What is your go-to ready-to-eat food in the field?

[WKB]

Hey ya'll . What are all you all eating in the back country that is prepackaged and ready to go? For those of us who are packing food in and not getting camp meat or going back to the hotel, what's for dinner? I'm talking bars, freeze-dried meals, pre-prepped meals, shelf stable rations, etc. what weight/space/preservability considerations do you have?

Me personally, I just pack MREs or FSRs (First Strike Rations). I know they aren't to everyone's taste, but I get them for free, there is alot of variety, and I am used to them at this point. They can get heavy, so I will field strip them in advance of packing. I don't always used the heater, as long as they are thawed I'll eat them cold. Am I a complete troglodyte? What other options are out there beyond the Wal-Mart freeze dried crap and Cliff bars?

 

[isItFallYet]

Favorite food is 90% dehydrated pineapple. It’s amazing when your mouth is dry and cracked and you want something besides water. Gnawing on a piece of pineapple is pretty much heaven. Also other dehydrated fruits, beef/venison/elk jerky, trail mix, gummy snacks,

 

[rayporter]

always at the truck
just boil em water and crash

 

[WKB]

Favorite food is 90% dehydrated pineapple. It’s amazing when your mouth is dry and cracked and you want something besides water. Gnawing on a piece of pineapple is pretty much heaven. Also other dehydrated fruits, beef/venison/elk jerky, trail mix, gummy snacks,

I am with you on the dehydrated fruits, esp. pineapple. Not a big trail mix fan myself.
I've heard of guys who pack just the powdered cheese packets from kraft mac or hamburger helper and just swish with some water afterwards....don't think I'm quite that hard core.

 

[Fowl Play]

Probars in the field… love them

 

[Geewhiz]

As far as ready to go snacks...Tuna packets, sardines, rits, sunbelt bars, kind bars, "snack olives", pop tarts, honey buns, nutty bars, peanut/almond butter packets.

For actual meals its just whatever brand of freeze dry I have on hand at the time. Also pretty into the spicy ramen bowls lately. I dont ever cook anything, just heat water. Dont want to have to keep enough water on hand or take the time for dishes.

Also tortillas, peanut butter packets, and pepperoni stay good for a good amount of time unrefrigerated. So I sometimes bring that and make pb & pep wraps. A little weighty but feals like something substantial to eat after a few days.

 

[TreeWalking]

Payday candy bars can be sat on, left in the sun, etc and still look like a Payday bar. A Snickers bar would be unrecognizable. So, I pack several of the mini-size Paydays. Peanut butter packets. Jelly packets. The flat bagels hold up well for several days of being abused in your pack. I like venison jerky. Vacuum-sealed bags of mixed nuts in 1 cup size. For a morale booster, pudding cups.

 

[WKB]

As far as ready to go snacks...Tuna packets, sardines, rits, sunbelt bars, kind bars, "snack olives", pop tarts, honey buns, nutty bars, peanut/almond butter packets.

For actual meals its just whatever brand of freeze dry I have on hand at the time. Also pretty into the spicy ramen bowls lately. I dont ever cook anything, just heat water. Dont want to have to keep enough water on hand or take the time for dishes.

Also tortillas, peanut butter packets, and pepperoni stay good for a good amount of time unrefrigerated. So I sometimes bring that and make pb & pep wraps. A little weighty but feals like something substantial to eat after a few days.

what brand of freeze-dried are you into, or any specific F-D Meal you are particular to?

 

[Geewhiz]

Payday candy bars can be sat on, left in the sun, etc and still look like a Payday bar. A Snickers bar would be unrecognizable. So, I pack several of the mini-size Paydays. Peanut butter packets. Jelly packets. The flat bagels hold up well for several days of being abused in your pack. I like venison jerky. Vacuum-sealed bags of mixed nuts in 1 cup size. For a morale booster, pudding cups

Pudding cups sound like a good idea until it explodes in your pack. Don't ask me how I know. Anything that can break open or explode, will, thanks to murphy.

 

[*zap*]

foil packed tuna and some mustard....always available to me.

 

[TreeWalking]

Pudding cups sound like a good idea until it explodes in your pack. Don't ask me how I know. Anything that can break open or explode, will, thanks to murphy.

I vacuum seal all sorts of things such as daily changes of socks/underwear/meds in a grad and go bag but the liquids inside a pack is not fun. Had a Gatorade start leaking and was fluorescent orange. Doh.

 

[Geewhiz]

what brand of freeze-dried are you into, or any specific F-D Meal you are particular to?

