Back Country Meals

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I’m not going to lie… I felt dumb for never thinking of this, but I heard someone talking about removing their freeze dried meals from the store package to save weight and space. Does anyone else do this? Would you just carry a bowl and rehydrate in this? I backpack often and since I use them as their own bowl I’ve never thought of another option. I wonder how much weight you really save…
 
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I take them out and put in a ziplock baggy. You can get a cozy that holds the baggy to keep it warm. Cant remember off hand which one I got. Think it is from Hyperlite Mountain gear. IMO meal does not stay as warm idk.

Dont think it saves much if any weight. However, for those 5 day trips it sure saves space for other gear in my pack. Another thing is you can add more dehydrated meat or whatever to get more calories.
 

mtnwrunner

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Ditto on the weight. I'm pretty sure it won't save anything significant but you can certainly cut down on the bulk. It's amazing on how much space the packaging on the freeze dried takes up. And when you repackage them into zip locks, you can divide them in half as some of the meals are a ton of food.
Save you more room for whisky.:D

Randy
 

Jauwater

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I have one of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Repacks as well. I use the Ziplock Freezer bags with the smart zip. The weight savings isn't very noticable, but the space saved is, as mentioned above in another post.

I just heat up some water. Place the bag in the Repack. Fill the Ziplock with the hot water, and let it sit for how ever long is recommended for whatever it is your cooking.

Although, I usually bring fresh vegetables, meats, spices, etc, on most backpacking trips. During those times I use the repack to store the frozen meat. Keeps it cooler just a little longer.

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Dump the package into a freezer bag.

Add boiling water.

Put freezer bag into one of the empty mylar bags or insulate with a beanie or similar.
 
OP
J
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Sounds like I’m getting another piece of gear… seems like it’s definitely worth it, for bulk alone. Thanks for the ideas guys!
 

Opah

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Why add more stuff? the bags the meals come in are made to cook in, add the hot water and eat, then burn the package ? seems like a pretty productive system to me. every day your pack is getting lighter and no bowl to rinse or clean or wipe out.
is to much air in the package is a issue, poke a little hole in the top of the bage squeze out the air when you pack?
 

thinhorn_AK

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Why add more stuff? the bags the meals come in are made to cook in, add the hot water and eat, then burn the package ? seems like a pretty productive system to me. every day your pack is getting lighter and no bowl to rinse or clean or wipe out.
is to much air in the package is a issue, poke a little hole in the top of the bage squeze out the air when you pack?

I don’t get it either. I always use old new bags to put trash in as I go, I’m not really sure what benefit there would be to switching them to freezer bags and buying one of those hyperlite Hester bag things. I guess somebody said pack space, some of those dehydrated meals can be pretty bulky.

I’d also like to re iterate again, meals from “good to go” are horrible.
 

mlgc20

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I just finished packing for an 8 day trip. I repackaged all my dinners. Significant savings in bulk. Little difference in weight. For me, it depends on how long the trip is. For a 3-4 day trip, I just leave it in the original packaging. For a 7-14 day trip, I always repackage.

The insulated cozy comes in very handy at higher elevations where it can take twice as long for your food to rehydrate. It depends on the meal. It doesn’t matter too much on a 10 minute meal, that gets extended to 20 minutes at high altitude. But, a 15 minute meal that takes 30 minutes at higher altitude will stay hot as can be in a cozy. If it’s 0 degrees out and your bag of food is sitting out for 30 minutes, it won’t be as warm as I’d like it to be.
 

Jauwater

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I don’t get it either. I always use old new bags to put trash in as I go, I’m not really sure what benefit there would be to switching them to freezer bags and buying one of those hyperlite Hester bag things. I guess somebody said pack space, some of those dehydrated meals can be pretty bulky.

