What's the latest favorite freeze-dry brand?

[ACfixer]

Mountain House is of course very edible... but jeeze. I have a lot of MH in my stash, but I am looking to bump my 2 person supply of dry goods by another 6 months or so...

I just got some "My Patriot Supply" one week ammo boxes for the purposes of trying the food while hunting and to evaluate for a bigger purchase since they have just about the best prices I can find these days.

What's the verdict here, ok eats?

I tried WISE a while back and I could barely choke it down, awful stuff. How's Auguson?

[FeuerFrei]

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1723992

I am not a fan.

This Q gets asked a LOT here so a sticky was created. Give it a read and come back for the opinion du jour.

[wjc]

I just tried some entree's from Stowaway Gourmet.

It was *very* tasty. Not sure how long the shelf life is but I'll probably order more for short term.

https://www.stowawaygourmet.com/

[axhoaxho]

After trying different ones, I still liked Mountain House the most.

Sometimes if I found some SOPAKCO MREs at good prices, I would also stock up (* will trade 2 Vegetable Lasagna for 1 Beef stew. )

[MJB]

MH no thanks more salt than flavor

Stowaway & peak much better flavor & less salt but it will cost ya a little more.

[Gun Kraft]

Browsing My Patriot Supply, it appears their meals skimp on meat. Chicken flavored rice, and note creamy stroganoff, chili mac and creamy alfredo pasta don't even mention meat at all.

Calories and nutrition are king. All other things being equal, the basic proposition is C&N / cost * shelf life = value. If you're hungry enough you'll eat anything. Taste, ease of prep, portability and other factors are harder to quantify and can vary depending on individual circumstances.

[ACfixer]

Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by FeuerFrei

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1723992

I am not a fan.

This Q gets asked a LOT here so a sticky was created. Give it a read and come back for the opinion du jour.

You're not a fan of?

I didn't really want to get into all that stuff, I just want the best calorie per $ for decent tasting freeze-dry food. I want to simply buy a two person 180 day supply for an alternative location. I wouldn't want that to be my primary food supply given a choice, but being as it's an alternative location I want to be able to box it in some 40mm ammo cans and bury it and not have any questions as to the condition etc. I think you get it.

My primary residence is better prepped, I'll eat and fight well provided Xiden doesn't nuke me with an F-15.

[DaveInOroValley]

Originally Posted by wjc

I just tried some entree's from Stowaway Gourmet.

It was *very* tasty. Not sure how long the shelf life is but I'll probably order more for short term.

https://www.stowawaygourmet.com/

Wow 15.95 for one chili meal? What do we look like YSR?

[ACfixer]

Originally Posted by Gun Kraft

Browsing My Patriot Supply, it appears their meals skimp on meat. Chicken flavored rice, and note creamy stroganoff, chili mac and creamy alfredo pasta don't even mention meat at all.

Good observations. I just got my two one-week boxes from them. I'll take a pic and post it here. FWIW very fast free shipping, great communication but definitely a bit heavy on the e-mail spam. A-hole even called me at work to tell me I had "something in my cart" and if I needed help.

Originally Posted by MJB

MH no thanks more salt than flavor

Stowaway & peak much better flavor & less salt but it will cost ya a little more.

MH can be heavy on the salt in a few of their dishes, but I found them all to be edible and I've tried quite a few. It's generally what we grab to throw a could in our bags when we're away from camp all day. Expensive for sure. If Stowaway is even more expensive I might get a bit to try it but that's not really what I'm looking for.

Originally Posted by DaveInOroValley

Wow 15.95 for one chili meal? What do we look like YSR?

Right? Yeah not going there... if everything goes well this stash will be left uneaten.

[FeuerFrei]

Originally Posted by ACfixer

Thanks everyone.



You're not a fan of?

I didn't really want to get into all that stuff, I just want the best calorie per $ for decent tasting freeze-dry food. I want to simply buy a two person 180 day supply for an alternative location. I wouldn't want that to be my primary food supply given a choice, but being as it's an alternative location I want to be able to box it in some 40mm ammo cans and bury it and not have any questions as to the condition etc. I think you get it.

