What mandatory items do YOU carry in your pack?

Snickers - it has more fat than almond joy and hence more calories for its weight! A Stanford study found it a better meal replacement for athletes than Power Bars.

Sorry ???, that is Stever Hertzler, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, J Amer Dietetic Assn, 2000; 100, 1, 97-100.

He compared Power Bar to Snickers and Wonder Bread. 
Link to American Council on Exercise summary of the study: www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitbits_display.aspx?itemid=314

Alpymarr's touring pack includes:

Down jacket
First Aid Kit
Voile Straps
3 energy bars....cliff, power whatever....I like the new Lara bar.
Space Blanket
3 litre bladder
Extra batteries for beacon and camera and headlamp
Always have the camera, even on crappy days, you never know.
Headlamp
Extra Base Layer and mid layer, gloves, face warmer,
Avy gear....duh. Skins are on my skis or in my jacket.

Seems like alot but it all fits in my standard Dakine Blade backpack. I have even been able to bring my glacier rig along, helmet, 8mm rope, harness and pickets. My food choice is meat and cheese, Epic Gourmet burritos es. the Thai one, sesame sticks, leftovers, and Mt. House Pasta Primavera for overniters. BEER: I love beer. Anything from PBR tallboys to micros can be found in my pack, depending on what time of the day you look. I prefer hoppy beers, and religiously seek out Dales Pale Ale. Its great hoppy pale ale in a can. How bout that!. Its brewed by Oskar Blues in CO. They also make a tasty scottish ale. Both are right around 8%abv. Check out where to get some, it's totally worth the extra few bucks to have a micro in a can. Resort days we are just rediculous hauling around 22's of rare beers, or a half rack of Deschutes or something, but thats another story.

I prefer hoppy beers, and religiously seek out Dales Pale Ale. Its great hoppy pale ale in a can. How bout that!. Its brewed by Oskar Blues in CO.

dat some good sh1t, mang.   

why the &^%$# aren't there more hoppy ales available in cans?!?!  

Oh my gosh. This thread is invaluable, thank you. Of particular interest is the micro-brew in a can. I get so tired of wrapping bottles of IPA in duct tape before raft-trips... but so far it's the only way I could haul decent beer on a trip.

Now this is a topic I can sink my teeth into! What is your favorite cheap energy food? Gu and Cytomax (whatever they are) don't count. It has to be the sort of thing you can buy at Safeway in Ballard.

Snickers? Payday bars? Swedish fish? I'm still on the lookout for the perfect energy food for cheapskates.

Lowell, how about bananas? They are inexpensive and provide the right kind of energy. The downside is they do go bad easily.

Power bar Harvest bars are a favorite. Every three weeks they seem to go on sale at my local Albertsons for a dollar per bar.

Dried Mangos (from Wild Oats) I like a lot. If you buy them ahead of time in bulk at Costco, they are probably cheaper than most energy bars.

I love chocolate and candy bars, but I limit myself to only per trip and I don't think of these as energy foods as much as a special treat. On big days I find they often upset my stomach.

Among the "Power Foods" that make it into my pack are:

. Kalles caviar in the tube (not sure if this is what Lowell had in mind when he listed Swedish fish)
. Sardines - unless it's really cold (instead of rather than in addition to caviar)
. Homemade flatbread to go with above
. Homemade jerky (organic beef or turkey)
. Dark chocolate (70%+)
. Lara bars
. Jelly Bellies