Favorite Backpacking Meals

In the morning i start with an oatmeal packet and instant coffee. Morning snack is trail mix and honey stinger chews. Lunch is tuna. For dinner I mix half a bag of idahoan potatoes with Ramen noodles.
 
For the main course, mountain house beef stew, chili mac, lasagna, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast skillet. Can’t stand the other mountain house flavors, I’ve just eaten too many. For summer backpacking I like fresh trout with instant mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. I’ve made backcountry quesadillas with cheese slices and tortillas on a hot rock next to the fire.

I don’t do much of a breakfast, just instant oatmeal. If it’s cold I’ll eat a biscuits and gravy or breakfast skillet while glassing. For snacks, trail mix with cranberries, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, m&ms. Summer sausage and cheese in a tortilla. Honey stinger waffles, fun size snickers bars, fruit snacks. Smoked salmon. I can’t do cliff bars anymore.

Always a fruit flavored electrolyte drink or two. For coffee, Starbucks Via. For dessert, a shot of whiskey in a cup of hot spiced tea.

I need to try the backpacker’s pantry and peak meals.
 
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Looks like Peak Refuel just released 3 different meals. Looking to giving them a try. Been pretty happy with there stuff
 
Runnin_Chupacabra said:
Was looking up some budget meals to bring on a backpack hunt. One I liked was top ramen and beef jerky in the jetboil; topped off with some teriyaki after. Wondering everyone's favorite backpacking meals?!
Click to expand...
very interested in the replies but my question would be for how long? If you are going for like 10 days you have to be alot more cautious about weight and food keeping then if you are going for like 5 days.
On my 12 day hunt my flat bread was moldy for the last 2 days.
PreCooked Bacon was 100% solid the whole time and added to 2 meals a day.
Fritos Tasted just as good on the first day as the last day.
I did Mountain House Back Country Pantry and I am going to try Heather's Choice this year - very intersted in dehydrated foods vs freeze dried. On my Sheep Hunt my friend EA had Peak's meals and was happy with them.

I will say of all the food I brought - the only ones that still were delicious after 12 days of the same meals were:
Summer Sausage and Cheese (I vacuum sealed the day before we left in 4"x2" cut down bags)
Peanut M&M's
Fritos
Kirkland PreCooked Bacon.

Everything else was garbage. Need to find better breakfast solutions then MountainHouse or Oatmeal.
 
ThunderNocked said:
very interested in the replies but my question would be for how long? If you are going for like 10 days you have to be alot more cautious about weight and food keeping then if you are going for like 5 days.
On my 12 day hunt my flat bread was moldy for the last 2 days.
PreCooked Bacon was 100% solid the whole time and added to 2 meals a day.
Fritos Tasted just as good on the first day as the last day.
I did Mountain House Back Country Pantry and I am going to try Heather's Choice this year - very intersted in dehydrated foods vs freeze dried. On my Sheep Hunt my friend EA had Peak's meals and was happy with them.

I will say of all the food I brought - the only ones that still were delicious after 12 days of the same meals were:
Summer Sausage and Cheese (I vacuum sealed the day before we left in 4"x2" cut down bags)
Peanut M&M's
Fritos
Kirkland PreCooked Bacon.

Everything else was garbage. Need to find better breakfast solutions then MountainHouse or Oatmeal.
Click to expand...

The peak refuel granola is a very good breakfast. I was surprised by how good it was.
 
one way to do "mountain house" style meals on a budget is by getting the $1 rice a roni or pasta roni meals in the grocery store. You can buy a mountain house #10 can that is just freeze dried meat for protein. Clean out an used mountain house pouch to cook the meal in when you add boiling water. Those pouches have worked great for me on a rice a roni/pasta roni for cooking when you throw in the boiling water. I just buy the meals that only need water. not milk. heck, mountain house even has #10 cnas with just freeze dried vegetables if you wanted to slip something else into the meals.
 
Came across Pinnacle Foods Co last summer. Ordered some B&G for last years hunt and I can honestly say that it’s the best backpacking food that I have ever had. Highly recommend.
 
I've had good luck with Pinnacle. I've been testing meals to prep for this fall. I can tell you that you should not test meals before work. The MH "Scrambled Eggs and Uncured Bacon" I had this morning about killed me.
 
Thread started with commments of tuna and other fishy delights. I am often in bear country, including griz. I aint bringing fish. Lots on here more seasoned hunters than I but logic prevails on that one for me. I’m too old to go looking for fights. I stick to Mountain House, but I’m a washed up alpinist.
 
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What's the generic dried food in a box from costco? Mountain House? No favorites necessary. Stroganoff, lasagna, chicken and rice, etc... add hot water and a cow patty would likely taste good back at camp after how long I drag my arse over mountain range(s)... I f-k up too often and hike more than glass. It's a work in progress.

I can not tell whether the Mountain House random pull from my bag is as fantastic tasting as I think or if I'm too damn tired to decide. :)

in a nutshell, if it works, don't fix it and Mountain House works just fine.
 
backpackingchef (website) and hungryhiker (youtube) both have some great recipes for making your own meals from either items easy to dehydrate or from store shelf. you can find some pretty decent prices for bulk dehydrated ingredients on sites like garage grown gear and trailtopia or always amazon. I also bought a box of re-sealable pouch bags for my own meals. I find that making my own helps with, my tastes, package sizing, amount of water needed based on availability of hunt locations

somethings im going to try this year
  • grits, dehydrated cheese and bacon bits
  • granola, dried berries and powdered full fat milk
  • ramen with variety of extra ingredients added
  • instant mashed with dehydrated chicken, veggies and gravy sauce packet
  • pasta sides and dehydrated chicken
plus have to add a few of my favorites like B & G to the mix.
 
Philthyphil said:
Thread started with commments of tuna and other fishy delights. I am often in bear country, including griz. I aint bringing fish. Lots on here more seasoned hunters than I but logic prevails on that one for me. I’m too old to go looking for fights. I stick to Mountain House, but I’m a washed up alpinist.
Click to expand...
I about mountain housed my trousers when a friend whipped out some tuna and salami on a trip into a bear-sy part of the Bob two years ago. We survived of course, but I was going to be extra bummed if I got chomped on over a tuna packet.

Mountain House breakfast scramble and their beef stroganoff make my world go round. Also, instant coffee packets back in them woods for me.

I do think I’m gonna save my empties and try @tdoubled ’s bootleg version here soon though.
 
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