Top 10 Ultralight Backpacking Foods

The best ultralight backpacking foods are: lightweight, non-perishable, high in calories, require minimal prep and taste good enough that you want to eat them after a long day on the trail. Here are ten of my favorite high-calorie hiking foods. They provide, on average, more than 100 calories per ounce, making them ideal for ultralight backpacking.

Nuts and trail mixes are one of the very best ultralight backpacking foods. They are high calories, lightweight, non-perishable and they contain a perfect ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

• Nuts & Chocolate Trail Mix (152 cal/oz)
• Tropical Fruit Trail Mix (143 cal/oz)
• Turtle Chex Mix (130 cal/oz)
• Peanuts (166 cal/oz)
• Almonds (160 cal/oz)
• Cashews (162 cal/oz)

Dried fruits are one of the most nutritious ultralight backpacking foods, even though they are not super high in calories. A great source of natural energy, plus micro-nutrients, fiber and antioxidants.

• Raisins (85 cal/oz)
• Dried Cranberries (100 cal/oz)
• Dried Apricots (68 cal/oz)
• Banana Chips (147 cal/oz)
• Dried Apples (69 cal/oz)
• Prunes (71 cal/oz)
• Dates (79 cal/oz)

Peanut butter has been a backpacking essential for decades. With the recent popularity of gourmet nut butters and now single-serve packaging options, this classic ultralight backpacking food has gotten even better.

• Peanut Butter (166 cal/oz)
• Honey Peanut Butter (168 cal/oz)
• Almond Butter (179 cal/oz)
• Maple Almond Butter (168 cal/oz)
• Cashew Butter (172 cal/oz)
• Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (153 cal/oz)

These are the “staple” carbohydrates of most backpacking diets. They are cheap, lightweight, non-perishable, available in stores everywhere and only require boiling water to cook.

• Macaroni and Cheese (100 cal/oz)
• Knorr Pasta Sides (109 cal/oz)
• Knorr Rice Sides (108 cal/oz)
• Instant Mashed Potatoes (110 cal/oz)
• Couscous (107 cal/oz)

Protein is one of the hardest macro-nutrients to pack because high-protein foods are usually heavy and require refrigeration. But, there are a handful of high protein ultralight backpacking foods you can pack on the trail.

• Beef Jerky (116 cal/oz)
• Slim Jim Meat Sticks (140 cal/oz)
• Salami/Summer Sausage (95 cal/oz)
• Foil Pouch Tuna, Chicken, Spam (35-82 cal/oz)
• String Cheese Sticks (80 cal/oz)
• Whey Protein Powder (111 cal/oz)
• Quest Protein Bars (88 cal/oz)

Oatmeal is the standard hiker breakfast, but it gets boring after a while. Cold cereal (with full-fat powdered milk and a 1/2 scoop of protein powder) is a great way to add some variety.

• Instant Oatmeal (107 cal/oz)
• Granola Cereal (120 cal/oz)
• Honey Nut Cheerios (111 cal/oz)
• Cap’n Crunch (114 cal/oz)
• Frosted Mini Wheats (100 cal/oz)
• Lucky Charms (116 cal/oz)
• Grape Nuts (103 cal/oz)

Junk food is a long-distance backpacker’s secret weapon. Few foods can compete with good old fashioned American junk food when you compare calories, weight, flavor and price.

• Sandwich Crackers (141 cal/oz)
• Goldfish Crackers (131 cal/oz)
• Cheez-it Crackers (142 cal/oz)
• Fritos Corn Chips (160 cal/oz)
• Cheetos (162 cal/oz)
• Caramel Popcorn (122 cal/oz)
• Pretzels (108 cal/oz)

Candy and other sweet snacks provide a great source of energy in the form of simple carbs. When you start to bonk, no other ultralight backpacking food gets you to the top of the mountain faster than a shot of sugar.

• Snickers Bar (134 cal/oz)
• Peanut M&Ms (147 cal/oz)
• Welch’s Fruit Snacks (100 cal/oz)
• Grandmas Cookies (134 cal/oz)
• Fig Newtons (100 cal/oz)
• Pop Tarts (112 cal/oz)
• Honey Buns (125 cal/oz)

Energy bars are made from slower-burning complex carbs and more nutritious ingredients than candy bars. Whether they actually provide more or better energy is debatable, but I still like them.

• Clif Bar (103 cal/oz)
• PowerBar (103 cal/oz)
• Kind Bar (133 cal/oz)
• Larabar (118 cal/oz)
• Granola Bar (127 cal/oz)

Sometimes its’s all about convenience. When that’s the case, you can’t beat the commercial freeze-dried backpacking meals. Just add boiling water and eat right out of the pouch.

• Mountain House Chili Mac (121 cal/oz)
• Mountain House Beef Stroganoff (130 cal/oz)
• Mountain House Breakfast Skillet (140 cal/oz)
• Peak Chicken Alfredo Pasta (170 cal/oz)
• Peak Peach Cobbler (140 cal/oz)
• Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai (112 cal/oz)
• Backpackers Pantry Chocolate Cheesecake (136 cal/oz)