Backpackers Chime In...Need Your Wish List

[Where's Bruce?]

If you could have all the benefits of Mountain House meals (weight, simplicity, compact size, etc) but wanted things that are not available (like low sodium and/or meals without all the chemicals that most dehydrated foods contain...what would your wish list look like? I am asking for a very specific reason, we own a family business in the commercial food manufacturing industry and I believe there is a market for a more nutritional, better tasting boil-n-bag line of dehydrated products for sportsmen and preppers. We already have the necessary equipment and have some ideas on how to market the line but first we need to develop recipes with universal appeal the majority. So...if you could have anything you wanted, what would it be? My plan is to provide attempt to provide a superior product line. We would only sell direct so we don't have to jack the price up so retailers and distributors can make their 40%-100%. One of my ideas is to offer a two course bag (divided in the center) so you can have Swedish meatballs on one side and scallop potatoes on the other or oatmeal/raisin on one side and eggs, ham & cheese on the other (or something to that effect). I also envision a line of dessert items, UL creature comforts for those who wanna enjoy an apple cobbler or something once in a while.

If you like or hate these ideas, please chime in. This line (if proven viable, as I believe it is) will only be successful if it is embraced by the ultimate backpackers as "the best" on the market. Given the ingredients found in MH and Wise, I don't think this will be so difficult.

What's on your wish list? Calorie counts? Protein? Specific entrees? What?

 

[dotman]

Here is your true competition http://hawkvittles.com/ , if you could match the flavors MH has and keep the price similar but have a healthier product I think you would do well as long as the taste and quality was similar to MH.

I would think this could be possible with a shorter shelf life.

 

[Shrek]

You're on to a great idea. A low sodium line alone would be great. The two courses would be cool also. Most MH meals seem short on total calories to me for people expending the energy like we do hunting so calorie dense meals would be good also. I know a lot of people freak out about fats but thats what I want more of and less carbs. Low sodium , calorie dense ( about 1000 per meal ) , more seasonings . MH is mostly salty and bland.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Thanks...so if there was a "spice pouch" in the package that would be similar to a dry Tabasco for those who prefer their food with a kick...that would be preferable? Seems like a simple enough option and yes, we have already figured out how to remove some salt and chems by reducing the shelf life to 8-10 yrs instead of 25.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Would a variety pack that included powdered chocolate protein drinks, high calorie nutrition bars and soups, entrees and desserts for 7 days in a "kit" be worth trying once to see what you like? It would be a value fun pack kinda thing to try a little of everything in the line. Or would that be too much of a commitment initially. Price would run roughly $14./day or $98 for the week's supply. Calorie/protein count needs to be what? Vegan sound good?

 

[dotman]

Would a variety pack that included powdered chocolate protein drinks, high calorie nutrition bars and soups, entrees and desserts for 7 days in a "kit" be worth trying once to see what you like? It would be a value fun pack kinda thing to try a little of everything in the line. Or would that be too much of a commitment initially. Price would run roughly $14./day or $98 for the week's supply. Calorie/protein count needs to be what? Vegan sound good?

I can do without the drink unless it is a daily coffee or 2. Is the $14 a day all daily food/snacks or just dinner, drink and snack? If so I like the price point.

I try to get around 2000 cals a day minimum. I like dinners with around 20grams of protein. Also weight will be a huge consideration, baseline is 1oz per 100cals.

 

[Shrek]

I'm not big on hot spicy. More garlic , onion , pepper ect. A little warm is good but tobasco isn't my thing but it would be better than bland food. I'm no vegan either. Meat mode is a slogan around here ! The price seems pretty good for a weeks food compared to MH + extras. I know I ran about $20 a day but I had a lot of expensive nuts and dried fruit and over 4000 calories per day . Imo 3000 calories per day sounds right. This is hiking hard and hunting food not sit at a desk calorie needs.

Btw , the powdered chocolate drink sounds yuk to me.

