Mountain House Freeze Dried Products Hot

I have used their Entrees these while on kayak trips before and they are great as long as you have access to hot water (or a way to boil it). I really like the Chicken Teriyaki w/ rice. I make the pack stretch by buying or bringing an Uncle Ben's Rice along with it because the rice portion is pretty skimpy. This makes the entree go further!

For most camp trips this is my go-to food. It packs tighter than other food, tastes decent, and is really easy to make. Having served in the military I've had my share of MRE's and follow the same rules I did with MRE's; rice-based, pasta-based items are pretty safe, as are chicken items. I don't get much fancier than that.

I have used these many times on kayak/canoe trips as well as backpacking. I think they serve the purpose for getting some food in your stomach, get some energy, and freeing up weight and space for other necessities in the boat or pack. We always brought extra small seasoning packs, salt, pepper, etc.. because you normally need it. I have tried Beef Stroganoff, Chicken and Rice, Scrambled Eggs, Chili Mac, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Alfredo, and Raspberry Crumble.
After a day on the water or hiking, these meals really hit the spot. Although I will say, in my opinion, I usually have to be pretty hungry to thoroughly enjoy them. We keep those for a quick supper at the end of the day. Fast, hot, and easy cleanup. Throw in some salt and pepper and it's awesome after a seven hour paddle.
I have been looking into dehydrators to see if I can do something similar. Mainly because $6.99-$8.99 per person per meal gets expensive fast. We made the mistake to think that when it says 2 servings, that would be enough for my son and me. Not even close after a long day.
I will continue to use them on some trips, but will try to implement more DIY dehydrated grub as well. I think as long as you don't expect 5 star restaurant quality food, these will fill the ol' belly just fine. (minus the raspberry crumble, yuck. :)

I was gearing up for a multiple day kayaking trip into the Okefenokee Swamp and had most of my essentials taken care of. The last time I did this I suffered from gear overload and I was bound and determined not to do that again. I had new, 1 man tent that fit in my Jackson kayak “Kilroy” and I had a small backpackers pad to sleep on. All that was left was figuring out my food rations.
Since I was hauling way too much camera gear along with the camping gear I needed to conserve as much space as possible. A cooler was out of the question so I thought about the backpacking type meals I had seen at my local kayak shop. Chris largent of Outside World Outfitters in Columbus Georgia recommended the Mountain House meals and helped me pick out some for my trip. I was a bit skeptical about the taste so I bought a couple extra for a test run at home.
They are relatively simple to use, just open and remove the oxygen scavenger packet, add the required amount of hot water and wait about 10 minutes. A small single burner stove was already in my gear kit so I was set all I needed to do was check the palatability. My first try was with the chili mac and after waiting the required time I was ready to dive in. It passed with flying colors, I was figuring it would barely pass as edible but it was really very good.
I took the rest of the packs on my trip and had very good results with most of them. I would add a little water than the instructions recommend, it will keep the meal from being soupy. Also, they are sparingly seasoned, salt and pepper or a bottle of hot sauce helps a lot. I had several varieties: chili mac, lasagna with meat sauce, chicken and rice, chicken breasts and mashed potato, and bacon and eggs. The bacon and eggs was my least favorite but it was more of a consistency than taste. I never did get the water right and even after cutting it in half it was too much. My next plan is to add a bag of instant grits to the pack and make it a whole meal!
The packs don’t take up very much room and being well sealed I didn’t have to worry about where they were in the kayak. It was pretty nice to have a hot meal any time I wanted in the swamp. You can eat them right out of the bag so I only needed my reusable plastic spoon and fork, no other plates or bowls are necessary. They even have dehydrated ice cream and ice cream sandwiches for desert. It took a bit of effort to get used to the texture of that but the flavor sure was good. If you are making a multiple day primitive trip, or just camping and want an easy way to prepare your meals, give these a try. Don’t forget a pinch of salt or a small bottle of hot sauce though!

I stared buying these meals as a "just in case" stash for the house - in case of inclement weather, power outages, zombie apocalypse, etc. To be sure we could survive on them, I've tried a few of them as I them. I have to say that they're impressive, at least those I've tried so far. I've had the Beef Stroganoff and Chicken with Rice to date. I bought enough to last a few days to have around the house.

I'm also going to throw one of these in the kayak along with a large bottle of water. 16 oz of boiling water and you've got a hot meal. Some of them (such as the Chicken Salad) will even work with cold water. Very convenient to have with you in a "just in case" situation.