I've kinda been trying to try them all. Mtn house, ready wise, backpackers pantry, peak refuel, heathers choice, hawk viddles. Honestly i love them all the same. The cool kids on here will disown you if you arent into Peak Refuel but I have a hard time shelling out $16/per, and I like the others just fine.

I think the guys that talk smack about freeze dry meals either eat them at their truck camps or arent hiking hard enough. My theory at least.

Also hawk viddles are just dehydrated, not freeze dried. It takes just a bit longer to reconstitute. But They are a small outfit and still seams like quality food so I do like to buy from them.

 

[gtriple]

I've kinda been trying to try them all. Mtn house, ready wise, backpackers pantry, peak refuel, heathers choice, hawk viddles. Honestly i love them all the same. The cool kids on here will disown you if you arent into Peak Refuel but I have a hard time shelling out $16/per, and I like the others just fine.

I think the guys that talk smack about freeze dry meals either eat them at their truck camps or arent hiking hard enough. My theory at least.

Also hawk viddles are just dehydrated, not freeze dried. It takes just a bit longer to reconstitute. But They are a small outfit and still seams like quality food so I do like to buy from them.

I'm the same way. Maybe I'm just not that picky, but I'm yet to find a freeze dried meal that I don't like.

 

[gtriple]

I've got a pretty intense spreadsheet with foods weighed to the gram with calories and cost. I can share it if you'd like.

For breakfast I eat either a freeze-dried breakfast or instant oatmeal.

Lunch is my favorite meal. I eat the olive oil added tuna packets on a tortilla with mayo and crushed up salt and vinegar chips. Mmmmmm mmmmmm.

Dinner is always a half or whole freeze dried meal, depending on size.

Snacks include honey stingers, Heather's Choice packaroons, Gu, gummy bears, fruit leathers, and homemade butter soaked chex mix.

I'm adding packs of Minimus Nutrition to my kit this year, so I'm interested to see how many calories I can cut out. I'm going to try to cut it at a 2:1 ratio.

Edit: I no longer eat the tuna packets for lunch. They do not sit well and are not that high in calories per ounce. I've moved towards just eating bars for lunch.

I've tried all of the Minimus flavors several times in several different ways now. The tomato and chocolate versions are perfectly fine. The potato version is horrid. Completely inedible. I tried making it at home with a ton of butter, salt, and pepper, and it was still inedible. It's tastes and smells like fish mixed with aluminum.

Here's my daily food kit now:
Freeze-dried breakfast and dinner. I take a bottle with 4-5 ounces of olive oil to add calories to either.
For lunch/snacks I take: 2x Black Forest fruit leathers, 1 serving of Carnivore Snax Brisket or Ribeye, 1 packet of Justin's peanut butter or hazelnut butter spread, 1 Rip Van Waffle, 1 IQ protein bar, 1 Larabar, and 1 Minimus chocolate or tomato. I also take a pack of LMNT, Tailwind, and a caffeine Nuun per day.

That's about 2500 calories and 90 grams of protein per day at 1.4lbs. I'm only 5'9" 185 (sub 20% body fat).

 

[JNDEER]

Bars for breakfast (with almond butter packet)

Jerky/crackers/bars/nuts-mix lunch

Whatever freeze dried meal I feel like for dinner

Usually two bottles of some kind of electrolyte mix during day.

 

[rayporter]

i cant stand the dried, tasteless chicken

 

[Geewhiz]

i cant stand the dried, tasteless chicken

A recent fave as well.

 

[mtbkr]

Oatmeal in the morning.

Dried Mango, Costco chocolate chip muffins and Hungarian sausage on crackers for snacks and lunch.

Peak Refuel freeze-dried meals for dinner. They’re a little pricey but probably the best quality freeze dried brand I’ve tried so far.

 

[Robinhood21]

I think the most important thing, at least for me, is packing food I enjoy eating. I’ve learned my lesson on that and to me it’s not worth eating food I have to make myself choke down.

Breakfast
I’ve never been a big breakfast eater so usually when I get to my glassing spot I’ll enjoy a cup of instant coffee then an hour or 2 later I’ll eat a meat and cheese stick and a fruit snack or some sort of peanut butter granola bar type snack.

Lunch
One of 3 things I’ll eat here…. A freeze dried biscuit and gravy (MH, PEAK or Pinnacle), freeze dried Strawberry Granola, or a Ramen Noodle. On cold &/or wet days the hot meal is nice.

Dinner
Always a Peak Refuel and maybe a Snickers bar depending if I’m still hungry or not.

I have other snacks throughout the day I’ll snack on also. Granola bars, candy bars, fruit snacks, GU chews, beef sticks etc.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Build a small twig fire and heat up some Beanie Weeenies.
Baby Bel cheese, Cheez it crackers, fig newtons.