I want to add dehydrated chicken to my trail meals. But they don't seem readily available to buy at grocery stores. I know you can buy them online in bulk, but I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to that yet. I saw Trader Joe's has freeze dried chicken (only ingredient is chicken) pet treats. Has anyone tried using pet treat chicken? Is it fit for human consumption?

Diced lamb, onion and capsicum (callled bell peppera in freedom speak I think), all marinated with olive oil and herbs, frozen in a container and then it thawed as we hiked in.

Alternate it all on a skewer, put grill (cheap one from and Asian variety store) on the coals.

Heat up some couscous and serve with red wine.

I have a recipe for backpacker shepard's pie that is a dehydrated meal. The recipe calls for dried ground beef and powdered worcestershire sauce.

Could I just cook the ground beef with breadcrumbs and worcestershire sauce and then dehydrate it pre-seasoned? I'm new to dehydrating so just don't know if maybe the sauce dries too concentrated or bitter or something.

I was on a rather strenuous 3 day backpacking trip the other day. On the second night my friend randomly pulled an apple pie out of his bag for us to share. Although a little crushed by then, it was one of the best things I’d see brought up in awhile. Screw UL what are the most inconvenient or funniest foods you’ve brought on a trip?

Some other examples I’ve seen are red wine & all the ingredients to mull it at camp, the cooking of a birthday cake, and a fresh coconut lmao

I've been making a version of a homemade product that was called Moose Goo online for years. IIRC the original was peanut butter, honey, and corn flour. I've used PB, honey, and masa meal for years and years as a trail food (both snack and often meal substitute), an "soft food only" diet, and a favorite snack (though for snacks I sometimes use Nutella vs. PB).

Anyone else have any recipes? I apologize for not having one right now -- will have to actually measure the amounts I use these days to give a real recipe.

I feel like I've been prepping for 2 weeks for a 4 night backcountry camping trip!

Has anyone ever had a mountain house meal that didn't taste right? I'm asking to check my sanity.

We had 2 chicken fajita bowl meals. One of them tasted good, had all the ingredients. The other one tasted metallic/acrid, it was inedible. There was lots of rice, some beans (not alot), corn. There was NO: Chicken, Spice, Peppers, Onion, Flavor.

Does anyone know what can cause a bad meal lacking ingredients or the flavor being off?

I'm genuinely curious.

Do you mail it back to yourself? Do random gas stations and motels along trails have overflowing storerooms of empty buckets?

Hi there, I recently got a dehydrator from a friend, an Elite Gourmet five-tier and am trying it out for an upcoming backpacking trip. I’ve been slotted to make breakfast for some people on the trip so I don’t want to poison them. I noticed that when I would go in to inspect my dehydrating food (so far in this I’ve done ground beef, beans, rice, and today quinoa apple porridge https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/apple-quinoa-porridge-backpacking-recipe.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqIUeYfDiU9vVxDU9mMe0agwpcGh0Y6oN7sN9lVkysZPAibH8cI (this is originally from a website I don’t necessarily trust anymore…)), I noticed that some parts were not warm. Should I be worried about my food growing dangerous toxin carrying bacteria during this time, and thus creating an unsafe meal once rehydrated? Ive been studying tips here (too late I’ll admit) but any suggestions are welcome:)

Hello! I'm a newer backpacker (I've done a few trips this summer (a 4 day, 3 night trip and 2 overnight trips). Needless to say, I'm obsessed! I'm going on another 4 day, 3 night trip) and I'm trying to be very mindful about saving space on food in our bear bin (in the Rocky Mountain West/grizzly country). There are two of us, with my boyfriend being over double my weight and over a foot taller than me. I'm wondering if I should pre-make or pb&j tortillas or take PB, jelly, and tortillas? I am really focused on weight and space. I'm in good shape but pretty small so again, any guidance on how to cut weight and save space is appreciated! Thanks all!

I was thinking of making a Korean army stew backpacking dinner for a 2 night trip and was wondering if it would last. It looks like kimchi is good for ~1 week outside of the fridge, so I'm not so worried about that part. I was also hoping to add SPAM, mushrooms, and tofu to the mix (along with ramen). I was wondering if I chopped these up ahead of time and added them to the kimchi if it would preserve them long enough? If not, does anyone know where to buy dehydrated mushrooms or tofu?

