Freeze Dried Foods

[LightManSA]

I pulled out an assortment to try out.. I did not test the ones I already know and like.. These were unknowns.

To My Taste…. The 4 on the left were pretty good. The 4 on the right were a Disappointment.. Sorry guys, I wanted to like it, but the Mendes stuff was not up to the hype.

I’d expect tastes do differ on these!

 

[The10%]

That's an expensive meal!

 

[LightManSA]

Expensive, yes.. But I’m glad I did it! I’d rather know now, than to gag them down unnecessarily on a long trip to the backcountry….

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Yeah, Mendes isn't worth the price.

 

[mooster]

Wow $100 meal. I just ordered over $600 worth of FD for my upcoming moose hunt. I mixed in some
Peak and Heathers for variety but wow what a difference in price vs. Alpine Aire & Mtn House. I waited as I was watching for sales but didn't see much, REI does offer 10% on full price w/free shipping for members.

 

[isItFallYet]

I pulled out an assortment to try out.. I did not test the ones I already know and like.. These were unknowns.

To My Taste…. The 4 on the left were pretty good. The 4 on the right were a Disappointment.. Sorry guys, I wanted to like it, but the Mendes stuff was not up to the hype.

I’d expect tastes do differ on these!

I was just about to order the Mendes 8 pack to sample! I like Peak more than a lot of the others. But from your experience, I’ll save my money.

 

[Robinhood21]

I have not had any of the 4 you did not like on the right.

The Peak meals that I've had were the:
Chicken Pesto Pasta (my favorite) - GREAT
Chicken Alfredo Pasta - GREAT
Homestyle Chicken & Rice - GREAT
Beef Straganoff - GREAT
Chicken Terryaki - (had 1 that was great & 1 that was not(different batches??))
Strawberry Granola - GREAT

New Peak Meals I'm trying this year:
Sweet Pork & Rice
Chicken Coconut Curry
Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli

The only Mountain House I eat is Biscuits & Gravy and don't see a reason to buy other MH since Peak is so good.
I'll never try another Backpackers Pantry or AlpineAire meal.... too many terrible ones to give them a chance again.

I plan on trying some of the Stowaway Gourmet meals soon as they look really good and have had good feedback so far.

Find ones you really like and make up the majority of your meals with those! Sprinkle some new ones in here and there to try but always make sure the majority of them are proven ones you know you're going to enjoy.

 

[cgasner1]

Everything from peak I’ve had is good so I just keep buying them and figure if I get hungry enough I’ll eat it


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[Mosby]

I prefer Pack it Gourmet over any other meals that I have tried but I stopped looking when I found them. The only thing that I have tried and will not reorder are their pasta meals. Flavor is ok but the multi step process isn't worth it to me. I like to boil, pour, stir and eat. I might try a couple of the Peak's for variety sake.

 

[D.Blake]

If I never stop eating only House... I will never know how much better the expensive stuff is than House!

 

[AKDoc]

I tried a few Peak meals last year for the first time...just to have something different now and then as a break from from the MH's when in the field for two-weeks at a time.

So far, my favorite Peaks are Sweet Pork and Rice and the Chicken Coconut Curry...they are darn good. The Peak Biscuits & Gravy was a tie with MH for me, although they were different (and they are coming with me again this year).

I packed several other different Peak meals that I'm going to try in the field this month and next...didn't buy any of the Mendes ones to try. I still have some MH favorites coming with me this year, and probably always will.

I've tried some other different brands over the years (Backpackers Pantry, Alpineaire, etc) that sure sounded good from the label, but they were not for me!

 

[kwackkillncrew]

I have not had any of the 4 you did not like on the right.

The Peak meals that I've had were the:
Chicken Pesto Pasta (my favorite) - GREAT
Chicken Alfredo Pasta - GREAT
Homestyle Chicken & Rice - GREAT
Beef Straganoff - GREAT
Chicken Terryaki - (had 1 that was great & 1 that was not(different batches??))
Strawberry Granola - GREAT

New Peak Meals I'm trying this year:
Sweet Pork & Rice
Chicken Coconut Curry
Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli

The only Mountain House I eat is Biscuits & Gravy and don't see a reason to try others since Peak is so good.
I'll never try another Backpackers Pantry or AlpineAire meal.... too many terrible ones to give them a chance again.

I plan on trying some of the Stowaway Gourmet meals soon as they look really good and have had good feedback so far.

Find ones you really like and make up the majority of your meals with those! Sprinkle some new ones in here and there to try but always make sure the majority of them are proven ones you know you're going to enjoy.

you should get the peak biscuits and gravy. I think its far better then the Mtn House

 

[Robinhood21]

I've tried some other different brands over the years (Backpackers Pantry, Alpineaire, etc) that sure sounded good from the label, but they were not for me!

HAHA This resonates with my soul!.... I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me. Sounds great, ends up being terrible.

you should get the peak biscuits and gravy. I think its far better then the Mtn House

I have heard that... I may actually have a couple of those packed for this coming trip.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

make sure to read the pro tip on the package.

 

[twall13]

I'll have to agree your assessment of the Mendez meals. I haven't loved any of the Mendez meals I've tried. They are okay, but there are mountain house meals I'd rather eat than those. They certainly aren't worth the premium to me. My absolute favorite FD meal is the Peak Chicken Pesto Pasta. I also like their chicken alfredo, beef stroganoff, biscuits and gravy, and their granola breakfasts quite a bit. I really like that the Peak meals take so little water and I tend to get a more consistent texture with them than some of the other brands out there.

I plan on testing a few from Stowaway Gourmet and Gastronome this year in an attempt to replace a few meals I liked in years past from Offgrid. It seems as though Offgrid has gone out of business, which is too bad cause I really liked a few of their dinners and their breakfasts were the best flavor and nutrient combo I've found by a long shot.

Mountain house is hit or miss for me and I'll never try another Backpackers Pantry meal.

 

[Robinhood21]

My absolute favorite FD meal is the Peak Chicken Pesto Pasta.

Peak Chicken Pesto Pasta is the best freeze dried meal in existence!

 

[Mykolaivka887]

If I never stop eating only House... I will never know how much better the expensive stuff is than House!

I'm a Mountain House guy. For me, I rather save the money and put it toward another hunt than eat high-end stylish packaged hunting meals. Waste of money

 

[cgasner1]

I'm a Mountain House guy. For me, I rather save the money and put it toward another hunt than eat high-end stylish packaged hunting meals. Waste of money

The money savings from mountain house to peak you end up using on toilet paper


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[Mykolaivka887]

The money savings from mountain house to peak you end up using on toilet paper


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One roll of toilet paper easily lasts me 12 days in the field, no problem.

 

[WMR]

Good idea to try them at home first. FWIW, we liked (and took) MH Beef Stroganoff, Beef Stew and Biscuits&Gravy. I tried their Teriyaki Chicken (Gag!) and considered using it as bear repellant. Remember that these meals are pretty low in calorie content for their weight and size. I'd plan on 2500 calories per day if active. That requires at least one pound of food per person per day. Next time, I'd take less freeze dried meals and more PB&J, spam and tortillas to put them on. Envelopes of Tuna and Chicken also came in handy. Trail mix is also a high calorie (and energy food). Peanut M&M's are never a mistake. Hot food is nice, but cocoa and powdered soups were good and very easy.

Minimus.biz is a site that sells individual condiments in any odd quantity. We shop there for these. We tried to avoid left over half full containers of any food to reduce risks of attracting bears. Our weight limit was generous for the flight in, so we had most of our food in bear proof containers. Best of luck to all.