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  1. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by Deacon View Post
    Additionally, I've had issues with vacuum sealed bags losing their seal. I'd say approximately 25% of the meals I've dehydrated and vacuum sealed have lost their seal. Of course this depends on the type of food being dehydrated.

    What happens is as the food dries, it becomes hard with sharp edges. Then as the sealer shrinks the bag around the food, it punctures tiny holes in the plastic. Even Babelfish5 acknowledged this in one of his videos.

    I still have a couple of dehydrated Barbecued Spaghetti with pork dishes on hand that I dehydrated 10 months ago but did not vacuum pack. I ate one the other day and it was still good.

    In my experience, vacuum sealing isn't needed for dehydrated foods, even meat based dishes.
    Tip:
    Get a roll of white paper towels, Bounty, with the rip-a-sheet thing size. Put a strip in each bag, then add the dried food, then seal. The paper towel protects against sharp edges poking, such as rice, pasta, some veggies and so on.

    And you get a napkin later on ;-)
    Trail Cooking/FBC, Recipes, Gear and Beyond:
    Trail Cooking

  2. #42
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deacon View Post
    Additionally, I've had issues with vacuum sealed bags losing their seal. I'd say approximately 25% of the meals I've dehydrated and vacuum sealed have lost their seal. Of course this depends on the type of food being dehydrated.

    What happens is as the food dries, it becomes hard with sharp edges. Then as the sealer shrinks the bag around the food, it punctures tiny holes in the plastic. Even Babelfish5 acknowledged this in one of his videos.

    I still have a couple of dehydrated Barbecued Spaghetti with pork dishes on hand that I dehydrated 10 months ago but did not vacuum pack. I ate one the other day and it was still good.

    In my experience, vacuum sealing isn't needed for dehydrated foods, even meat based dishes.
    I switched to 4 and 5 mil thick vacuum bags for storing foods in the freezer and for dehydrated foods. These are labeled "commercial grade" and I have had none fail. Alternatively, I have used a paper towel/napkin to "cushion" the food. I have also used a cheap ziplock inside a vacuum bag to prevent punctures.
    I have also used mylar bags for dehydrated foods, 5 mil, and not had any issues with punctures but I likely wouldn't carry the mylar on trips as the manufacturer states the mylar layers can delaminate with boiling water. (they didn't say it would but rather said they can't say it won't) I have recently switched to freeze drying and simply use the plastic bags vacuum sealed for short term storage (2 years or less).
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  3. #43

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    Try this site. I am not new to drying, but this looks a lot more interesting than plain jerky. It should sure bring down the cost of eating.

    http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-food.html

  4. #44
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greenmountainguy View Post
    Try this site. I am not new to drying, but this looks a lot more interesting than plain jerky. It should sure bring down the cost of eating.

    http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-food.html
    That is a very busy web page with a zillion links.
    Any link in particular we should follow?
    Thanks.
    Wayne


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  5. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    That is a very busy web page with a zillion links.
    Any link in particular we should follow?
    Thanks.
    Wayne
    I would suggest browsing the site as I did and accept what seems valid and reject the rest. I like the idea of risotto, chili and such very well. I am less sanguine about things like plain rice which can be made in the quick cooking version on-trail. There are great hints about how to dry meat without getting either pebbles or bubble gum. dishes with sauce seem promising as well. T
    The business they suggest of drying cooked pasta seems just irrational unless you want to eat some slow cooking version like radiator or thick ziti. Why not just use ramen or angel hair?
    I also do not see the point of drying refried beans when with a little searching I can get just-add-water versions in the store.
    The idea of making "bark" of things like sweet potatoes seems interesting but you can also buy mashed potatoes, white and sweet inexpensively in vast variety.

  6. #46

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    Here are some unorthodox ways of reducing food costs on trail that could be considered more often:

    1) drink lots of water not too much though that it results in over hydration hyponatremia

    2) avoid buying prepared meals in town;make your own meals as they are often less expensive providing ample opportunity to be more nutritious as well

    3) avoid time in town

    4) invest in a trail sprouting kit like that from Outdoor Herbivore http://outdoorherbivore.com/trail-sprout-kit/ Sprouts are WAY financially inexpensive and WAY super nutritious

    5) learn and apply energy efficient ergonomic backpacking mechanics. Do not hike like a run away freight train.

  7. #47

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    6) consider the grazing method of eating and ditching the off trail commonality of three big meals per day

    7) avoid binges and insulin and resulting energy spikes by avoiding high sugar content food selections or at least consume sugar in moderation meted with fiber i.e.; a whole apple rather than apple juice that concentrates the sugar

  8. #48

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    8) eat less meat and less costly meat choices; meat is typically one of the most expensive food items; prepared meats like deli meats, sausages, jerkies, tinned meats like SPAM, may not only have unhealthy aspects but can add up significantly financially; consider non meat alternative protein sources i.e.; lentils, beans, quinoa, soy products - tempeh, tofu, seitan, powdered soy milk, amaranth, quinoa, oatmeal, brown or other rices(not white rice), chia seed, shelled hemp seed, pumpkin seeds, hummus, buckwheat, PB and other nut butters, nuts, spirulina(get best quality one can afford),...

