What is a good calories-per-ounce for backpacking food?

A common ultralight target is roughly 100+ calories per ounce (about 353 kcal per 100 g), with 125+ cal/oz (about 441 kcal per 100 g) considered excellent. Below ~100 cal/oz you are carrying more weight per calorie than you need to.

Which backpacking meal has the most calories per ounce?

In our comparison of 284 meals, Trailtopia Egg Scramble ranks highest at about 185 calories per ounce (about 653 kcal per 100 g).

Most Calorie-Dense Backpacking Meals, Ranked (2026)

The most calorie-dense backpacking meals ranked from 284 freeze-dried and dehydrated meals - the number that matters most for pack weight.

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Our pick

For maximum calories per gram carried, Trailtopia Egg Scramble leads at ~185 cal/oz (~653 kcal/100g) (620 kcal in 95 g). See every Trailtopia meal in our Trailtopia guide. If you want density without sacrificing protein, Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Uncured Bacon is the smarter balance. Full data on Mountain House.

Why calories per ounce is the number that matters

On a multi-day trip, food is often the heaviest consumable in your pack. Two meals can deliver the same calories while one weighs noticeably more - and over a week of eating 2,500-4,500 kcal a day, that difference compounds into pounds. Ranking by calories per ounce (calorie density) tells you which calorie-dense backpacking food gives you the most fuel for the least carried weight. Calorie density here means calories divided by published net food weight, never the padded shipping figure.

The most calorie-dense meals, ranked

#	Meal	Cal/oz · kcal/100g	Calories	Protein g	Net wt oz · g
1	Trailtopia Egg Scramble	185 653 kcal/100g	620	40	3.4 oz95 g
2	Packit Gourmet Tex-Mex Breakfast Tacos	177 623 kcal/100g	380	18	2.2 oz61 g
3	Expedition Foods 5 Bean Cassoulet	167 589 kcal/100g	601	14	3.6 oz102 g
4	Expedition Foods 5 Bean Cassoulet - Big Pack	167 589 kcal/100g	1001	23	6.0 oz170 g
5	Peak Refuel Beef Pasta Marinara Check price	164 579 kcal/100g	1040	49	6.3 oz180 g
6	Radix Nutrition Ultra Meals	163 576 kcal/100g	818	28.5	5.0 oz142 g
7	Expedition Foods Vegan Thai Green Curry	163 574 kcal/100g	694	9.3	4.3 oz121 g
8	Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Check price	163 573 kcal/100g	1100	34	6.8 oz192 g
9	Peak Refuel Beef Stroganoff Check price	162 572 kcal/100g	810	41	5.0 oz142 g
10	Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta Check price	161 568 kcal/100g	920	43	5.7 oz162 g
11	Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry Check price	159 559 kcal/100g	850	44	5.4 oz152 g
12	Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Uncured Bacon Check price	158 556 kcal/100g	350	23	2.2 oz63 g
13	Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Uncured Bacon	157 554 kcal/100g	410	28	2.6 oz74 g
14	Packit Gourmet Diner Deluxe Eggs with Sausage	157 554 kcal/100g	460	24	2.9 oz83 g
15	Peak Refuel White Chicken Chili Check price	154 543 kcal/100g	760	41	4.9 oz140 g
16	Expedition Foods Vegetable Fried Rice - Big Pack	154 541 kcal/100g	1088	25.8	7.1 oz201 g
17	Mountain House Scrambled Eggs	153 541 kcal/100g	460	30	3.0 oz85 g
18	Wild Zora Instant Cereal - Original with Almonds, Walnuts & Coconut	153 540 kcal/100g	270	7	1.8 oz50 g
19	Packit Gourmet Dab's Smash Burger with Secret Sauce	153 538 kcal/100g	560	37	3.7 oz104 g
20	Peak Refuel Bison Ranch Mashers	151 534 kcal/100g	1120	40	7.4 oz210 g
21	Wild Zora Meals To Go - Palisade Pineapple Mango (Vegan) Check price	151 533 kcal/100g	490	10	3.2 oz92 g
22	Wild Zora Meals To Go - Cliffside Coconut Berry (Vegan) Check price	151 533 kcal/100g	490	10	3.2 oz92 g
23	Expedition Foods Beef and Potato Stew - Big Pack	150 529 kcal/100g	1005	39	6.7 oz190 g
24	Peak Refuel MeatEater American Buffalo Goulash	150 529 kcal/100g	740	45	4.9 oz140 g
25	Mountain House Western Style Scrambled Eggs	150 528 kcal/100g	400	30	2.7 oz76 g
26	Expedition Foods Chicken Tikka with Rice - Big Pack	150 528 kcal/100g	1003	38	6.7 oz190 g
27	Expedition Foods Chicken Tikka with Rice	150 528 kcal/100g	665	25	4.4 oz126 g
28	Mountain House Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken Check price	149 526 kcal/100g	820	34	5.5 oz156 g
29	Peak Refuel Butternut Dal Bhat Check price	149 525 kcal/100g	870	23	5.8 oz166 g
30	Peak Refuel Venison Country Casserole	148 523 kcal/100g	920	40	6.2 oz176 g
31	Expedition Foods Salmon and Broccoli Pasta - Big Pack	148 520 kcal/100g	1004	32	6.8 oz193 g
32	Expedition Foods Salmon and Broccoli Pasta	147 520 kcal/100g	608	20	4.1 oz117 g
33	Mountain House Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble Check price	147 518 kcal/100g	580	28	4.0 oz112 g
34	LyoFood Mash and Cheese - 90 g	147 517 kcal/100g	465	17.1	3.2 oz90 g
35	LyoFood Mash and Cheese - 120 g	146 515 kcal/100g	618	22.8	4.2 oz120 g
36	Expedition Foods Macaroni Cheese - Big Pack	145 511 kcal/100g	1007	42	6.9 oz197 g
37	Expedition Foods Macaroni Cheese	145 511 kcal/100g	603	25	4.2 oz118 g
38	LyoFood Pizzoccheri	144 509 kcal/100g	611	24	4.2 oz120 g
39	Peak Refuel Homestyle Chicken & Rice Check price	144 507 kcal/100g	740	40	5.2 oz146 g
40	Peak Refuel Creamy Peaches and Oats Check price	143 505 kcal/100g	1010	30	7.1 oz200 g

How we rank

Calorie density = total calories ÷ net food weight, using each brand's published net weight (not shipping weight). Prices and specs were captured 2026-07-28 and are not live. We link to brand pages so you can confirm current details before buying.