All time top backpacking food?

[balzaccom]

So my wife and I have been doing some experiments over the winter, trying different combinations to create our own menus for this summer's backpacking trips. The goal is to create meals that taste good, are very lightweight, and have a ton of calories. And ideally, they should be cheap, too!

Our average freeze dried dinner weighs in at about 6-8 ounces, and usually has about 350 calories or so per serving. It costs about $6-8, and is a bit big and clunky--we always repackage in baggies. That means they are about 100 Calories per ounce. And about a penny per calorie.

We want to beat those ratios.

Sound impossible? Maybe. But in working through the options, we found something that does a pretty good job of meeting all those criteria.

So check out the Slim Jim beef stick: 170 calories, and less than a buck.

That's 170 calories per ounce...and about 1.7 calories per penny.

Now we are curious. Can any of the foods in your backpack beat that?

[AlmostThere]

How about moose goo?

Here's some good looking sauce too.

[LVRAY]

Slim Jims make me barf - have to be one of the worst things invented - lol.

[balzaccom]

Believe me, I am not a huge fan of Slim Jims--that's why I asked the question. What else can give this level of calories per penny per ounce?

We did try cutting up a Slim Jim into a dish with some rice and herbs, and that wasn't quite the same as trying to eat one of them straight from the package!

[orion]

make your own beef jerky. its easy.
any thicker cut such as london broil or top round will do, it doesn't have to be completely lean because you'll be finishing it in less than two weeks.
cut into thin strips against the grain and rack out with a drip pan in an oven at 200 with the oven door slightly open for a few hours.
test it, cooking time depends upon how thick you cut it. it should still be a bit chewy and soft but not raw, as it will dry further after it cools.
shake in a paper lunch bag with salt while its still warm. transfer to another paper bag in a plastic bag for transport.
you'll never buy another slim jim.