AT Thru Hike Food Resupply

Here is a Break down of my typical 3-4 day Food Resupply while hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Music By: Thunder/Dreamer
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[@life2livealways]

Nice breakdown of meal plan. This is something I can use for a short camping trip locally. Thanks so much.

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@jmz1736]

My first experience of any hiking I went on a day hike with summer camp, for lunch we had what was left from the cafeteria: a half jar of peanut butter, pepperoni, a bunch of individual mayonnaise packets, tortillas, apple slices and cheddar cheese. It made for some interesting combinations, I don’t know if I will ever have a mayonnaise pepperoni and apple slice wrap again but it was definitely not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten.

[@brianhackit7900]

aw manm this guy is great. he's got it all in one place. think about branding yourself (if you haven't already). i mean, for myself and ppl like myself this is a one stop spot to get back into the swing of it. aside from that you present everything with a calm and clear voice which is super helpfull. hey tx man.

[@whowantsachannel1983]

Thanks! Very helpful, like the organization and seeing how you pack.

[@FloridaGirlAdventures]

I am getting ready for an AT section hike - heading to trail days! I have been watching many videos like your own and always thought 'why do they separate the food out into days like that?" I decided to take the food I thought was enough and set it out in each day and found out... I was going to starve!!! You did a great job and thanks for the info! It seems like to me that sorting the food into days is a really good idea. It showed me that I needed to add certain things and remove others! Thanks Darwin!

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+Florida Girl Adventures... No Problem, Glad the video helped! I separate into days to make sure I don't over eat & then not have enough food until the next resupply. Have a killer time at Trail Days & tell Damascus I said Hey! Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@tommytinajero2778]

I have the opposite problem. I take way too much food. It sucks lugging food that I end up not eating. Great video. Super helpful.

[@LiveWildcrew]

Thanks for the video. We are starting a SOBO shortly and your food mix looks almost exactly like ours. We will have some dehydrated meals as we got them from our sponsor so why not but otherwise a very similiar mix. The only addition I do is carry two bottles with olive and coconut oil to add to the meal but you have that in the tuna packs. Plus I love trail mix. Nuts, dried fruit and candy. Bulk Barn for the win.

[@notajetplane]

Great video. I never thought of separating by day. I would probably eat 2 days without knowing it. good idea.

[@spiff2268]

Hell, I looked at his whole layout and all I could think was "today's lunch".

[@nicholasmarion8468]

Pop tarts always get beat up in my bag so maybe I'll try adding the pop tart "crumbles" in my oatmeal. Not sure why this video made me think of this but it did :)

[@JohnDoe-cq3ii]

That sounds awesome might have to give it a go next time I'm out, thanks for the idea.

[@uncleredneck3802]

man you rock gave me some meals getting tiered of MH and Backpacker pantry.

[@glenncocup3915]

Hi I am from Australia and planning on doing some multiday hikes. Your food ideas have given some great ideas to eat cheap and easy. Thanks for the ideas.

[@ChuckNoctis]

How much did the usual 4 day food bag weigh? And how much money would you say 1 day of food cost you? Did you try to stay away from restaurants in town or bars etc to save money throughout the trail?

[@duckie62]

Great meal selection, thanks for your ideas they will help

[@michcatani7795]

Thank you !!! Great video AT 2021 !!! Looks like a good meal plan 👍🏻👍🏻

[@bkbland1626]

Ummmm! You're all good, Darwin. Thanks for what you do.

[@johnmiller7682]

Those Korrs and Idahoan packs are really great. What's better than food you use at home, on the trail!

[@TheGeoJG]

Counting the days now! Good video.

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+LuAnn Patterson See you out there & thanks for watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@jamesdanielgarza]

Very professional. Very clean video. And it has great information and ideas. Well done, Sir!

[@spikeeus]

73 thousand people watched it and only 12 had the balls to dislike it...a good video indeed

[@bubbakushog187]

Good idea on the organization of this video!!

[@RiptideRigo]

Well prepped and very helpful, thank you for the ideas.

[@Hiker63]

Great video. I've been dehydrating and vacuum sealing my own meals. My hope is that I can cut back on the weight for my 2017 thru-hike. I hate getting off of the trail or hiking extra distances to resupply. On whiteblaze there is an update list of resupply points that are on or less than one mile from the AT. I believe it's based on a 5 day, 15 mile a day between supply points. BTW, you know your a gram weanie when you know that 5 ramen equals 1 pound lol. Subscribed.

