Change o' plans

[Suzzz]

Well...

Less than 48 hours before my big toe hits the trail and I've yet to find dehydrated food that I like. I've spent a fortune buying and tasting different kinds and brands over the last few months, still, every time I prepare one, my taste buds are like, Seriously??? And how many days worth of this stuff are we supposed to eat??? I've even tried adding spices, mushrooms and a little bit of cheese, to no avail. And is it just me, or do they all sort of taste the same? Maybe it's a common ingredient they have to put in them for the dehydration process. In all fairness, some of them are ok. Not great, not good, only ok.

I know myself. A weekend of so-so food and I'd be stopping by my favorite drive-thru on the way home, no big deal, but this time I'll be out there for 8 days, that's too long not to enjoy what I'm eating. Food is meant to be enjoyed, otherwise what's the point of having taste buds?

So my food bag and cooking kit just got heavier. I haven't weighed everything yet but I think it will be around 2 or 3 pounds more than originally planned. It's not ideal but it's a sacrifice I'll gladly make.

[MuddyWaters]

My opinion.....
All crap.

All I tried.

Even packit gourmet

Try to get too fancy

How hard is it to dry meat crumbles, precooked pasta, and simple tomatoe sauce?

Must be pretty hard. Dehydrated spaghetti-os would be superior to most.
Whats all the nasty crunchy vegetable matter in some?
Corn in things that shouldnt have corn.
Ive buried dinners they were so bad, or scattered away from camping areas.
Eadiest GOOD trail meal....thick potatoe soup.

Trail meals need to be SIMPLE, quick, one pot or step, and GOOD. And not mske 4 oz of packaging garbage.

[cmoulder]

Hunger makes things taste better.

[KDogg]

Yep, gotta season it with a little hunger. Makes it taste amazing!

[Suzzz]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't like them. And yes I'm sure hunger does put things in perspective.

[imscotty]

It might be you Suzzz

I do like some of the PackIt Gourmet offerings, I think the 'Big Easy Gumbo' is especially good. Yes, hunger will make everything taste better. Bring some of your favorite seasoning, I like tabasco to add some zing and flavor. There are plenty of everyday food options from the grocery store that are worth taking too. Cheese, bring lots of cheese.

[Puddlefish]

Yeah, after some time on the trail a whole lot of dehydrated food ended up having... not exactly the same taste, but the same texture. Potato mush, rice mush, mush mush. At that point I started adding Frito's to most meals, and all other kinds of weird combinations of tuna, pepperoni, curry, dried jalapenos, etc. to add some variety. Certain flavors of Knorr rice sides tasted as if they flat out left the spices out.

Trail towns become a culinary experience. Restaurants that you might have scorned in your former life suddenly appear before you like a glowing beacons of wonder.

[KDogg]

My hiking partners and I bought mountain house meals when we got to the 100 mile on our thru. Those things were so good. We gobbled them up. Yes, we had been hiking for over five months. However, even on short hikes I think ramen and oatmeal taste awesome. Not so when I'm at home. Hike until you're hungry....really hungry!

[10-K]

Put a Mountain House in a hiker box and see if it stays there 30 seconds.

[MuddyWaters]

Put a Mountain House in a hiker box and see if it stays there 30 seconds.

Its all relative to whatever youve been choking down
Doesnt make it good necessarilly...

[10-K]

Trail food is like trail sleep. Never as good as at home but I don't hike to eat like a king or sleep like a baby.

[nsherry61]

If you don't like the ready-made, make your own. Start with a base that works for you, couscous, instant rice, top roman, instant mashed potatoes, or whatever, then add your vegetables of choice - dried veggies, freezdried veggies, semi-fresh veggies or whatever, then add your protein of choice - foil packed tuna, foil packed chicken, summer sausage, jerky or whatever, then add your flavor packet of choice - spaghetti sauce, teriyaki sauce, turkey gravy, peanut butter and red pepper or whatever, then add some olive oil and any other spices you like. It's all stuff that you can get from most grocery stores and can add up to some pretty acceptable - yeah not always great - meals.

Have fun and be creative. Then let the rest of us know what discoveries you've made that are extra good. I love peanut butter and red peppers in combination with lots of the foods listed above.

[MuddyWaters]

It might be you Suzzz

I do like some of the PackIt Gourmet offerings, I think the 'Big Easy Gumbo' is especially good.

Bears no resembelence to gumbo.
Another example of a fool marketing something too fancy, with crap in it that dont belong. It is however, almost edible. Too much herbs, vegetable stuff , corn ????

Stuff needs to be cooked and dried, not mixed together

Too many lil packets and packaging.
Might be the best of their stuff

[ScareBear]

Each to their own. I can tolerate almost all of the Backpacker Pantry products. Almost none of the Mountain House products. Absolutely none of the Alpineaire, WiseCompany or GoodToGo products.

Have you tried Ramen, in all it's various forms? Udon?

How about a packet of Knorr's noodles of some kind and add a pack of cooked chicken or tuna or some other protein?

Google "freezer bag backpacking meals"...

[egilbe]

I found knorrs Mexican rice to be very tasty. Add some shredded parmesan cheese and its absolute heaven.

[illabelle]

We took some dehydrated corn and peas on a trip. Soaked 'em. Simmered 'em. Boiled 'em. Never softened up. Finally dumped 'em.

Anybody want some dehydrated corn and peas? Harmony House, about 14+ ounces of each. I'll never use them up.

[One Half]

This is why I make all my own meals and then freeze dry them. Although years ago I used to 'enjoy' the mountain house meals. But all the commercial meals have lots of sodium, a rice or pasta base, and chemicals to make them stay 'good' longer. And personally, I don't season my food with chemicals. Plenty of seasonings I use but not those chemicals the commercial companies use.

And you can make dehydrated food in your oven. Unfortunately when you are hiking most all your meals are going to end up with a similar consistency if all you are doing is adding hot water to your meal. It's not like you will be picking up a burger after a day of hiking unless you are in town for the night.


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[egilbe]

We took some dehydrated corn and peas on a trip. Soaked 'em. Simmered 'em. Boiled 'em. Never softened up. Finally dumped 'em.

Anybody want some dehydrated corn and peas? Harmony House, about 14+ ounces of each. I'll never use them up.

I use mine in soup. Or pre-soak them during the day.

[garlic08]

I'm with 10K, I don't go hiking for the gourmet food. Food is fuel--when you need it, fill up. (However, I do sleep better outside.)

I wouldn't change hiking plans because of the type of food that's available. Walk the aisles of the market and buy food and carry it, even if it's only peanut butter and a bread product and a few bananas. My shopping got better when I discarded the idea of "meals." I eat all I can at every break. Usually at the end of the day I don't even think about "dinner," having eaten plenty probably an hour before that. I'll have another large snack and go to sleep.

[Venchka]

Peanut butter, oatmeal, dried fruit, cheese, Lara, Kind and Cliff bars, Peanut M&Ms, Krave Jerky, etc. all taste the same at home or in the Boonies.
Wayne


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