My primary residence is better prepped, I'll eat and fight well provided Xiden doesn't nuke me with an F-15.

Not a fan of freeze dried people kibble.

[ACfixer]

Originally Posted by FeuerFrei

Not a fan of freeze dried people kibble.

Oh yeah, I get it and agree for a long term solution. But thinking about what to store in a secondary bugout location I'm hard pressed to find a better choice to just set and forget.

[ACfixer]

Here's the contents of the $65 "one week" package. Free shipping, shipped quickly. Decent MTM ammo box and a deck of cards. Probably not a horrible deal, definitely weak on the meats, like none in this box. Rice/pasta/cereal carb heavy.

If you guys want, I'll prepare a pouch and report of the flavor/quality.



Pic didn't come through well. We have:

Orange energy drink
Homestyle potato soup
Strawberry creamy wheat
(2) Chicken flavored rice
Long grain white rice
(2) Cheesy broccoli and rice soup
Mac & Cheese
Maple oatmeal

[Gun Kraft]

Originally Posted by ACfixer

Probably not a horrible deal

The more I research this, the more I wonder. Consider:
1. This isn't freeze dried food. You have to cook it. That's a huge minus and if you're going that route you might as well buy "regular" versions and seal them yourself in mylar bags purged with nitrogen.
2. Look at where the calories are coming from. The biggest single ticket item is the chicken flavored rice and that's because almost half of the calories come from palm oil.
3. 40% of the total calories come from oatmeal, white rice, cream of wheat and orange drink. Again, dead simple stuff you could buy off the shelf and seal in a mylar bag yourself for $10. That makes the rest the set overpriced in comparison.

At that level consider Augason Farms. $50 for what I'd consider a step up up in terms of content but you still have to cook it.
https://augasonfarms.com/collections...ency-food-pail

Personally I think the Mountain House 3-day kits through Costco are a better choice.
https://www.costco.com/mountain-hous...000021056.html
They are 2.5x the cost but are freeze dried in pouches.

Freeze dried pouches take up less room compared to #10 cans, don't require cooking utensils (no cleanup), easy to distribute/transport if needed, can be rehydrated/eaten cold, and use less fuel to cook when eaten hot.

[ACfixer]

^^^^ Good points, and that's why we do this stuff right?

[TrappedinCalifornia]

As I said on another, recent thread... Their reviews have been... mixed... over the years. I'm talking about things like holes in food packaging, edibility/palatability, and 'poor' customer service (which could be a result of the pandemic and supply chain issues as much, if not more, than anything else). Let's just say those who are 'fans' are 'fans' and those who aren't... generally claim not to be returning customers.

As a result, I've been leery of trying them and a 'warranty' isn't likely to tip the balance for me.

I'm not saying do or don't. YMMV. I'm just explaining why I'm a bit... cautious... about My Patriot Supply without mentioning that I'm not a fan of 5 minute ads on YouTube on 10 minute videos and I'm left a bit askance by the "Fake Patriots" line in their self-promotion as I've never understood whether not doing it their way, with their product means you aren't 'for real' or if it's simply another way of saying "Buyer Beware."

The bottom line is all you can do is try it and if it works for you, then it works. Just like my having tried some Alpine Aire the other night I hadn't had before and coming to the conclusion that I could eat it, but wouldn't want to have to regularly. Wise Foods just sucked, at least those I tried. Richmoor is one I haven't tried in awhile. Backpacker's Pantry used to have some decent offerings, but I haven't seen too much on store shelves recently in my area. Right on down the list.

Freeze dried was always 'expensive;' but, it's gotten a little beyond me recently. Just too much for anything but the last-ditch, long term alternative where 'fresh' remains unobtainable, but water is reasonably available. If I'm not looking for food on that basis, then, as an example, the Mountain House Chicken and Mashed Potato runs between $10 and $11, while a package of Idahoan mashed potatoes and a can of chicken ran about $2.50 the last time I stocked up, will last for awhile, is more easily rotated into the normal diet, and doesn't require that much clean up. Then again, it does require some clean up (How available was that water?), isn't as light, and doesn't last 25 years.

