Dehydrated meal source

[OregonHiker]

Does anyone know of a cheap source of dehydrated meals, wether on-line or at a brick and mortar store?

I am leading a group of 7-10 Scouts on a fifty mile trip this summer on the PCT.

Thanks

[Wise Old Owl]

You can buy direct at that point, Mountain House has a special program (internet/mail) for boy scouts, make sure you get some Cherry Blast!

[C-Stepper]

http://www.trailfoods.com/meals1.html

[sarbar]

If you are willing to put some effort into it you could save a lot of money (and there are many a Scout parent who would be grateful these days!). It also works as a good Scout activity - get the guys together one evening or Saturday and prep all the meals in one swoop.

So how does one do that? By cheating a bit. The staples like instant rice, couscous, ramen and mashed potatoes can be bought anywhere in big boxes or bulk.

Then go to www.harmonyhousefoods.com for every dried vegetable you could want. They are diced small for quick use on trail. Add in some beef flavored TVP or Taco flavor for protein (and highly shelf stable).

You can make a couple meals for the price of ONE freeze dried meal. If you need help at all....just ask

[Todd Heyn]

I just got done arranging a 9 day trip on the NJ AT for a group of 12 Scouts and Scouters. For our dinners we ordered the bulk #10 cans of Mountain House. Then broke then down into individual servings in freezer bags. This was by far the easiest group backpacking trip that I have ever put together.

We ordered our food from Emergency Essentials. I have had great service from them.

It may not be the cheapest source but it was by far the easiest.

[peakbagger]

Adventurefoods.com specializes in supplying bulk dehydrated foods for youth groups and summer camps. I have heard they supplied Philmont at one time but havent confirmed it. They sell prepared meals, but the big savings is to buy the bulk dehydrated veggies and meat, then add them into pasta mixes (liptons). This a major savings and a lot less packaging than buying prepared meals.

They do tend to have busy seasons so their delivery time can vary a bit.

[sarbar]

Just so everyone knows, Adventurefoods for now is closed down.

[Seeker]

hawkvittles.com

small, very personal operation, excellent service, quick turnaround. not cheap, but definitely worth the money... taste comes from ingredients, not salt or MSG. my daughter wants the buffalo bowties for regular dinner now.

[fiddlehead]

Trader Joes.

I always thought that Mountain House was "Freeze Dried" food, not dehydrated.

[Todd Heyn]

Freeze dried is dehydrated, but not all dehydrated is freeze dried.

[Seeker]

hawkvittles.com

small, very personal operation, excellent service, quick turnaround. not cheap, but definitely worth the money... taste comes from ingredients, not salt or MSG. my daughter wants the buffalo bowties for regular dinner now.

good point... just to clarify, these are dehydrated, not freeze dried... but they taste really good regardless.

[minnesotasmith]

hawkvittles.com

small, very personal operation, excellent service, quick turnaround. not cheap, but definitely worth the money... taste comes from ingredients, not salt or MSG. my daughter wants the buffalo bowties for regular dinner now.

And, Seeker's description of the products for sale there looks right on the money. Heck of a variety to boot; you could go close to a month and never repeat a dinner. But for eight-plus bucks a meal, not going to happen often. If I was a millionaire, I'd have this kind of stuff every day I cooked during thruhikes. Sigh. Staying with my whole-grain Lipton sides (jazzed up, to be sure), I'm afraid...

[Puppy]

I have about 30 or 40 Mountain House meals left over I would happy to sell you cheap.

I got them for Christmas for my thru-hike - but had to leave the trail due to "domestic issues".

Puppy

[Sly]

www.waltonfeed.com

[mudcap]

I have about 30 or 40 Mountain House meals left over I would happy to sell you cheap.

I got them for Christmas for my thru-hike - but had to leave the trail due to "domestic issues".

Puppy

Hello Puppy,
PM on the way. I do not need them all,but am interested in some.

[sarbar]

www.waltonfeed.com

A couple readers of my site have mentioned recently that their orders have taken 1 to 2 months to be processed. It was not mentioned when they ordered - it may well be that it is due to rushes on bulk food in recent months causing the delays.

So just a heads up to ask before ordering any larger orders if it will be shipped immediately.

[eastwa]

Another PM sent to Puppy about the MH meals.
I would be interested also.

[minnesotasmith]

She and I have already worked out a deal for all of them.

[minnesotasmith]

http://standeyo.com/NEWS/08_Food_Wat...ain.House.html

World's Biggest Food Storage Supplier Empty Through ALL 2009

July 21, 2008
By Holly Deyo

It came to our attention today, that the world's largest producer of storable foods, Mountain House, is currently out of stock of ALL #10 cans of freeze dried foods, not just the Turkey Tetrazzini. They will NOT have product now through ALL of 2009.

This information was learned by a Mountain House dealer who shared it with me this morning. In personally talking with the company immediately after, Mountain House verified the information is true. Customer service stated, "I'm surprised they don't have this posted on the website yet." She said they have such a backlog of orders, Mountain House will not be taking any #10 can food requests through the remainder of this year and all of the next.

Mountain House claims this situation is due to a backlog of orders, which may very well be true, but who is purchasing all of their food? This is a massive global corporation.

One idea: the military. Tensions are ramping up with Iran and news segments debate whether or not we will implement a preemptive strike in conjunction with Israel.

This guess is further underscored by our experience at the Internet Grocer. In early June we placed an order with them for Red Feather Real Canned Butter. We brought this same canned butter back with us from Australia – at about half the price. Now it's looking good at any price. It took 6 weeks for the order to arrive due to a major buyout from "the feds". Here is Internet Grocer's posted message:

We're told that the feds bought the entire container of canned butter when it hit the California docks. (Something's up!) Butter arrived first week of June. Get your Butter order in NOW to have yours set aside. We're working to fill back-orders now.

If you dig further on the Internet Grocer site, you find that the military did indeed purchase a large quantity of Mountain House foods, too. Internet Grocer however, is out of the loop on the extent of Mountain House's backlog saying the delay will be 20 weeks, when it is now extended to 76 weeks.

These companies are not alone. People are finally awakened that time is running out. In late May, Fox News aired a live preparedness seminar and they warned people NOT to expect emergency supplies to be provided by the government and that they need to be self-sufficient. Will you be prepared?

SOLUTIONS

1. Some Mountain House dealers may still have #10 cans available. You will need to locate them and contact them directly.... Search Online Dealers.
2. You might check with The Freeze Dry Guy at 866.404.3663 (FOOD) to see if he has supplies available.

3. Always a great option, buy your own bulk foods and pack them for long-term storage. It's easy and you'll have the knowledge at your fingertips whenever you want to set food aside. It eliminates having to depend on vendor, trucker and gouging grocers. You pack what you want to eat and in the quantity that works best for your family.

[IceAge]

My favorite dehydrated meal on the trail is Stove Top stuffing with Knorr Mushroom Gravy powder and assorted home-dried mushrooms. Man, that is good stuff, I am often tempted to eat it at home.