MealPlanner: Backpacking Meal Planner and Trail Food Calorie Calculator
MealPlanner lets you plan trail food day by day and watch food weight, calories, and nutrition update as you go. Search for real trail food, or add your own items with the numbers straight off the package.
It is built for hikers who want enough calories without carrying dead weight: see calories per ounce for each day, compare days against each other, then send your total food weight into PackBuilder so your consumable weight is accounted for in one place.
Track calories, protein, fat, carbs, sodium, sugar, and fiber per day and for the whole trip, then export your plan as a PDF or CSV.
Trail food questions, answered
- How many calories per day do I need backpacking?
- Most backpackers plan on 2,500 to 4,500 calories a day depending on mileage, terrain, pack weight, and temperature. MealPlanner shows your calories per day so you can see where your plan lands before you leave.
- What is a good calories per ounce target for trail food?
- A common target is 100 to 125 calories per ounce. Below that your food bag gets heavy fast. MealPlanner calculates calories per ounce for every day and for the whole trip.
- How much does backpacking food weigh per day?
- Between 1.5 and 2 lbs per person per day is typical. MealPlanner totals your planned food weight by day and for the trip so you can check it against that range.
- Does my food weight show up in PackBuilder?
- Yes, when you send it. Pick a pack and your total food weight is added as one consumable item, so it sits outside base weight and shows in your pack weight breakdown.
- Is MealPlanner free?
- Yes. Food search, nutrition totals, day planning, and export are all free. You can plan as a guest and the plan saves in your browser. The account is free and easy with no strings attached.