Dehydrate or other....

[scrubs]

What are you guys eating in the back country? Are you eating commercial freeze dried meals, MRE`s or are you dehydrating your own meals?

In the past we have always either eaten commercial freeze dried stuff(MH mostly) or MRE`s (which are heavy), neither of these options are cost effective.

[Blue Falcon]

I am usually eating instant rice with spices and pouches of shrimp tuna or salmon in oil. I can make curry real easy too which is really light to carry.

[Indian Summer]

For dinner, Mountain House & Backpackers Pantry mostly. You'd be eating if you were home s it's only a few more bucks to enjoy dinner with a view. I don't try to save money by considering cheaper food options. Not a great area to have regrets. You'll see grouse everywhere... until you're starving????

The bonuses... quick, easy, big portions, no clean up..... taylor made for an exhausted elk hunter! Pretty good too, except the scrambled eggs. yuk! 0atmeal in the morning if I can even eat that early. Love the MH ice cream.

I take lots of other stuff for lunches including elk jerky, peanut butter & jelly, & trail mix. For the PB&J I use blueberry or raisin bagels. Way more durable and resistant to drying out from the dry mountain air than bread.

Jolly Ranchers for the couple major uphills that come each day so I don't get parched and have the desire to chug half my water at the top.

[Freebird134]

I've been dehydrating venison (I seem to have plenty since moving to whitetail areas) and mixing it with instant potatoes and some gravy powder. Waaaay cheaper than Mtn House and *almost as good

[scrubs]

Thanks for the rice suggestion Blue Falcon, I thought about using the Lipton rice in the packets but those things have a ton of sodium. The instant rice sounds like a better option.

Indian Summer, I don`t plan on skimping on food, I love to eat waaaaayyyyy to much for that, as my belly can attest to The MH and such are also loaded with sodium. I love the concept of no clean up too,almost nothing I dislike more than doing dishes will hunting, just trying to ways to do it a little more healthy, and cost effective.

Freebird134, that`s a great problem to have, alot of venison that is! I`m guessing the venison dehydrated well with it`s low fat content.?

We dehydrated homemade spaghetti for the first time a week or so ago, it turned out great

[Freebird134]

Exactly. Low fat makes it great to dehydrate.

[>>>---WW---->]

There was a guy I used to work with that made his own jerky. When we worked the graveyard shift, he would bring in his thin sliced elk meat and place it in the oven @ 160 degrees. There were 6 ovens in the plant and he had all of them going and stuffed full. Just before the end of the shift he would go around and collect his jerky and turn the ovens off.

I never have tried it but I know he made some pretty good jerky. So before you invest in a dehydrator, you might experiment with the oven. I think 150-160 degrees for about 8-10 hours is how he used to do it.

[aron]

Jolly Ranchers for the couple major uphills that come each day so I don't get parched and have the desire to chug half my water at the top.

Thats an awesome idea. I can see myself downing way too much water up a tough hill.

[ElkNut1]

Blue Falcon, welcome to the Forum! Thanks for the tip too!

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

I do not care forMT Home or MRE for camp and find better and cheaper foods more to my liking
I really only back country with scouts.
I do keep plenty of extra food in my camp truck while hunting incase I need to stay. Apples and oranges,Sodas, tomatoes cucumbers plums, prunes pudding, egg/bagle sanwiches, juices in the cooler.
II'l buy assortments of granola bars from Walmart and Costco,..
Starkist pouched Tunas,( I dont care for chicken) Dried fruits , nuts trail mixes,..
Ill keep a stove, Hot chocolate oatmeal and freeze dried soups for backup. On real back country Ill add little packets of drink flavor packets and all sorts of Idahoan potatoes If I was back country camping I would add lots of dried eggs
There are lots of great dried soups,.. if you need to add calories add dried potatoes or flour

[RockChucker30]

I'm eating Lara bars, Kind bars, nuts, fruit leather, and jerky. I'd like to make some pemmican to take this year.

Ill take a small alky stove to heat up tea and coffee but other than that I won't need to cook.