Originally Posted by
colorado_rob
For most, that 5000-6000 figure is myth. Overweight and badly out of shape guys, maybe, but I bet a buck the actual figure is more like 4000 or so for the average hiker.
Just one actual data point, similar for my hiking buddies, I carry around 3000 calories (~1.5-1.6 pounds) worth of food per day, eat 95% of that (always some waste), supplement with big meals in town stops, and don't lose weight. I'm 6-1, 185 pounds, for reference. I know these calorie numbers very accurately, due to a thorough book-keeping study some years ago. Folks that don't keep accurate track of what they eat along with subsequent weight gain/loss records, just plain don't know what they burn.
Online or phone app "calculators" I think are grossly off on the high side.
Now come the claims of 6000+....