Backpackers Pantry Meals – iReviewGear.com

Food… ya need it. Simple as that.

Just the Facts:

Over the past decade, Backpacker’s Pantry has focused on meeting this demand by creating authentic recipes that use healthy and sustainable ingredients, making environmentally sound business decisions, and increasing philanthropic efforts. The company has become 100% solar powered, successfully offsets all carbon emissions from shipping, and plans to produce sustainable packaging in the near future. 

Ron gives credit to his late son and former President of AOP, Rodney Smith, for placing great emphasis on increasing Backpacker’s Pantry’s charitable donations. Rodney was constantly looking for ways to give back to the community we love, the places we adventure, and the planet we must protect. Because of Rodney, Backpacker’s Pantry is proud to be a member of 1% For The Planet, legacy partners with the Conservation Alliance, Cal-Wood, and SOIL, and a supporter of many other non-profit organizations. In the food niche of the outdoor industry, Backpacker’s Pantry has been and will continue to be a philanthropic pioneer. 

Calorie and other nutritional details vary by meal.

My Story:

I have had my fair share of freeze-dried meals. The weight savings is the obvious reason to choose such meals. I most certainly weigh, pun intended, that when packing for a long backcountry adventure. So, I jumped at the chance to try out a new set of meals I had not yet had the pleasure of eating.

When my meals arrived, I was pretty excited. I am not an overly picky eater, so I felt very confident just taking these into the field and using that as my test area. A 26-mile trek through Hells Canyon on the Idaho side seemed like a great fit for this.

I planned to have one meal each night for dinner. We were dropped off at the Granite Creek drop point, and the adventure began.

First night was Pad Thai.

I found it to be a little lacking in flavor, other than a strong lime or citrus flavor that became somewhat off-putting toward the end of the meal. The spice was nice, and the texture was good. Overall, though, it just wasn’t the quality that I hoped for in terms of flavor.

Second night was White Bean Chicken & Green Chili Stew.

I was so excited for this as I LOVE white bean chicken chili. Again, the flavor was incredibly mild and became very boring toward the end of the meal. The other issue is exactly what you think of when you think of chili… yup… that happened. All. Dang. Day.

Third night was Mango Sticky Rice and Blueberry Peach Crisp.

These were both pretty dang good, and I would likely have them again.

Overall, I was not very impressed with the flavor. The near 15-minute preparation time wasn’t ideal, and the amount of water needed was concerning, depending on the environment.

Overall I can’t really judge on flavor as that is subjective. As I said I am not picky but I do have preferences like anyone else. I just found them lacking in flavor. I did feel full after each meal and that was nice. However, I would say for the money I think their are better options out there that are much faster to prepare and offer a bit more in the flavor department. I doubt these will become a regular staple in my future adventures.

I will say that the company’s CSR is uplifting. They are very environmentally conscious and they do offer a wide variety of diets for people of all persuasions. So, for the Vegan folks this might be a really great option.

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