Quick & Easy Chow

We sample nine prepackage backpacking meals. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly

Prepackaged meals are easy to prepare, weight little and are quick to clean up. They aren't cheap, however, and quality varies.

Adapted from Washington Trails May 2006 magazine

Dehydrated meals have come a long way from the days of desiccated eggs and chili mac. There’s a seemingly endless array of varieties, flavors  and ethnic blends. Some meals now include little packets of everything from salmon to real peanut butter. You can choose from breakfasts to dinners and desserts. For simplicity, our panel of three judges sampled nine prepackaged dinners.

There are tradeoffs when buying prepackaged meals. On the plus side, prepackaged meals are convenient and lightweight. Most meals can be cooked directly in the package, which allows you to save both fuel and clean-up after dinner. They’re easy to prepare and pack:  No need to worry about repacking food into Ziplocs, mixing ingredients or dehydrating foods.

But there are down sides, most notably, price. At 6 bucks a pop for a single serving, they’re not cheap.

And then there’s the issue of taste. Backpackers differ widely on just which meals are tasty and which aren’t. Having hiked for 12 miles and gained several thousand feet of elevation can do wonders for the taste of these meals. But it can also be a severe bummer to have to choke down a meal with an off  taste when you’re 20 miles from civilization.

In our very unscientific test, we found that prepackaged meals vary widely in quality. Even though the technology of dehydrated food has improved, it’s amazing how many meals still rely on simple noodles and the ubiquitous trio of dehydrated peas, carrots, and corn. Those we awarded  four or five “thumbs up” broke away from this tired formula.

So here are the results from our select panel of tasters, who braved a very damp day at Federation Forest State Park for a day of hiking and chowing down.

Mary Janes Farm
Couscous and Lentil Curry (Vegetarian)
4 Thumbs Up
A good all-around meal with a nice curry flavor (but not too strong or spicy) and a good mix of textures. All Mary Janes Farm meals are organic, and for those who want a prepackaged meal that is minimally processed and preservative-free, these are a good choice. One downside is that the self-cook packages don’t seal, but that’s a minor quibble.

Mary Janes Farm
Ginger Sesame Pasta (Vegetarian)
2 Thumbs Up
Two of our testers felt the combination of spices in this pasta dish didn’t work—one thought overall, the dish was too sweet. All agreed the noodles had a nice texture.

Mary Janes Farm
Santa Fe Pasta (Vegetarian)
3 Thumbs Up
Results were mixed on this one—one tester thought this was her favorite of all the meals we tested. “It scored big points for just being good, simple, cheesy pasta.” We all agreed there wasn’t much southwestern about the dish, but it was very edible, and the noodles were tender.

Alpine Aire
Santa Fe Beans and Rice
1 Thumb Up
This version of Southwest cuisine was much zippier than Mary Janes Farm’s Santa Fe Pasta, but several reviewers noted that the jalapeno spice only served to cover up what was essentially “just rice with dried peas, corn and peppers.”

Inferno Self-Heating Chicken
Pasta Parmesan
1 Thumb Down
This was a novelty: you heat this meal by pulling the “rip-cord” and letting the mysterious chemicals heat things up. The Inferno was heavy and the food wasn’t exactly piping hot. Taste was bland and the chicken “tasted kind of like chicken.” All of us agreed that a can of Chef Boyardee warmed in your coat pocket would give you about the same taste experience.

Natural High
Thai Shrimp
5 Thumbs Down
Please, please take at least one piece of advice from this article: do not buy this product. The mushy spaghetti noodles in this dish were bathed in a glue-like sauce that was extremely fishy. If the Thai people knew their country was being associated with this meal, diplomatic relations might sour. One tester summed up thoughts on the mealy little shrimp thus: “Natural High has no business introducing Sea Monkeys into the backcountry.”

Backpacker’s Pantry
Pad Thai (Vegetarian)
2 Thumbs Up
This meal comes with some neat additions: real peanut butter and peanuts get added to a mix of Thai noodles. But that’s where the authenticity ends. Unfortunately, the veggies in this prepackaged meal are the usual suspects: corn and carrots. It did, however contain textured vegetable protein (TVP) which helped the meal seem filling. One reviewer noted “I suspect I might nosh it down just fine after a long day with a pack.”

Backpacker’s Pantry
Katmandu Curry (Vegetarian)
5 Thumbs Up
This was a winner all around: we liked the range of textures, the complex curry flavor (but not too strong) and the authenticity of the dish. The spiced lentils and firm potato chunks provided a great break from the usual rice-or-noodle backpacking fare. Backpacker’s Pantry meals also have a self-sealing cooking envelope, saving fuel and clean-up.

Backpacker’s Pantry
Cajun Salmon Inferno
3 Thumbs Up
This rice-based dish included a foil packet of salmon, which was flavorful and not too fishy. This dish is not for those who can’t handle a little heat—it’s got quite a spicy kick, and also a tasty, complex mix of flavors and textures.

Thanks to Elizabeth Lunney and Janice Van Cleve for lending us their refined and opinionated palettes!