Commercial Backpack meal brands

[MThuntr]

Looking for a comprehensive list of commercial brands of freeze dried or dehydrated backpack meals no matter how big, small, cheap, or expensive. Have 30 days of backpacking over 4 trips scheduled this summer plus an additional 14ish days for hunting. My prep time is at a premium because I will also be on the road in hotels most weeks but I plan to make some of my own when I can. I'm particularly interested in something different and plan to avoid Mountain House, Alpine Air, and Backpacker Pantry as much as possible. Small companies will likely get my attention first so I'd love to hear about them.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Look into Peak Refuel. I used it on my last hunt and i was satisfied with it.

 

[Backcountry Hunter 2]

Off Grid
Heather's Choice

 

[cahunter805]

Peak refuel is definitely a great choice. Pack it gourmet is another but does require a little more water and a warming cozy.

 

[MThuntr]

A buddy just texted me about Sasquatch Meals out of Bozeman...he said he liked them. Looks like Peak Refuel gets a nod.

I'll add that I had great luck with Paleo Meals to Go now rebranded as Wild Zora meals. They've gotten quite large and I see them at REI and Walmart now.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

Mountian Ops is suppose to be coming out with a line of freeze dried meals, if they haven't already. I don't really keep up with it all. Will be trying my first Peak Refuel on a trip next week.

 

[recurveman]

Below are some items that might work. The calories per ounce on these are really good. I'm kind of over most of the mountain house/ dehydrated meals. I would like a bit more variety than a pro bar and mountain house meals. I think it really makes a big difference on the longer trips where it can get old after more than a long weekend. One meal that I really like (home made) is granola/ dried berries / dehydrated milk put into a baggie. Just add 4-5oz of water and have at it. Super simple, fast, clean and it has a bit of crunch. Kind of sick of eating mushy food too after awhile. I think with a little planning you could really eat a lot more variety in the back country than I see most others eating.

Ramen

Knorr rice

Dehydrated beans

Salame

Pepperoni

Knorr pasta

Peanut butter singles

tillamook singles cheddar

snikers

peanut M&M's

reeses cups

fritos

slim jims

dried cherries

cranberry/ raisan/ almond granola

Strawberries

bannana chips

oreo's box 5.2oz

candied peacans / traders joes?

Dried whole milk

dehydrated chicken

dehydranted beef?

mayo packets

olive oil

creem cheese

bagle

10' tortilla

trail mix

smoked nuts

peanut butter pretzels (10 Pieces)

emmy's organics coconut cookies

fruit leather

 

[Pucky Freak]

I'm particularly interested in something different

Small companies will likely get my attention first so I'd love to hear about them.

Not entirely sure what your objective is here. Different in what ways?
You want quirky nontraditional fare? You want to support small businesses?

I don't do any commercially packaged meals because I think the price is high and the quality leaves much to be desired. Plus there is a surprising amount of fresh food that lasts several days without refrigeration.

Not sure if it is any help, but I prep my own backpacking meals from stuff you can buy at any grocery store, with very minimal prep time, as in measured in minutes, not hours. Let me know if you'd like more info

I think the best use of commercially packaged food is for trips longer than 1 week where you will not have access to a grocery store.

 

[WyoDoug]

Mountain House sold at Sportsman Warehouse is high protein meal good for camping and elk hunting. Add water and ready in about 10 minutes. I do believe they come with they come with magnesium based heaters like the military MREs do which are water activated. I myself am retired military, so I buy a case of MREs for hunting every year and use that for my meals in the field.

 

[MThuntr]

Not entirely sure what your objective is here. Different in what ways?
You want quirky nontraditional fare? You want to support small businesses?

I don't do any commercially packaged meals because I think the price is high and the quality leaves much to be desired. Plus there is a surprising amount of fresh food that lasts several days without refrigeration.

Not sure if it is any help, but I prep my own backpacking meals from stuff you can buy at any grocery store, with very minimal prep time, as in measured in minutes, not hours. Let me know if you'd like more info

I think the best use of commercially packaged food is for trips longer than 1 week where you will not have access to a grocery store.

My objective is just that...a list of companies that make premade backpack meals that are available. I know there are smaller companies that make potentially new and/or different products so that's why I said I'd be interested in trying those. As stated price is of little concern just want a list of makers. I know quality can be questionable which is why I want to avoid Mtn House et al. These trips will be on foot for around 10 days while moving camp and working 10hr days gathering data for the FS so space, weight, and convenience are a premium.

