Great Alternatives to Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

Do Dehydrated Meals Suck?

Right now, we’re going to say YES! There is a time in every wilderness explorer’s life when they get to the point of being utterly exhausted with the prepackaged dehydrated backpacking meals that are on the market.

Something just strikes us as odd about a food product that has a shelf life of 20 years. What about the newer brands that you are just HOPING to love but when you are 15 miles deep excited about dinner, the results are akin to dog food. (Not that we’ve tasted dog food!) Then you get the ones that just won’t fully rehydrate at your 11k camp elevation despite tacking on another 20 minutes and having it sit insulated in your down jacket!  Not to mention the prices for some of these. Per meal, you are shelling out a decent amount that could be going towards your technical shell jacket collection!

Let's not suffer anymore! Say goodbye to crunchy eggs and suspicious bolognese! So 

what are the options when you are packing just a fast boil water stove? Let’s get into it.  There is a world of tasty alternative options that will leave you ditching the dehydrated meals.

Just head over to your friendly grocery store and take a peek at the pre-packaged foods that only require hot water to finish off. Combine that with some other pre-cooked items and spices for endless meal options that will be so much better than dehydrated meals. No need for fancy stoves as your JetBoil is more than sufficient to get it done. Yeah, you might sacrifice a little weight but for us foodies, delicious meals are what soothes the soul.

1 - Look for dry, instant carb bases. There are a lot of variations that just require hot water.

Couscous - a great one because it is lightweight.

Instant Mashed Potatoes - Idahoan is a good brand because of the added flavor options and they don’t require added milk or butter.

Pre-cooked rice packages - just warm it up with a tiny bit of hot water.

Instant refried beans

Instant stuffing!!

Tortellini or other harder pasta that requires just heating.

Instant mac n cheese.

Instant oatmeal.

2 - Protein. Another area where you have a lot of options.

Chicken packets - pre cooked in foil pouches a la tuna.

Tuna pouches - obviously cans would be less ideal.

Salmon pouches

Heat-n-eat sausages

Dried meat like salami

Pre-cooked at home turkey, bacon or other meat.

3 - Hard Cheese. Cheese is awesome and with so many varieties you will have a few options to try out.

Parmesan

Gouda

Cheddar

4 - Kick it up a notch! Flavor enhancement options.

Try olives - great flavor and great fat.

Olive oil pouches

Pre-measured seasoning packets to add to your carb base.

Mayo, mustard, ketchup packets

Dried fruit

Nuts

Dried herbs

5 - Hardy, take along additions:

Tortillas

Bagel - if a little heavy, you can always scoop out some of the filling. (It holds the eggs better!)

Protein powder - great to add to oatmeal.