As a backpacker and a backpacking hunter, I am always on the lookout for new/better options in backcountry eating. Somewhere in my search, I came across Trailtopia Adventure Foods based in Minnesota. One thing I learned long ago, I never take food into the backcountry that I haven't tried at home first. And for Trailtopia, the only detailed reviews I found were from people who want to sell meals or sell add space to Trailtopia. So, I ordered a bunch of their stuff to give Trailtopia a whirl. and hopefully provide an unbiased opinion. Here we go.
Selection - Trailtopia isn't the size of Mountain House. But, they still have a wide ranging selection of meals. For my testing, I ordered: Egg Scramble, Blueberry Oatmeal, Cajun Smack Chicken and Rice, Chicken Cashew Curry, Pesto Chicken Pasta, and Szechuan Chicken & Rice. They have a host of other selections including 8 types of oatmeal and 8 versions of Ramen Noodles. They also have a bunch of dessert dishes. I wish I would have tried at least one of those.
Packaging - Trailtopia has some of the best packaging I've seen in the industry. You can add boiling water directly to the bag, which isn't unique. But, what I really liked was that the packaging was the appropriate size. Often, these bags are way to big or small for the task. You don't need a trekking pole length spoon to get to your food. I also liked that the "zip loc" part of the bag would actually close. I've splashed myself more times than I care to admit because a resealable bag, wouldn't reseal.
Ingredients Quality - It's always disheartening to open a backcountry meal and not be able to recognize any of the ingredients except maybe the rice. That was not the case with Trailtopia. The broccoli actually looked like broccolli and the chicken like chicken. Overall, the ingredients seemed to be of the highest quality. No concerns at all.
Taste - Ultimately, backcountry cuisine ultimately comes down to taste. That was a bit of a mixed bag. First the good. Everything tasted like it was supposed to. That may sound obvious. But, if you've tried enough backcountry meals, you know that sometimes the package says one thing, but the taste says something else. That wasn't the case with Trailtopia. The curry tasted like curry. The pesto like pesto and so on. Now the bad. With every single dish, I found them to be on the bland side. The oatmeal just wasn't sweet enough. The cajun smack didn't smack. The curry smelled great, but didn't have the usual curry kick. In most cases, I was able to easily "season" the meal to my own taste. For example, I added a teaspoon of brown sugar to the oatmeal and it was fantastic. I added a little soy sauce to the Szechuan Chicken and it was also vastly improved.
Overall Verdict - I would recommend giving Trailtopia a try. I didn't have a bad meal in the bunch that I tried. Some may really like that the seasoning of the dishes isn't heavy. But, I would be prepared to supplement the flavor a bit. Bring a packet of soy sauce, or cayenne , or sugar or whatever suits the dish. Trailtopia offers some different options from the usual fare at REI. I think they could provide you some needed variety in your backcountry cuisine
Selection - Trailtopia isn't the size of Mountain House. But, they still have a wide ranging selection of meals. For my testing, I ordered: Egg Scramble, Blueberry Oatmeal, Cajun Smack Chicken and Rice, Chicken Cashew Curry, Pesto Chicken Pasta, and Szechuan Chicken & Rice. They have a host of other selections including 8 types of oatmeal and 8 versions of Ramen Noodles. They also have a bunch of dessert dishes. I wish I would have tried at least one of those.
Packaging - Trailtopia has some of the best packaging I've seen in the industry. You can add boiling water directly to the bag, which isn't unique. But, what I really liked was that the packaging was the appropriate size. Often, these bags are way to big or small for the task. You don't need a trekking pole length spoon to get to your food. I also liked that the "zip loc" part of the bag would actually close. I've splashed myself more times than I care to admit because a resealable bag, wouldn't reseal.
Ingredients Quality - It's always disheartening to open a backcountry meal and not be able to recognize any of the ingredients except maybe the rice. That was not the case with Trailtopia. The broccoli actually looked like broccolli and the chicken like chicken. Overall, the ingredients seemed to be of the highest quality. No concerns at all.
Taste - Ultimately, backcountry cuisine ultimately comes down to taste. That was a bit of a mixed bag. First the good. Everything tasted like it was supposed to. That may sound obvious. But, if you've tried enough backcountry meals, you know that sometimes the package says one thing, but the taste says something else. That wasn't the case with Trailtopia. The curry tasted like curry. The pesto like pesto and so on. Now the bad. With every single dish, I found them to be on the bland side. The oatmeal just wasn't sweet enough. The cajun smack didn't smack. The curry smelled great, but didn't have the usual curry kick. In most cases, I was able to easily "season" the meal to my own taste. For example, I added a teaspoon of brown sugar to the oatmeal and it was fantastic. I added a little soy sauce to the Szechuan Chicken and it was also vastly improved.
Overall Verdict - I would recommend giving Trailtopia a try. I didn't have a bad meal in the bunch that I tried. Some may really like that the seasoning of the dishes isn't heavy. But, I would be prepared to supplement the flavor a bit. Bring a packet of soy sauce, or cayenne , or sugar or whatever suits the dish. Trailtopia offers some different options from the usual fare at REI. I think they could provide you some needed variety in your backcountry cuisine
