What this solves
You need ~4,500 kcal/day on the Yading traverse (altitude bumps BMR 15–25%). But you have a limited canister (a 230 g gas can boils ~6–8 L of water at 4,500 m) and you cannot carry 3 kg of freeze-dried meals. The trick is to pick the highest-energy-density foods you can actually cook within your boil budget — usually meaning high-fat, low-water, no-cook or single-boil items beat "real" dehydrated meals.
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How to read the result
kcal/g is the honest unit — at altitude you need energy density, not bulk. Anything ≥ 5 kcal/g earns its pack weight; < 3 kcal/g is basically water with flavour.
Cook tags describe the boil cost. "No boil" means you eat it straight from the bag (peanut butter, salami, chocolate). "Quick boil" means a 90-second rehydration (couscous, instant rice). "Full boil" means you spent 6+ min of precious canister gas.
Net kcal / 100 g ready is what you actually eat after water is added. Couscous is 350 kcal/100 g dry but only 110 kcal/100 g cooked — the difference matters.
The default ordering favours density + boil efficiency. If you're on wood / yak-dung, expand the boil budget — cooked beans, dehydrated dinners and rice become competitive. With gas, every minute of boil costs roughly 8 g of canister weight.
Limitations
FAQ
A: For 1–2 nights yes — overnight oats (rolled oats + milk powder + raisins soaked in cold water at dinner, eaten at breakfast), cold-soaked couscous salad, peanut-butter wraps. Beyond that, a hot meal is a morale and digestion help. The trade-off is 230 g of canister.
A: Mostly. Dung cakes at Yading are often sold by herders (¥5–10 per bundle) or free if you ask politely. It burns hot but smoky and needs a stable firepan to avoid scarring the alpine turf.
A: Hard cheese (kept < 25 °C — your sleeping bag's outside pocket in autumn), powdered whey (~85% protein by weight), peanut butter, and Tibetan chura (curd cheese). Aim 1.2 g protein / kg body weight / day, just like at sea level.
A: For dinner — yes. Yak jerky (风干牦牛肉, ~470 kcal/100 g) and tsampa (roasted barley flour, ~350 kcal/100 g) are cheap, calorie-dense and culturally appropriate gifts for hosts. Don't fill your whole pack with them.