Thru-hiking Resupply & Nutrition Tips
3 thru-hikers share tips on resupply boxes, dehydrated meals, dietary restrictions
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April 18th, 2024
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED:
How thru-hikers carry enough food for a long trail?
How thru-hikers fuel a trip with dietary restrictions?
Have you hiked before and want to make your food less expensive?
Have you hiked before and wanted to make your food lighter-weight?
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Why a resupply and trail nutrition matter
Hikers of all types of nutritional needs and physical abilities should learn that options are available to them on a thru-hike
You can feel confident that you can resupply and feed yourselves on trail
Everyone has a different resupply style, and that they do it for a reason related to their goals. We’ll help you delve into common goals: budget, taste, meeting dietary restrictions, convenience, and saving time.
We encourage you that no matter what your resupply style is, try it at home and on overnight trips first
Backcountry Foodie shows food to be sent via the resupply box strategy.
Common Resupply Strategies on Thru-hikes
Resupply boxes sent General Delivery to Post Offices along the trail.
Label boxes: Real name (not your trail name) c/o General Delivery, Trail Town, State, Zip code. Please hold for thru-hiker ETA (whatever your date is)
Resupply boxes sent to hostels or hotels
Call ahead, may cost a small fee to hold)
Buy as you go from grocery stores, gas stations, etc.
Hybrid of resupply boxes and buy as you go
Trey French’s resupply boxes include a mix of food and gear.
items in your resupply boxes besides food
Dehydrated and non-perishable food
Drink mixes
Food to eat on the spot (when restaurants are not available)
Trail running shoes every 400-500 miles
Hiking socks
Extra clothing or gear needed for colder sections of trail
Passport (if hiking to cross a border)
Medications
Leukotape, chafing, and blister care
Loksaks for food storage
Repackaged liquids: Aquamira, contact solution, Dr. Bronner’s biodegradable soap, Bug repellent, sunscreen
Hygiene items: toilet paper, hand sani, tooth care
Letters or cards from the folks at home
How much food to eat on trail
Backcountry Foodie shares with us an article on What, How Much, and How Often to eat on trail.
How much food to eat on trail depends on factors like:
Height
Weight
Age
Gender
Where you’re hiking
Temperature/weather
Terrain
Average grade
Altitude
This free Hiking Food Calorie Calculator estimates your needs based on that criteria.
What happens to extra food if you packed yourself too much:
You can give it away to other hikers
You can put it in the Hiker Box, a take stuff, leave stuff box for hikers
You can mail more expensive stuff back home (if the value of food is more than the cost of shipping)
Backcountry Foodie’s pre-packaged smoothie. You can also make your own.
What to do when you can’t eat
Altitude, heat, and other factors you run into may change your appetite. Many hikers struggle trying to eat enough food on trail to fuel their adventures.
Many hikers that drinking calories helps
Backcountry Foodie shares this recipe for a chocolate peanut butter shake with 600 calories to start the morning.
Find foods that taste good to you, even if they aren’t the most nutritious
Pack out food from town that you like to eat, even if it isn’t the most calorie-to-weight dense food.
Some hikers pack out avocados and apples, others pack out pizza and sandwiches
Theo “Blis” Davis shares these tips on resupply and on trail food, including familiarizing yourself with the trail town names where you can get food and packing out food from town
why you should trust us
These thru-hikers have managed to resupply and feed themselves over multiple thru-hikes despite challenges such as dietary restrictions, loss of appetite or interest in pre-packaged foods, and budgetary concerns. They share their tips for finding food that works for them on trail.
We held live panel with these experts. For those who were unable to attend, we are sharing the questions and answers from the chat.
Aaron "BackcountryFoodie" Owens Mayhew: Founded in 2017 by Aaron Owens Mayhew, Backcountry Foodie is the leading source for ultralight backpacking recipes and meal planning resources. As a registered dietitian and ultralight long-distance backpacker, Aaron created Backcountry Foodie while preparing homemade, lightweight meals for her thru-hike attempt of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2017 and subsequent section and thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, Colorado Trail and the Condor Trail.
Trey "Tamari" French: Working with variable conditions is a constant in Trey’s outdoor life. From trail outings starting and ending on NYC trains, Colorado multi-sport front door-to-door outings that might start with cycling and find trail running somewhere in the middle, to long-distance thru-hikes on trails like the Continental Divide Trail, PCT, and Long Trail. Trey will speak about hiking with celiac disease and tips for gluten-free resupplies in rural towns. Trey is a contributing writer at Treeline Review. You can read all of Trey’s articles on his author page.
Theo "Blis" Davis: Theo “Blis” Davis’ adventures started in 2013 with the "Couch Potato to 5k Run Challenge." Each year he steadily increased his mileage completing the circumnavigation of almost every volcano in the PNW, the Wonderland Trail, the Tahoe Rim Trail, the John Muir Trail (twice), and the PCT. His most recent adventures included hut to hut hiking in the Italian Dolomites and the Julian Alps in Slovenia, a multi-day ski tour around Crater Lake in the winter and bikepacking the San Juan Islands. Off the trail he enjoys cross-country skiing, kitesurfing, open water swimming, creating mountain art, MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) sewing projects, and helping his local ALDHA-West chapter. He currently resides in Eugene, Oregon.
Moderated by: Liz “Snorkel” Thomas is Editor-in-Chief at Treeline Review. Snorkel is a Triple Crowner who once held the women’s self-supported record on the Appalachian Trail. She’s also author of Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike, which won the National Outdoor Book for Best Instructional Book. You can read all of Liz’s stories on her website or author page.
