Backcountry Meal Trials – Freeze Dried Taste Test (Part 1)

Any set of backcountry meal trials for wilderness hunting would not be complete without taste-testing some of the most popular, widely available freeze dried packaged meal options.  Most of the backcountry meal packages used in this test were purchased from my local outdoor shops.  Several of the meals were gifted from friends stashes, and some were purchased from Amazon.

The previous edition of the series examined the question of how much food a person should carry into the backcountry.   Freeze dried meals have many advantages.  Lightweight, calorie dense, come in many meal options, and are generally easy to prepare.

I have a love-hate relationship with these meals.  Many are down-right tasty.  Some are, frankly, terrible.  Some are packaged wonderfully, in that you can eat them with your utensil of choice without getting food on your hands.  Others have packing that will not allow this, and is one of my larger pet peeves.

This edition of the taste-test series will examine the following features of the backcountry meal packages:

1. Qualitative:  Can you easily eat it in the field?  Really on care if I can eat this with my current utensil and not get food on my hands.
2. Quantitative:   What is the caloric density of the meal?
3. Qualitative:  Taste test – my impressions, and the impressions of my six-year-old daughter.

We will look at three backcountry meal packages in this post:

1. Mountain House Chicken and Rice.
2. Peak Refuel Beef Pasta Marinara.
3. Backpacker’s Pantry pad Thai. 

Mountain House Chicken and Rice

Mountain House is probably the best known, most widely available freeze dried backcountry meal option out there.  We sampled the Pro-Pak version of the meal.  The Pro-Pak is vacuum sealed, and has approximately two servings per package vice three in the regular pouch.

Package weight: 0.33 lb/5.22 oz

Time to prepare:  12.5 mins total = 9 mins steeping + 3.5 mins for Jet Boil

Water required:  1.75 cups

Caloric density:  103.53 cal/oz

This backcountry meal was right on track from a timing perspective.  We opened it almost exactly at the time noted in the instructions, and it was fully cooked.

Mountain House Rice and Chicken.

First impression was it looked and smelled like real food.  Texture was fine, as we are generally anti-mush.  The meal was not too salty.  How about the six year old test?

JMJ2 approves of the Mountain House.

Pros:  This was a good, palatable option that I could see myself enjoying as a backcountry meal.  The package was small, and would not get food on your hands.

Cons:  Caloric density of the meal is light, at just over 100 cals/ounce.

Peak Refuel Beef Pasta Marinara

This Peak Refuel backcountry meal option popped up in my Amazon feed after the no-cook breakfast post.  I decided to try it out, and was pleased with this meal overall.  It is not vacuum sealed, and should pack flat.  The packaging is good, allowing easy retrieval with a typical long-shanked camp utensil.

Package weight:  0.46 lb/7.30 oz

Time to prepare:  13.5 mins total = 10 mins steeping + 3.5 mins for Jet Boil

Water required:  1.34 cups

Caloric density:  134.32 cal/oz

Once again, this backcountry meal was right on track from a timing perspective.  I could have let it steep a few more minutes without issue, as there were a few al dente pasta.  We opened it almost exactly at the time noted in the instructions, and it was fully cooked.

Peak Refuel Beef Pasta Marinara.

This smelled, looked, and tasted like a pasta dish I would prepare at home.  How did the six year old test go?

JMJ2 thinks this is OK.

Full disclaimer:  Once I explained to her that this pasta dish did not have peanut butter in it, she went thumbs up.  Why did she think that?  See next review.

Pros:  Tasted great.   Excellent caloric density clocking in over 134 cals/oz.  Package will lay flat possibly providing more flexibility in packing.

Cons: The only con I can come up with is this is a 980 calorie meal, and may be hard to fully eat in one sitting.

Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai

This backcounty meal option scored pretty high in a review I found, so I decided to try it out.  I do like a Pad Thai meal, and this could be one to add some serious flavor profile variety to a seven day backcountry hunt.

Package weight:  0.58 lb/9.23 oz

Time to prepare:  20.5 mins total = 17 mins steeping + 3.5 mins for Jet Boil

Water required:  2.25 cups

Caloric density:  99.65 cal/oz

This backcountry meal took the longest to prepare, taking over 20 minutes.  It was also the most complex meal to assemble.  Peanut butter pack, Siracha and lime flavor packs combine to add a complexity not found in the other meals.

Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai.

This backcountry meal option looked good, had plenty of flavor options, and smelled like real food.  The six year old taste test?

JMJ2 was not a fan.

I enjoyed the taste of this meal, it was the most flavorful of the bunch – as it should have been with all the add-ons.

Pros:  Tasted great.   Package will lay flat possibly providing more flexibility in packing.

Cons:  Complex to create.  Long preparation time.  Low caloric density.  Tall packing means food on hands.

Round One Conclusions and Observations

Each of the backcountry meal options we tested passed my personal taste test.  Only the Peak Refuel brand stood out from a caloric density standpoint, and is the one from this test I will consider carrying this fall.  Round one recommendations are:

1.  Peak Refuel Beef Pasta Marina is a winner.  This backcountry meal should have a place in your pack this fall.
2. Mountain House is a good, compact option for a hike-in/out day.
3. I would not take the Backpacker Pantry Pad Thai due to the long cook time, preparation complexity and packaging.

Round two will look at another three popular meal options.  Make sure to check out our 2016 Colorado backcountry hunt story on why this topic is important to us.