Backcountry meal options

[archp625]

Planning to backpack for about 5 days at a time, then spend a night inbetween in a hotel.

Ahhh, ok. Sorry about that. I misunderstood.

 

[Eltigreblanco]

I dehydrated all my meals for my elk hunt this year. It was really easy. There are a lot of you tube videos. I will not be going back to mountain house anytime soon

 

[atorres]

Yeah, dehydrating is what I meant and yes, certain things dehydrate and rehydrate better than others and a lot of it also has to do with personal prefference. There are things that others will eat and say is fine that I wont touch. Lol. In general, if I can have a good warm meal in the evening that satiates me I can go without a lot in the morning and throughout the day. If I'm going to carry extra weight it's going to be food that I like. You can also plan your meals so that you have some fresh but heavy items that you can eat in the first two or three days before they go bad and then switch to something like Mtn House as the week goes on. If you are lucky and tag out in the first half of the week you don't need the other stuff. also.. always carry some judo points if arxhery hunting and get the small game license, a grouse half way through the week can do wonders.

Rifle hunting and not 21, so no sidearm. Annoying. A grouse would make me very happy.

Fresher food the first few days sounds like a really good idea. I think I will try to integrate that. Only issue with that would be if we have a real hard hike, I don't know how much extra weight in fresh stuff I could carry

 

[atorres]

I dehydrated all my meals for my elk hunt this year. It was really easy. There are a lot of you tube videos. I will not be going back to mountain house anytime soon

Cool! I may have to do at least some of that. What meals did you make?

 

[atorres]

Thanks a lot. I will watch both of those

 

[Eltigreblanco]

Cool! I may have to do at least some of that. What meals did you make?

I made elk chili, pasta with elk meat sauce, chicken with stuffing, and I did oatmeal for breakfast. It worked out well because I would just make a lot and have dinner for the family and dehydrate what was left over for my meals.

 

[atorres]

Ahhh, ok. Sorry about that. I misunderstood.

Do you actually do dehydrated for that much time straight?

 

[atorres]

I made elk chili, pasta with elk meat sauce, chicken with stuffing, and I did oatmeal for breakfast. It worked out well because I would just make a lot and have dinner for the family and dehydrate what was left over for my meals.

Awesome. Chili sounds like a really good idea. Did you have any problems with the burger rehydrating? How fine was the grind?

 

[Eltigreblanco]

Awesome. Chili sounds like a really good idea. Did you have any problems with the burger rehydrating? How fine was the grind?

I watched a bunch of videos before hand. Break it down as small as possible before dehydrating. In some of the videos they used bread crumbs to help rehydrate. I didnt use the bread crumbs and everything turned out well.

 

[atorres]

I watched a bunch of videos before hand. Break it down as small as possible before dehydrating. In some of the videos they used bread crumbs to help rehydrate. I didnt use the bread crumbs and everything turned out well.

Cool. I will almost certainly do that, I have a chili recipe I absolutely love and it would be a game changer in the mountains

 

[archp625]

Do you actually do dehydrated for that much time straight?

Not for three weeks straight but for 5-7 days yes. My brother and I are hunting bears for 6 days and I will do one every night. Morning snacks and lunch no.

 

[atorres]

Not for three weeks straight but for 5-7 days yes. My brother and I are hunting bears for 6 days and I will do one every night. Morning snacks and lunch no.

That's what I was thinking, just dinners. I do need to figure out what I'm gonna do for lunches though, I haven't looked into that much.

Fortunately our days out will be broken up by eating out inbetween

 

[pdk25]

My wife bought 2 freeze driers, plus mylar bags and everything that you need to make your own meals. Already have saved a bunch compared to using mountain house. It doesn't hurt that there is alot of wild boar around here as a convenient source of meat.

 

[archp625]

That's what I was thinking, just dinners. I do need to figure out what I'm gonna do for lunches though, I haven't looked into that much.

Fortunately our days out will be broken up by eating out inbetween

Tortilla, tuna in pouch, Mayo, cheese and relish. Or bagels, peanut butter, honey, bacon sandwiches.

 

[atorres]

My wife bought 2 freeze driers, plus mylar bags and everything that you need to make your own meals. Already have saved a bunch compared to using mountain house. It doesn't hurt that there is alot of wild boar around here as a convenient source of meat.

2 freeze driers? I thought those were a couple grand?

I wish I had one, it would make things much more convenient

 

[pdk25]

She is frugal. I know she paid less than a grand for each one, but I know that they cost more now. You would still save plenty of money in the long run.

 

[schwaf]

I highly recommend honeyville products. Freeze dried organic fruits, vegetables, potatoes ect. I put together my own freeze dried meals and they taste fantastic. They're not loaded up with salt either. I especially recommend the corn, peas, and hashbrowns for all round usefulness. You could easily buy ready rice or pasta with seasoning and add vegetables. I always carry sticks of kerrygold butter and olive oil in 2-4oz nalgene bottles and add a scoop or two to every dinner. Some low sodium all purpose seasoning in 2-4oz containers makes a massive difference. Sportmans Warehouse chipotle jalapeno is my choice. Salt separate.

Variety is the name of the game. Some personal favorites that stay in my food bag for every backpacking trip are the spanish/cheddar broc rice bought at Costco. Japanese curry with rice. Korean ramen. I throw in some mtn house/ honeyville meals / peak / whatever meals in there too. It's nice to have a fully ready meal that you just boil water and eat out of when you're fully exhausted and need that extra salt or emergencies. Honeyville vegetables get added to most of those meals. Extra instant white rice or hashbrowns for filler when I'm extra hungry. I don't recommend freeze dried meat. I don't think meat freeze dries well. Dehydrated jerky is the way to go. Bring lots of that, and tear it up and throw them in the meals while they're hydrating in hot water.