So, what's your priority and intended use?

[ACfixer]

Originally Posted by TrappedinCalifornia

So, what's your priority and intended use?

6 months two people, secondary location. I'm 60 years old, so if I ammo can and bury it, I shouldn't have to worry too much about expiration dates because I'll be near my own if I make it that far.

Water is always an issue, it's a nut that can't be cracked very easily.

[Gun Kraft]

Originally Posted by TrappedinCalifornia

Freeze dried was always 'expensive;' but, it's gotten a little beyond me recently. Just too much for anything but the last-ditch, long term alternative where 'fresh' remains unobtainable, but water is reasonably available. A package of Idahoan mashed potatoes and a can of chicken ran about $2.50 the last time I stocked up, will last for awhile, is more easily rotated into the normal diet, and doesn't require that much clean up.

Like anything taking a layered approach is good. Freeze dried is the last resort option, not the end-all be-all. Rotating pantry supplies (canned and cook), pantry supplies sealed for longer term storage and/or MREs, then freeze dried.

[jyo]

Spam Spam Spam...

[madland]

Originally Posted by jyo

Spam Spam Spam...

The other white meat...

Sizzle
Pork
And
Mmmmmm

There's lovers and haters here for SPAM. I for one love it. So do two of my kids. The wife and other kid don't. Perfect..more for us. Lol

[Zamble]

Originally Posted by ACfixer

6 months two people, secondary location. I'm 60 years old, so if I ammo can and bury it, I shouldn't have to worry too much about expiration dates because I'll be near my own if I make it that far.

Water is always an issue, it's a nut that can't be cracked very easily.

We own a freeze dryer, you would be surprised how much the packages of freeze dried food take up. We store them in the large totes we bought at Costco. It’s the only way to store them without them getting smushed.

[sealocan]

A lot of the mid and lower priced freeze dried foods put in textured soy protein that imitates meat but it doesn't taste like meat of course.

So you've got to read their full labels even when you think you're getting a great deal because that's probably the reason behind it.
Personally I'm going to stick with Mountain House and their freeze-dried lasagna with meat is my favorite but I can see your point where a really great tasting and great ingredients freeze dried company , that doesn't charge an arm and a leg, would be a great thing to find.

[jyo]

Since I ain't gonna make it out of town at my age, I favor a bunch of different food sources---canned, FD, raw dried stuff (rice, beans, pasta, etc) and so on... Don't depend on just FD---too expensive... Of course, in a real "Event" situation, the price doesn't matter---you gotta eat and you need clean water so maybe it's time to stock up and don't worry about the price as much as can you choke it down and still enjoy what's left of your life... And Spam...!

[trasko]

OP: Check out Peak Refuel. Pricer than Mountain House per meal but per calorie the same or cheaper even.

But I also agree with some other folks: freeze dried is too expensive to be building a 2000cal/day for 6 months supply. Augment with something else or just plan to eat less. People need far less than what they think if you're hunkered down and not doing anything. Cans, buckets of rice/beans, something. Good luck.

[Gun Kraft]

Originally Posted by trasko

OP: Check out Peak Refuel. Pricer than Mountain House per meal but per calorie the same or cheaper even.

Price per package is irrelevant. Price per calorie and what goes into those calories is what's important.

Doing a quick comparison between Peak Refuel and Mountain House:

Chicken Alfredo
https://peakrefuel.com/products/chicken-alfredo
https://mountainhouse.com/collection...-chicken-pouch
Price: $14 vs. $11.50
Calories: 870 vs. 820
Protein: 53g vs. 34g
Carbs: 54g vs. 64g
Salt: 820mg vs. 1420mg

Beef Stroganoff
https://peakrefuel.com/products/beef-stroganoff
https://mountainhouse.com/collection...ganoff-pro-pak
Price: $14 vs. $12
Calories: 810 vs. 600
Protein: 41g vs. 27g
Carbs: 50g vs. 67g
Salt: 950mg vs. 1530mg

So generally speaking Peak has more protein, less carbs and less salt based on that small sampling.