Cheese. It might be a matter of personal preference, but we found the dinners to be over-seasoned. Give yourself a "treat" at the end of every day. Seaweed is the ultimate trail superfood. But we think Heather’s Choice is the best-tasting food around, and the tradeoffs could be well worth it for those who don’t want to compromise enjoyment or nutrition while on the trail. Cooking method: Pre-cookedAverage cook time: 5 minutesCalories per ounce: 22What we like: Tasty, convenient, and a fun cooking method.What we don’t: Way too heavy to be practical. ... you’ll need to get creative. 4. It might not seem like a big deal, but sometimes a little organization and reliability on the trail is just what the heart needs. Dried fruit, on the other hand, provides dense sugar which can be a healthier alternative to candy. Try mixing it up with some granola and dried fruit for breakfast. The Mountain Beef Stew Pouch we tried had an impressive ingredient list: beef, vegetables, spices, and sea salt. The recipes have been extensively field-tested by me and by hundreds of clients on my guided backpacking trips. However, Cache Lake lags behind these brands because they do not offer all-natural ingredients or many special diet options. Tuna and Salmon. 21. Both have flat, packable pouches, large serving sizes, and a plethora of special diet options. One way we’ve categorized the meals in this article is by cooking method: pouch, pot, or pre-cooked meal. They’re also known to keep their original texture better than freeze-dried ingredients. All of the meals above are made up of dry ingredients, but Omeals is a pre-cooked option that can be eaten straight from the package, hot or cold. 15. Besides food, razors, phone chargers, postcards, clean clothes, and duct tape are all common items in bounce boxes. Some hikers prefer to go the non-cook route, forgoing their stove and cooking and cleaning duties entirely. Preservatives are one of the most common unnatural offenders in backcountry meals, added to increase the shelf life and guard food from being spoiled by microorganisms such as mold, bacteria, and yeast. Lunch Bagel w/ Peanut butter. Their flavor and texture are more along the lines of canned chili than rehydrated mush. Dinner. However, it can provide a lot of calories and fat. For this reason, we recommend that you pay more attention to the calorie count than the serving size, and don’t be shy about eating far more than one serving. Unfortunately, the taste of AlpineAire meals just doesn’t measure up. 5. Here are some weight-conscious, non-perishable meals that are sure to satisfy the hungriest, … Outdoor Herbivore’s website is reminiscent of the bulk foods aisle of your local grocery co-op, but with a large assortment of dehydrated and freeze-dried offerings. Although our meal had sizable pieces of broccoli, the ingredient list was full of preservatives and additives. Packaging being the second. NUTRITIOUS: Hikers have been known to burn up to 6,000 calories a day. For this, our “calories per ounce” spec can be your guide. 10. Additionally, meals from Outdoor Herbivore, Good To-Go, and AlpineAire tend to be lower in sodium than most. PAY ATTENTION TO NUTRITIONAL DENSITY: If you really want to nerd out, keep nutritional density in mind. These meals (take your pick of 30 dinners) cook up almost as quickly as Mountain House and are more nutritious and lower in sodium to boot. Banana Bread Oatmeal. 17. They may not knock it out of the park in terms of taste, but these meals remain a reliable and lightweight standard for backcountry cuisine. And take note: if you’re dehydrating food and planning to store it for months or years, make sure that it’s properly dehydrated and fully sealed. A backpacking food … Similar benefits as the tabs - electrolytes and enhances hydration. Additionally, the eco-friendly packaging lacks a resealable closure for cooking your meal in the pouch, but squeezing the air out of the bag and folding the top underneath to cook is a fairly simple workaround. And the company is unique in offering an overstock section on their website where deal-seekers can purchase larger serving size packages at discounted rates. Be creative and have fun out there. Practically unheard of. Another potential drawback worth mentioning (although it may have been an anomaly): we once had a Good To-Go pouch of Thai Curry that was too spicy to finish, so flavors may vary. From his laptop all over the years as well Lake lags behind these because... Our personal favorite is Alpine start, a small start-up out of that! Contains 1,055 calories per ounce on average, which is far and away the thing... A shelf-stable meal that can the closest thing to have on the trail load won ’ t for... 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