Backcountry in pot

[LeftRightShoot]

Gday,

I'm looking to save a bit of room in my pack and was thinking of packing my backcountry (I know I know, Im just lazy) meals into smaller bags and cook them in my pot. This will save waste on the trip too.

I use the GSI 800ml pot (this is my cup, bowl, plate and once or twice, pee container) and was wondering if anyone had already done the experimentation for me... will 450ml of water and a 2 serving backcountry fit in an 800ml(ish) pot?

Cheers

[north-north-west]

Yes, it will work (in fact it will probably rehydrate better, especially if you use a cosy), yes it will fit, but honestly, what sort of masochist are you to eat Backcountry?

[LeftRightShoot]

I know I have a dehydrator but little forward planning ability. Also backcountry is better for the environment. It will plug me up for a few days so it's a form of "carry out"

[ribuck]

I'm looking to save a bit of room in my pack and was thinking of packing my backcountry (I know I know, Im just lazy) meals into smaller bags

Another option is to pack all except the first night's Backcountry meal into smaller bags. After the first night's meal, wash and keep the foil pouch then use that pouch to rehydrate the meals for the remaining nights. This option works for people who don't want to take a pot at all.

[LeftRightShoot]

Potentially dumb question, how to you heat the water for rehydration?

[ribuck]

Potentially dumb question, how to you heat the water for rehydration?

Well, you could use the boil-in-paper method (videos below). Or if you have a small titanium mug you can use it to boil water for the Backcountry meal, then boil some more for a cup of tea, then consume both of them, and you won't end up with a dirty rehydration pot that needs to be washed.

So I should really have said that you don't need to take an extra pot.

[commando]

Professor Julius Sumner Milllar a Canandian Physicist made this popular on TV with his crazy experiments
but he used a bunsen burner, and crucible to hold a real paper cup i.e. without plasticisers to boil the water.

With regards to Back Country meals $19.99 for one meal and the weight is 175 grams
A pack of Asian themed two minute noodles with all the fluid condiments and a tin of sirena tuna weighs 219 grams around $4.00

For me its a no brainer there is not enough difference in the weight for me to worry about the dehydrated grub at 5 times the price.

[LeftRightShoot]

Look, I get it. I'd prefer to make my own dehydrated meals and have done so plenty of times. I've just been a bit time poor and have decided that 15 dollars a day is my punishment (still cheaper than a great burger). To the noodles and tuna idea, each to their own but even on a kj/kg test it is only around 50% of the dehydrated meal solution. Also I reckon after eating a kilo of tuna you'll probably end up becoming magnetic!

[ribuck]

The cost is reduced if you buy the 2-person Backcountry meals, and decant half of the contents. The 2-person packs contain just a smidgeon under twice the weight of food, and cost much less than twice the price.

[LeftRightShoot]

The cost is reduced if you buy the 2-person Backcountry meals, and decant half of the contents. The 2-person packs contain just a smidgeon under twice the weight of food, and cost much less than twice the price.

Oh yeah, I'm talking about the 2 person meals. One serving is nowhere near enough if I've been active all day. I usually still have a little left over though which is frustrating. There's a brand called Campers Pantry whos serving size is perfect for me but it tastes and smells exactly like packing material. I really need to crack out the dehydrator.

[north-north-west]

I shouldn't push a particular brand, but have you tried Strive? Larger and cheaper serves than the foil-pack brigade, less waste overall, and much tastier.

[CBee]

Strive is waaay better tasting. But after cooking the risotto for 30 minutes I decided I couldn't be bothered... BTW their bolognese and laksa are really good.

[north-north-west]

Strive is waaay better tasting. But after cooking the risotto for 30 minutes I decided I couldn't be bothered... BTW their bolognese and laksa are really good.

Yes, the risotto is a disappointment. Even with extra water and an extended session in the cosy it doesn't seem to hydrate properly. But the Gnocchi, vege pasta, herb and cheese pasta and Chilli con Carne are also good. Not into curry generally, so can't comment on those, but the Laksa is great.

[matagi]

Strive is waaay better tasting. But after cooking the risotto for 30 minutes I decided I couldn't be bothered... BTW their bolognese and laksa are really good.

You can cook risotto from scratch in less than 30mins, so the Strive version is not really an improvement.

[crollsurf]

I know I have a dehydrator but little forward planning ability. Also backcountry is better for the environment. It will plug me up for a few days so it's a form of "carry out"

No forward planning needed. Once a year, get the Dehydrator out, cook up some favourite dishes, dehydrate and stick in the freezer ready to go. I label with a date and throw out any left over after a year but Im sure it would last a lot longer.

Backcountry and alike have there place for sure but some good home cooking without all the salt and preservatives taste way better. Just add Olive Oil once rehydrated.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[headwerkn]

We must be the only people who consider Strive worse than Backcountry. Yeah, the latter is full of preservatives and god knows what, but at least it dehydrates in a timeframe comparable to the human lifespan and doesn't resemble baby diarrhea.

Alps and Amichi freeze dried meals have been a favourite for the past couple of years but the recent price hike north of $20 per meal makes them a little hard to swallow, so to speak.

Time to bust out that dehydrator LeftRightShoot

[ChrisJHC]

You can cook risotto from scratch in less than 30mins.

Be careful!
Thousands of Italian Nonnas are on their way to your place to set you right.
I hope your life insurance is up to date!

[ChrisJHC]

For short hikes I’m almost always carrying Strive.
For longer hikes a mix of Strive and Backcountry for variety.

