Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food 6-Packs Price: $25.99 - 34.99 Shipping Options:: $5 Standard OR $10 Two-Day OR $20 One-Day Shipping Estimates: Ships in 1-2 business days (Tuesday, Nov 24 to Wednesday, Nov 25) + transit Condition: New
I’ve been backpacking for years, and have eaten all of these…this is my humble opinion:
Mountain House meals more closely resemble the things we grew up eating than some of the other brands out there. They are my preferred brand of freeze dried/dehydrated commercial food.
They last a really long time. More than 10 years, which makes them great for the earthquake or survival kit.
Although many of them list 2.5 or 3 servings, they are really 2 servings for someone not embarking on strenuous activities, but a hungry backpacker will likely eat an entire pouch.
I have found that the best results are obtained when using slightly less water than called for. As an example, if a pouch says use 2 cups of water, I typically use 1 3/4.
Let them rehydrate an extra 5 minutes beyond what the package says. They come out better, particularly the items that contain hamburger.
If using when backpacking, repackage into baggies to save weight, and make sure to use a cozy with your pot or cup, (with a lid of course) to trap heat. You can also use a 1 qt. ziploc freezer bag and place it into a cozy or wool hat, and eat right out of the bag.
I also do a lot of backpacking, and I agree with some but not all of kjonmyway’s points.
Yes, these are probably the best-tasting freeze-dried backpacking foods out there. Unfortunately this is a low bar.
“2 servings” means that you also have some chocolate for dessert, and possibly something as an appetizer. If you are a big guy you will probably need the whole thing. I am a small woman (with a relatively big appetite) but I couldn’t eat an entire package, I think.
I would not use less water than called for, but I also live in the Colorado mountains and my backpacking is typically high elevation, where you will also want to let it rehydrate for longer.
I don’t advise repacking if you can get away with not bringing dishes. Ziplocs are not durable enough. A fleece cozy will help keep the heat in, and then just eat right out of the packet. Afterwards, use the packet to hold trash. By making it in the packet you don’t use your pot for anything but water, so no clean-up.
Of the flavors offered here, beef stroganoff is my favorite.
I use less water than indicated for the egg meals, those always turn out with a bunch of extra water in the bag for me. Otherwise I stick to the directions. I like to mix a bit of Sriracha in with the water too, it gets sucked up into the food nicely for an even distribution of spicy tastiness.