Food is crucial on an expedition and the planning, buying, and packing food for 16 people for a 16-day trip is a full-time job.  If you’ve ever done a foodpack this big before, then you know exactly why you’re letting PRO do it this time.  If you’ve done a week’s food for 10 people, well, it just isn’t the same.  A Grand Canyon Trip is longer than a lot of fresh food will keep.  Custom menu planning for an expedition is a job for a detailed person who loves to eat.  If you aren’t that person, find one on your trip, and delegate!  Or make your life a LOT easier and just select one of our excellent river tested sample menus – you’ll be glad you did.  Familiarize yourself with the Food Planning Checklist/Timeline to get an idea of your menu planning time frame.

 

Getting Started

Before deciding on your menu and food buy and pack option, investigate your participants’ eating habits. It’s simplest to accommodate individual preferences from the beginning.  Distribute the Food Preference Survey.  This is a good way to find out your group’s needs.  If you have a difficult mix of food requirements, such as food allergies, strict vegetarians and avid meat eaters, please contact us for strategies before you choose your menu.

 

Food Volume and Boat Capacity

Before finalizing your menu, we evaluate if your foodpack will fit in the boats, coolers, dry boxes and drop bags available.  Your choice of a PRO or COMBO Pack influences the volume of your food, as do your meal choices.  On average (16 day-16-person trip), a PRO pack can fit on four 18’ boats and a COMBO can fit on five PRO 18’ boats.

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If you are using personal boats, dry boxes and coolers need to arrive at PRO at least three weeks prior to your launch date.  When submitting your initial menu selections please use the Food Container Worksheet to list your coolers (with size by the quart) and dry boxes (with dimensions in inches).  Food for 16 people for 16 days takes up a lot of space.  We can help you choose a menu that fits the dry, wet, and cold storage you have available.

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Food Costs

The average cost of a PRO sample menu for a 16-person 16-day trip is $26 per person, per day.  The cost of your food will depend on the menu you choose.  Meat and seafood are more expensive than beans and rice, prepared foods cost more than whole ingredients.  Once we receive your selection, we provide you with a menu and shopping list for your approval, plus the exact cost of your menu.  Your shop list includes all the food, and if selected, a spice box and kitchen & toilet sundries (soaps, bleach, toilet supplies, cooking oil, foil, trash bags, etc).

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Meal Portions

PRO’s meal portions are large before any snacks, appetizers, sides, and desserts are added.  The hardest thing we do is try to try to figure out an "average" appetite size, so we err on the side of large portions.  Many people eat more when they’re outdoors all day, active, and hyped up the big water and grand territory.  Most trips can get away with reducing You may wish to adjust the number of servings for your trip, depending on how many light or heavy eaters you have in your group.  The general rule is to add or subtract one portion for every three heavy or light eaters in your group.

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Add portions or snack boxes to your menu if you are doing a winter trip or if your group includes several

• Very active people – kayakers, rowers, hikers, etc.

• People in their teens or twenties

• Bottomless pit eaters

• Men

Reduce portions on your trip if it’s a summer trip (May-August) or if your group includes several

• Mellow raft passengers

• People in their 40’s and older

• Women and/or children

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It is possible to have a different number of portions for different sections of the trip or to change a specific meal’s portions.  Let us know what day and meal the change in portions occurs – i.e., lunch on day 7.

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Food Durability

It’s not easy to know what will last and for how long, but with a few simple practices you can ensure that you will have fresh food and ice for as long as possible.  We estimate the durability of meals, but we cannot know how long they will last in your care.  Drain the coolers every day, and open coolers as little as possible – only in the shade or cool times of day.  When possible, sort through the remaining produce and meat to assess its condition (group or strip meats thaw faster than solid meats).  Immediately use or toss anything that is about to spoil.  On a trip as long as the Grand Canyon, strategic rescheduling of meals is absolutely necessary.  Toward the end of the trip, you will need to trim bad spots and leaves from produce and use the remainder.  Choose canned or salted meats for later in the trip.  Do not assume that because something appears on day 14 of your menu that it is guaranteed to last that long.  There are no guarantees, and no substitute for your own good judgement.