Food Energy Density Calculator
Every gram in your pack costs energy to carry. Compare 20+ trail foods by calories per 100 g, see how much of each you'd need daily, and spot the dead weight.
Compare food for your calorie target
Enter your daily calorie need, then read how many grams of each food that means. Add your own snacks and sort to compare.
Results
| Food | kcal / 100 g | g / day for you | Verdict |
|---|
How is this calculated?
If you ate only one food, the grams you need in a day are your daily calorie target divided by that food's energy density. Energy density is listed per 100 g (the standard nutrition-facts serving column).
grams/day = dailyKcal × 100 ÷ (kcal per 100 g)
Sources: The Mountaineers "Ultralight Backpacking" menu guidance — prefer foods above ~450 kcal/100 g and treat anything under ~350 kcal/100 g as dead weight you'd rather leave at home. Density values are typical shelf averages; check your package label for the exact number.