Backpacking: Difference between revisions

For [[dinner]]s, many hikers use specially manufactured, pre-cooked food that can be eaten hot.  It is often sold in large, stiff bags that double as eating vessels.  One common variety of special backpacking food is [[freeze drying|freeze-dried]] food, which can be quickly reconstituted by adding hot water.  One can also purchase a commercial food dehydrator which removes the majority of water from a pre-cooked meal. To eat, water is mixed in with the meal several hours before eating and allowed to rehyrdate before heating. Some various distributors of this are Backpackers Pantry and Mountain Outfitters. Another kind of special backpacking food is [[ultra-high-temperature processing|UHT-packaged]] without dehydration, and can be reheated with a special, water-activated [[FRH|chemical heater]].  This technology originated with the U.S. military's [[Meal Ready-to-Eat]] ("MRE"), but is now produced also for the commercial market.  The small chemical heater obviates the need for a [[portable stove]] and fuel, but the meals and packaging weigh so much that, for more than a few meals, there is no weight advantage.  On the other hand, MRE's were developed with many more factors than mere weight in mind, and they still make excellent backpacking food for several reasons, such as a) they do not need to be rehydrated nor heated or cooked in any manner, b) they are very durably packaged, c) a single MRE contains a full meal, complete with snack and desert, d) they offer a great deal of variety in each meal, including condiments such as Tabasco sauce, e) they are individually packaged inside the "brown plastic wrapper", so that you can place individual components in various pockets and "eat on the move".  As more and more "big box" retail stores carry pre-packaged dehydrated foods (such as Mountain House Brand) however, it is becoming increasingly easier to buy packaged meals retail versus mail order, whereas MRE's are rarely carried in retail stores.