 

[WyoDoug]

Hard to answer your question for a 10 day trip unless you want to consider renting a llama or mule to carry things. Even dehydrated food for 10 days can be a quite a bit of weight added to your other gear. Unless you want to consider getting as much as you can off the land. I never liked the cheaper dehydrated foods and only bought them a few times. So I carry military MREs I buy from the commissary, but not 10 days worth. But then I never venture more than a day or so away from base camp. If you are going on trips like that for 10 days, you might want to think about renting a llama or mule to carry your gear and food. Anyway you put it, food for 10 days is going to be bulky and have a little bit of weight.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Prunes....that is all. You are welcome.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Peak refuels actually taste pretty darn good. Like others have stated. They are based out of American fork, Utah.
I've also had 4 Patriots survival food kits given to me as gifts from my preparing for the apocalypse uncle and they are good. I dont know anything about the company tho.

 

[Scott85]

This list encompasses a lot more than just freeze dried meals, it's a good list of companies that have a wide range of stuff from single packets of condiments to protein cookies, to a place that sells a bunch of bulk freeze dried food to make your own meals.

Travel Size Toiletries | Minimus your Travel Size Products Superstore The world leader in all things travel-sized with over 2500 travel size products and miniature items. Find your favorite products in travel sizes now! www.minimus.biz

Packit Gourmet Backpacking Meals and Groceries

Welcome to HawK VittleS - Our freeze dried entrees are lightweight and delicious! See all of our delicious entrees and try some on your next outdoor adventure! hawkvittles.com

Lehman's Hardware Store | Order Online Live simply with the Lehman's hardware online store. We sell oil lamps, wood cook stoves & more. Non-electric tools & homesteading supplies since 1955. www.lehmans.com

Freeze Dried Food | Mountain House Mountain House specializes in freeze-dried foods for all climates & adventures. From Biscuits & Gravy to Chicken Fajitas, we've got you covered! Free shipping on orders over $99! www.mountainhouse.com

Backpacker's Bistro | Portland, OR | Gourmet Camping Meals Backpacker's Bistro provides a gourmet, nutritious alternative to traditional backpacking food. www.backpackersbistro.com

Trailtopia Trailtopia is dedicated to providing great and convenient food for all of your outdoor adventures! www.trailtopia.com

Off Grid Food Company | Food for the Backcountry Off Grid Food Co. is a backcountry food company. We pride ourselves on Qualitty ingredients, Sustainability and Conversation of our natural spaces. offgridfood.co

Greenbelly Meals A high calorie, stoveless backpacking meal designed for thru-hikers and long-distance backpackers. These are the definition of non cook, ready-to-eat, ultralight weight backpacking food. Made with all natural ingredients, each meal pouch contains two high calorie and high nutrition meal bars. www.greenbelly.co

FBOMB Nut Butters Fuel up whenever, wherever. We grind our all-natural nut butters using a proprietary cool-grind process that produces a creamy base texture with a few small nut chunks. Nobody else has nut butters like ours and we hope you love them as much as we do. www.dropanfbomb.com

Lenny & Larry’s | The Complete Cookie Top selling vegan plant-based protein cookies: chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, double chocolate. 10g Fiber, 16g Protein, No Eggs, No Dairy, No Soy, Non GMO www.lennylarry.com

Peak Refuel Peak Refuel peakrefuel.com

DIY Backpacking Food | Recipes for Adventure Tired of freeze-dried meals? Make your own backpacking food. Recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts. Grab a spoon and let’s get started. www.backpackingchef.com

 

[Bluejeep]

Mountain House sold at Sportsman Warehouse is high protein meal good for camping and elk hunting. Add water and ready in about 10 minutes. I do believe they come with they come with magnesium based heaters like the military MREs do which are water activated. I myself am retired military, so I buy a case of MREs for hunting every year and use that for my meals in the field.

They don't come with heater packets, just a desicant pack which you remove before adding water (but somehow I almost always forget ).

When in the back country, I prefer meals with almost no prep. If it involves much more then boiling water, I tend to shy away from it.

 

[wyoboypt]

Hard to beat mountain house when you can’t pack a cooler full of fresh food.

 

[WyoDoug]

This is an article that might be interesting to you. It was on the UHEF forum (Corey Jacobsen):

https://backwoodspursuit.com/best-f...g7wEgTfR79djEFmU3hZHgSw_mvHY75B7hcFpIDYbXeqMM

 

[nrpate05]

https://mytrailfork.com/

Just saw these for the first time in a local mountaineering store today. Made in Boulder, CO so they gotta have some good stuff in them right? Haven't tried them, but they look pretty tasty.

 

[MTGomer]

For snacks check out Pili Hunters

Highest cal/oz ratio I’ve ever had and pretty good.

Rxbar nut butter is good too.

 

[jvanhoy]

Not to derail but has anyone used the can mountain houses? I bought some for cheap on the web for base camp and wondering the best method to make 1 serving since there’s no pouch to add water and seal up.