your right. they sucked too.Originally Posted by SGT Rock
from http://www.ldpcampingfoods.com/
Mountain House Can Policy:Mountain House has instituted a new policy regarding can sales effective Sep. 2008. Discounts are no longer allowed. Sales are limited to three, two-week periods per year. As a dealer of Mountain House since 1991, we're immediately complying with their wishes and know that you'll continue to give us your trust and business.
The weight of #10 is probably more like 1.92 lb or 31 oz, but one cup servings are small.
If you think about your question you will have thought at least once. Do you think MH is manipulating their #10 can prices???
I hope you are are planning on more than 15 resupplies. Including the deli stops in the mid atlantic region you are better off with more than 30 resupplies.
Rambler
Oops, the cans are only 19 oz, so a portion is only 1.9 oz. That's really small, or big marketing hype. Maybe you should not be dealing with Mountain House. They are pricing the cans for the doomsday whackos.
Rambler
Yeah but he's not talking about ramen, stuffing and rice, and if I'm not mistaken he said 15 drops which is about half the resupplies, so he'll have to buy along the way. (unless he's carrying 10 or more days)
As far as getting sick of the same stuff, my hiking diet has hardly changed in 12 years. Much of it can be changed a little but, stores only have so much to offer and, all except fresh meat, breads, and fruit can be mailed.
MH was always out of my price range. however, what did interest me was hearing about their #10 cans of dehydrated chicken. tried some.. good stuff.
hey hey, my my
I used MH the whole way. Pre-bought from ldpcampingfoods.com. For dinners I bought the pro-pak meals. For breakfasts I bought #10 cans. Did not have a vacuum packing device, so my dear husband kindly repackaged breakfast meals for me as I progressed. I like the convenience of just boiling water, which offset the inconvenience of picking up mail drops.
For cost, I'd go with the cheaper option, whatever that is today.
That said, if I were to do it again, I probably would just buy along the way. I think it's cheaper, and you can get more variety in your diet.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
Now that is a powerful post right there that speaks volumes.
On the subject of MH foods, I rather make my own. But the age of the original poster is 25. When I was that age my cooking skills were not too good, so I can see the appeal of the MH route.
Finally, an answer to the original question! Now that actually makes sense.
Lots of hikers, me included, have hiked the AT with zero food drops. It's not for everyone, but if you can carry 100 miles worth, it's quite easy. Good variety and zero logistics.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
I would email Mountain House and ask them this question. They may end up helping you out somehow.
I have no idea why the individual packets would be cheaper than buying in bulk, that seems kind of strange.
And I agree witht he folks who suggest alternating your meals. The MH lasgna is indeed good (tho mine's better!!) but no matter how much you may like it now, you're guaranteed to grow less fond of it if you eat it more than twice a week. I'd rotate some other stuff in there so you have some variety.
The girl I met at Rainbow Springs (100 miles north of Springer) who decided that thru hiking wasn't something she wanted to do anymore -- and had bought 6 months worth of MH meals that she was trying to sell -- would also agree.
As a general rule, I'm not sure it's wise to EVER buy all your stuff in advance for any number of reasons:
*If your trip ends prematurely, you still have boxes and boxes of hiker food
you don't need.
*Most people put too much food in their maildrops and end up giving away a
lot, or just ditching it somewhere. Thus, they waste money twice, both on
the original purchase, and the postage.
*A lot of folks get good food/diet ideas from observing what other people eat.
Some of my favorite Trail foods were NOT ones I first thought of. But if you
buy and send all, or nearly all of your food ahead of time, you're essentially
stuck with it.
*Most people get sick of a lot of Trail food, and by the end of the trip, they
never want to see another Lipton, Ramen, Pop Tart, Clif Bar, etc. ever
again. If you pre-buy all your food, you're stuck with it for 6 months, and
you're left with two choices: Suck it up and finish the trip eating food you
hate, or you can ditch your maildrops and purchase all new stuff, which is
expensive.
In short, I'd resist the temptation to pre-buy all of your food. It's really quite easy to buy as you go, and most folks discover they eat better this way, too.
