Food In the Field

[Drew]

What do you guys do for food in the field when on a back country hunt? Does anyone eat MREs? If so what ones do you like the best? I suppose I could try some before I go on my next hunt, but I was just seeing if people had some that they would definitely not eat again.

Thanks!

Drew

 

[BOHNTR]

Mountain House meals here......much better to eat (taste) and easier to digest, IMO.

 

[twp1224]

I 2nd that. I like the chiken and rice, beef stew and teriyaki chicken flavors the best. Chicken & rice has high protien and calories, so i tend to eat more of it.

Mountain House meals here......much better to eat (taste) and easier to digest, IMO.

 

[jhpam3117]

What do you guys do for food in the field when on a back country hunt? Does anyone eat MREs? If so what ones do you like the best? I suppose I could try some before I go on my next hunt, but I was just seeing if people had some that they would definitely not eat again.

Thanks!

Drew

I take MREs with me when I go sans some of the side items. I just get a box of 10 before hunting season and they seem to do the trick depending on how much time I spend in the back country. They are solid meals and one meal with performance bars seem to be adequate.

 

[RUTTIN]

I like the Mountain House meals, but now is the time to try some out and see if you like the taste. Some of them are not very good and when your miles in the back country is not the time to decide dinner tastes like crap.

 

[*******]

I like the Mountain house type dehydrated meals, not always the mountain house brand. My pallet isn't that discriminating after a long day in the high country and if some other brand is 2 bucks a bag, I'm there. I don't take MRE's firstly for the weight, and secondly for the expense. North of 49th those things get pricey.
I also make my own powerbars when I go out. Tasty and close to 400 cal for a regular sized bar. I love them.

 

[abrowland]

I tried Backpacker's Pantry this fall when all the Mountain House were out of stock. A bit more expensive, but very good tasting meals and very large portions. I burn a ton of calories when chasing critters and these were a nice item to have on hand.

I do take 1 MRE with me on each trip. Very handy if I get cold or tired - just open and eat. They are quite heavy though....

 

[elktracker]

I usually take mountain house meals, I pretty much lived on MREs for 3 months in Iraq in 2003 so I definitely knew which ones I liked and didn't. They may have come out with some new ones, I haven't had one for about 5 years now. Beef stew was probably my favorite, beef frankfurters were the worst in my opinion.

Some of the main meals aren't as good but they come with better snacks, the pound cake and jalapeno cheese are pretty good (not together). Field stripping your MREs (getting rid of all the packaging and and anything you won't eat) will save a lot of weight and space but they are still heavier than dehydrated meals. If this was all you were eating you could save some weight by leaving the stove, fuel, and pot at home, not sure if that would make up the difference though.

How much does a case cost? I've never seen them for sale anywhere.

 

[CrimsonArrow]

Mountain House are excellent for dinner and breakfast, but I'll bring a bunch of peanuts and dried fruit. Another low-cost, lightweight food is Ramen noodles. Lots of fat and calories and a really fast meal.

 

[brudno]

I like mountain house on longer trips and stripped MREs on sub 3 day trips

 

[Archer32]

I used to eat a lot of mountain house pro pak meals. Those are the smaller, easier to pack mountain house meals. They taste pretty good, but are loaded with salt. I started saving packs two hunting seasons ago in hopes of making my own. Well last year I made my own and they turned out realy well. I did up pounds of ground elk on plastic sheet in my excalibur dehydrator. I'd take that and throw in some ramen noodles (minus there seasoning that has msg in it) and put in some alpine touch (best stuff on earth from MT!). Those meals were super tasty and took about the same time as the mountain houses to rehydrate. I also pack string cheese, bagels, pepporoni sausage, deer/elk jerky, trail mix, home dehydrated apples, fruit strips and yogurt strips. For hot breakfasts I'd do oatmeals with some home dehydrated blueberries and or apples. PB and J is also another staple in my pack. Variety for me is a good thing.

 

[wolftalonID]

The cost of a case of MRE's is a phone call. If you have a buddy in the guard on weekend drills, they come home with those guys everytime!. I usually trade a beer or two in there for him too!

 

[T43]

Mountain house is good stuff. Costco sells cases at a good price. I always pack jerky candy and or granola bars and the must have dehydrated banana slices.

 

[mthuntress]

MRE's you can get at an Army/Navy store in Montana.As far as what I take into the backcountry if it's under 3 day I go MREs and I like them all.Over 3 days I go Mountain House and take trail mix,jerky,wilderness athlete bars,cheese and crackers and I put a days worth of food in a gallon zipbag great eastmans tip.

 

[long hunter]

Pick up David Long's book on hunting public land mulies. It is a great resource for bck counrty trips.

 

[S&S Archery]

Mountain house fan here but I have to admit usually about mid September and I've ate every flavor they make I can't stand them.

I found these guys at the OR show this winter in Salt lake. http://www.nutriom.com/what-we-make.html

They are real eggs that have been powdered and actually taste really good. You can put them in a zip lock bag with a little water and then boil the bag to make scrambled eggs. I did this at home the other day and was pretty impressed. A good alternative for a food option outside of mountain house.

 

[YellowDog]

I like the Mtn Houses meals. I usually get them at REI when they are on sale. Where is the cheapest place to buy them? I would even consider buying cases on them to have if the price is right.

 

[CoHiCntry]

I like the Mtn Houses meals. I usually get them at REI when they are on sale. Where is the cheapest place to buy them? I would even consider buying cases on them to have if the price is right.

Costco was selling them by the case... if I remember right you ended up saving around a dollar a piece by buying them this way. Heading to Costco today, I'll take a look again and let you know what I find.

 

[Elkcrazedfrk]

Peanut butter and bacon sands...I know sounds gross, but try one. I put mine on cold french toast. Thats a boat load of calories,protien and sodium. I think a whole sand is around 12 to 1400 calories..

 

[CoHiCntry]

Costco was selling them by the case... if I remember right you ended up saving around a dollar a piece by buying them this way. Heading to Costco today, I'll take a look again and let you know what I find.

Costco has a case of ten meals for $39.99... guess that makes them about $4 a piece.