Freeze dryer, worth spending the money?

[Russellback]

I’ve thought about buying a freeze drying machine for making meals for hunting trips plus would like to make meals for possible Armageddon
Anyone have any experience with one of these home units? Thanks for reading.

 

[roadrunner]

Nope. You can buy a lot of freeze dried food for Armageddon for the same price without the hassle.

For hunts, it would never pay for itself.

 

[grfox92]

Not enough hunts in a lifetime to pay for that.

Unless you wanted to do it as a hobby or something.

You can just dehydrate meals in the oven at low heat.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[BBob]

Is Buying a Home Freeze-Dryer Worth the Money? - Backpacking Light

Home Freeze-dryers are handy but expensive. Are they worth the cost? We show you how to find out looking at different recipies.

backpackinglight.com

Conclusion from the article: “So the affordability question comes down to your consumption level and time horizon. If you think that you (and the new friends you will acquire) will eat more than 300-400 freeze-dried meals in the next decade or so, then buying your own freeze-dryer is a reasonable choice.”

 

[Touchdown88]

I bought a medium Hatvest Right earlier this year. I try to run it a few times a week.

I don't know if it's worth the money, but I do know that I enjoy camp meals a lot more more than years past. My girls even break into the meals sporadically because they like them so much.

 

[Kleos]

To me personally, I would 100% get my money's worth IF they were reliable. I did quite a bit of research (granted this was maybe 1 - 2 years ago). The biggest complaint was reliability. All the freeze driers were breaking it appeared from 6 months to a year. I read that the things breaking were not covered under warranty. To me that's not worth the gamble. If I knew my machine was going to last I would gladly hand over a couple thousand for one.

 

[BBob]

All the freeze driers were breaking it appeared from 6 months to a year.

Just curious, do you recall what the failures were? Vac pumps, refrigeration, controls or a mix of all of the above? I repair and maintain a fair number of Lyophilizer's (fancy word for a freezer dryer) and I see vacuum issues from not draining the traps and changing the pump oil as the #1 cause of failure.
If the pumps are maintained we see many run for 20 or more years with few issues. These are industrial instruments not consumer so they may be more robust than the Harvest Right and others.

 

[Western_hunter87]

We have 8 freeze driers at work. Gonna commandeer one for meals. I go through like 40-60 peaks a year.

 

[Western_hunter87]

Oil

Just curious, do you recall what the failures were? Vac pumps, refrigeration, controls or a mix of all of the above? I repair and maintain a fair number of Lyophilizer's (fancy word for a freezer dryer) and I see vacuum issues from not draining the traps and changing the pump oil as the #1 cause of failure.
If the pumps are maintained we see many run for 20 or more years with few issues. These are industrial instruments not consumer so they may be more robust than the Harvest Right and others.

Oilless pumps now

 

[BBob]

Oil-Less. Lots have them but many do not. Harvest Right offers both. Oil pumps will outlast oil-less by a ton if maintained. I make good $$$ rebuilding oil-less

 

[Western_hunter87]

Lots have them but many do not. Harvest Right offers both. Oil pumps will outlast oil-less by a ton if maintained. I make good $$$ rebuilding oil-less

We have 3 different pumps 8 in total. We have good SOPs on maintenance. Won’t be takin my gas $$

 

[Movi]

Nope. You can buy a lot of freeze dried food for Armageddon for the same price without the hassle.

For hunts, it would never pay for itself.

That’s a pretty broad statement. Maybe you just don’t hunt much?

I ran the numbers and the ROI for me penciled out. factor in making meals for friends etc and it was a no brainer.

 

[MightyWhitey]

My huntin partner just bought a freeze dryer this year and his wife made my breakfasts (6 eggs,hasbrowns,sausage) some dinners and some mangos. These were hands down the best meals I’ve ever ate out of a bag. And had I not known they came out of a bag I’d swear they just came off the stove. Everything reconstituted just like if you’d just cooked it fresh, unlike dehydrated. And those mango slices were so good I swear I could’ve ate a 5gal bucket of em.
I’m really looking hard at getting one. I couldn’t believe how good everything was.

 

[*zap*]

If it is not a hardship and you have the space to use it/prepare meals then it would be a good thing......if you like doing that kind of stuff.

 

[Kleos]

Just curious, do you recall what the failures were? Vac pumps, refrigeration, controls or a mix of all of the above? I repair and maintain a fair number of Lyophilizer's (fancy word for a freezer dryer) and I see vacuum issues from not draining the traps and changing the pump oil as the #1 cause of failure.
If the pumps are maintained we see many run for 20 or more years with few issues. These are industrial instruments not consumer so they may be more robust than the Harvest Right and others.

I want to say it was something to do with vacuum issues but I couldn't say for sure.

 

[Flatlander5]

My in-laws bought one and use it a lot. They do lots of traveling and like having healthy snacks. They like to send snacks for my daughter. We get lots of things not just whole meals. Lots of asparagus tomatoes and peppers which make great snacks.

 

[crich]

Ive been contemplating one of these for a while. The uses are endless. Our kids are 3 and 1 and the first thing I think of aside from hunting meals is snacks for them while traveling camping etc. There are videos comparing the cost of buying dried food vs paying to buy and then freeze your own. The machine offers a lot of versatility as long as it holds up...

 

[roadrunner]

That’s a pretty broad statement. Maybe you just don’t hunt much?

I ran the numbers and the ROI for me penciled out. factor in making meals for friends etc and it was a no brainer.

What was your payout? 3 years? 5?, 10? Did you assume a longterm steady discount rate? I'm sure you did an NPV eval as well.

When making for friends, you're justifying the expense. Run the numbers again on your "ROI" just for you and see how it shakes out.

Unless you're charging people to freeze dry for them, there isn't much of a return other than your own satisfaction.

 

[DeBear]

I haven’t run the numbers on price comparisons but I want one to be able to control the nutritional value of my meals.
Do y’all know which units last the longest ?

 

[cuerro viejo]

How big of a garden do you have?

I think they would be absolutely worth it con they condition you garden and like to cook.