Why would any non-commercial group consider packing the food themselves?
• At least one participant should be able to locate needed items during the trip. • The group might save money. Approximately half of the commercial packing cost will be for food and supplies. Planning, shopping, and packing food for an 16-person, 18-day trip could take several man weeks, depending on the quality of the initial plan. The rest of your money buys all that labor. Does your group have the required time? • The process can involve all the participants in pre-trip work sharing, possibly creating group cohesiveness. • The food can be organized the way your group wants it. This may not be an advantage as a skilled food packer does this many times a year and your group may only do it once in many years. Commercial packers also have menu-planning software to help them select the right quantities for any group size and a trained staff who does the job efficiently. What will we eat? • Freeze dried or dehydrated food has the advantage of being very light and not requiring refrigerat
