anyone ever resupply with meat and cold bag it?

[Papa D]

I'm a vegetarian but I often get Tofurkey, Soysage, etc. at re-supply in winter. In summer, I'll do it for a first night out.
I did a hundred miles or so with a couple of thru hikers in '08 that bought a pack of hotdogs at every town along with a 12 pack.
They would carry both up to 20 miles and eat them (and drink) that night and pack out the empties (this was in VA and Shenandoah).

[grayfox]

im doing an experiment, im freezing hot dogs, gonna put them in a insulated mylar bag with ice and let it set at room temp and see how long it takes to just defrost.

Lewis and Clark buried bacon or salt pork on their way west and dug it up and ate it when they came back east! When I started spending time on the trail there was no such thing as 'freeze dried backpacking food'. The answer is that yes you can freeze food, even meat, and use it as it thaws out, probably in the first day or two of a trip. The real problem for me is the degree of care neeed to pack and monitor the food and the extra clean up chore of getting grease complety cleaned off the kitchen gear. And then you need to take a good fry pan, a big knife, etc... Just getting rid of the smells and getting my hands clean keeps me from taking frozen meat when there are easier choices. Cooked food that is ready to heat and eat can be frozen and is far easier and safer.

But, a hot dog on a stick over a campfire is just so iconic. So here is how I pack frozen food for hikng or canoing. Freeze it in the deep freeze, mine is set at about zero, not just the fridge freezer compartment. Wrap each package in several layers of newspaper and bag each in a ziplock. Place the package you want to use last in the center of another ziplock surrounded by the ones you will want first. Put this back in the freezer overnight. The last thing to pack will be this frozen bag. Wrap the whole bag in another layer of newspaper, at this point you could put it in your mylar bag. I sometimes pack this in the center of my sleeping bag. If I have a cooler I place crumpled paper, and sometimes frozen water bottles, around the frozen food. I tape the lid shut and never open it except to remove the package I will cook. I have had food remain frozen for a week in the summer with constant care.

[Ender]

On my weekend hikes I now almost always carry a steak out for that first night. I freeze it, and by the time I make it to camp that night it's unfrozen. Nothing like a campfire cooked steak after a long day of hiking.

[minda]

Never tried to carry uncooked meat. But just today, I found this:

Attachment 25465

Haven't tried it yet. It's a mylar-type envelope of shelf stable, pre-cooked beef. Ingredients are: Beef, Water, Contains 2% Or Less of: Salt, Beef Extract, Caramel Color. Doesn't sound like you can go too wrong with this!

We've taken this on backpacking trips. With dehydrated salsa, refried beans, and tortillas, we were eating good!!

[wnderer]

I met a guy on the trail, who wrapped aluminum foil around his Camelbak to create a water cooled pouch and kept cheese and meat in it. I haven't tried it. I kind of gave up using a Camelbak.

I did try those aluminum foil tuna, salmon and chicken pouches, that they sell not refrigerated at the supermarket in the canned meat section. I've cooked the meat with Knorr rice dish or wrapped it in tortillas, but I hate the smelly, greasy empty packages you end up carrying around. I just eat vegetarian when I'm on the trail. It's cleaner.

[jdc5294]

I resupplied with summer sausage, hard cheeses and pepperoni all the time, regularly ate it 4 days after buying it and never had a problem, it sat at room temperature with everything else in my pack.

[okiefree]

I resupplied with summer sausage, hard cheeses and pepperoni all the time, regularly ate it 4 days after buying it and never had a problem, it sat at room temperature with everything else in my pack.

Yes cured meats can go many many days just fine without refrigeration. Just wrap with wax paper and a couple rubber bands and your good.

[fredmugs]

I resupplied with summer sausage, hard cheeses and pepperoni all the time, regularly ate it 4 days after buying it and never had a problem, it sat at room temperature with everything else in my pack.

Same here. Sam's Club sells an Hillshire Fams Yard of Beer Summer Sausage. I just cut it up and stick in zip lock bags. I use it mainly to snack on during breaks.

[Starchild]

I have brought steak and chicken raw and frozen, and as long as it stays frosty there is no issue, and it can be insulated with a down puffy (jacket), so it can be kept cold for quite a while. I sometimes would sneak a piece of raw meet in the freezer case the evening before and buy it frozen in the morning on my way to the trail. It is great having real food on the trail.