Gear & Trail
Lightweight Dog Food for Backpacking: The Weight Math
AlphaPak · Reviewed by our veterinary and formulation team · Updated October 13, 2026
A 16 oz (454 g) bag of AlphaPak holds about nine cups, and one cup weighs about 50 grams. A 25 lb dog eating 1½ cups a day carries about 80 grams of food per day in the pack. That is the whole trick of freeze-dried raw: the water is gone, and you add it back at camp.
The numbers
Backpackers weigh everything, so here is the dog food in grams. We measured these ourselves, one level cup on a kitchen scale.
- A 16 oz bag is 454 grams and holds about nine cups.
- One cup of Beef weighs 52 grams and is 246 kcal.
- One cup of Chicken weighs 50 grams and is 227 kcal.
That is the whole foundation. Everything below is multiplication.
A 25 lb dog, worked out
The bag's chart says a 19 to 25 lb dog eats 1½ cups a day as a full meal. So:
- Food in the pack: 1½ cups × 52 grams is about 78 grams of Beef, or 75 grams of Chicken. Call it 80 grams a day.
- Calories: 1½ cups × 246 kcal is about 369 kcal of Beef, or 341 kcal of Chicken.
- Three days: about 240 grams, roughly half a bag.
- Five days: about 390 grams, still under one bag.
Eighty grams is less than a bar of soap. That is a day of whole meat, organ, and produce for a 25 lb dog.
Grams per day, by dog size
| Dog weight | Cups per day | Grams per day | kcal per day (Beef / Chicken) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 lb | ¼ cup | about 13 g | 62 / 57 |
| 7–12 lb | ¾ cup | about 38 g | 185 / 170 |
| 13–18 lb | 1 cup | about 50 g | 246 / 227 |
| 19–25 lb | 1½ cups | about 80 g | 369 / 341 |
| Over 25 lb | 3 cups | about 155 g | 738 / 681 |
A dog over 25 lb goes through a bag in three days. For a longer trip, bag each day's amount so you can count days at a glance. The trail feeding card puts this table on one printable page.
Why it is so light
Most of the weight of fresh food is water. Freeze-drying pulls that water out at a low temperature, without cooking the food, so the bag's label lists moisture at 5% max. What is left is the meat, organ, bone, and produce, and nothing else. You carry the food. The creek carries the water.
The water is not free, but it is not extra either
At camp, you add up to an equal amount of warm water by volume. For a 25 lb dog, that is up to 1½ cups, about 12 fluid ounces. Add warm water, stir, and wait 30 to 60 seconds. If you are near water, filter and warm it on the stove. If you are dry camping, carry it. Either way, that water counts toward your dog's daily drinking, so it is not a separate line on your water list.
Big days need a little more
Working-dog research shows energy needs rise with miles, cold, and hours of effort (Hill, 1998). On a long day, add a little to the evening bowl, and watch how your dog looks and feels over the trip. There is no formula; the chart is the base, and your dog is the guide. How to feed your dog on a hike goes deeper.
Who carries it
At 80 grams a day, a fit 25 lb dog can carry their own food for a week and barely notice. Split it evenly between the saddlebags of a fitted pack, and keep the pack within the weight your dog can carry. The Kobuk bladder that comes with our packs carries the water for the soak. For the full trail setup, read the best dog food for backpacking.
AlphaPak is a food, not a medicine, and nothing here replaces your vet's advice. Want your dog's daily amount before you weigh out a trip? Find your recipe takes about a minute.
Common questions
- How much does freeze-dried dog food weigh per day?
- About 50 grams per cup. A 13 to 18 lb dog eating 1 cup a day carries about 50 grams; a 19 to 25 lb dog eating 1½ cups, about 80 grams; a dog over 25 lb eating 3 cups, about 155 grams. A 16 oz bag is 454 grams and holds about nine cups.
- How many calories are in a cup of freeze-dried dog food?
- AlphaPak Beef is 246 kcal per cup and Chicken is 227 kcal per cup. A 25 lb dog's 1½ cups a day is about 340 to 370 kcal. Those numbers are printed on our product pages, so you can plan a trip from them.
- Why is freeze-dried dog food so light?
- Because the water is gone. Most of the weight of fresh food is water. Freeze-drying removes it at low temperature without cooking the food, so the bag's label lists moisture at 5% max. You add the water back at camp from your bottle or the stove.
- How many bags of freeze-dried food do I need for a backpacking trip?
- Multiply your dog's daily cups by the days, then divide by nine cups per bag. A 25 lb dog on a five-day trip needs 7½ cups, which is under one bag. A dog over 25 lb on the same trip needs 15 cups, which is one and two-thirds bags. Pack a little extra for big days.
More in Gear & Trail
Sources
- Hill, R. C. (1998). The nutritional requirements of exercising dogs. The Journal of Nutrition. DOI: 10.1093/jn/128.12.2686S
AlphaPak is a food, not a medicine. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements about nutrition describe the role of whole-food ingredients in supporting normal health and are not a substitute for veterinary care. Individual results vary.