REI Mountain House Fail

[rcorfman]

I was going to grab a few Mountain House pro-pack sized meals while I was at REI today. They no longer carry Rice and Chicken nor Spaghetti in that size. That's two of the four flavors I'll eat. Well I wasn't going to buy 5 each of the other two to get the 10% discount. What the heck is REI thinking?

[chumley]

New flavor!

[Alston_Neal]

@chumley
All righty then only 6 years and 3 days and Chums came up with a reply!

[big_load]

New flavor!

Who needs to carry food when hiking partners are available?

[chumley]

@Alston_Neal
You missed the rest of the thread! Nut Butter!! Mmmmm.

[Alston_Neal]

@chumley
Oh that other page, still 6 years, oh and ^^^^^^^^^is this for the Donner Party Picnic Area?

[Jim_H]

I think I hear some lambs screaming. Silence those lambs!

[CannondaleKid]

@chumley
A flavor only Hannibal Lecter could love?... “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

[AZClaimjumper]

Peak Refuel is now my Freeze-Dried meal preference for several reasons. They have more calories & more grams of Protein per $$ for each pouch than any other meals I've looked at when comparing Food to cost. I personally prefer the taste/flavor of Peak Refuel meals to others, however, my taste buds are most certainly different from your taste buds. I prefer to buy directly from the manufacturer in Utah because I'm more likely to get freshly made meals.

[chumley]

freshly made meals.

Is date of manufacture(?) important with freeze-dried meals? Does it taste better if it’s been in a sealed bag for 2 months vs. 2 years?

[xsproutx]

@chumley It really isn’t; peak isn’t doing anything new from a technique perspective. “Fresh” doesn’t matter for their meals at the quantity they’re selling (if you eat it 3 years later, there may be a small drop in quality but they don’t sell/make enough for you to buy something that is that age already).
With that said, as a backpacking food snob, I will say they are probably the best mass market producer out there right now. They actually use spices in their meals instead of the bland crap most produce. I still prefer companies like Packit Gourmet/buska/trailtopia but I understand they come with a higher price that not everyone feels is worth it

[AZClaimjumper]

I should have mentioned in my prior reply about Peak Refuel Freeze-Dried Meals. Besides the fact that:
1. there are no TVP or other fillers,
2. There are more grams of Protein per pouch than other brands.
2. Much less water is required to re-hydrate their meals than Mountain House or any other brand
3. There is more food in a pouch than I can eat at one meal so I normally open a pouch at home, weigh out 2 equal portions, put them in individual 1qt Freezer bags & enjoy 2 fully satisfying meals per pouch.
4. My taste buds tell me the meals are tasty, however, your taste buds are different from mine; taste is a purely subjective topic.
5. The price per ounce of freeze-dried food, or grams of protein is less than other brands, for sure!

As an aside, I boil my water in a 750ml Titanium cup then pour the Freeze-dried food into the cup. This eliminates me carrying those bulky foil pouches.
I"m also known to add a couple of pinches of Curry powder to add a lil kick to the meal + I like to add a couple strips of bacon that I cooked at home & carry in ziplock baggies when I feel the need for a lil nutrition.

Another aside, I carry a 5oz soft flask made by Hydrapak that has a bite valve on it. Inside contains my own energy gel concoction of 50% Brown Rice Syrup, 30% Molasses, & 20% Honey + water to thin the mixture. This is all natural sugar that this ole bod prefers & is a lot less costly than those store-bought energy gel products.
Warm regards from Reno, Nevada

[azdesertfather]

@AZClaimjumper
PEAK meals are awesome. Never going back to Mountain House!

[rustyshackleford135]

I should have mentioned in my prior reply about Peak Refuel Freeze-Dried Meals. Besides the fact that:
1. there are no TVP or other fillers,
2. There are more grams of Protein per pouch than other brands.
2. Much less water is required to re-hydrate their meals than Mountain House or any other brand
3. There is more food in a pouch than I can eat at one meal so I normally open a pouch at home, weigh out 2 equal portions, put them in individual 1qt Freezer bags & enjoy 2 fully satisfying meals per pouch.
4. My taste buds tell me the meals are tasty, however, your taste buds are different from mine; taste is a purely subjective topic.
5. The price per ounce of freeze-dried food, or grams of protein is less than other brands, for sure!

As an aside, I boil my water in a 750ml Titanium cup then pour the Freeze-dried food into the cup. This eliminates me carrying those bulky foil pouches.
I"m also known to add a couple of pinches of Curry powder to add a lil kick to the meal + I like to add a couple strips of bacon that I cooked at home & carry in ziplock baggies when I feel the need for a lil nutrition.

Another aside, I carry a 5oz soft flask made by Hydrapak that has a bite valve on it. Inside contains my own energy gel concoction of 50% Brown Rice Syrup, 30% Molasses, & 20% Honey + water to thin the mixture. This is all natural sugar that this ole bod prefers & is a lot less costly than those store-bought energy gel products.
Warm regards from Reno, Nevada

I'll have to give them a try. The biscuits and gravy one looks pretty good

[xsproutx]

@rustyshackleford135
It is. One suggestion: they come with actual full on biscuits vs being crumbled up already. Break up the biscuits before rehydrating and it's much better; they don't really seem to rehydrate well if left whole.

[rcorfman]

@chumley
Thanks for resurrecting my thread and the laugh.

I gave up backpacking meals a long time ago. Too expensive and bulky for an extended outing. Maybe they'd be okay for a weekend. I'm not picky, now I just bring a Knorr's rice side and a tuna packet. Most of the time I don't even bring a stove.

[azbackpackr]

@rcorfman
I eat that combo all the time, although I've mostly switched to kayak or bike travel. Also, Annie Chun's noodle bowls, plus a chicken packet. (Get rid of bowl.) Very tasty.

[AZClaimjumper]

@xsproutx
I have 3 pouches of those Biscuits & Gravey, but haven't opened them yet. Thanks for the suggestion to break up the biscuits just B4 re-hydrating.