Mt Whitney Zone Forums Gear Heads Costco -- Mountain House Meals (May 15th)

Just got back, and guess what? I just bought a box of Mountain House dehydrated backpacking meals (the same that you buy at REI). The meals come in a box of 10 for $43, or $4.30 a meal versus $8 or so at REI. The box included: 3 chicken teriyaki and rice, 2 beef stew, 3 beef stroganoff and 2 lasagna with meat sauce.

It was definitely strange to see the them there.

I live in Santa Clarita CA 91350

paul

This is great information! Thank you for sharing!

Also, note that Costco has a "package" deal for merino wool socks!

This is just my opinion but mountain house as well as most if not all of those foods taste horrible and usually lack enough salt. Over the years I have found that 5-6 day trips with $4-8/meal is too expensive and too bulky. If you go on long and even short trips and have tried to pack those meals into a bear canister its worthless. I have taken a needle to poke a hole in the top of the bags to let air out for pack ability but not worth it. I usually take 2 top ramen noodle packets and crush them up then place them into a ziplock bag. Bycrushing them up i can layer them in my bear canister with minimal space. I also take thai paste to use with top ramen noodles to make different dishes. regular top ramen is great after a long day when your salt depleted and for some reason it taste so good compared to those expensive meals and a quarter of the space and weight.

John, I do the same as you -- repackage my meals into ziploc sandwich bags. ...only I do that with the Mountain House, because they're my favorite trail meal. I leave the packaging at home.

Man, I couldn't disagree more on the taste issue. I've been really impressed at how freeze dried meals like MH have evolved over the last decade or so and gotten so much better tasting. The space issue can be resolved by buying the "pro" packs, which cost more but have the air removed and make the packaging smaller.

Nothing wrong with Ramen noodles either, but they lack the feel of a meal to me that a MH lasagna provides. I love the lasagna.

Top Ramen is terrible. Try Nong Shim Shin Ramen, much better quality. You can get it at Asian grocery stores or Amazon.com
Amazon Nong Shim Shin

Back in my military days when the MRE's (meals ready-to-eat) first came out in the mid-80s, taste was a major issue. Event the tabasco bottles weren't big enough to mask or enhance the taste.

I have been able to tolerate the stuff on the civilian shelves now. No complaints from me.

I'm hoping to put my dehydrator to good use this summer and develop my own meals.

Yup: make my own meals, do my own stunts...

Same here I just bought the excaliber dehydrator. I cant wait to start making meals. Chili, fruits, vegatbles, anything can be dehyradted, its great!!

Its weird i just cant find a mountain house i like, although rei has a different brand who sells an alfredo pasta thats 10 bucks but its amazing. I have one mh lasagna left but just my taste buds dont think there worth the price. I also make thai peanut sauce and mix it with ramen noodles and with beef jerky or whatever vegtable you can fit and i feel like im at home. I snack more than anything. I need coffe though, have you ever tried the msr coffee filter ?

Dehydrated chili... Tried that once. Made our own chili at home, then dehydrated it, beans, hamburger, and diced tomatoes. Tried it at Wallace Creek on an Onion Valley to Whitney hike. The beans NEVER would re-hydrate, even with half an hour of simmering. The quick rice and all the rest was good. But I couldn't eat any of it anyway -- AMS was hitting me hard on night #2 above 10k.

Don't think I'd even buy the MH lasagna. But those other MH meals are pretty good, especially the ones with chicken or turkey.

For coffee on the trail, get those little Starbucks individual instant coffee packets. They're pretty good, even at home.

I'd love to hear more on this once you've got a technique that you like. If you wouldn't mind sharing, anyway.



Blasphemy!

Chocolate-coated coffee beans.

Have you tried the star bucks via? They're not amazing but not bad either, although highly convenient.
I personally just use espresso Gu's.

MooseSnax by MooseTracks....


Oh brother!

Love it!!