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+Roaming Gnome Going this route on the AT is Def the best & easiest route for sure. However I will be pretty much dehydrating all my meals & having them Mail dropped to me next year on my 2017 PCT Thru-Hike. Good luck in your planning for next year & have fun with it. Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@marcuslatrent528]

@@DarwinOnthetrail is there a mailing or courier service that you use? How do you mail something to yourself at an exact location on an exact date?

[@davidjackson7675]

Thanks this very helpful.

[@jasoncottom7759]

A great alternative to those cursed backpacker pantry meals. Not that they aren't good, but when you have kids on the trail, they get freakin expensive.

[@livingsurvival]

How about multi-vitamins?

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+Living Survival I took them for a little bit while on the trail last year, yet didn't stay on top of it. I will be taking them again this year & hope to keep taking them more regularly. Thanks for Watching!! Hike On, Darwin

[@jasoncottom7759]

That is a great idea to add without the weight.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

No.

[@knobstonehikingtrail7837]

Thank You!!!!!!!!! My brother and I are thru hiking the AT next year (2018) and I've been wondering what we'll take. We do a lot of weekend backpacking and this is pretty much the kind of stuff we take but its good to know it will get us through. Your videos are really good!

[@RichardBuckerCodes]

it is probably very important that you mention to your viewers that you are at a caloric deficit while on the trail and that (possibly) you make of the difference on resupply days. Your typical day seems to vary from 2000 to 2500 calories, however, if you were hiking 10 hours you'd need somewhere in the area of 5000-6000 calories. FYI at about 1 pound per 1000 calories that's about 30 pounds for 5 days. Being at a caloric deficit is not a bad thing, however, if a diabetic were to take this at face value they might get into serious trouble. Also, someone not expecting or experienced in that sort of deficit might also be in a bad place.

[@cjt5mith]

That seems right to me too. I aim to walk 8-10 hours per day and my food plan is about 3500 calories per day, and even then I think I am running a deficit of about 500 cal/day at at least. Depends how fast you go and how many miles you cover in that 8-10 hours.

[@blackwater4707]

What happens to a diabetic if they don't get enough calories?

[@Vismis]

anyone worried about a caloric deficit should not be thru hiking but you know that is just me..... Try and thru hike while staying above a caloric deficit...

[@adamholbrook2281]

Thanks for the video. Food videos are always popular, I'm sure you could do another of what you are liking these days. Keep them coming. Take care.

[@lifeisgood070]

Thank you for the perspective

[@joedevitto5023]

Great video man. glad you didn't get mercury poisoning with all that tuna!

[@betsyb1374]

I was thinking this too - so much tuna cannot be good for mercury levels!

[@joedevitto5023]

Betsy Bradley Alborcore has higher content than chunk light. He seems fine. IDK, bodybuilders eat an insane amount of tuna as well!

[@rotaaable]

Have you ever tried powdered scrambled eggs? If you have, was it worth giving it a go?

[@neckredgringo5372]

Very cheap and easy mix of food. I'm not huge on eating tuna everyday but I'm sure there is variety of meats that fan be added. you ever try adding spam or a bag of bacon bits to the potatoes?

[@defeater5497]

Best thing ive ever added to mashed potatoes was Costco dehydrated steak. It was thick cut chunks with great texture and moisture. Heaven.

[@traysoncohen2459]

Couple of questions... 1) Those Land O Lake cheese packets are located on the refrigerated food aisle. How many does will they last out of the fridge? I'm thinking it would be 3-4 days in the mail/post office then the next 4-5 days on your back, so I'm thinking they would have to be good for a week, no? How long have you found them lasting for? 2) the tuna salad packet for the lunch bag. Do you just bring that 1 packet and portion it out over 4-5 lunches, or do you have 4-5 of those packets in the lunch bag? Left overs go in the pepperoni bag, to prevent stuff sliding out all over the gallon bag right? Because there is no zip lock on those...

[@rudyrodriguez2205]

Those cheese packages will last about a week just fine. I've noticed the drier or more stronger tasting chesses will last longer. Some of the mild cheddars will lose greasy juice stuff into the package from inside of the cheese but the taste is fine and there's not any more risk for good poisoning. Theyre fine. But I think drinking river water, untreated, is fine so don't just take my words for granted.

