About LightSack

LightSack exists because planning backpacking food is harder than it should be. Retailer listings bury the numbers that actually matter on trail — how much a meal weighs, how many calories it packs per ounce, and how much of your water (and fuel) it takes to cook. We put those numbers front and center.

What we do

• Compile weight, calories, protein, and cook-water data for popular freeze-dried and trail meals from manufacturer information.
• Give you a trip planner that fits how you actually eat — choose which meals you eat each day and plan around your own routine.
• Show live pack totals (food weight, calories, water) as you build your list, then hand your cart to the retailer of your choice to check out.

How we make money

LightSack is free to use. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission from the retailer at no extra cost to you. We never accept payment to rank one meal above another — sorting is always by the numbers. See our affiliate disclosure.

About the data

Nutrition values are shown per pouch (not per serving — a "2 serving" pouch is one dinner for most hikers). Data is compiled from manufacturer information and marked unverified until we've checked it against real packaging. Always double-check the label before a committing trip.