What's your Favorite Freeze Dried Food for Backpacking and hiking?

Codger_64 said:
Scrambled eggs/bacon (or sausage), omlets etc. are much improved over what they were in the late '60s and early '70's, but still not great. A couple of slices of fresh frozen bacon and an egg or two do not weigh that much and are still my preference. I carry a tiny nalgene of cooking oil or butter and a split backpacker's salt/pepper shaker, an aluminum "one egg wonder" skillet and a nylon spatula. So little weight for so much pleasure! Of course nowdays I cheat and use a canoe so that small weight addition isn't a factor.
Click to expand...

Farm eggs last and dont need refrigeration but they are fragile and hard to carry unless you have:

41pBgAHHJ9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Big fan of the MH Chicken and rice. The beef stew is good, too. The Chili Mac is good, but give me chicken and rice any day. I have a pouch of the backpackers pantry lasagna that I have not tried yet.
 
soapboxpreacher said:
Farm eggs last and dont need refrigeration but they are fragile and hard to carry unless you have:

41pBgAHHJ9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Click to expand...

I have one of those bought a few years ago but the molded hinge broke the first use. I get by with wrapping my eggs in paper towels and packing them in a pot to protect them. I haven't broken one yet. But as I mentioned earlier, I don't backpack hike any more and my gear seldom takes hard knocks in my canoe.

I will mention that besides the obvious use of eggs... (fried, scrambled, French toast) they are a needed ingrediant in several things I cook on trips such as brownies and Jiffy cornbread mixes. And a boiled egg makes a good addition to a quick lunch of crackers, summer sausage and cheese. I've never found a powdered or freeze dried egg mix that tastes like or has the same texture as fresh eggs. And as I have gotten older, good food when camping has become much more important to my enjoyment of outdoor experiences. When I was a sprout I could eat plain noodles or anything or nothing at all and be content. Now I like to smooth it, not rough it.

So I'll add to look at bread/cornbread mixes, pancake mixes and brownie/cookie mixes. Almost all can be prepared on a campfire with care, on a stove or as I have done recently, in a backpacker oven. Be sure to note on the package needed ingredients that are not included. Some require adding oil, eggs or milk. Most can be mixed easily enough in a zip-lock baggie to save dirtying another bowl, pot or pan. Some can be divided ahead of time into smaller portions. Be sure to cut the instructions from the package before you discard it though and pack it with the marked baggies. Brownies in the wild that turn out to be hot pudding are not a total waste, but can be disappointing. COrnbread that turns out corn meal mush is not good.

MAURICE said:
Big fan of the MH Chicken and rice. The beef stew is good, too. The Chili Mac is good, but give me chicken and rice any day. I have a pouch of the backpackers pantry lasagna that I have not tried yet.
Click to expand...

I had a teriyaki meal this summer that was very good. I added some dried pineapple from my trail snack mix to plump it up. It might have been a bit better too if I had packed little packets of soy sauce from the chinese take out resturaunt. Condiment packets from resturants are a great source for add-ons and enhancements.
 
I've eat just about most all freeze dried meals, & the best I've had is the backpacker pantry salmon & pesto, but it's almost $15 for 1 packet!!! It's about as good as restaurant food. They make an apple pie dessert thing as well, but I can't prepare it the way their directions tell you. However, it makes for damn fine drop apple dumplin' out in the woods! My favorite thing to do while camping (not hiking per se) is carry in frozen steaks and a pack of instant smashed taters for the first night and fresh farm eggs for breakfast on day 2, 3, & so on.
 
If you have any Amish stores around you, i HIGHLY recommend them. We have 1 not too far away. Their powdered gravies & cheese sauces & hollandaise sauce are so good, i can't tell them from home made. Yes, they are really that good. Plus, most things are sold in bulk too. Easy to make your own stuff, like mac & cheese up with the spices YOU like & the beans & meat that you like. Tastes MUCH better than those freeze dried things. Just a suggestion.
 
I have to admit that I have only tried one, Packit Gourmet, And they are excellent!!!
My favorite so far is the Market Pasta Puttanesca, Their prices are fair considering that
the portions are quite generous. And I've bought some from Campsaver when they have
a sale. They may be available from others but you can also get them direct.
Truly quality meals.
 
Harvest Foodworks, hands down the best out there. Most meals require a bit of cooking and are not just the "add boiling water and serve" type, but i think its worth carrying the extra fuel to have the added flavour.

33967b68876d447ce07074a53009193f.jpg


Their powdered vegetable shortening is a standard part of my mess-kit, replaces butter/margarine for pan frying without the mess and need for refrigeration.

One of my favourite "grocery store" dried camp meals is Uncle Bens boil-in-the-bag rice mixed with two packs of Lipton-Cup-o-Soup Garden Vegetable; cheap, tasty, and full of calories.
 
Last edited:
Mountain Wildman said:
I have to admit that I have only tried one, Packit Gourmet, And they are excellent!!!
My favorite so far is the Market Pasta Puttanesca, Their prices are fair considering that
the portions are quite generous. And I've bought some from Campsaver when they have
a sale. They may be available from others but you can also get them direct.
Truly quality meals.
Click to expand...

PASTA PUTTANESCA!!! There is a GOD! Ahhhh! My mother would slap me in the back of the head if she knew! I can hear it already..."How did I raise you?" "You gonna break a me heart" "All these a years, slaving over a stove, stiring and a stirring...so you can buy a pasta in an envelope!"
 
German Travellunch make some dishes that are amazing and some that are total crap.

Apple cereal is ok. Chocolate cereal is the bomb! Especially served warm on a cold winter hike.
6953329398_9ae65a1b61_z.jpg


Sphagetti bolognese is excellent too!
4040326966_76edb09670_z.jpg


And who can say no to apple pancakes with honey, jam or chocolate spread?
6207703198_0b71dc2a45_z.jpg
 
The Coleman Mac and Cheese with veggies is pretty darn good, especially when you add some fried Spam in it! YUM!
 
I really enjoyed the MH spaghetti and the lasagna, I had a chicken and rice one that was great too, enjoyed a beef stew one then I looked at the sodium, huge amount. A little hot sauce goes a long way as well, the one with the rooster is my fave, srirachi?
 
I have had the mountain house scrambled eggs and bacon a couple times and thought it was OK. I can eat the chicken and rice but it's difficult to avoid having a few crunchies in there. I tried the beef stew and hated it. I thought it tasted like cat puke. Fortunately my buddy had a bottle of tabasco sauce with him and I drown it until my eyes watered but at least I was able to choke it down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top