I’d also like to re iterate again, meals from “good to go” are horrible.
It was my first time just recently experimenting with this practice of switching out the bags they come in with freezer bags on my most recent past hike. I prepared for 3 weeks worth of food. When I was finished I tried crumbling all the bags up with both hands to make a ball, and I couldn't do it. It was to large to manage. I could have easily managed to crumple up all the freezer bags I used into a ball with both hands. I didn't crumple up the freezer bags to get an exact comparison, but I'd bet moving all that food to freezer bags was an overall 30% space saver. Granted it was for three weeks of food though. If you only doing a few nights it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Switching out your bags with freezer bags is more of a thru hiker practice then a hunter practice. It also saves alot on shipping when your shipping your food drops during thru hikes.

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Opah

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What is the issue with burning the bags after use, I mean Ash is ash, it will break down and return to nature. ?
A question ? if it is bulky in the manufacture bag how is it not going to be bulky in a zip lock freezer bag ?
Sounds like everyone on this thread but thinhorn is from California, well forgive me, I have not packed for more than 7/8 days, if the meal had bulky noodles I crushed them and let the extra air out of the bag , and yes a small fire with adequate clearance has been used many time in the field. in reality I would like to find a shirt and pants that had a thin liner that I could transport a extra quart or two of water, Maybe even the Pack straps water cushioned ?
 
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What is the issue with burning the bags after use, I mean Ash is ash, it will break down and return to nature. ?
A question ? if it is bulky in the manufacture bag how is it not going to be bulky in a zip lock freezer bag ?
Not sure how you burn foil. Also, don`t know about other places but you are not burning anything here in September.

Guess you will just have to try it to see for yourself.
 

Opah

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Now in No fire conditions and places Yes I can see, but why not fold them down and lay them in the bottom of your pack, does it have to be squeezed into a ball ?
I have burned those bags and yes the foil burns to ash same as the rest
 
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Now in No fire conditions and places Yes I can see, but why not fold them down and lay them in the bottom of your pack, does it have to be squeezed into a ball ?
I have burned those bags and yes the foil burns to ash same as the rest
Open up a meal and put it in a zip lock bag. You will see the difference.
 

Jauwater

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Now in No fire conditions and places Yes I can see, but why not fold them down and lay them in the bottom of your pack, does it have to be squeezed into a ball ?
I have burned those bags and yes the foil burns to ash same as the rest
You can burn the freezer bags too. Or fold them, and place them in the bottom of your pack. It's the initial space you save from doing it that people are interested in. Not just, or necessarily, the space your saving after the bags been used. It's really not a big deal when your dealing with just a few days or less of food. But if your planning for a long trip in the backcountry repacking your food will save space in your pack. And if your packing priority boxes full of food for food drops, you'll also be able to fit your rations in a smaller box to save on shipping costs. It's not a practice you'll use evertime.you hit the woods. But it is a good practice to use for long trips.

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Opah

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What is heavier a pound of feathers or a pound of water ?
I will have to check it out, just cant grasp that it could make any significant difference.
but with the number of you guys here that I respect the knowledge and experience, I would be an idiot to not listen and try it out.
 

mlgc20

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How dose the Food drops work ? now that sounds expensive
That is something mostly particular to thru hiking. It's where you send a box of food to yourself at predetermined spots along the trail. Often a local post office. It wouldn't have much practical use when hunting.
 

Jauwater

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How dose the Food drops work ? now that sounds expensive
Food drops on the Appalachian Trail are pretty easy, but yes, it can become expensive.

Each year I try to do a 3-10 week trip on the AT, and I've found that 5 days worth of food is about all I like to carry. So if I'm planning on a 5 week trip, I'll go buy all the food at once, separate it all into roughly 5 days worth of food, and I can usually fit that into a large priority mail box. Then I'll ship these boxes to post offices, and hostels that I'll be passing on the trail. The hardest part is getting the timing down right. So I purposely make my ration drops what I believe would be roughly 7 days apart hiking for me. So usually I'll roll into town to pick up my food with no food on me at all. It's tough rolling into town with two days of rations, then having to find room to fit the 5 days worth your picking up. There is no way I could fit 5 days worth of food in a large priority box without repacking. This year was my first year of repacking, and I was able to use.the large priority boxes. Before repacking, I used to cut down boxes to make my own just to fit the 5 days worth of food. To save on the shipping. Repacking on thru hikes now saves me.about 5 dollars per box shipped.

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