We Tried The Most Popular Backpacking Meals So You Don't Have To

Hey hey everyone! This was such a fun video to make, and has been one we have been wanting to do for a while now.

Freeze dried backpacking meals definitely have their place, and we really wanted to help you plan your next backpacking trip without having to stress about which meal to choose (or better yet, which meals to NOT choose).

So, our stomachs are your guinea pigs this week as we rank the best and worst backpacking meals on the market. We chose to only use Mountain House and Backpacker's Pantry this week, as they are some of the most common and readily found brands. However, we'd love to do this again with other brands too!

If you liked this video, let us know if you'd like to see more! We could do a vegetarian/vegan version, a breakfast version, and other brands that may be able to compete with these top two brands. I also am excited to chat more about how to dehydrate your own meals (starting next week?!)!

Which meal are we missing out on? Share all of your favorites below!

Here are the meals we tried:

** All of the above links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase from them, we may make a small commission at no extra cost to you (It really helps show the brand any impact we have!).

If you enjoyed this video, hitting the like button and subscribing to our channel helps us more than you know! Let us know if you want more videos like this!

📱Follow us on Instagram:

📱Follow us on TikTok:

Blog

[adevillatoro]

Omg, would you consider teaching us how to dehydrate our food and what kinds of meals you take?

[katls]

Super helpful, thanks. Can't wait for your homemade dehydrated meals videos & recipes!

[samismith]

Mac and Cheese is a hard one, but also one I lean towards while backpacking. I tried the AlpineAire Forever Young Mac and Cheese last year on a backpacking trip and it ranks above all other Mac and cheese ones that I've tried. Definitely has that creamy flavor of a true Mac and cheese!

[michaelwelch]

You guys should try the peak refuel, easily 2x better than mountain house. They are what you wish mountain house was out of the package, perfect seasoning and the meat rehydrates better as well. More expensive but you get what you pay for! I recommend the beef stroganoff and the chicken alfredo.

[amyroberts]

Love all of your videos! I love to create a lot of my own food/meals for backpacking and would love to hear more from you about making your own dehydrated meals! Another favorite go to for me if I need to purchase some and since I prefer organic/high quality ingredients and minimal/no additives, etc is Heather’s Choice.

[klayisbae]

Great reviews! Would love to see some more vegeterian options

[mercantilehousing]

Got notified on IG! Loved this!!! Always curious about how these taste. I would say, after filming I would move the monstera closer towards the window :)

[AdventuresofGraywolf]

Subscribed. I might suggest dumping the sporks and going for long titanium spoons instead. I've eaten rehydrated MREs for decades and the spork just doesn't add anything since it's a terrible fork and a terrible spoon at the same time. A spoon can almost always stand in for a fork and you can just stab something with a knife if you really need a fork, and in many cases, grabbing two sticks for chopsticks works even better.

Can't wait to dig through your homemade dehydrated recipes. I just got a dehydrator and I think I've eaten more beef jerky in the past month than in my whole life

[victoriadu]

My favorite outdoors/travel account! Love the YouTube content ❤❤❤

[nicolasreed]

Thanks for the perspectives! I definitely think freeze dried meals have a place in our options for food while adventuring and I use them too.
I'm very interested in some of your dehydrated meal suggestions! I've been experimenting with DIY stuff as well and I've perfected some unusual meals like backcountry Fondue and protein pancakes.
Looking forward to seeing what you share!

[angeedraper]

Great video. Would love to see you try some Peak Refuel meals. In my experience, I have not enjoyed any backpacker's pantry meals.

[bobsurunclea]

Enjoyed your reviews. Would like to see some videos showing how to dehydrate meals too.

[IronTrev]

You should check out Pinnacle - small batch meals from CO are amazing! High in calories and actually taste like meals you’d cook at home.

[andrewhenderson]

Loved the video! Beef stroganoff has always been a go to for me. Also interested in trying the pad Thai.

Also like those bowls you used! Can I ask where they are from?

[randallthorpe]

Wish I was your age and as brave. Just saw that hike up a weird rock formation which got scarier by the foot ! Admiration!

[brittneydouville]

In my opinion Mountain House pad Thai is WAY better than the Backpackers Pantry pad Thai! Though it has more stir fry flavour and less traditional pad Thai flavour - it’s almost good enough to eat at home! I’ve also heard great things about Mountain House yellow curry but have yet to try it myself.

I would be super interested in videos on DIY dehydrated meals!

[brigleaton]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this 👏🏼 🫶🏼

[AmberSmith-pi]

9:22 Beef stroganoff is one of my safe bets but at elevation the beef doesn’t always soften like you’d want 😮

[clairelg]

There are a series of meals made by military/survival companies that taste so much better with better quality ingredients. An example is the brand Nutrient Survival. It's worth a try!

[kellywiggins]

The pad Thai with chicken or just the pad Thai is my favorite one too!