The Strive plastic bags are great for rubbish bags.
The Backcountry packets are good for making improvised windshields.

[matagi]

We must be the only people who consider Strive worse than Backcountry. Yeah, the latter is full of preservatives and god knows what, but at least it dehydrates in a timeframe comparable to the human lifespan and doesn't resemble baby diarrhea.

Alps and Amichi freeze dried meals have been a favourite for the past couple of years but the recent price hike north of $20 per meal makes them a little hard to swallow, so to speak.

Time to bust out that dehydrator LeftRightShoot

We were a bit disappointed with Strive too - tested their spag bol at home and ended up taking a sachet of tomato paste and some freeze dried garlic on our next hike to spice it up.

Alps and Amici unfortunately we found too salty which was a pity because they were very good otherwise although not at the prices they are now charging.

We have since invested in a dehydrator.

[Tazz81]

The best I’ve ever had is “Packit Gourmet” from Texas - amazing! Unfortunately they are having difficulties posting to Aus so have temporarily suspended it. I used to be a Strive fan until they messed with the Creamy Vegetable Pasta - to save on gas I think. I tried the “three capes” that they stock at Mountain Creek and that’s seriously good! About $11/12 a packet. Was just looking at the Launnie store $23-25 is taking the p$$$!

[headwerkn]

We were a bit disappointed with Strive too - tested their spag bol at home and ended up taking a sachet of tomato paste and some freeze dried garlic on our next hike to spice it up.

Yes we never found any of their meals particularly flavoursome. I think the last straw was staring at a poo-brown beef curry of some description, that after 45 mins of constant reheating and rehydrating was still crunchy. To put things into perspective, we were damp and freezing cold in a 3-season tent in an August snowstorm halfway between the PCT and Recondite Knob... and I still couldn't bring myself to eat it. Our remaining packets were subsequently 'gifted' to a relative

Alps and Amici unfortunately we found too salty which was a pity because they were very good otherwise although not at the prices they are now charging.

We have since invested in a dehydrator.

We're salt fiends so that's never been an issue but yeah the price hike is a bit rough. I have actually messaged them about it, the price rise is due to everything going up including the cost of having the meals themselves freeze dried by a third party. Unfortunate because their quality is top notch, just makes it tough financially when you regularly doing trips.

We're actually sorta kinda seriously considering buying our own freeze-dryer now, ironically

[CBee]

You can cook risotto from scratch in less than 30mins, so the Strive version is not really an improvement.

Yes. A quality Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice can be cooked to perfection in 15-20 minutes. Also, Strive foods I think uses La Molisana gnocchi. A decent option (if you are into fake potatoes gnocchi) that takes only 3 minutes to cook and they are ready when they start floating. But you can buy the same gnocchi at Coles or Woolworth in 500g packets cheaper.

[CraigVIC]

I'm totally intrigued by the whole concept of this thread. When I started out I discussed this with a mountain designs staffer (my idea was to break a straight mince pack into portions) and was told that once opened they had to be reconstituted and maybe you could keep it an extra day but it would be dicey. I took this as gospel and haven't thought about it since. The bulky packaging is the worst part of back country imo.

[CBee]

Once, I had problems fitting 8 days of food in the pack, so, I made a couple of holes in the backcountry pouch, at the top, and vacuum packed them singularly. Also, I usually buy double size breakfast and dessert and vacuum pack them in single portions. This way, I can save more than half of the volume. But I never noticed a difference in taste.

[north-north-west]

I'm totally intrigued by the whole concept of this thread. When I started out I discussed this with a mountain designs staffer (my idea was to break a straight mince pack into portions) and was told that once opened they had to be reconstituted and maybe you could keep it an extra day but it would be dicey. I took this as gospel and haven't thought about it since. The bulky packaging is the worst part of back country imo.

I get 4person servings of dehy mince from Strive, to beef up vegie/sauce/mash mixes. One pack gives me four meals. Sometimes that can mean being kept for months after opening. No loss of taste and no health issues.

[CraigVIC]

Makes perfect sense NNW, can't believe I took the guys advice to heart.

[Ms_Mudd]

Makes perfect sense NNW, can't believe I took the guys advice to heart.

I am another bulk dried mince pack decanter here. Buy it ready to go and then add in flavours/veg as desired.
I just make sure it is in a clean, dry bag and if I am not going to use my divided mince meals up soonish, I vac seal my creation and store in the freezer.

[Neo]

Recently did my nachos mix bushwalking, this time used a BC mince that I have been carting around for a while.

Was still in date but had a 'vintage beef' taste IMO.

Silly me forgot to take mini tomatoes or similar but was passable with the softest (even at 11°) brie i have encountered.

Not much appetite that night, successfully reheated nacho leftovers for lunch the next day.

[Gadgetgeek]

The "big" cans of dehy stuff generally have a "use within one week" as a label, and in dry conditions, one could expect to get more out of them. I'm sure it would be "safe" as molds are generally not as toxic as bacteria, and that would be the concern. I've got some portioned out freeze dry chicken from big backcountry bags that I repackaged.... two years ago? Still looks fine, last one I opened smelled alright. Would I recommend it? no, but then again, I roll the dice with all my meals so something a little on the old side is not really my worry. In my experience growing up with a lot of home canned goods, you pretty much know when its gone bad. And so far my only "bad" meal out in the woods came direct from a package. Have not tried the plastic packed semi-dried tomatoes since.