UPDATE: I got dried tofu (koyadofu), dried mushrooms, a 6oz packet of kimchi, 2 small cans of Vienna sausage, and 1 shin ramen from an Asian grocery store. It was delicious! The first night I soaked the mushrooms and tofu in hot water, then I broke up the ramen and cooked half of it with the Vienna sausage. Added the mushrooms, tofu, and half the kimchi packet. Did the same thing with the rest the second night. The kimchi was the best part; great way to get vegetables in on the trail, and it seemed to keep just fine, even with the packet opened.

Room for improvement: I would leave the Vienna sausage behind next time. I didn't have enough space in my lil cookpot for everything, and the sausage was my least favorite part, what with the cans being heavy and the look of the sausage being off putting.

https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/trail-meal-vermicelli-soup/

Has anyone done pop corn w some oil in foil and held over a camp fire ? I would use sticks or marshmallow roasting sticks. I want to do this w my Girl Scout troop on a trip next weekend

We were going to top w different seasonings after it’s cooked

Ages 8 and 11

I see how to do it online but not a lot of personal experiences with it

We have no stove and no grate for a pot. It’s just a fun activity

Thanks!

I'm doing a bikepacking trip and prepping some shelf stable meals for when I don't want to make actual food.

Does Kraft Dinner or for the Americans “Kraft Mac & Cheese” need to be cooked the dehydrated or can I use it right out of the box with boiling water In a bag

I've read a bunch of threads on here about people doing a cold soak of their oats overnight with milk powder + water. And then eating in the morning. That's exactly what I want to do on an upcoming trip.

However, what is everyone's thoughts on how food-safe that is to leave overnight without refrigeration? If it's not a good idea because of spoilage, any workarounds?

Does anyone have ideas for drinks for kids? My kids are little - 2 and 4, so I don’t want to go straight to tang etc. Hoping to avoid artificial sweeteners too. We have a dehydrator but I can’t imagine it helping

I would like to purchase a few of these refried beans pouches and eat it as-is, aka no cook. However, I am wondering if I can split a pouch up into two lunches. Does the refried beans spoil if not refrigerated?

Hi everyone !

I will be heading up to Colorado Labor Day weekend to hike and backpack some 14ers. I'm toying with the idea of bringing eggs/bacon and steak with me for the first time ever. Tell me if I'm overthinking it, but here's my plan:

Day 1-2: I will be driving from Albuquerque and car camping overnight before bagging Handies. I plan to bring an Igloo full of ice along with the food and I'll make some steak on Day 1 while car camping. Since I'll be cooking over an open flame I plan on cutting the steak into tiny pieces so they cook more evenly. Not really worried about cooking the eggs/bacon the next morning, although I have read that precooked bacon is easy to cook in the backcountry.

After I'm done bagging Handies on Day 2, I'm planning on going to a grocery store on the way to the Blue Lakes trailhead and I'm going to pickup a frozen steak and maybe some veggies (or will I be safe to bring multiple steaks from home? Mind you, this steak will be for the night of Day 3).

Day 3-4: I will be backpacking in to Lower Blue Lake. I plan on storing the frozen steak in my pack. I've read some people keep it in a Ziploc in their sleeping bag/quilt, but I'm not enthralled with the idea of having smelly meat near my quilt. What say you Reddit? I think I will be good to have it my first night. I'm more worried about frozen bacon lasting past the first night of this trip. Do you think that's a bad idea or am I overthinking it?

TLDR: (1) How long will steak/bacon stay good in the backcountry if stored properly, and (2) will an Igloo with restocked ice keep this food frozen or will it begin to thaw?

Leaving on a trip tomorrow, I dehydrated some beef and pasta, rice and beans, chili with beef, hash browns, beef jerky, and apples.

I made sure they are all really dry, and brittle. I can break them easily (all except the apples, which bend, but I could not find any moisture at all, even left them on extra to be sure)

What do I need to look for when to see if any of this is unsafe to eat? Mold obviously, but are there any other signs something has spoiled?

I dehydrated all of it within the last week. It’s stored in airtight containers, but just to be sure, what are the red flags?