Dehydrated Meal Packs

[WBouldin]

The new Cabelas catalog arrived today and I came across these food packets for camping that only take boiling water to turn into a meal. They sound perfect for my backpacking expedition across Yosemite in a few months but I dont see how they can taste good. Anybody used em and be able to recommend a specific brand or entree that is stomachable? Haha I want these to work but I don't kno how you get beef and cheese lasagna by adding water to some dried out food.

 

[JohnCushman]

I tried the chili mac from the wal mart sporting goods section and it really wasn't too bad with some hot sauce added to it

 

[jpomai]

What was the brand? If they are mountain house then I can say they are the best I have found. If not I don't know. I have done quite a bit of spike camp hunting and have used the mountain house for the last few years. Lots of varieties and most of them are pretty good. Would definately recommend getting the 2 person size as they will fill the average person up and not leave you still hungry. Hope this helps.

 

[Ultrahunter]

There's lot's of good Mountain House meals. I pretty much live on them from Sep till about Thanksgiving.

 

[WBouldin]

Thanks J. That is the brand I was looking at so I really appreciate the input

 

[WapitiBob]

You never heard of freeze dried food?
You need to get out more.


Get a jetBoil, a cpl cans of fuel, a bunch of Mt House and head out. We've been eating that stuff for decades. The cheese in the lasagna tends to stick to your spork though ....

get the 2 meal packs, search online for the best price, $4.99 is about right for the stuff that is regularly 6.99

 

[Amand]

I agree the mountain house brand is pretty good. I have used them on boundry water trips as well as hunting trips and most of them actually taste pretty good. Granted they aren't exactly home cooked meals but they were alot better then I was expecting and they are really easy to make.

If you have a Sams or costco membership check out their websites and you can get some really good deals on packages. You can't pick exactly which meals you get this way but it will cut the cost down tremendously.

 

[JCS]

I also like the mountain house brand. Chicken/rice and the stew are probably my favorite.

Several years ago, I just tried a few out every week until I found the ones I liked. They taste better when you are backpacking and are several miles from you vehicle.

 

[Riverbottom]

I have yet to find a Mountain House meal or Richmoor meal I didn't like. With a jetboil, water is boiling in about one minute. Pour the boiling water directly into the dried food and wait about 8-10 minutes before eating. Hard to beat a hot meal when in the backcountry.

 

[Brock-ID]

I have also been using the Mt. House. I usually pick up one every week or so to hold it for the time of year when I will be using them.
Where is everybody shopping at to locate the best deals for them?

 

[HUNTMAN]

I love mnt house and eat them year round. From hunting to out of the way jobs.They are the best tasting but high in salt.I like chili mac and lasagna.also mac and cheese with a pack of tuna almost 1500 cal.

 

[6speed]

I can't believe no one has talked about the ice cream sandwiches yet. The meals are good but if you know there is an ics at the end of the day life is good.

 

[Bambistew]

I buy online in bulk/cans. On a per meal basis the cans are just a little cheaper, and you can customize the amount you eat. I think the best part is you can cut down on the bulk of the packaging, if you use Ziplok bags.

 

[WapitiBob]

If you buy bulk, here is a link to "standing" zip lock bags that make filling easier.
http://trailfoods.com/mealgear.html

I also add little foam strips to keep the fuel and fire pot from rattling.

 

[sweetnectar]

Sometimes some good old instant oatmeal hits the spot for me. Mountian house is good and all but I've been paying around $7 for a meal.

 

[hardscrabble]

Beef stroganoff, it just doesn't get any better. I have found good prices on Mountain House at Fleet Farm, if you have this store in you area check it out. They are about a dollar cheeper than other sports stores.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

As many people here have already mentioned, I too love Mountain House. It is the best brand I have tasted. I like all of the entrees from this brand that I have tried. I also like the Chicken Alfredo from Backpacker's Pantry, but can't say I cared for the other entrees from Backpacker's Pantry very much.
I would also recommend the Jetboil. It works great.
I got the 2 serving packs of Mountain House. One package is all I needed per day for my only food for the day. I haven't tried the smaller packages, but I might next time. They take up much less space and add up to much less garbage to pack out if you are doing a long trip.
I also brought a bowl along because the 2 serving packages are kind of big to eat out of, and it is a lot easier to clean a bowl than to clean the Jetboil. I just used the Jetboil to boil the water.
I was also impressed with how long a fuel canister lasted with the Jetboil. We had one large canister (I think maybe 8 oz). It lasted us the whole 2 weeks we were there while boiling water for 2 to 3 packages per day. We still had some fuel left in the canister at the end of the trip.
As for where to buy Mountain House, I wouldn't get it at Cabelas. I bought mine there this last year and discovered later that I could have gotten it other places cheaper (e.g., REI, Wal-Mart, Fleet Farm).

 

[klenke91]

Mountain house meals are the easiest, just boil the 2 cups of water and let stand, most of them taste pretty good too. We use those on our moose hunting trip in northern mn, saved alot of pack space rather than taking food to make meals.

 

[turkeyguy53]

Try "www.dailybread.com" ...excellent quality and great bulk prices too.....

 

[mconway951]

the mountain house meals are great i picked up a bunch couple of weeks ago at REI they were clearanceing them out for end of season but they last a long long long long time so I stocked up for this fall found some pretty interesting deserts to try, the entrees were really good and bfast ere good to to have something ohter than oatmeal for week in a row everymorning