanut Butter Cocoa
Lunch: Easy Sausage and Cheese Platter
Snack 1: Smoky Beer Beef Jerky
Snack 2: Puffed Quinoa and Peanut Butter Bars
Snack 3: Cajun Spiced Nuts and Seeds
Dinner: 3 Mushroom Risotto

Want to get this plan in pdf ? Click on the image below to download your 5-day backpacking menu.

5-day backpacking menu, ultralight backpacking meal plan

We also prepared the shopping list of all ingredients used to create this lightweight and delicious backpacking menu.

meal planning shopping list

Both plan and shopping list were created with our Online Backpacking Meal Planner.

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6 thoughts on “5-day backpacking menu”

  2. Elizabeth

    Thank you so much for creating this! I found it really helpful that you’ve thought to add the estimated calories, the weight of the food per day, and then total weight of the total weight of the food per the trip. I love how you broke up the menu per day, and type of meal/snack/drink, and then how it was detailed below. I love the links to the recipes. This is a great website, especially for the beginner backpacker.

    Reply
    1. Tanya Krezevska

      It’s a hard work. I can say only that homemade snacks and dehydrated meals are definitely cheaper than store bought freeze-dried food.

      Reply
  4. Helen

    Thank you so much for these wonderful recipies! I am just starting to create my own backpacking foods as I don’t want to stuff myself with rubbish just because I am in the middle of nowhere. Loving the soup recipes in particular.

    Reply
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