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  1. #1
    Registered User Kristeninmb's Avatar
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    Default Mountain House style meals

    are these any good? any favorites or ones to avoid? it says on the package that they contain 2 or 2.5 servings. are most people that hungry after 12 mile day that you can eat the whole thing? planning on eating these for my section hike because I want to enjoy the hike, sights and people, not on dishes or pot scrubbing. thanks in advance

    Kiki

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kristeninmb View Post
    are these any good? any favorites or ones to avoid? it says on the package that they contain 2 or 2.5 servings. are most people that hungry after 12 mile day that you can eat the whole thing? planning on eating these for my section hike because I want to enjoy the hike, sights and people, not on dishes or pot scrubbing. thanks in advance

    Kiki
    Mountain House Meals are tasty. My favorite is the Chili Mac. When I was younger, I would eat the 2 servings for one meal. As I have aged, I have found that 2 serving are too much. If my wife is hiking with me, we share a meal. If not, I split the meal into two packages and only fix 1/2. I use my JetBoil Stove to replace the Mountain House foil package. I heat one cup of water in the Jet Boil, put the Chili Mac in the Jet Boil and seal it. It cooks just like it was in the foil pack.
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  3. #3
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    Default Mountain House style meals

    checkout hawkvittles.com. same kind of meals, but more variety and lots of single-serving packs. And those "single servings" are generous, I think.

  4. #4

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    Mountain House is GTG. My favorite is the lasagna. Wife's go-to is beef stroganoff. The only ones that neither of us care for are the meals that include scrambled eggs, but YMMV.

  5. #5

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    FWIW, I like Mountain House and use their meals frequently.

  6. #6
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    I like Mountain House because they are easy to get at Walmart and they seem pretty tasty to me. I split the pack in two because as a section hiker, my appetite never really kicks in. I like the chilli mac and the wrap-type meals. The chicken wraps are my favorite. One of the chicken wraps comes with red/green peppers and beans. Really good.

  7. #7

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    I've transitioned from all MH meals to mostly homemade freezerbag meals over the last few years, but still buy a few now and again to reach a free shipping threshold when buying gear online. Their chili mac is indeed edible and I once was brought back to life after 4 days of steady rain by a package of their chicken noodle dinner.

    Portions are indeed oversized as is the packaging. I like to take two MH meals and use my scale to divide them into three freezer bags. That gives me a more reasonable meal size and cuts down on the packaging. The breakfast skillet I divide in half because while the first half of one is always delicious the second half is a chore to finish.

    Mix ins really help to keep the meals interesting if you are going to be out for more than a few days. Cheese and hot sauce liven up both the chili mac and the breakfast skillet I find.
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  8. #8
    Registered User Tuckahoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jefals View Post
    checkout hawkvittles.com. same kind of meals, but more variety and lots of single-serving packs. And those "single servings" are generous, I think.
    Not exactly the same, as Hawkvittles are dehydrated rather than freeze dried. Though Hawkvittles are topnotch.

    For those that find the standard 2/2.5 serving meals to be too much, there are also MH Propacks which are 1.5 servings, and at many Wal-Marts there are also single serving packs as well.
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  9. #9
    Registered User Old Hiker's Avatar
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    MH seem too small for me. I have to add something, usually. Look for the pro-paks - less space and the same size meal.

    http://theepicenter.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=pro-pak

    My opinion:

    Good: pasta primavera, chicken and rice (same as minute rice, boullion cubes and canned chicken), chili-mac
    BAD !!!!! : scrambled eggs
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  10. #10
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    Horrible. But I use them because they are cheap, $40 at Costco for a 10-pack. I've eaten hundreds of these damn things. The ones I can still eat are Chili Mac, Beef Stew, Beef Stroganoff, and Chicken w/ rice.

