Who wants to deal with all the trouble of getting all the groceries, packing them in ice, worrying about the ice melting and ruining the food, hauling the cooler around, not to mention hauling a grill around or building a fire to cook the food (another reason to invest in a backpack stove like the Jetboil Zip).
If you're tired of all the food hassle, I've got 2 words for you:
Mountain.
House.
Pick up a few Mountain House dehydrated meals next time you're at Academy, or Gander Mountain or even Walmart. These dehydrated meals are packaged in a resealable foil packaging that doubles as a cooking container. They are so easy to cook it will make you regret ever hauling around that cooler full of soggy food. All you have to do is boil some water, (again, backpack stove), most meals call for 16 ounces but some call for less, and then pour it into the bag the meal came in, stir, then reseal the bag and wait 8-10 minutes. After 10 minutes, open up the bag and give it one more stir and then you're ready to chow down. These are available in several different menu selections, ranging from Spaghetti to Lasagna to Bacon and Eggs. There are several different lunch/dinner options and a few breakfast options.
One of the best aspects of Mountain House meals is they taste great. So good, I am nearly ashamed how much I enjoy eating something out of a foil bag like this. They may not look very appetizing, but just smell them and you will know they're worth trying. I honestly think the Beef Stroganoff variety is the best beef stroganoff I've ever had.
While some may look at the nutritional facts on the back of the packaging and be put off, just remember, you aren't going to eat these while laying on the couch on a Wednesday night, you will be eating these as you're camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. You will be outdoors, getting some much needed air and exercise anyway, so if you have a little more sodium than usual, its not really that big of a deal (at least in my eyes). Also Mountain House has recently begun offering meals in Low Sodium and Gluten Free varieties for those of you worried about those kinds of things
These are also extremely compact and lightweight. I carry my Jetboil Zip and 2 or 3 Mountain House meals in my camping/hiking pack at all times, and I often carry a couple in my hunting bag as well.
Mountain House meals are also sold in #10 Cans which provide 10 servings and have a 25 year shelf life, the regular pouches which have either 1 or 2 servings depending on the variety and have a 10 year shelf life, Pro-Pak pouches which take up even less space, although they forgo the ability to cook inside the packaging, and buckets which contain a variety of meals packaged in the pouches (these are the best bang for the buck).Mountain House meals are sold at pretty much any outdoor retailer including Academy, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and even Walmart. You can also find them at several sites online.
The regular pouches retail for $5-8 dollars in most places.
No comments:
Post a Comment