When you're unemployed, you finally have time to do those things you've been meaning to do for years, including those unexciting adventures in the supermarket aisles.
Well, actually, I was walking through the aisles of REI with (quad-ruled) notebook in hand, writing down the nutritional information and cost for various freeze-dried foods.
At home, I started a spreadsheet of various hiking foods, along with their weights, calories, costs. For the weight weenies among us (and who isn't, especially when packing for a 5-day backpacking trip?), some things really jump out - which I've highlighted in the spreadsheet.
When it comes to freeze-dried foods, the Mountain House Mac & Cheese is a clear winner. I've known for years that it is tasty and packs in a lot of calories. What I didn't realize is that its value in calories per cent, at 145 calories per dollar, is almost 50% better than any other freeze-dried meal out there! (Note that in the spreadsheet I've treated the "2-serving" freeze-dried meal packages as single-serving, since that's how they're usually consumed in the field.
When it comes to snacking, the Trader Joe's Sesame Sticks is the hands-down winner. At almost 1200 calories per dollar, you could (if you had a real stomach for oil, sesame, and salt) fuel an entire day of climbing (around 4000 calories) for under $5! These sticks get 63% of their calories from fat... yum!
One thing that was a bit surprising to me was that trail mix was a better deal than I thought. For its volume, trail mix usually seems a bit expensive, but it's actually very good in terms of calories per dollar, at about 6 calories per cent.
Having said all of this, the spreadsheet is incomplete. I'd like to do some research to add some other trail favorites, such as candy bars, salami, chocolate, and gummies. Another aspect that remains to be explored is the calories per unit volume, since being able to fit more calories in a smaller pack (to keep the weight of one's pack closer to one's center of gravity and squeeze through tight spots) is desirable, especially when travelling off-trail.
I'd also like to check out the value offered by other retailers, such as the bulk sections of Whole Foods, Fred Meyer, and others. I'm optimistic that Fred Meyer will offer good value.
Let me know if you have any other suggestions for additions!
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I think the volume measurement would be tricky but if you have it then normalizing to density would be ideal. Along those lines, I think something like marzipan would be near the top of the list. I've used it in 100 mile runs and I bet it has a ton of calorie per density (mass/volume). Another would be PayDay candy bars or perogies.
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