    We always take these out of the original foil containers and put them into 1-quart freezer baggies for cooking on the trail, saves 3/4 ounce for each meal and packs much smaller. The freezer bag cooking thing works very well. Almost a requirement for long hikes, like the JMT, where you have to squeeze 7-8 days of food in a limited size bear canister.

    We recently discovered "better" tasting meals at Mary Jane Farms, way expensive, $10-12 per meal, but you can buy in bulk which makes them less than half price, about the same as Costco MH meals. Less sodium in the MJF meals, which my wife likes. The Mac and Cheese is my favorite from this brand.

    Lots of choices in these pre-packaged meals, I generally just shop for the best deal. On the trail, I'm not looking to eat like a King, I just need my calories, "eat to hike" vs. "hike to eat". I find about 500-600 calories does me fine for main course. Using the freezer bag approach, you can tune your meal size to whatever you want. I buy the "2-person" meals, and split two of those into three meals, perfect for me. My wife splits them into halves, perfect for her.

    Try different brands and develop your own customized system, or make your own, save money and eat better!

  11. #11

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    I like these meals and get them at a local grocery...I like to think of them as a premium version of the lipton dinners:

    http://www.bearcreekcountrykitchens.com/soups.php

  12. #12

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    In the smokies this past march I saw a fresh thru hiker who for lunch ate 2 spaghettis and half a chili mac- 5 servings total. I have grown to love my home made mountain house meals, from a cost savings as well as taste. But in a efforts of leave no food behind, I don't ever mind cleaning up someone else's meal
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  13. #13
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    PackIt Gourmet! Pack a flour tortilla and get their Big 'Un Burrito!

  14. #14
    Registered User dudeijuststarted's Avatar
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    When I'm starving, a Mountain House is equivalent to fine dining on the streets of Paris. When said Mountain House comes as trail magic, it is as if I've hit the PowerBall.

  15. #15
    Registered User MkBibble's Avatar
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    +1 for MH and +2 for PackIt Gormet. Agree with the comment about eggs...

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by daddytwosticks View Post
    I like Mountain House because they are easy to get at Walmart and they seem pretty tasty to me. I split the pack in two because as a section hiker, my appetite never really kicks in. I like the chilli mac and the wrap-type meals. The chicken wraps are my favorite. One of the chicken wraps comes with red/green peppers and beans. Really good.
    DT - does the walmart in Murphy carry them?
    Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

  17. #17
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    Try different brands and develop your own customized system, or make your own, save money and eat better!
    Yes!

    Because of the "preppers", there are now many bulk items a person can buy to make their own delicious meals cheaply with off-the-shelf components. In other word, no dehydrating needed (Though that works really well too!)

    I wrote this for TrailGroove and I think it is a useful article:
    http://www.trailgroove.com/issue22.html?autoflip=141
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  18. #18
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by full conditions View Post
    DT - does the walmart in Murphy carry them?
    You can find out at Walmart.com store search. If not, you order online and have them shipped to the store to save shipping. Allow plenty of time. It's free, but not fast shipping. When I have found them at Walmart in the last 6 months or so, they only stock 5 flavors in single servings. The selection online is vast.

    Good-To-Go has vegetarian, and good, meals. It is a husband-wife cottage company in Maine. I even found them in the Houston REI. Single & double servings.
    http://goodto-go.com/

    Wayne
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  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    You can find out at Walmart.com store search. If not, you order online and have them shipped to the store to save shipping. Allow plenty of time. It's free, but not fast shipping. When I have found them at Walmart in the last 6 months or so, they only stock 5 flavors in single servings. The selection online is vast.

    Good-To-Go has vegetarian, and good, meals. It is a husband-wife cottage company in Maine. I even found them in the Houston REI. Single & double servings.
    http://goodto-go.com/

    Wayne
    That's awesome. Thanks
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  20. #20
    Registered User Kristeninmb's Avatar
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    OMG thank you all for the great information and web sites!!! i love my new white blaze family for all their sage advice. you are all the best and can't wait to get out on the trail

    Kiki

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