Field Testing Backpacking food for dogs

In preparing for a thru-hike with Emily one of my biggest concerns is properly keeping her fed and literally carrying the weight of that on my shoulders. This weekend we field tested a few different options and here are the (incredibly non-scientific) results.

First up, her regular kibble, which is Zignature Duck Formula. 

Weighing in at 4.5ozs per cup which provides her with 427 kcal. This amount is x2 her regular meal portion size which I anticipate will be what the demands of thru hiking will require, so that works out to 9ozs per day for 854kcal which works out to $1.24 per day.

The pro's

• Hands down the most affordable option at just a fraction of the cost!
• Easy, no prep needed, easy to pack and portion. 
• No extra water needed for re-hydrating.
• she likes it

The con's

• weight

Thoughts: Given the $ savings, it's hard for that not to be a major factor so it is in the running!

Next up, Honest Kitchen Force, a backpackers favorite.

Weighing in at 4.2oz for 446/kcal, so 8.4ozs per day for 892kcal at $4.26 per day when buying in bulk - 4 ten pound boxes. 

The pros

• space in pack 
• a bit less weight, though I was actually surprised that it was not more of a weight savings than her normal kibble!

The cons

• it's a bit more work, it is a bit messier to work with than kibble
• takes water to rehydrate 
• I'm not sure she's real keen on the texture of this food and does tire of it the quickest out of all the diets I've tested.

Thoughts: given her lack luster interest after a few meals and the extra cost for just a wee bit of weight savings I think this one will not be on our thru hiking menu. That being said it is a fantastic quality food and I will continue using it at home and on car camping trips as a meal mixer, and it may work great for many backpacking dogs. She is a bit more finicky than many dogs can be...

I was very excited to test out the Evangers Hi-Bio Chicken

Weighing in at 3.5oz for 309/kcal, so by my math that's about 9.6ozs for 850/kcal. I had to do a bit of guessing and figuring to try and sort out how many servings per bag, and the estimate of cost was based on retail so I'm not sure if I can find it cheaper with a frequent buyers program or such like the bulk savings Honest Kitchen offers, but initial sticker price seems to work out to $5.41 per day. 

The pros

• Taste, she loved this stuff! It was nice and chewy. 
• Convenient! Just as easy as kibble and she likes it way more.
• I love how the little bit sized pieces can be dual purpose using them as treats.
• Did I mention she loved it.

The cons

• price, unless I can find a frequent buyer program I just don't see how I justify the increased expense given the weight to kcal ratio comes in just about the same as her kibble. 

Thoughts:  For short weekend backpacking adventures I can see using this stuff a lot, but for a 5 month thru hike it's a bit cost prohibitive. It money were no option I would move this to the top of the list! The quality of this product is top notch.

My Tucker - Carnibar

The clear winner in the kcal to weight ratio, Just 3ozs gets her 500 kcal! So only 6oz's for 1000kcal, again I have a bit of work to do to see if a frequent buyer program is available as at $3/bar it would run me $6/day at full retail. 

The pros

• Power for the punch! That much energy packed in the least ozs puts it up at the top when it comes to weight savings.
• Super convenient! Takes up very little pack space, single serving packaging, while annoying for home feeding, on a thru-hike super handy! 
• She likes it.

The cons

• The super convenient only applies to feeding it as is, re-hydrating this stuff on the trail is not great. It doesn't tell you how much water to use, and at elevation I went 4 times the recommended rehydration time and it was still the same, in the end I added some Honest kitchen just to sop up the water. 
• Also, if going the rehydrating route extra water is needed. (this is no big deal camping, but when you are carrying all that water on your back for 20 miles a day it matters)
• It's dry, so she did best when I fed it to her as is, not as a meal but more like a power bar, broken up throughout the day instead of at once.
• Cost, $6 a day, so again unless I can find a deal...

Thoughts: Man it is hard to beat that weight savings, but the cost again is a huge jump to swing for 5 months. Emily is going to have to get a job;) But if money were no object this would top the list next to the Evangers. 

Summary:

If taste were the most important, Evangers was her clear favorite, the only one she licked the bowl and looked for more. If weight was the most important, and it almost is, than the Carnibar is the clear winner winner chicken dinner. If cost is the most important, and given the cost of a thru hike, it clearly matters a lot, than good old kibble rules the day. 

I'm guessing my plan is going to look a little bit like: Squirrel away as many Carnibars as my finances allow and feed them like a power bar cutting down how much kibble I carry which will be her main staple, then I'll supplement with as much Evangers as I can afford to ensure the quality of her nutrition is optimal and to make her happy.   

I still have a few more products to try, like the turbo pup bars and such. In the past I have already tried out most all of the freeze dried raw diets like Stella & Chewy's, Halo's freeze dried etc, and all of them were far too challenging to rehydrate at elevation and much too costly to even consider for this length of hike.