What to eat on a multi-day trek: a 5-day food plan
An illustrative five-day food plan, a packing method and safer shelf-stable choices for days away from a fridge.
- 2,500 to 4,000Kcal a day
- 600 g to 1 kgFood a day
- 7 minRead
Lauren Jones, Peaksted co-founder · Training advice reviewed by Nathan Gee · Updated 14 October 2026On a day hike you can get away with a sandwich and a bar. Over five days, food is your fuel, your morale and your weight, so it pays to plan it once and carry it well.
Use the sample days to build your own food list around breakfast, regular trail food and an evening meal. Energy needs and food weight vary widely. Prioritise shelf-stable food when you cannot keep perishables cold, and add a spare snack for delays.
How much food to carry each day
Needs vary with body size, pace and load, so treat these as starting points. Foods that give around 4 kcal per gram keep the weight manageable.
| Day type | Energy | Food weight |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle day, 4 to 5 hours | About 2,500 to 3,000 kcal | About 600 to 750 g |
| Standard trek day, 6 to 7 hours | About 3,000 to 3,500 kcal | About 750 to 900 g |
| Big climbing day, 8 hours or more | About 3,500 to 4,000 kcal | About 900 g to 1 kg |
Hut-to-hut route with meals provided? You still need your day snacks. See how much to eat and drink hour by hour.
A 5-day food plan
These full walking days illustrate roughly 2,900 to 3,000 kcal with the portions shown; the final day ends with a meal after the finish. Adjust amounts to your needs and test foods on a training weekend.
Eat the heavy, fresh food first
Porridge with milk powder, a banana and honey
About 500 kcal
Nuts and dried fruit, a cereal bar, an apple
About 600 kcal
Wraps with nut butter or a shelf-stable bean spread, plus fruit
About 700 kcal
Pasta with olive oil, dried vegetables and a sealed shelf-stable fish or bean pouch
About 900 kcal
Hot chocolate and a square or two of chocolate
About 250 kcal
Fresh fruit and soft bread are heavy and bruise, so they go first. Carry the lightest, longest-lasting food for the end of the trip.
Settle into the rhythm
Muesli with milk powder and dried fruit
About 550 kcal
Trail mix, a flapjack, a few dates
About 700 kcal
Wraps with peanut butter and honey
About 650 kcal
Instant noodles with dried veg, cashews and a stock cube
About 800 kcal
Tea and a biscuit or two
About 200 kcal
This is when appetite often dips. Eat to a schedule, not to hunger, and keep one familiar snack you always want.
The middle day is the hard one
Instant oats with nut butter and cocoa
About 600 kcal
Jelly sweets, a bar, salted nuts
About 650 kcal
Crackers with a tuna or chickpea pouch and olive oil
About 650 kcal
Couscous with dried veg, chickpeas and nuts
About 850 kcal
Hot drink and dark chocolate
About 200 kcal
Day three is often where the deficit shows, with heavier legs and a flat mood. A treat you have been saving is worth opening.
Keep it simple
Porridge with seeds, dried fruit and a spoon of jam
About 550 kcal
Crackers and peanut butter, dried mango, a bar
About 650 kcal
Tortillas with nut butter or hummus powder
About 650 kcal
Rice with lentils, olive oil and dried vegetables
About 800 kcal
Tea and a chocolate bar
About 250 kcal
Whatever you packed is now lighter and more repetitive. Add something salty or spicy from your emergency stash to make it interesting.
Finish strong, then eat properly
A mix of whatever cereal and oats are left
About 500 kcal
The last of the snacks, shared out evenly
About 600 kcal
Leftover wraps or crackers with whatever is left
About 550 kcal
A meal with carbohydrate and protein; drink to thirst
Adjust to appetite
Eat what you have left rather than carrying it home, then follow the recovery steps from our before-and-after guide.
The lightest foods for the energy
Pack foods that earn their weight. Energy figures are approximate and vary by brand. Follow each product's storage instructions; without a reliable cold source, choose shelf-stable foods.
| Food | Energy | Why carry it |
|---|---|---|
| Oats and muesli | About 370 kcal per 100 g | Breakfast base, easy to add to |
| Nuts and nut butter | About 600 kcal per 100 g | The most energy for the least weight |
| Olive oil | About 880 kcal per 100 g | A spoonful added to dinner adds easy calories |
| Dried pasta, couscous and noodles | About 350 to 450 kcal per 100 g | Quick to cook, light, filling |
| Sealed shelf-stable bean or fish pouches | Check the product label | Adds protein; use promptly after opening |
| Dried fruit | About 250 to 300 kcal per 100 g | Fast carbohydrate that holds up in a pack |
| Chocolate | About 520 to 550 kcal per 100 g | Morale as much as energy |
- Repack everything
Decant into zip bags, label the day, and bin the boxes. It saves weight and bulk.
- Pack by day
One bag per day means you are never guessing what you have left.
- Add a spare half day
A delay, a detour or a hungrier-than-expected day is easier with a little in reserve.
Food safety matters on long routes: keep perishables cold or choose shelf-stable options. See the USDA hiking and camping food-safety guidance.
Vegetarian, vegan, dairy free or gluten free? Read trek food for different diets for easy swaps. For the basics behind this plan, start with Nutrition & Trek Fuel.
Next in the series · Part 9Special dietsVegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free.Multi-day trek food: FAQ
How much food do I need per day on a multi-day trek?
Many hikers need roughly 2,500 to 4,000 kcal a day, depending on size, pace and how hard the day is. In weight, that is about 600 g to 1 kg of dry food, with foods that pack around 4 kcal per gram.
How do I plan food for a 5-day trek?
Work out roughly how many calories you need a day, build each day around breakfast, snacks every hour or two, lunch and dinner, and carry the heaviest fresh food first. Practise the meals on a long training weekend, then add a spare half day of snacks.
What is the lightest high-calorie trek food?
Nuts, nut butter, olive oil, chocolate and dried pasta or noodles give the most energy per gram. Fresh fruit and tinned food are heavy for the energy they give.
Do I need to carry a stove on a hut-to-hut trek?
Not always. Many huts and teahouses sell meals or have cooking facilities, but menus vary and can be limited, so check the details for your route and carry enough snacks and a backup meal.
What if I lose my appetite on a trek?
It is common over several days, especially with effort and altitude. Eat small amounts often, favour familiar snacks and hot drinks, and keep an easy, tasty option in reserve.
Five days on the trail is a training problem too. The free readiness check shows what to build first, and Trek Ready includes back-to-back long days so your legs and your food plan are both rehearsed.
Check my readinessSources and scope
This is general sports-nutrition information, not personal dietary or medical advice. Energy and carbohydrate guidance follows the joint position statement Nutrition and Athletic Performance (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine, 2016), adapted for multi-day hiking. Carbohydrate per hour figures follow Jeukendrup, A step towards personalized sports nutrition (Sports Medicine, 2014). Daily energy needs vary widely between people. The food plan and energy figures are illustrative examples, not prescriptions. Lauren Jones is studying towards the NASM Sports Nutrition qualification. If you have a health condition, an allergy, diabetes or an eating concern, see a doctor or registered dietitian. Training advice reviewed by Nathan Gee, BSc Sports Science.
