What food to bring for hut-to-hut trekking

On a hut-to-hut trek, every gram is on your back — so the goal is maximum calories for minimum weight, with almost no cooking. Here’s how to plan it.

First, find out what the huts actually provide

This changes everything. Many alpine huts (CAF, DAV/ÖAV, SAC, CAI) serve a cooked dinner and breakfast, and sell drinks and sometimes a packed lunch. If so, you only carry lunches and snacks. Check each hut before you plan — half-board (dinner + breakfast) is common and worth booking.

What you actually need to carry

• •Lunch for each day on the trail: bread/wraps, hard cheese, cured sausage, nut butter.
• •Trail snacks: ~150–200 g per person per day of nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, chocolate.
• •Electrolytes or drink powder — you’ll drink a lot and hut water can be flat.
• •A small emergency ration (extra bars) in case a stage runs long.

Keep it light and calorie-dense

Aim for food that carries 4–6 calories per gram. Fat and dried carbs win; anything with water content loses.

• •Great: nuts, nut butter, hard cheese, cured meat, dried fruit, energy bars, crackers.
• •Skip: fresh fruit in bulk, yoghurt, tins, anything needing refrigeration or cooking.
• •If you self-cater: dehydrated meals or couscous/instant noodles that only need hot water.

Divide the load across the group

Shared items — the stove, gas, a first-aid kit, any group snacks — should be split by weight so no one is carrying the whole pantry. Agree who brings what before you leave, and settle the shared food cost afterwards.

A simple per-day template

1. Breakfast: at the hut (or oats + milk powder if self-catering).
2. Lunch on the trail: wrap + cheese + sausage, or leftovers from the hut.
3. Snacks: a handful every hour or two — don’t wait until you’re empty.
4. Dinner: at the next hut, booked half-board.