Peak refuel fail

[NorthernHunter]

Did anybody else have issues with peak refuel meals this year? It has been one of my personal favorites for years. I typically have a mix of a few brands and my typical trip is 10-14 days. I don't truck camp and only have 1 meal a day. Supplement with ramen and bone broth mix as well as BCAA and pre workout. This year none of my peak refuel meals fully hydrated.(crunchy meat and veggies) I tried letting the last few sit longer than 15 min thinking I was being impatient. No change. The alpine aire and Heather's choice hydrated with no problems. I even had 1 mt house that was fine. I'm not sure if I just got a handful of bad bags or if something changed. Looking for opinions from everyone else. Maybe I was unlucky? Other options people are loving now. Other meals that have been disappointing or failed.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

We are a bunch this year, some of the older ones from last year we had some crunchy chicken but we also like to short the water for more flavor so figured it was just that. The new ones I bought on sale were a bunch of the spicy pork whatever, they hydrated fine. It doesn't bother me all that much, kinda like the crunch actually.

 

[NorthernHunter]

We are a bunch this year, some of the older ones from last year we had some crunchy chicken but we also like to short the water for more flavor so figured it was just that. The new ones I bought on sale were a bunch of the spicy pork whatever, they hydrated fine. It doesn't bother me all that much, kinda like the crunch actually.

Maybe that was the problem. Old on the shelves. I also play with water normally for creamier or more flavorful meals. Thank you for the response.

 

[Tradchef]

I usually do up my own at home but I have really enjoyed Gastro Gnome. They are made right here in Bozeman. Great ingredients and taste really good. But I’m with Screaming Potato….. I sometimes like the crunch on the Peaks and some of the others I’ve tried in the past.

 

[Doghed]

Wow I had the same problem. They were my favorite the past couple years but this year we kept having issues with getting full hydration. Pesto chicken, beef marinara, and the biscuits and gravy are some I can remember having trouble with. I thought it was the altitude at first but it was happening down low last week so it must be an issue at Peak.
These were new off the shelves of REI as well.

ETA: It was multiple members of my group experiencing the same things, and we tried varying the cook times (2x in some cases. Which seemed to work) and water amounts in small increments.

 

[rodney482]

Mine were exactly like that … wasnt a fan

 

[Roosterstraw]

I had some like that this year. Not all, but probably around half.

 

[Walkstoomuch]

I always add 2 or 3 oz of extra water and soak 50% longer than package says with peak. However I’m generally at higher elevation. I also massage the bag a few times throughout the soak.

Unrelated, I found Alpine Ranch meals out of Idaho this year. Worth a try!

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

I had 2 that were older, but not expired that were similar. The elk ragu and chicken and rice. All the others were good. I like the taste of peak meals just fine, especially over MH, but those Alpine Ranch meals are a step up in taste.

 

[KHNC]

IF you were able to stand eating Heathers Choice, then Peak should have been a treat! Lol. I have changed to Pack-it Gourmet the last two seasons. They have been perfect. I have not bought any PR in the last 3 years.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Check the “best by date”. I was shocked - it’s a relatively short period of time compared with Mtn House.

Now - the trade off is that they generally have a better and different taste than Mtn House. But - just something to catch in their “best by dates”.

I’d also assume with the shorter shelf life, that quality degrades up to that last point of “palatable consumption”.


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[NorthernHunter]

Check the “best by date”. I was shocked - it’s a relatively short period of time compared with Mtn House.

Now - the trade off is that they generally have a better and different taste than Mtn House. But - just something to catch in their “best by dates”.

I’d also assume with the shorter shelf life, that quality degrades up to that last point of “palatable consumption”.


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This certainly could have been the case. I didn't look but I did order new prior to leaving.

 

[NorthernHunter]

IF you were able to stand eating Heathers Choice, then Peak should have been a treat! Lol. I have changed to Pack-it Gourmet the last two seasons. They have been perfect. I have not bought any PR in the last 3 years.

I will have to try those out.

 

[NorthernHunter]

I always add 2 or 3 oz of extra water and soak 50% longer than package says with peak. However I’m generally at higher elevation. I also massage the bag a few times throughout the soak.

Unrelated, I found Alpine Ranch meals out of Idaho this year. Worth a try!

I usually play with the water and time as well. Couldn't get them to work this year. Disappointing when you can't eat your only meal for the day. I will try alpine ranch. Thanks for the tip.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Generally mine have been OK - but I did have a nasty elk or venison pasta one last week. Took 2 bites and knew that something was way off in taste


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[wannabemtnman]

Also had a couple this year that didn't fully rehydrate. Similar to others, it's about 50% not fully rehydrated, a bit disappointing, but they're still better than my wife's cooking, even with the extra crunch.

 

[keller]

I added like 4 extra oz of water let them sit longer and mix them up a bit while they were hydrating.

 

[MallardSX2]

We had the same issues with ours. I won't be using them again.

Gona try these: https://adventurewelloutdoors.com

 

[Roosterstraw]

Did they sell out to meat eater…

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I'll say the temperature matters also. We definitely have to let them sit longer if it's single digits outside, that hot water cools of PDQ when it's cold/windy out.