Entrées

Recent Entrée Reviews

CampFare Brown Rice and Red Quinoa

I was extremely impressed with these camping meals and plan to use them again for future trips. I hope they start making more varieties and types because having something this tasty that is this easy to prepare opens up so many new options for backcountry meals. I was super geeked to try out these gourmet camping meals. I do a ton of backpacking, pack-rafting, and camping trips, so I am always looking for ways to step up my meal planning. The meals came in a few different options—chicken, beef,… Full review

CampFare Brown Rice and Red Quinoa

Easy to make, but not worth the price Being an avid backpacker and a vegan I’ve spent a lot of time trying out different camp meal brands and unfortunately I don’t think this brand got it right enough for me to purchase this particular item again. Let’s start with the pros: easy, packable, decent serving size. All you have to do with the meal is throw the bag in hot water. The packaging is such that you could toss the outer cardboard envelope and just pack the boil bag to save space. The amount… Full review

CampFare Wild Alaskan Salmon

The salmon had a strong taste, but it was very good and fresh, and the meat was tender. I like the idea that it can be ready in 1-2 minutes after putting it into boiling water. After cutting it open, I could tell it was going to be good, and it was delicious! I can see this as being a great choice for backpacking, or any other camping. I cooked the Camp Fare brown rice and red quinoa and the Camp Fare wild Alaska salmon while visiting one of my favorite overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. … Full review

Peak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice

A Hit. This brand was new to me so I tried an entree on a recent backpack. I have used a competitor for decades (Mountain House). Similar preparation...just add water, stir, wait ten minutes, and eat out of the pouch. I loved the taste and texture of the Peak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice. It's definitely sweet, but also has some heat. I liked the balance. Each major ingredient was clearly distinguishable (chunks of tasty pork were a nice surprise), and not as much of a mush as MH can be. PR items… Full review

CampFare Wild Alaskan Salmon

This is delicious, whole food. You do need a way to heat it up (boiling water). It's lightly salted, whereas other products like this from other companies in my experience can be over salted. It really is good food! As a hiker and backpacker, I am always looking for good food to bring with me. I am very impressed with CampFare's food! For starters, this is Real food. I can't express how nice it is to open CampFare's packet (after putting the sealed food into hot water first!) and to know immediately… Full review

Next Mile Meals Buffalo Ranch Chicken

Next Mile Meals are made low carb for folks following a ketogenic diet, but omnivores will appreciate them too. The Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dinner has a lot of meat swimming in a flavorful, but not overly spicy sauce. Bits of celery and peppers add nicely to the solidly meaty meal. Next Mile Meals specializes in low-carb meals for the ketogenic adventurer because it grew out of one hiker's attempt to stay on the diet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail back in 2017. The meals she made for her hike… Full review

Next Mile Meals Italian Meatball

Next Mile Meals are made low carb for ketogenic dieters, but omnivores will appreciate them too. The Italian Meatball Dinner has a lot more than meat going for it with vegetables, cheese, and most importantly, lots of great flavor. Next Mile Meals specializes in low carb meals for the ketogenic adventurer because it grew out of one hiker's attempt to stay on the diet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail back in 2017. The meals she made for her hike were well reviewed by other hikers along the trail… Full review

AlpineAire Foods Chicken Tropicana

A tasty, dehydrated offering that succeeds where most others fail. I was very surprised when I saw that some of the AlpineAire offerings received low scores. My first experience with their food was perfect. For the most part, when I use dehydrated meals, the recommended water amount either turns it to soup or leaves it extremely al dente. That was not the case here.  I tried the Chicken Tropicana and it was great. The water was completely absorbed and the food itself was well hydrated and recognizable,… Full review

Trailtopia Jambalaya

Trailtopia Jambalaya has a good taste but a strange aftertaste. Eating the two-serving package for dinner around 7 p.m. filled me up enough that I wasn’t hungrier than usual 12 hours later when it was time for breakfast. I brought two Trailtopia meal entrées on an overnight campout at the summit of Coburn Mountain, Maine, last weekend, and had the Jambalaya for dinner. Before I get into the meal itself, what I really liked was the packaging—the top is on a long side so you don’t have to stick… Full review