[@jpoutdoors6748]

Kinda cool to break it down by day how ever I think there are some healthier and easier to make options.

[@tgdb4968]

I'm learning so much from your videos, thanks man.

[@SamSam-ke9zy]

I learned long ago in scouts that hot chocolate is the DEVIL. haha well seriously I would drink it at night and the colder it was the more I drank. Of course it would cause me to wake and have to drain my bladder and when it's below zero Fahrenheit you quickly regret that yummy hot chocolate. It's even worse as you get older as we all learn at some point. I do love me some in the morning though or apple cider.

[@mbshmfic1]

Hey Darwin take a look at the Bear Creek soup meals dehydrated in vegetable beef and chicken flavors. Any one pack makes a lot of soup although may require some pre soaking. I plan on trying one on the trail soon.I doubt putting a half to full cup of water in at lunch and letting it soak until dinner would be any trouble

[@Nomad_Skateboarding]

He's mentioned these in other videos: he doesn't use because the cost to calorie ratio is so high, meaning, lots of money, not much nutrition.

[@jjames05]

great breakdown. nothing fancy. its all about calories and weight. i recommend adding some homemade jerky. you can rehydrate it in ramen/potatoes/soups.

[@SuperTechnicalman]

thanks for the nuggets. i'm watching your pct thru hike. I live up against the Angeles Mountains about 6-10 miles from a trail head. From the video's, it looks like you passed by here recently. Have a good hike.

[@tbg008]

Nice ! What about dryed vegetables and Rice ? Some real food makes all the diference after a couple days for me.

[@jimthomason9328]

Hey Darwin, not that i really expect you to respond, but have you every heard of the Crua hybrid? it's a yet/hammok

[@trailkrum]

You must really like tuna. Have you ever tried chicken pouches (e.g. Tyson's)? I'd be interested to know what protein alternatives you supplemented your dinners with. Cheers!

[@mikerennie2024]

Loving your channel dude. Cheers!

[@magnusboner291]

Thanks for the video Darwin.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Appreciate this resupply tutorial.

[@chrisconnell76]

love Your mountain house alternative with more calories.

[@kitty6lo]

Great video, I am definitely going to follow your example on separating my meals by days. Im planning to thru hike the A.T. this year on a tight budget. May I ask what a typical 4 day resupply would generally cost you? I would greatly appreciate your input!

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

It all depends on where you shop while on the trail. Most of the time, a 4 day Resupply would cost me about $20 - $25. Again it all depends on where you resupply & what "Extra" stuff your in the mood to pick up while in the store. Hiker Hunger can be a dangerous thing! Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@kitty6lo]

Thank you Darwin!

[@nosb10]

Darwin, Any issues with all the mercury in the tuna?? Best, Patrick

[@FreddyEnergizer]

Usefull information Mr Darwin thank you for sharing

[@selenajones1712]

Hey ,Dawin ,,great info ,, ,,but if your doing a thru hike & not stopping as frequently,,,,,I pack a little differentially,,,,,& have ya used the breakfast drink mix warmed upon on the cool trails ,,?? ,,,,,swamp gal here,,,

[@EndlarStudios]

I have a great idea for the AT, it involves making it easier to get rations/food on the trail.

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

It's already pretty easy to get resupplied on the trail, but what ya got? Hike On, Darwin

[@EndlarStudios]

Well you spend around an hour+ or so gathering, sorting,etc. and there is not always stuff you want so you could restock simply by picking pre made meals with a variety of needs ranging from vegetarian to extra protein

[@arielw3178]

So whats the idea?

[@EndlarStudios]

Creating distributor machines for a variety of meal types (vegetarian, etc.) for a cheap price/average price compared to MREs and other outdoor food systems. But the stos cam be at stops along the way, including grocers and camp sights that are monitored and refilled by local residents.

[@lennyzefflin9876]

Will G The average hiker would break into it.

[@Axelcat11]

Question Has any one used powdered milk to add to the knorr sides or mashed potatoes, extra calories and protein. It can add a lot of flavor. I used that combo after a hurricane knocked out the power for a few days. Just not on the trail.

[@rudyrodriguez2205]

I like yur food choices. When I'm hiking I eat those tuna pkts and top ramen a lot. I could easily drink twice as much coffee as you showed. I don't worry about vitamins and minerals on a hike less than a week long. Why do white people always eat raw tortillas? As a Mexican-american, I think raw tortillas are horrible tasting! I'll try to use Pita bread over tortillas while hiking.