Flat bread/tortillas, cheese, and deli meat with some kind of sauce spread usually makes it in my food bag for hunting. It's not my favorite, but I can make a few sandwiches at camp the night before and throw them in my pack for lunch. When you're starving, everything tastes good.

Tea leaves are great to have too. I'm particularly fond of Chinese/Taiwanese black tea. It weighs practically nothing, throw in a couple leaves in hot water and let it seep. Throw them out anywhere and not worry about garbage to pack out. So dang good. I'm a coffee drinker, but it's nice to have something other than coffee sometimes too. Chamomile tea is great for bedtime tea. Electrolyte tabs also go in my snack bag.

Snack bag should be filled with your favorite candy bars, protein bars, ect. Go with variety here. I can't even eat cliffbars anymore. I also like soft bars that won't get hard in the cold. Chewing on cold hard bars with a sore jaw will make you hate them even more. I recently found jelly beans for runners with electrolytes and caffeine. I'm a big fan of those. Last, I NEVER go on hikes or anything without Nature Nate's single packet honey. That stuff is like liquid crack. If you're feeling low on energy, slam one of those and you'll be running the ridges.

Last year I spent 20 consecutive days in the back country with that menu during archery season. I occasionally supplemented my food with grouse, squirrel, and fish. Coming home to fresh food was very welcome, but I didn't get too sick of what I had, and I'd carry the same menu again. The only difference is I would cook and vacuum seal fully cooked home meals and leaves those at the truck. You'll occasionally be back at the truck to resupply or move locations, and pulling a home meal out of the cooler will bring tears of joy to your face.

Freeze Dried Vegetables | honeyville.com

One of the largest selections of freeze dried and dehydrated vegetables. Ideal for food storage and emergency preparedness or even everyday cooking. $8.99 Shipping.

shop.honeyville.com

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Nates-Unfiltered-Balanced-Convenient/dp/B01JHLBEES

 

[schwaf]

Tortilla, tuna in pouch, Mayo, cheese and relish. Or bagels, peanut butter, honey, bacon sandwiches.

Seconded this on lunches. Some sandwiches of this variety is great. Even better with soup. Even a bouillon cube in hot water can be very comforting.

 

[Scrappy]

A month's worth of food for me last September. My only advice is variety. I cannot eat the same thing over and over. I'm always looking for sales through out the year to save money and help not have one large bill right before the hunt.

 

[atorres]

I highly recommend honeyville products. Freeze dried organic fruits, vegetables, potatoes ect. I put together my own freeze dried meals and they taste fantastic. They're not loaded up with salt either. I especially recommend the corn, peas, and hashbrowns for all round usefulness. You could easily buy ready rice or pasta with seasoning and add vegetables. I always carry sticks of kerrygold butter and olive oil in 2-4oz nalgene bottles and add a scoop or two to every dinner. Some low sodium all purpose seasoning in 2-4oz containers makes a massive difference. Sportmans Warehouse chipotle jalapeno is my choice. Salt separate.

Variety is the name of the game. Some personal favorites that stay in my food bag for every backpacking trip are the spanish/cheddar broc rice bought at Costco. Japanese curry with rice. Korean ramen. I throw in some mtn house/ honeyville meals / peak / whatever meals in there too. It's nice to have a fully ready meal that you just boil water and eat out of when you're fully exhausted and need that extra salt or emergencies. Honeyville vegetables get added to most of those meals. Extra instant white rice or hashbrowns for filler when I'm extra hungry. I don't recommend freeze dried meat. I don't think meat freeze dries well. Dehydrated jerky is the way to go. Bring lots of that, and tear it up and throw them in the meals while they're hydrating in hot water.

Flat bread/tortillas, cheese, and deli meat with some kind of sauce spread usually makes it in my food bag for hunting. It's not my favorite, but I can make a few sandwiches at camp the night before and throw them in my pack for lunch. When you're starving, everything tastes good.

Tea leaves are great to have too. I'm particularly fond of Chinese/Taiwanese black tea. It weighs practically nothing, throw in a couple leaves in hot water and let it seep. Throw them out anywhere and not worry about garbage to pack out. So dang good. I'm a coffee drinker, but it's nice to have something other than coffee sometimes too. Chamomile tea is great for bedtime tea. Electrolyte tabs also go in my snack bag.

Snack bag should be filled with your favorite candy bars, protein bars, ect. Go with variety here. I can't even eat cliffbars anymore. I also like soft bars that won't get hard in the cold. Chewing on cold hard bars with a sore jaw will make you hate them even more. I recently found jelly beans for runners with electrolytes and caffeine. I'm a big fan of those. Last, I NEVER go on hikes or anything without Nature Nate's single packet honey. That stuff is like liquid crack. If you're feeling low on energy, slam one of those and you'll be running the ridges.

Last year I spent 20 consecutive days in the back country with that menu during archery season. I occasionally supplemented my food with grouse, squirrel, and fish. Coming home to fresh food was very welcome, but I didn't get too sick of what I had, and I'd carry the same menu again. The only difference is I would cook and vacuum seal fully cooked home meals and leaves those at the truck. You'll occasionally be back at the truck to resupply or move locations, and pulling a home meal out of the cooler will bring tears of joy to your face.

Freeze Dried Vegetables | honeyville.com

One of the largest selections of freeze dried and dehydrated vegetables. Ideal for food storage and emergency preparedness or even everyday cooking. $8.99 Shipping.

shop.honeyville.com

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Nates-Unfiltered-Balanced-Convenient/dp/B01JHLBEES

Whew! That's a whole gameplan right there. Are you saving any by putting Honeyville stuff together instead of buying complete meals, or is it just the benefit of keeping you sane?