Normal meal times can be abandoned in the backcountry. You should eat when you’re hungry, which is likely to be often. Lunch may start soon after breakfast and go on until dinner. If you’re starting to feel hungry, stop and eat something.

The following is an example of what I usually eat on backpacking trips, long and short, summer and winter. I’m not proclaiming this is an ideal diet, but the food is lightweight and easy to prepare.

We usually think of calories as units of food (or fat), but in reality calories are units of heat. This takes on a different meaning in winter camping, when you use up something like twice as many calories as you do in day to day indoor life. Simply maintaining your body temperature when you’re asleep in the cold takes more calories.

If you do decide to go desert hiking, besides how much water is needed, you need to consider what food to bring along during your hike.

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