Food

Food is going to be probably the biggest hassle and expense in getting ready for the trail. Trying to calculate how much food we will eat on each section, and so how much to put into each supply box. Trying to keep things fairly balanced nutritionally. Getting enough calories.

One figure I keep coming across in my research is 6000-8000 calories per day. That's how much most hikers burn on the trail. That's a lot of calories.

Some food specs:
Clif Bars have between 240-270 calories.
Probar Meal bars have between 350-390.
Bear Valley Pemmican bars: 400 - 440.
Hammer Nutrition Bars - about 220.
Reward brand Trail mix - 110-160 per 1 oz serving

Mountain House meals:
Chili Mac: 600 per pouch
Sweet and Sour Pork: 700
Lasagna with meat sauce: 600

Backpacker's Pantry meals:
Shepherd's Potato Stew with Beef: 600
Pad Thai: 920

So, if I ate some oatmeal with raisin and nuts for breakfast (about 300 calories), a Probar meal bar for lunch, and a Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai for dinner, that's still under 2000 calories for the day. So, add in a 12 oz package of trail mix over the course of the day. That's another 1920 calories. 5 Pemmican bars brings me up to just under 6000. Eating the same thing every day would get really boring, plus those pemmican bars are DENSE and not very flavorful, so I'd have to change things up, but that gives an idea of what I would have to eat just to not drop weight.

Cost-wise, call it about $2 for breakfast, $3 for the Pro Bar, $7.50 for the Pad Thai, $8 for the trail mix, and $2 per pemmican bar. That's $30.50 for the day. Buying in bulk will get a discount, but still... Multiply even the discounted price by 150+ days. Going to be expensive. And that's just for me. My girlfriend and her dog both need food as well.

Some interesting things I've happened across recently are Soylent (https://www.soylent.com/) and Space Nutrients (http://www.spacenutrientsstation.com/buy). For days when the weather is just crappy and we don't want to set up the stove and try to cook, having a few packs of either around might not be a bad idea. Would definitely want to try them beforehand, both for taste and to see how the body handles it.

As for the dog, I've discovered that there are some companies out there that make freeze-dried dog food. Looks like most of them make it for emergency situations, but parcel it out into day-sized packets, and instant hiking dog food. Also something we need to try for a few days in a row before leaving, so we know how the dog handles it.