I recall a thread earlier this year (or maybe last year) regarding freeze dried foods/buckets. Can someone resend me that link or recommend a brand they have enjoyed?

Thanks.

Not sure if this is the thread(s) you are looking for ... but it does have some links :

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...280027374#6280027374

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...350086664#3350086664

Mountain House, if you don't want the full MRE experience.

Just a couple of points...

My roommate wound up with a free sample pack from somebody called "4 Patriots". I tried some of it and there was so much salt in it that I couldn't eat it. Horrible.

I saw on Youtube a comparison between Mountain House and Readywise. Readywise's stuff comes in 5 gallon buckets, I think. I've seen it at Costco once or twice. They (the Youtube guy and his buddy) tried about 5 different entrees from each, and Mountain House was the clear winner. I've never tried Readywise, and probably won't after watching this.

I've tried several of Mountain House's offerings and found them to be very edible. They'd be a good option for camping or an emergency stock.

I bought a bunch back in Feb/Mar of 2020. Haven't tried any of it yet, just wanted to make sure I had light, long lasting, easily transportable good reserves.

I ended up with mountain house, one of those threads above was mine. I quickly learned freeze dried > MREs. The one thing I'd suggest is water filtration if you ever need to use it, you'll not likely have clean tap water available to you.

Thanks guys - I just ordered some sample packs from 3 different manufacturers. I'll test drive them next week and then order in bulk based on preference.

Just remember, that there's an insane amount of salt in freeze dried foods as the preservatives and stabilizers end up jacking-up the sodium. The good stuff isn't cheap and the bad stuff is...bad. Backpackers and mountaineers use it purely for weight savings however they're also exerting themselves daily thus the salt intake is beneficial. There's been a fair amount of 'emergency survival' kits being pitched lately, I'm gonna wager good money they're pretty horrible. Those kits should come with a pack of Ex Lax or, a jar of Metamucil.

For emergency survival, freeze dried works, albeit an expensive option. For anything beyond a week, you'll want to start looking into supplemental food stuffs; there's quite a bit of foods stuffs you can find in a supermarket that is shelf stable and likely better tasting. There's plenty of do-it-yourself food books for backpackers available with recipes you can make at home. Put into a Ziplock dried potatoes flakes, add Butter Buds, bacon bits and dried cheese....its pretty satisfying after a long day. Mix dried milk with instant pudding in a freezer bag, add water, mash-up and voila...pudding for dessert.

Longer term survival, like months on end, developing foraging skills and growing your own food will be very important since you'll need additional nutritional and vitamin replacement. Water filtration will be even more important than food: chlorine dioxide tablets like Micropur, iodine tincture or, a filter/purifier are highly valuable.

Packit Gourmet, if you’ve got a Southwestern palet I can’t think of a better choice. Mountain House is Chef Boiardee by comparison.

Alpine Aire found at Cabela’s is hit or miss in my experience but generally better than Mountain House.

So....this isn’t the freeze dried Skittles thread?

Skittles? Freeze dried? Where?

Thanks for the additional feedback. Yes, we have several months of rice, wheat pasta, canned stews, etc. on hand. Just looking to diversify a bit with 30-days of freeze dried.

I do a lot of hiking and backpacking but have never gone the freeze dried route. Usually bring my own mac-cheese in baggies or similar foods. (I get the weight factor benefit of freeze dried if you are on a multi-week trek)

Mountain house.

However, if you are considering spending $1-$2k on some, you’ll be better off buying a medium freeze dryer from Harvest Right for under $3k.

I have one, it’s awesome. Took 3rd place in a church chili contest with 6 month old FD chili. I was deployed overseas, my wife just rehydrated it in a slow cooker.

It can pay for itself in food waste alone, just freeze dry leftovers (cook big on purpose). Buy stuff in bulk when it’s on clearance also.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/...ALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have considered buying the larger cans of the long term storable food. But since I would need to use just a small amount from (single person) the can, how would I reseal the can? And would you have to use it all up after you open it?

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I have considered buying the larger cans of the long term storable food. But since I would need to use just a small amount from (single person) the can, how would I reseal the can? And would you have to use it all up after you open it?

I have done this using mylar bags, oxygen absorbers and a vacuum sealer.

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:
Mountain House, if you don't want the full MRE experience.

I ate one of the MH pouches recently. Not bad, but the salt load was ridiculous. Felt awful for at least a day.