Thats a good point that isn't brought up often when these discussions take place. I had about 10 years of backpacking experience before my thru; nothing longer than a week. Within 2-3 weeks after the start of my thru what I ate was 100% different than what I had been used to.
Is it too much to think that the person back home mailing you your boxes is not able to do a little shopping before hand? Create a shopping list for the person who is going to send you your boxes and let them get the MH meals, or whatever else, before they ship. Thats my plan. Hope it works.
Excellent idea. I was ground support for my wife when she thru hiked the AT before I did. It was fun to watch her tastes change completely, then eventually, by Harper's Ferry, she stopped asking for mail drops altogether, preferring to buy as she hiked. I just sent maps and gifts after that.
She was wise enough not to overestimate her chances of hiking the whole trail, and to know her tastes would change.
Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to have such caring support. Be very appreciative of that person if you do.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
OK, lots of people say they change their diet but how? Any examples? Even if you buy as you go, it's different varieties of Lipton's, ramens, mac 'n cheese, oatmeal, cereal, etc. Certainly nothing you can't do beforehand if you use mail drops.
What am I missing?
Tully, I can speak from experience. We went through the same logic for freeze dried food. We bought through Emergency Essentials, who freeze dried their own at the time and the cost of bulk was about half that of Mountain House packaged meals. We bought #10 cans of meals and extra veggies, repackaged in vacuum bags with a little fiber and put together multiple pre-addressed mail drops my sister sent out. I just checked the EE site and they now resell Mountain House with their mark-up negating the previous cost savings. It appears for some reason the packages are more cost effective than the bulk now. Not sure why, but must be due to production efficiency.
The important lessons we learned are in total agreement with Lone Wolf and Jack Tarlin. IMO mail drops will tie you to Post Office schedules, your tastes will change, and it's all a waste if you don't make it. We walked faster than the PO could deliver some of our packages and they bounced up the trail behind us. It took weeks to retrieve a few after the hike and isn't the kind of thing you want to deal with along the way. If you really have a taste for MH meals you can find them at outfitters along the trail.
I believe we spent more in postage and hassle than we saved by buying in bulk. Next time it's buy along the way, enjoy the creativity in putting together meals to your taste from local markets, and head up the trail, not waiting on the USPS. In the bigger picture, I believe if you're determined to make it all the way, or if you decide to drop out, greater issues will influence your decision than having more mail drops.
Best wishes on your hike!
That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau
First off relize that the can only contains the equivilent of 5 pouches. The Can probably cost more because they don't package in cans enough for them to offer a lower cost. Same thing happens in buying clubs like cosco and the others. Some things are only parkaged in bulk for them and you can acturaly find them cheaper in a regular store. Or it could be that they are just trying to get what they can from you. Either way freeze dry is too experience and others are right. Maildrops for whole trip IMHO are:Too much planning, too expensive, you will get tried of your choices, too much prep time, and you burden someone at home.
Thank you all for your responses! I understand the concern for having too many mail drops and I will try to cut down as I continue with my planning. I will also be packaging and sending a sports recovery powder (for mixing w/ water) called Endurox R4. Anyone else use this stuff? I sweat like an absolute hog and, after four years of Div. 1 soccer and training for and running in the ING Miami Marathon, I know that it really works. It helps to put salts, carbs, and potassium back into my system. I have four containers at about 4.5 lbs. each, which I plan on maildropping at increments of 1.5 lbs. each. This would equate to 12 MD's. Obviously, the number of MDs does vary from hiker to hiker, but is there an average of how many people do? I'll probably buy some individual packets of Mountain House and supplement them by buying along the way (food variety seems to be a common suggestion here on WB). Thanks again for all of your suggestions. Best, Tully.
Tully,
If you sweat a ton might also want to give HammerGel's Endurlyte capsules a try. I use them while biking and have totally alleviated cramping. I use them in place of a sports drink (gatorade, powerade, etc). It's much easier in that you take 1 or 2 per hour with water. You don't have to worry about mixing a drink bottle, just look for water.
My $0.02
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