"ChuckWagon"

My hiking partner is a +6' tall, 15 year old who eats 5 times a day. He's always hungry. Always. 

Time of day is irrelevant. 

Convenience is irrelevant. 

Nutritional value is irrelevant.

He just consumes food.

Did I mention he's vegetarian?

 

Your normal backpacking trip takes a fair amount of planning. Planning for 2 weeks takes just a touch more. The basic needs are no different whether you're going for a one night, or a month. Food/Water/Shelter/Medical are basic concerns that don't change a whole lot from day to day. It's the amount of days that ratchets up the amount of planning.

    Water can be an issue if you're going a long distance, particularly in the desert where watering holes can be non-existent for long stretches. That adds a ton of weight. Based on what I've read about the Appalachian Trail, however, this isn't really an issue. I read that people take only one to two liters of water at a time. This is vastly different than the hike I just did the other day where we were carrying 8 to 10 liters, and filtered two more for a 48-hour trip. 

    Of course, food just grows based on the amount of days. I don't eat a whole lot like I used to. I usually hang around 1,500 calories a day. I'll probably be burning close to 3,000 calories per day, if not more, so I'll have substantial meals twice a day, a light breakfast, and two calorie dense snacks.

    "Chuckwagon", my son, however will have all of that plus one extra meal. As mentioned above he is vegetarian, although he'll enjoy a fine chicken nugget every now and then. But since we'll be a little short on microwaves and dino-nuggets, I don't think we'll be able to rely on that. Also he's a bit "picky" 🙄.

    Because of this I've had to get pretty creative. I've read hundreds of vegan backpacking blogs, tried dehydrating my own food, and used my vacuum sealer fairly religiously since January. 

    I have a mixture of off-the-shelf backpacking meals (our favorites come from Backcountry Pantry and Good-to-Go), and homemade goodies to hopefully keep him satiated.

    We are also taking some protein bars (Pro Meal Bar) and Salted Nut Rolls. A friend of mine who we were backpacking with last weekend was feeding him those, and it seemed to work. The salted nut roll is a great option, because it doesn't have chocolate (no melting) and higher in protein and salt than maybe some other candies. So that's what we're starting with.

    I told him if we're going to lug all this food around for him he's going to have to carry it... hence his new moniker "Chuckwagon". It'll work great as a trail name for him, until a need arises for a new one.

Here's to fueling lots of miles!