Review: Backpacker Meals - Mountain House

How Good Can a Freeze Dried Meal Be?

Mac and Cheese - Our first meal on the trail

We stood in front of the meal options at REI for a long time before selecting the few to bring with out on our trek through the north woods. There were many brands and all of them offered plenty of meal and flavor options but we wanted to bring one brand to test on the trail. We read the back of most before agreeing on going with Mountain House - here are a few reasons why:

• Price / deals
• More flavors
• Ability to eat out of bag
• Servings
• Pro-Pak
• Taste

Price

The main course meals range from $7.00 - $10.00 which may seem high but these prices fluctuate with sales and promotions. We caught the anniversary sale at REI which put all the meals at 30% off. There are other places to buy these fantastic meals including any outdoor stores (Cabela's, Dick's, REI), Amazon, and even Walmart. We will admit that Amazon and Walmart boast the lowest prices on these meals which bumps the cost down to $4.00 - $6.50 per meal.

If you are ordering from Amazon you can receive free shipping on most and if ordering from Walmart you can ship to store for free and pick up at the closest one. They both carry a full range of flavors.

Another great option that Mountain House offers is the Just in Case - Classic Assortment among others. These huge cases are full of different meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. These are wonderful for the through hiker who wants an assortment of flavors and these offer a cost effective way to try more than a few packs.

"Just in Case" pack with an assortment of flavors

More Flavors

The other brands have plenty of flavors as well but we went with mainly pasta dishes that we knew would fill us up. Here are some other flavors that we didn't end up purchasing that Mountain House offers:

• Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
• Chicken a la King with Noodles
• Sweet & Sour Pork with Rice
• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
• Chicken Teriyaki with Rice
• Beef Stew
• Mexican Style Rice & Chicken
• Pasta Primavera
• Chicken and White Bean Chili
• + More

For the best selection we would suggest going to a outdoor store to see them yourself. 

Ability to Eat Out of Bag

This was a huge feature for us seeing as we didn't bring a large cook pot with. Our pot was only large enough to boil the water needed to fill these and if we had gone with another brand we would have had to bring a larger pot which equals more weight. We used a Stanley 24 oz cook pot that came with two stackable cups and a fold out handle to move when hot. We bought ours from Dick's on sale for $19.99 here.

Some other brands were made from a paper material that would be environmentally friendly to burn - these are not. You will have to pack them out in order to stay "Leave no Trace" friendly and they also come with a small preserver inside which you must remove before adding water. These also can't be burned.

In order for these to work you need to boil the amount of water on the instructions, usually two cups, and pour into the bag. They have a zip pouch at the top that you seal after the water is poured in and let it sit for 9 - 11 minutes. We always let them sit for 5 - 10 extra minutes to make sure the noodles were totally soft. We read a few complaints that the noodles were crunchy - make sure to bring water to a full boil and leaving it for a few extra minutes will eliminate this problem. 

Servings

These make enough for 2 people per package. The serving size on the back is fairly accurate. Now for us, that's perfect but if you are backpacking with a family you will need more than one pack. We didn't eat a lot of food per day finding our appetite less than we thought. When rolling into camp with only an hour left of sunlight a hot meal sounded perfect. 

Previous to our hike and our testing this brand Maurina was skeptical of this actually feeding both of us and feeling full after. We can both attest that these were the perfect amount of food for dinner. We had a few accompanying snacks to our meal including a small piece of cheese and a Dove chocolate but were otherwise happy and full from the meal.

They make about 2 full cups which is enough to split and the best end to a long day of hiking. A hot meal will make all the long miles melt away!

Pro-Pak

For anyone backpacking you know the importance of space in your pack. The Pro-Pak option is great - they essentially vacuum out the air to make it as small as possible. This gives anyone hiking more room as they easily fit into any open space or in-between bulky objects. These are light and space conscious compared to other brands.

Taste 

3 of the 4 Mountain House meals we ate were pasta dishes. Now I'm not saying it was comparable to a hot dish from Olive Garden but it came pretty close while sitting in a back country camp with nothing but mosquitos for company. We were very surprised how they had actual melty cheese and heavy meat sauce after only sitting for a few minutes.

We both had similar likings on all of these options and we'll give them each an average rating score.

Macaroni & Cheese

We had this on our first night because it sounded the best after a long hard hike. We couldn't believe how thick and creamy this dish was and how the sauce tasted homemade. We were surprised how full we felt after each eating a cup (Maurina having brought with way too much food). This one actually made closer to 3 cups so each of us got seconds. This was ready after 12 minutes which was the amount of time it took us to get a solid fire going. 

We would rate Macaroni & Cheese: 9 out of 10

Macaroni & Cheese

Rice & Chicken

This was Blake's favorite. This one took the least amount of time to cook through. It it a versatile dish that can be eaten right out of the bag, with tortillas, or mixed with any other dishes. We ate it in tortillas and it was delicious. The chicken chunks were large and the spices were pleasant. It was really filling and tasted good too! This meal made over 3 cups - we were very full after.

We would rate Rice & Chicken: 9 out of 10

Rice & Chicken

Lasagna with Meat Sauce

This was Maurina's favorite. These had large noodles and the meat sauce was incredible. We never thought it would taste so similar to a piping hot dish of lasagna right out of the oven! There was actual melty cheese that added a lot to the meal. It filled us up and tasted amazing. This one made a little under 3 cups but I felt just as full.

We would rate Lasagna with Meat Sauce: 9 out of 10

Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Chili Mac with Beef

It was down pouring in September in the depth of the north woods and Maurina went into the beginning stages of hypothermia. We set up the tent under some trees and got water boiling for a hot meal. This was spicy and warm with macaroni noodles and big chunks of beef. It was more soupy than thick but that was perfect for the cold weather. Maurina thought it was a tad spicy but she thinks ketchup is too much. Blake thought it was perfect. The only reason we rated it what we did is this wouldn't be as good in hot weather but is great for cold weather.

We would rate Chili Mac and Beef: 8 out of 10

Chili Mac with Beef

We loved all the dishes we tried. We're excited to try more flavors and see what we like best. The great thing about these is you won't overlap flavors in two weeks. This gives you tons of options and makes long days on the trails easier knowing you have a hot meal at the end of it.

These are also great for your home emergency kit. Their shelf life is around 7 years after purchase. 

See you on the trail!

Go breathe the wild air

-FCFP