Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Grocery store food options

For many years I packed Mountain House, Peak, Back Packers Pantry, etc. meals on multi-day hunting trips. Last couple of years I eliminated those and shopped for food items in local grocery stores. I must say it is working out well.

I agree. I still find myself taking 1-3 Mountain House pasta sauce meals though on a 5-7 day hunt. Something about boiling and waiting while doing clothes and hunt prep for next day maintenance while soaking with hot water and then eating and going right to bed with warm stomach that's nice....

Yeh, a warm meal in the evening is part of my routine. It usually consists of instant oatmeal with dried fruit or beef or chicken bouillon cubes and vegetable chips soaked in hot water.

I only go backpacking a few times per year. So, the convenience of the backpacking meals is too much for me to pass up.

We generally prefer the Beef Stroganoff variants for dinner, but I add in some quality beef jerky to them before adding the boiling water.

For breakfast, if I'm hunting, it's usually just a Cliff Bar or something. If not, we usually have one of those breakfast scramble meals, but, in those, I add bacon jerky.

During the day, it's usually dried fruit, nuts, jerky. Sometimes, I bring some greasy potato chips, which along with booze, make a good emergency fire-starter when needed.

I find that oatmeal doesn't last long enough. A local store has bulk foods with a 5 grain cereal that lasts much longer. I add chopped dates for a sweetener and several kinds of nuts and seeds. A bit of powdered milk helps, too. I prepackage it in meal sizes in quart freezer bags. Just add boiling water and let it sit 6 or 8 min. The only dirty dish is a spoon.

For me cook in the bag rules, my pot only boils water and I lick the spork clean. I can have coffee and breakfast or dinner while in my bag. Homey don't wash dishes. MH biscuits and gravy for the win.


mike r

Nissin SOUPER Meal.

I am horrible about this. If I have a main base camp I usually have a jet boil to have Mt House in the evenings, but if I am spike camped I usually just live off of snacks and prepackaged junk. I probably shouldn't, but I can't stand to do anything besides open a package and eat it. That is not to mention that by the time I get back to camp I am also usually way too tired to boil water and let a Mt House sit for 10 minutes. I'd be snoozing before it is ready.

I live off of cliff bars, trail mix, single serving fig newtons, etc. and for mornings a bigger bag of cereal. I don't bring any silverware. I just shove handfuls in my mouth and chug water. I can't stand to bring bowls, spoons, etc. It is just more stuff to pack in and out, or burn. I usually don't build fires either, unless I kill a grouse to cook or want to sear a tenderloin. The last thing I want to do at camp is gather wood and tend a fire. I just want to sleep.

I really should get better about backcountry chow but old habits die hard.

I have a titanium spork and bring a few disposable plastic bowls. The latter also make good backup fire starter.

I couldn’t agree more! MH Biscuits & Gravy are delicious - better than some restaurants! I’ve eaten them at home with an over easy egg or two - so tasty.

To throw in a grocery store item - Belvita Breakfast Crackers. Addicting.

If you happen to have fresh eggs to cook, break them into a plastic bag and boil it. No pan to clean there, either.

I get these at Costco . Empty into ziplock bags. I bring tuna in pouches that I add too with hot water into ziplocks. I throw dried seaweed you can get at Costco too, a packet or two of sriracha . The packets of sauce with the soup are pretty good. Having one good meal a day to look forward to helps me mentally, especially if schitty weather.


https://www.amazon.com/NongShim-Premium-Noodle-Tonkotsu-Ramen/dp/B08GXYPD6H

those biscuits are awesome

Wait until you mix a MH biscuits and gravy with a breakfast skillet and then fill a tortilla with it! 😃

I’ve also been bringing a few of the Justin’s PB packets and spreading them on a Honey stinger waffle or a protein cookie for a snack while glassing.

I use a mixture of MH and dehydrated meals. Here are some examples of the dehydrated items;

Oatmeal - Quaker Fruit & Cream instant
Instant Coffee
Instant Cocoa
Breakfast Cereal & dehydrated Milk
Country Time dehydrated Gravy mix & some real Slider Rolls
Beef Jerky
Bacon, precooked
Cup-O-Noodles
Tang
Velveeta Shells & Cheese + can of Ham (in a foil pouch)
Burritos - dehydrated Refried Beans + Boil-in-Bag Rice + Tortillas
Lypton dehydrated Chicken Casserole + small can of Chicken (also in a foil pouch)

Most ramen I've seen is non-food. There's nothing nutritious in it unless you add that other stuff.

It's got that MSG pick-me-up though.

Freezer Bag Cooking by Sarah Kirkconnell

We just freeze leftovers in vacuum bags put them in boiling water, shut off heat and let them sit for about 20 minutes, home-cooked meals in camp. Easily get 7 plus meals in a small collapsible cooler. Mostly for boat camping, have breakfast sandwiches for Bfast, deluxe meal at night. No odors to attract bears a plus here in Alaska, and cheap
and fast. Plus stomach is a lot happier in camp.

Great tip! Just ordered it.