Guides › kcal: dry weight vs. the finished pot — which number counts?
kcal: dry weight vs. the finished pot — which number counts?
In short: Drying removes water, not calories. The energy content of a portion stays the same as it dries — only the weight drops. That is why "kcal per 100 g dry weight" is a completely different, much higher number than "kcal per 100 g ready to eat". For packing, only the dry figure counts, because that is what you carry.
The same portion, two numbers
Take the chili con carne from the recipes on this site:
| Dry weight | Ready (rehydrated) | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight per portion | 105 g | ~400 g |
| Calories | 360 kcal | 360 kcal |
| kcal per 100 g | ~343 | ~90 |
It is exactly the same meal with the same 360 calories. The only difference is the water: in your pack you carry 105 g, in the pot hot water turns it into roughly 400 g. Anyone who plans with the "ready" figure (90 kcal/100 g) will be off by a factor of four.
Why this decides your pack weight
Water has no calories, but it does have weight. When you dry food, you throw out precisely what you don't want to carry — and keep the energy. That is why dried provisions are so compact: not because they contain more calories, but because the dead weight of water is gone. For planning you need the kcal per 100 g dry weight; anything else will mislead you.
The honest footnote
With dried meals, high calorie density rarely comes from the recipe itself — lean mince is a must when drying. It comes from what you add on the trail: a splash of oil, a handful of nuts. How that takes you from ~3.4 to ~4.5 kcal/g is explained in How much do provisions weigh.
Stored directly in the app
Every dehydrator recipe on outdoor.gift carries its dry weight and its calories per portion — the honest numbers the packing list works with. View in the app
Frequently asked questions
Does food lose calories when it is dried? No. Drying only removes water. The calories per portion stay the same, only the weight goes down.
Which kcal figure counts for packing? The kcal per 100 g dry weight. Only that matches what you actually carry. The "ready to eat" figure is many times lower and misleading when it comes to weight.
Why do shop-bought trekking meals show such a high kcal figure? Because it refers to the dry weight — the same logic. A 120 g pouch with 500 kcal weighs 120 g in your pack; it only becomes heavy in the pot, with water.
Plan recipes & pack weight in the app →