Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mountain House Dry Meals

Well, today I thought I would start acquiring meals for my summer hiking in the Sierras. This will be my 56th year....started when I was 15.

So, I went to REI.......most if not all meals are back ordered. I went to Mountain House, again.....sold out.

This makes sense, however, it sure puts a damper on planning for Summer hikes. Luckily, I have 6 or 7 dinners from last year to get me started.

paul

Yeah, at the start of March when things were starting to indicate some kind of lock down and a run on backpacking foods may happen (primarily since Mountain House stopped selling on their website), I bought a bunch of food for my Summer trips (which hopefully will still happen).

So I'm well stocked for my Summer treks or the end of the world, whichever comes first.

Mountain House is awful and has a bunch of sodium. Way better tasting options out there that aren’t so artificial and unhealthy.

Lately I've been getting Bear Creek dried meals for camping trips. You can find these packets at most grocery stores. Some of the recipes call for more than just hot water, though.

I recently did the Trans Catalina Trail (beautiful multi-day hike, BTW) and one bag was enough as a meal for two.

I planned my 2020 trips last year. I bought a new sleeping bag in January and all the Mountain House meals I expected to need in February. I reserved all my Inyo permits when they became available in January and February. I’m all set if they open things up.

Bob, I wouldn't expect anything less from you.

Maybe some day I'll run into you again.The last time I saw you, was at Tyndall Creek a few years back. I had just hiked over Junction and Shepard Pass, and around 6pm that evening while I read in my tent, you came by. You had just come over Shepherd Pass also and was on the way to climb a peak in the area.

You're the go to guy for Sierra info.

paul

I've often thought if I get a chance to go backpacking again I would carry the wild rice, quinoa and madras lentils that Costco sells in packets that pop into the microwave. On the trail just cut open a corner to add some hot water or eat it cold to use less water. The food in these packets are already cooked and they taste delicious. They are a heavier but that's because the moisture is already in the packet. You use less water and you can use less of your fuel since they're already cooked and Costco has an ample supply on their shelves.

56 years is impressive! I have 4 different stoves in my gear corner, but I am going completely stoveless this summer and early fall...for the first time. Never thought cold soaking will work for me until I did a few practice runs this month and the meals turned out surprisingly delicious. Near East couscous with included spices and various extras (tuna, dried vegetables, mayo ect) is my favorite. Takes a minute to prepare (just add water and stir) and weight savings are non trivial. Will alternate couscous base with cooked refried beans, instant rice and Idaho mush potatoes, and will cold soak oatmeal with coconut milk powder, raisins and freeze dried fruit for breakfasts. Plus coffee, power bars, salami and cheese.

Anton, can you give some more details on the dinners? I'm curious, maybe need to try out your meals.

Steve,

First, this was my initial inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqKJPoQjL_Y

Thus far, I tried two kinds of Middle East couscous - Basil and Herb and Mediterranean curry. You can buy them in grocery stores or on Amazon. I experimented with adding tuna, salmon, olive oil, fish dip, mixed vegetables, mushrooms and mayo (not all together), and have not yet been disappointed. If you decide to try Basil and Herb, keep in mid that it takes a bit longer to soak (up to 1 hour).

I am still working on my full multi-day meal plan, but check out these sites:

https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/5-day-no-cook-backpacking-meal-plan

https://ultralightpacker.com/cold-soaking-recipes/

Scope out :

goodto-go.com