[@edmillington6942]

Darwin...try some chirizo flavored SPAM sometime. It was awesome with egg noodles!

[@christianrogers2361]

Does the sodium content of the rice sides not cause any concern? Have you found any better options since this video was created?

[@rudyrodriguez2205]

Christian Rogers I imagine a lot of sodium gets used while hiking all day long.

[@chinseng3056]

No doubt that the lighter weight the better but spending too much time off the trial and resupply. Will it be feasible to carry more days of food and keep yourself on the trial. Can always take a nero on trial. Can save lots of money spending in town.

[@Aeroswine1776]

Thanks for the info\ insight! I only have one question. Have you ever checked your mercury levels after a hike? I used lots of tuna packs for a few years and my levels were dangerously high. Now I only use two or so a week. Just some food for thought, or is it thought for food? Either way I'll see you on the trail one day, brother.

[@tainopr4356]

Great video thanks for making it. Thank you for the idea of packing meals per day. It helps to prevent overeating your supplies.How do you feel about the 120cal/oz ratio? Do you feel it’s a helpful rule of thumb? Do you have a better method?

[@vaamorais]

Hi! Interesting video with very useful information. A quick how much does that bag weigh?

[@Jeffs40K]

Dont like Oatmeals? can easy add fruit found or Dried, (You can dry them your Self even, also with those Rice and Potatoes, you ever dry to take Dried meats, they can rehydrate as well in cooked meals ?

[@pinkbeefyness13]

Hey Darwin! My question is if you and snuggles split the dinners or if that's just for you? My boyfriend and I are starting our hike in a few weeks and planned on splitting dehydrated meals and adding a side - would that be enough?

[@woodstock456]

Good advice. Thanks,

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+T Mac Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@MDKDAF]

Great breakdown of your food man. I have only even used MH or Backpackers Pantry for meals but would like to get into some less expensive options!

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+NSDaffy This is def a great way to do it! Ditch those expensive meals & make your own! Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@meatshredz1149]

Will you be doing any more camping food videos in the future? Would love to give you a sample of my product to see if it's worth mentioning.

[@mbqhappy]

Hey Darwin...Great advices in this video....I am interested in knowing.... Based on the food you described in your video, What size of food bag (Liters, Dimensions?) would be needed to hold all of it nice and neet???????

[@OldePete]

Seems like no one does (food) mail drops anymore. I can see where this would be more work preparing, but wouldn't this make it easier in town - avoiding the shopping, repacking, not finding what you want? Is timing your arrival at the PO that much of a PITA the reason this seems to be avoided?

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+OldePete, Mail drops are great if you have a "specific" diet. But it seems the overall reason hikers don't utilize "mail drops" anymore is... #1 You have to work around the Post office schedule. sometimes in the little bitty towns the post office has weird hours. If by chance you arrive at a town on a Sat afternoon, you could be waiting until Mon or even Tues until the PO opens, spending money on Hostels or hotels. #2 just because you thought you would want something 3 months earlier, doesn't mean you will want it when you get it in your drop. It's easy to get burnt out on food items out there. Being able to change it up at the store makes food more enjoyable & you get what you want at the time. #3 There are tons of spots to resupply. Over all it becomes more convenient & cheaper than paying postage. Also if you send it to a Hostel or Hotel you are staying at, most of them charge a Fee to hold it. We were originally going to do mail drops, but in the end we decided it would be much more convenient to resupply when we wanted to. It ended up being a great decision & I would do it any other way. Thanks for watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@CaveysAdventures]

+OldePete I personally am not a picky eater and find resupplying at stores a much better choice.

[@OldePete]

+Cavey's Adventures You choose town resupply for the same reasons Darwin gave? (I'm not a picky eater either - usually my only criteria is quantity - for those things I like ; and I think I could eat the same things for 6 mo, no problem)

[@brandirice4975]

This amazing thank you

[@emburlinthedogtrainer]

Hey Darwin, I've been learning a lot from your videos lately. I had a question on this one that i was hoping you could answer (or maybe other Thru hikers can answer). I noticed that your meals are very carb, fat and protein heavy with almost no veggies or fruit; i'd imagine there might be come consequences to eating like that for 6 months! What do you do to balance out your nutritional needs so you don't become deficient? Do you take a vitamin supplement? Forage for greens?

