Best way to pack Mountain House meals?

[Scoot]

Title is pretty self explanatory- 8 days of food in my pack takes up a lot of room! How do I best minimize the space taken up by my mountain house meals?

 

[Eagle]

Put them in quart size freezer bags and just "cook" them in that. Pour the hot water in, get the air out, seal them up, and put them in something that will keep them insulated for the amount of time required like a beanie or puffy jacket.

 

[Brock A]

Not a whole lot of compression going on there. If you don't get the pre vac sealed "Pro Pak" I would say take it out of the Mt. House packaging and vac seal it in your own bag. Other than that I am not really sure what a guy can do. I personally buy the Pro Paks that are already sealed.

 

[RyanC]

+1 for quart size freezer bags. I made an insulated holder out of Reflectix but you can get one off of Hawk Vittles website. I think they call it a "Snuggie". I am trying it for the first time sheep hunting but have read many good reviews about this method.

Ryan

 

[elkmtngear]

I vacuum pack them down in individual bags...they compress pretty small, and you can trim the bags down.

Then I just pack two empty MH bags to cook them in...you can re-use them over and over.

 

[larryschwartz]

Like BrockA said, if you are not using the ProPaks then you are packing a whole lot of air. Repackage them and you will save a lot of room in your pack.

 

[littlebuf]

freezer bags is how I take them. no need for all the extra packing and if you use a wool beanie ( I always have mine for sleeping, no need for a special holder/cozy) to hold it while you eat its actually much easier to eat from and get completely cooked than MH packaging. lighter too

 

[OBP]

freezer bags is how I take them. no need for all the extra packing and if you use a wool beanie ( I always have mine for sleeping, no need for a special holder/cozy) to hold it while you eat its actually much easier to eat from and get completely cooked than MH packaging. lighter too

This. Works perfect.

 

[colonel00]

Does anyone buy MH in bulk and portion into freezer bags? To me this seems like a slam dunk since it is cheaper and you aren't paying for the MH bags that you don't need. Plus, with a little testing, you can portion to what you need and even make some additions as you see fit for taste or additional meat/veggies.

Also, I have a ton of Reflectix and I wouldn't mind throwing together some pouches if anyone wants one. I would just need the dimensions you prefer and any other requests like a fold over lid or something. If I get around to it I want to actually try to make one what has an expanding bottom that will allow it to stand up. Feel free to PM me if interested.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

As mentioned putting them into freezer bags work well. I generally carry one or two of the MH packages to put the freezer bags in while they are cooking.

 

[endorice]

Pro Paks are the only way to go. No hassle, single bag, no clean up, and minimal garbage to pack back out.

 

[Yellowknife]

While I like Pro Paks, in direct comparison in my pack I've never noticed that they take up that much less space. The kind of odd shape makes them bulky in their own way.

I've mentioned this before, but what I do is take take 3-4 MH bags, stack them alternating fat-to-skinny ends, and then throw a wrap of packing tape around the package. Makes a neat "block" of food that is easier to pack and handle.

I have considered the freezer bag thing before, but have concerns about puncturing holes in the bag during while packing in. Particularly on meals with rice or other hard pointy components. Is it not an issue?

Yk

 

[Daniel_M]

Pro Paks are legit, repackaging them in the long run for a weight savings winds up fairly null. I usually leave them loose and stuff them as a filler. They are sealed so packing them in an rolltop bag is a non issue.

 

[jquarnberg]

Pro Paks unless you already have the other kind purchased.

 

[todd kelly]

Pro Paks are legit, repackaging them in the long run for a weight savings winds up fairly null. I usually leave them loose and stuff them as a filler. They are sealed so packing them in an rolltop bag is a non issue.

Yep, keep em loose to fill void spaces.

 

[Eagle]

While I like Pro Paks, in direct comparison in my pack I've never noticed that they take up that much less space. The kind of odd shape makes them bulky in their own way.

I've mentioned this before, but what I do is take take 3-4 MH bags, stack them alternating fat-to-skinny ends, and then throw a wrap of packing tape around the package. Makes a neat "block" of food that is easier to pack and handle.

I have considered the freezer bag thing before, but have concerns about puncturing holes in the bag during while packing in. Particularly on meals with rice or other hard pointy components. Is it not an issue?

Yk

I've been using freezer bags for my meals since 2007 and never had an issue with a punctured bag at all. Of course, it could happen, but I don't think it'll be due to the contents of the freezer bag (unless you leave the pointy edged dessicant packets in the freezer bag).

 

[gobbler1662]

I go with the quart freezer bags also. Saves a lot of space. Like stated I try to buy the 4 portion meals and then divide them up smaller into the quart bags. I use my wife's pizza tray and use a spat hula to divide the mountain house into smaller portions.

 

[littlebuf]

Is it not an issue?

Yk

ive never had an issue with it. I buy the nicer/heavier material zip lock brand qrt size. I can get a full 7 days food, MH and all m,y other stuff in a kifaru large pull out. only issue ive had is a mouse chewed his way into one I left out one time. but they don't eat much

 

[MAT]

I would think foodsaver vac bags would be a good option too, and you can suck all the air out. They are more puncture resistant than freezer bags, but need a clip for the top as there is no zipper. You could put a bunch of freezer bags full of MH in one and supersucker the whole lot. That way you can control the shape. Propacks are nice but an odd shape.

BTW of you don’t have a vac sealer you should get one. I use it for everything, even my game bags, first aid kit etc. to reduce space and keep them clean.

 

[Becca]

We just leave the regular 2 serving packages the way they came. Often hard to predict exactly how long we will be out, and the pouches are good for 7 years as long as they are unopened. Sure they are a little bulky, but nothing we can't deal with. Have considered using YK's method of taping some together, but never really felt like we needed to. The less work I can make for myself the better...