 

[Shrek]

Where is the rest of Rokslide on this ? Some of the guys with vast experience need to have an opinion.

 

[dotman]

I'm not big on hot spicy. More garlic , onion , pepper ect. A little warm is good but tobasco isn't my thing but it would be better than bland food. I'm no vegan either. Meat mode is a slogan around here ! The price seems pretty good for a weeks food compared to MH + extras. I know I ran about $20 a day but I had a lot of expensive nuts and dried fruit and over 4000 calories per day . Imo 3000 calories per day sounds right. This is hiking hard and hunting food not sit at a desk calorie needs.

Only problem with 3000 - 4000 cals a day is you are probably looking at 33 - 44oz which is way to heavy for backpacking food, great for a car camp or horse camp. I like to keep my daily food weight to 1.5lbs or less per day.

 

[Shrek]

And some honest rehydration times instead of the pipe dream times Mountain House uses. I just double the time MH puts on their packages.

 

[colonel00]

Personally, I think that if you wanted to sell people on this, maybe come up with a way to have small sampler packs. I also echo dotman with the question of what exactly comes with $14 a day? Also, if you really want to carve a niche, having a way to mix and match things would be really nice. As dotman mentions, he may not want a protein drink but he would sub in coffee.

Also, +1 on meat. If nothing else, come up with some handy dishes that can be mixed with tuna or salmon or people could add their own dehydrated beef or something.

 

[Shrek]

Dotman , I came in right at 33oz for 4200 to 4500 calories plus the three half and half creamers and five sugar packs and two Starbucks Via. I made my own nut and dried fruit mix so I didn't get a bunch of salt and lower calorie nuts. 12 oz of pecans , walnuts and macadamia nuts and three oz of dried fruit and about a half oz of mixed nuts I had around. Mostly almonds , peanuts , and cashews. All the fiber in the nuts kept my going better than I wanted to at times !

 

[aron]

And some honest rehydration times instead of the pipe dream times Mountain House uses. I just double the time MH puts on their packages.

Don't bother with backpacker pantry as they are twice as long as MH to rehydrate.

 

[aron]

I think it would be nice to have a shallower bag to make easier/cleaner to eat. I don't know about the whole variety pack or kit as there are going to be some things ppl don't like but are stuck with. And I personally avoid the vegan food as much as possible

 

[Shrek]

I have a three day meal pack from Backpackers Pantry that has not even been tried because of all the cooking involved. If I can't boil , pour , mix , and let stand then forget about it. What ? I'm going to pack a twenty pound propane tank and a set of pots and pans ?

 

[Darren Best]

I agree with Shrek, a whole lot less sodium and carbs, more healthy fat and protein. Nothing wrong with standard spices, just don't make them spicy hot.

I know a lot of people advocate a lot of carb calories, but they are fake calories, try tanking up on healthy fats and protein and you will be amazed at how much energy you have and how long it lasts. It won't be the high and low cycles that you get with carbs, just a steady burn that lasts for hours.

Leave out the chemicals that MH puts in and you will be a long ways to beating them.

 

[Renoit24]

I've been dehydrating and vacuum sealing meals for two years now and I enjoy adjusting flavors to my liking. My other friends who went along were planning on buying mh meals, so I offered to make their meals. I sold them three meals a day for $4 a meal for 10 days worth of hunting . that sounds about the same as your $14/day plan. I could have charged more but since they were friends I was generous. I made a variety of meals from spaghetti, chicken teriyaki to enchilada dinner. I didn't mind making an extra $360 dollars and also because I made everything in bulk, my meals were free. I think your business idea has potential, and I think a focus on flavor and weight would help boost popularity. I tried to make my meals calorie dense as possible by adding rice, mashed potatoes, etc. Most of my breakfast meals also contained protein powder. My next experiment is using quinoa in meals.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

NOW WE'RE COOKIN'! Thanks to everyone responding. Now to clarify a few things:
The "spice pouch" I mentioned earlier would be a separate little square packet inside the product and an "optional" set of ingredients to add for a spicier dish. Don't like spicy, don't use it or just use a portion of it. Kinda like the cheese and red pepper they deliver with pizzas.