[@speedstacker51]

Emily Burlingame I was planning on taking powdered greens like barley grass juice powder(having them sent to be every so often and just mix it with water). I’m a pretty healthy eater so the idea of eating lots of carbs and salt and sugar kinda stresses me out haha. Dollar generals and such around me sell freeze dried fruit so hopefully that would help. And of course just making sure to get a salad or other plants in ya when you get to town. Rawalignment on KZbin did about half the trail as a plant based vegan. She exclusively resupplied via mail drop but maybe her videos can give you ideas!

[@ARARVISION]

Love it

[@Copper.Cowboy]

Do you need to boil the Korrs rice? I want to use an esbit stove and they usually will steam the water but not boil with one fuel tablet

[@pellelindbergh4455]

nice vid how you resupply on the pct? :-)

[@renee7653]

Do you know how to cook a good Knorr packet? We can't get it as good as stove top. Great video, thanks!

[@Daralantan]

Pop Tart Peanut Butter sandwich.... hahaha my roommate is a power lifter and that's a big calorie snack he has often.

[@thomasbroadbent619]

what about taking dehydrated fruit and jerky along?i was thinking they are very little

[@pennsylvaniahillbilly3817]

How much does your average food supply weight

[@WalterSmolenski]

Seems like a small amount of food. How many calories per day do you try for? (although your weight and daily miles will influence this)

[@BlueGearReviews]

No Jerky? Try hummus/kale chips as a change. Very helpful vid.

[@robertcorcoran8199]

How much does that 4 day food bag weigh?

[@Dddaaavvviiiddd3]

Whats the calorie count per day that you go by? I've never hiked the AT and we have a trip planned in march

[@Theoldmaninthewoods]

Have you ever used a bear canister?

[@andymillard1891]

Was hoping that the weight of all resupply could have been given, any one have a guess?

[@otepgruspe9199]

What size of dry bag did used on this one...

[@saulsainz1806]

each day meal you have is like one normal meal for me

[@JohnAndEverything]

How many liters is the stuff sack you are using?

[@MermaidMaiden90]

What do you do about getting fruit into your system? or did you just not?

[@mjavor]

Can you let us know how many miles you hiked on those 4 days and if it was enough food?

[@stevensyrko7109]

SO you two broke the AT trail down into sections?

[@neemancallender9092]

what was the daily calory count and proteinand the daily weight

[@molonlabe9602]

Sorry if I missed it but how much did that particular 4-day food bag weigh? Thanks for the videos. Look for the big Honey Buns for breakfast, depending upon product...350-500 calories each....for way under a buck usually.

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+Molon Labe I did a lot of Honey Buns at 1st, then I sorta got burnt out on them. Gotta switch it up! I actually forgot to weigh my food bag for this video, but prob should have. Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@beachamboy11]

Are there any alternatives to the tuna? I don’t like it. Lol

[@BobPreis]

Do you cook/re-hydrate in a pot or in those freezer bags? If pot, how much cleanup is involved? I'm guessing you have finished off all the contents of a day's freezer bag prior to dinnertime, freeing the bag up as a liner for re-hydrating dinner?

[@MrSepl12]

Watch the other video he highlights. He pours the hot water into the bags and then uses his heater bag thinger.

[@lr8868]

After hiking the AT what is your weight diff from when you started

[@1z1zmike]

Good ideas-thanks. Wondering how much a day or the four weighs?

[@Nomad_Skateboarding]

Take 4 protein bars and a bag of tuna and weigh...

Any suggestions for absolute food snobs? Are there gourmet food packs made by some company catering to pampered hikers?

[@philmcracken6590]

Susan Fudge ever eat a mountain house? Its not gourmet but it tastes pretty good considering what it is

[@vincentmiceli2554]

For drinks, have you considered Tang in addition to the hot chocolate and tea?

[@DarwinOnthetrail]

+Vincent Miceli Nah, I wouldn't consider Tang for anything.... drank too much of it as a kid. lol! Thanks for Watching! Hike On, Darwin

[@zacharycat]

Can u buy all this stuff with food stamps?

[@hoepe16]

How did you get veggies in?

[@soniarodriguez2072]

Thank you for the video. My concern is all the tuna. Mercury poisoning is a concern.

[@vdunbar]

How much does this weigh?

[@sweetsmiles1081]

How much did you spend?

[@СергейЧернышев-б6щ]

do all experienced american long-distance hikers eat so little?