Best Dehydrated Backpack Food

longpoke · Jul 11, 2011

Just wondering what you all have found is the best tasting backpack food to take for a 3-5 pack trip. I have a jet-boil and tend to buy Mountain House meals. I usually have instant oatmeal for breakfast and protein shakes and gatorade for lunch. Are there other brands that taste as good, but are cheaper. What are your favorite meals/flavors?

Thanks,

Tony

trophyhunter · Jul 12, 2011

We use Mountain House. Over the last 5 years most dehydrated meals have come a long way in taste. We usually pack a meals for 2 for one person each meal.

After a hard days hunt we find theX2 a perfect portion. If you don't have one pick up one of those silver insulated holding bags to keep your meal warm during waiting time as the meal sits absorbing the hot water. Great for keeping the meals hot in very cold weather hunting conditions.

All the menu items offered are great...
X2 meals use 8oz water per meal= 1 bottled water
We always take our meal water in the bottled water its pre measured and once used the container weighs next to nothing to pack out. We usually do not have a close by water source for a filter pump.

))))........>

longpoke · Jul 12, 2011

Thanks for the reply. I aggre and do use Mountain house for my dinners. I was just wondering if there was anything new out there I had not tried yet. Has anyone tried the big 10 serving cans for a multiple day pack in? Looks like they may take up some room.

trophyhunter · Jul 12, 2011

longpoke: one new item we tried last year is a concentrated liquid coffee called java java that we purchased at REI. Just add hot water or drink it in cold water as an ice coffee... not bad stuff. Also Starbucks has come out with a similar product. It gets one by on the coffee fix and is very quick to prepare in the early AM in the backcountry.

We tried a couple of those MRE's that have the heat pack installed. Food was ok but the weight for several days is a big issue. I won't purchase them again...unless one was only on a day trip and wanted a hot meal. Prep time is 20min so they take awhile.

)))).......>

HoofsUp · Jul 17, 2011

Try Hawk Vittles, the one that I tried was better tasting than MH and he seems to have some different meals. Just google it and you should be able to find it.

alsatian · Jul 25, 2011

I like Mountain House Beef Stroganoff. Give that a try.

For breakfast I eat imported Swiss Familia -- a kind of traditional Mueselix cereal comprising rolled oats and some sliced nuts. We also use about 1/4 cup dehydrated fruit -- strawberries, sliced mango, blueberries, etc -- which we add hot water to the night before: by morning they are well hydrated. We just add cereal and fruit and fruit liquid to a bowl, add more water if needed add dried milk to taste, stir, and voila! I love this breakfast. I strongly associate this with backpacking in the mountains.

208JBB · Jul 26, 2011

I started buying the MT house meals in bulk, and it has worked out great. The 2 serving meals are a bit to much for me, so it's nice to be able to package the meals to the size that I want. If you package your meals in a vacuum sealed bag you can also cook in that. I usually use sandwich bags and just clean out the original bags for mixing/cooking the meals in. When you buy in bulk you can also get freeze dried fruits and can mix your own flavors of oatmeal.

My favorite flavors are Lasagna with meat sauce, spaghetti with meat balls, turkey tetrazzini, Chicken ala king.

JB

califhuntn · Sep 4, 2011

I like the MH meals too. The only issue I have is the very high level of sodium. I know REI has a brand that offers an organic dehydrated meal. South Cox makes his own meals. Maybe that's the way to go.

JR

hunt4130 · Sep 10, 2011

found all of your post helpful.

bwhntr23 · Sep 14, 2011

I started using the food from The Outdoor Trail, I get it at Sportsman's or Smith and Edwards. Tastes fantastic, better than the Mtn. House in my opinion.

Elkhunter96 · Sep 18, 2011

Outdoor Trail is good stuff. I just wish they used the same packaging that Mountain House does...

buck88 · Oct 11, 2011

I get THESE Coleman 2-person 2-day packs (if your feeding just yourself then is good for a 4 day trip, all 3 meals). It's just $60 so I think its a really good deal. I personally like the Mac N Cheese

backstraps · Dec 23, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Dec-23-11 AT 06:34PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-23-11 AT 06:32?PM (MST)

Am I the only guy that hates the dehydrated meals.

First ones OK and by night two I'd rather go hungry.

For me I just pack in a double dose of PB,bacon,and honey sandwhichs on toasted bread. Good for 5 days.

+1 on the instant coffee though if your going to be packing a stove.

nmwapiti · Dec 25, 2011

if you want something different go to a natural grocery store that sells bulk food. Buy some dehydrated refried beans, go to taco bell and take a bunch of the hot sauce packets and pack in a few tortillas. make up a pot of beans at camp and make some burritos! hot and fresh and wont take up much space or weight in the back pack.

Phantom Hunter · Dec 25, 2011

Due to being afflicted with Celiac disease,I cannot eat most freeze dried meals due to wheat content. So I have found foil packs of chicken and tuna along with dried mashed potatoes and rice packets can make a good substitute for freeze dried entrees. Add in some dried fruit and Zone Bars and I can get by. Don't do a lot of backpacking and my horses can carry a little extra weight so freeze dried meals are not essential. It is nice to have a hot meal on the side of the mountain when it is cold.

BPKHunter · Jan 6, 2012

I found I am pretty happy with many of the MH meals. Chili Mac is my favorite, bring a 1oz bag of fritos for crunch with each 2x meal. Often I don't finish the meal for dinner, but I just put the uneaten portion in some boiling water the next day to warm it up. I do buy some seperate packs of dehy veg, like corn to add a little more variety, along with multiple packs of soy or hot sauce. Oatmeal with some added nuts/fruit for brkfst. All is good.

On the sodium, if you are working hard you need a little extra salt to replace that lost in sweat, so is that a bad thing?

O2BNAlaska · Jan 22, 2012

I have found Backpacker's Pantry meals to be a little bit better than Mountain House if there are two hunters. We took these on an arctic caribou hunt. BP meals for two are really adequate for two by volume whereas MH meals for two are not adequate for two who are hunting hard. Good taste, good variety, competitive price. Hawks Vittles are tasty; however the bag is not a zip lock and is not gussetted so you have to be careful it doesn't spill while soaking.

cbeard · Jan 29, 2012

Well I do not agree about Backpacker's Pantry but different strokes I guess. About half of my buddy's meals on our last trip were BP and I seriously thought he might shoot me in my sleep to get my MH meals by about Day 5.

Brandon82 · Jun 8, 2012

Mountin House all the way. Although I personally am a fan of the sweet and sour pork and chilimac.

A word of caution, if you are bringin more than one round of chilimac into the wilderness pack and extra roll of TP. Brutal.

HoofsUp · Jun 10, 2012

>
>A word of caution, if you
>are bringin more than one
>round of chilimac into the
>wilderness pack and extra roll
>of TP. Brutal.

Maybe more than one extra roll...somewhere at the top of the Steens Mountain sits chili mac rock!

deepforks · Jul 2, 2012

>
>>
>>A word of caution, if you
>>are bringin more than one
>>round of chilimac into the
>>wilderness pack and extra roll
>>of TP. Brutal.
>
>Maybe more than one extra roll...somewhere
>at the top of the
>Steens Mountain sits chili mac
>rock!

that....is f###ing disgusting. ha ha ha!!