The chocolate drink powder is actually an energy drink high in calories, vitamins, protein, is very filling...fuel for the body AND we already have a Mocha & Vanilla blend too. Can be drank hot or cold and (you'll need snow to make a Frappaccino). LOL

I am thinking of UL, fuel-specific ways to minimize weight and maximize caloric intake focusing on fats & proteins augmented with powders (thus the soups and protein drinks) but it seems that idea may not fly. I personally like a fast stop, "heat and eat/drink" option when I hunt. Sometimes a protein bar and water is all I eat for lunch and eat a hearty breakfast and dinner (helps me sleep too). So how many prefer a 3 squares to a 2 heavy, one light & fast option? I suppose we could offer both. The benefits of soups and protein energy drinks is that they cut weight & wait. They don't hafta sit like MH and some don't require hot water (but you have that option should you be hunting in the cold and want something hot for lunch).

I may be overthinking this. Perhaps instead of thinking about the week or day's needs...I should just focus on the individual products. Lemme sharpen my pencil. I was trying to combine less weight with a price point that would be attractive but I see not everyone embraces this idea. people like choices. It makes it harder to offer a significant savings though. on the other hand we might be able to offer week long packages & individual units so you can have it your way or ours. I had MH Lasagna for dinner and my stomach is not good tonight...all tightened up. being in the food business and married to a Sicilian with old country recipes, I eat pretty damn good. Lately she's been making vegan dishes that were exceptional and i had no idea they were vegan...thought they were delicious. Stunned to learn the truth about em. Okay...back to my nutritional panels.

 

[Becca]

High priorities for me in an entree of this type include:
*no added chemicals/ high fructose corn syrup--should be made of dehydrated REAL foods

*Easy to prepare--just add boiling water to the bag(no pan or skillet required), please have a zipper top bag so I don't spill while rehydrating. Also must rehydrate without requiring a cozy.

*entrees with a range of calories--from around 400-1000 per pkg. I have found that even on days we don't move as much or have bad weather, we want to eat a hot dinner entree. I also don't like to share my dinner with anyone, even if it says 2 servings on the packaged Spend a week weathered in your tent eating 1000-2000 calorie entrees and you will get chubby and sluggish really quick. I would rather have entrees with a calorie range from 400-1000. If we have a not so tough day I can eat a lower cal meal, and prioritize the higher cal meals for days I work harder. If you really need the calories then you can supplement your entree with olive oil or eat a candy bar or trail mix. I don't personally see the need for entrees over 1000 calories, and most should come in between 600-700 IMO. This helps keep the weight down as well.

*think outside the bag! By the end of the season, after 60+ days in the field I am usually pretty sick of eating meals of the same texture out of the bags. Having entrees designed to go into tortillas for wraps or be eaten on crackers mix things up texture wise and provide a nice breakfast from the same textures over and over.


Those are just my preliminary thoughts (after a 13 hour work day, so read at your own risk!), let me keep thinking about it and I will try to add more...

 

[pacific-23]

I think you nailed some really good points Becca, even at home I dislike meals that are without textural variation; and after a few days in the field start to fantasize about something crunchy like an apple! I really often get most of my calories throughout the day and like my MH for a hot (and most importantly) full belly for bed. I personally am in the 3500 cal/day range and that is breakfast, 3 snacks, and dinner. I have been getting really excited about the idea of "rolling my own" but don't as yet own a dehydrator. The one thing I really noticed with the non MH I have tried (Hawk Vittles) was that it seemed to take A LOT longer for the real food to rehydrate, and I missed the volume of the MH even though the HV were higher calorie. Again just some thoughts in no particular order. I would really like an option that has a short ingredient list of stuff I can pronounce - flavor wise MH is fine, the idea of what I'm eating I find distasteful...