Backpacker's Pantry Mashed Potatoes & Gravy with Beef

Simple, satisfying food that is exactly what the label says. Tasty goo!

Needed a few extra meals and grabbed one of these. Posting this mid-trip so apologies for the rough format. 

 Instructions & Ingredients:

I gave it the 2 cups of water it asked for, mixing well and letting it sit for over 20 minutes. It was perfect with goo and meat but no crunch. The package was a great insulator keeping the goo hot .

Nutrition:

Dining Experience: 

Dry it doesn't look like much and it didn't seem like 2 cups of water would fit. 

 It did. I was busy doing things and let it sit for about 25 minutes. 

There you have it, beefy goo!

Test Conditions:

Ate at Buchanan Lodge on day 11 of the Long Trail. 

Conclusions:

I was really surprised at how happy this meal made me. I was expecting joy from the start but it was both delicious and plentiful. The package was great at keeping it warm but not too bad for disposal. 

No idea what this costs normally, but considering the price I paid it definitely seemed a good value. 

Experience

First try of this brand

Quick and easy, surefire side dish or light dinner.

Once again, in search of the perfect mashed potato breakfast meal, I returned to Backpacker's Pantry. Their past offerings have been stellar. Would this be a repeat?

Sadly, no.

Rehydration, even of the beef chunks, was a breeze. It's never a guarantee that red meat will actually or fully rehydrate, but this did. The mash was, as ever from BP, excellent. But the gravy...something ain't right, there. I mean, it's a beef gravy, so the overall brown mush shouldn't be surprising; but it was surprisingly unappealing to look at.

And it was just a bit on the too salty side. On hot, sweaty days, that's fine; some replacement is necessary. But as a breakfast, not so much.

But then we hit the real issue—this odd, metallic aftertaste. Subtle at first, by the end of the meal it was pretty strong. I've had this twice, about a year apart and I think from different production batches, and it's been an issue both times. Otherwise, this would be a fine three and half stars from me and a solid contender for a good breakfast.

Experience

I've had this meal twice in the last year or so, most recently during a short backpacking trip at 2300 feet.

First time I had it I really liked it. The second time, not so much. The pieces of beef are small (vitamin size) and occasionally tough. You really have to stir it or some of the potatoes will remain powdered.

 I have backpacked with better meals. Go with Mountain House Stroganoff.