  9. #49

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    9) do a speedier hike

  10. #50
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    6) consider the grazing method of eating and ditching the off trail commonality of three big meals per day

    7) avoid binges and insulin and resulting energy spikes by avoiding high sugar content food selections or at least consume sugar in moderation meted with fiber i.e.; a whole apple rather than apple juice that concentrates the sugar
    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    8) eat less meat and less costly meat choices; meat is typically one of the most expensive food items; prepared meats like deli meats, sausages, jerkies, tinned meats like SPAM, may not only have unhealthy aspects but can add up significantly financially; consider non meat alternative protein sources i.e.; lentils, beans, quinoa, soy products - tempeh, tofu, seitan, powdered soy milk, amaranth, quinoa, oatmeal, brown or other rices(not white rice), chia seed, shelled hemp seed, pumpkin seeds, hummus, buckwheat, PB and other nut butters, nuts, spirulina(get best quality one can afford),...
    #7 and #8 are in conflict with each other at least partially. #7 says avoid insulin spikes but grains have been proven to spike insulin.

    And meat when you look at $/calories per oz, unless it's processed, is usually one of the best deals for calories/dollar. Dehydrate your own meat and you can have lightweight, calorie dense foods that won't spike your insulin or the scales!
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  11. #51

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    All grains are not equal. Some are rather low on the Glycemic Index and in general whole grains trend toward the lower end of the GI while sugar is rather higher on the GI. Whole grains also are less processed containing the whole grain with is better nutritionally. While grains can raise blood insulin levels it can be controlled through portion size reducing the energy lows and highs. This goes along with: 6) consider the grazing method of eating and ditching the off trail commonality of three big meals per day. There is a wiser perspective of balance nutritionally occurring with many many integrated aspects.

    I recognize meat not to be necessarily demonized as far as cost; as I said "eat less meat and less costly meat choices; meat is typically one of the most expensive food items." There was nothing in my statement that implied anything as an absolute.

    There is room to allow for specific dietary choices without the necessity to demonize any one nutritional category or food group which is all too common.

    However, if we take into account a wider perspective that includes land, air, and water degradation, resources allocated, especially land and water that is used to bring 1 lb of beef to the table, the inclusion of antibiotics and growth hormones into much of the meat supply in the U.S. and consider that the meat industry is highly tax payer subsidized from the grain that is grown and used as an unnatural "cheap" livestock feed to the meat itself it can be debated how costly meat really is. There are certainly less resource intensive alternative ways to get the benefits of nutrition that meat provides.


    I hope you are not suggesting that processing meat personally as you are by dehydrating, packaging, and then mailing it out should somehow not be included as additional processing or additional resource allocation?

    Just unorthodox, often not considered alternative options, to reduce food costs. Food for thought is the intention.

  12. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    I christen thee with the trailname "Rumpelstiltskin" You obviously just woke up from a 25 yr nap.
    Or maybe, "Rip van Winkle" instead?

  13. #53
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    I'm all for healthy eating, but there are nutritionists who deal with endurance sports and LD hikers who swear that when you're continually at a caloric deficit (as when thru-hiking) you aren't storing much of anything. They say you can eat pretty much anything you want and your body is going to burn it without, and here's the caveat, negative health effects. Eating too many highly processed, refined carbs? You can't. They're going straight to energy. Eating too much bad cholesterol and unhealthy fats? You can't. You're burning it all, it isn't being stored by your body. Can you get nutrient deficient on the trail? Sure. Do you need to make sure you're eating some protein? Yep. Would you feel better about yourself if you ate a pound of salad every day on the trail? I guess.

    When I do my thru, I'm going to balance cost per calorie with good old basic variety. Honey buns? Cosmic brownies? Gorp out the wazoo? Heck yeah. Peanut butter slathered between two pop tarts? Oh yeah. Getting to town and eating an entire ben and jerry's, two triple cheeseburgers, fries, cola, and a couple of fried apple pies? Yup. Sometimes, I'm sure I'll feel like eating a salad. It'll be a big one.


    Quote Originally Posted by timsuxx View Post
    Hey guys, new to this forum! I'm really excited about doing the AT, but I'm worried money is going to be an issue... I've been looking for the cheapest ways to feed yourself on the trail, and I'm noticing pre-dehydrated meals are NOT the way to go... I read in an AT book that dehydrating and vacuum sealing your own meals are the best option. What are everyones views on that? I was looking at the prices of dehydrators and vacuum sealers, and they are going to cost around $300 total! (But a plus side, my mom cooks a lot and I was thinking the next two months would be a good opportunity to dehydrate meals for free! Not to mention she will probably be prone to cook for me while I'm on the trail )




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