RickBlane

Planing a State Park run in my state this fall and starting to supply up. Got a SALE notice on this stuff. Never tried it but have seen some good posts on it.

Is this good stuff or am I better off at Kroger's?

Amazon.com : Mountain House Buckets and Kits, Classic Assortment Bucket : Camping Freeze Dried Food : Sports & Outdoors

Cyclebum

Interesting. What's to lose? 10 year shelf life and a bike bucket to boot.

RickBlane

That was kind of my thought too. But it would be good to hear from others that have tried it.

dual650c

I've eaten Mountain House stuff before, not that particular "package" of meals though. IMHO MH has a bit too much salt in its meals. Purely personal taste there.

Worst things about this stuff on a bike tour are the extra weight of the packaging and having to carry all the necessary water (or be at a place that has fresh water to use to reconstitute the meal).

Also, I think it's a bit pricey - $54/12meals=$4.50/meal Again, totally a personal perspective.

Edit to add: You might want to check the nutritional values for each package. I'm not sure there would be enough calories for me on a bike tour. Ex. The Beef Stroganoff has 2.5 servings of 250 cal per serving in a single package. On a 60-80 mile day, I'm figuring that I'll burn over 5000 cal easily. YMMV

lhendrick

Price actually looks pretty good for this stuff. Problem is eating it more than in emergencies or total wilderness sucks. It is overloaded with salt. Nutrition minimal. Calories OK. Are you going to be away from fresh food sources for the whole trip, or riding between parks? If I could I'd get some fresh stuff each day before stopping and eat better. Each to his own though, enjoy your C-Rations.

robow

Eaten a ton of the Mountain House freeze dried meals. Yes, sodium content can be high and normally the individual package price can be expensive but they have been a life saver at times and hence I almost always carry one or two with me just in case I get stuck in the middle of nowhere and need a quick and easy meal. That being said, you can prepare healthier and cheaper dried meals at home if you have the time and inclination, but I for one am too lazy.

Machka 

We tried something similar which we picked up in a Decathlon in France. It wasn't bad ... provided us a meal one night. I'm not sure I'd want to eat it much more frequently than that.

However, if I'm reading it right, that's 12 meals for approx. $55 ... $4.50/meal. You could probably stop in at McDonalds and get a meal for less than that. But even better, why not go look at the packaged pasta, rice, couscous, etc. section in your local grocery store? You can get a lot of products now that just involve adding hot water ... or setting in a pot of boiling water (double boiler effect) ... for less than that.

mdilthey

I have a light stomach, and all three that I tried made me sick. Very thick, creamy recipes with lots of salt. Also, for the price... jeez. I prefer lots of other things before these.

Dehydrated corn, beans, etc. with some spices taste as good or better, but you control the content. No mystery preservatives or salt.

arfer1

If you haven't sampled these Mountain House foods, you might not want to buy a bulk supply. On the other hand, I've tried the following: Beef Stroganoff, Beef Stew, Lasagna, and granola with blue berries, and I've enjoyed them all; however, as others have observed, they contain a lot of salt. Nevertheless, I like freeze-dried prepared foods because they pack small, they are light, they can be eaten out of the package (no dishes to clean), and they reconstitute without simmering (as opposed to grocery store packaged foods), and that saves A LOT of fuel. I also like Idahoan brand instant mashed potatoes. The packages require only water to make, and are remarkably tasty. I often add some instant mashed potatoes to freeze dried foods to thicken them up and add calories.

I've also have a food dehydrator and use it to make all kinds of things for tours and bike camping, especially beef jerky--however, it takes a long time to dry your own food, and unless you have a vacuum sealer, these foods will spoil quickly.

In the long run, I've decided that it's easier to buy high quality freeze dried meals and an assortment of packaged food (tuna and chicken, for example) from the grocery store. I like to cook, I like the notion of being self-contained, I like the idea that I'm not dependent upon a restaurant or store for food, and so I always bring freeze dried packaged food. While Mountain House does not offer the more exotic choices of say, Backpackers Pantry, their food--except for freeze-dried eggs!--has always been dependable and filling.

rumrunn6

isn't Krogers the store that's not making a statement about open carry firearms in their stores? I thought everyone was boycotting them


https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/91b7...3/icecream.jpg

cyccommute 

I just got done with a mountain bike tour here in Colorado and had to use freeze-dried. The Mountain House is more palatable than Backpacker's Pantry which was just awful. I didn't notice any problem with the salt content but I'm not worried about salt while I ride. I sweat enough out that I have to replace it somehow.

This isn't stuff that I would want to eat everyday for a month but if your tour is remote or you happen to ride through an area where Helmart has shut everything down (I'm thinking along the Missouri River from Sioux City to St. Joseph), they are handy. Avoid any of them with zucchini in the meal however. Zucchini gets very bitter when you freeze dry it.

I'm not understanding your comment about the extra weight of packaging. How do you want to carry it? Nor do I understand your concern about water. Any other food items I have to carry come along with packaging and water in them. I also always stop for the night where there is a water source of some sort nearby. If nothing else, I need it to replenish the water I used during the day. Using some to cook a meal (after being suitable treated) is no big problem.

I agree about the calories and the serving size. A freeze dry meal may be enough for 2 people sitting around doing nothing but, if you are active, it really is only a single serving. That said, it's probably not going to be your only meal of the day either.

Just a note about dehydration vs freeze-drying. They aren't the same nor is the product the same. Freeze-drying is done at the sublimation point of water (-50C to -80C). Removal of the water leaves the cells of the material mostly intact so that they can be rehydrated easily. Dehydration is done slowly at room temperature and there is degradation of the cell material. You don't rehydrate that kind of food but eat it as is.

arfer1

"You don't rehydrate that kind of food but eat it as is." Well, I've dehydrated spaghetti sauce and then rehydrated and had it with pasta, but as for trying to dehydrate entire meals, you're quite right, it just doesn't work.

dual650c

I thought the MH packaging was heavier than necessary, didn't burn down as far as it should (if that was how I tried to dispose of it rather than carrying it out with me) and required more water than other similar food packages I've used. If you/I do not accurately plan stops for the night/for meals, you can end up having to use up your drinking water to prepare the meal. Not all camp sites have potable running water, especially stealth and/or primitive sites.

I'm not saying this is is always a major concern for the OP, for myself or for anyone else in particular. Just relating my experience as something relevant to the OP's request for information/experience in using these MH meals.

As I said, YMMV.