Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

If anyone goes, take some pictures! Let me know if you see any snow etc. I remember having to camp out a couple nights at one of those campsites that are really close by waiting for the 120 to open. That was a really fun trip! I got some amazing photos and had a blast with my brother.

 

Gate opens at noon. I'll be at the gate about 11:30. GoPro charged and mounted!

 

Upload some video or still shots!
I can't wait to see...

 

Nice... looks very similar to the Mountain Hardware Drifter 2 that I own. Double doors/vestibules is key, especially when the wife wants to get up at 3 AM to use the bathroom.

 

Definitely doing all of my own now. Backpacker's Pantry had the best flavors for my palate, but I love using my dehydrator so I can get the exact flavors and ingredients that I want. Here are some favorite tricks that I enjoy:

• I use an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator with adjustable temp setting.
• Boil up big batches of pasta to where they are almost going to fall apart (I prefer elbow mac because it doesn't pop holes in foodsaver bags like egg noodles do). Run them through the dehydrator until fully dry. This makes the pasta rehydrate by just soaking in boiled water within 10 minutes. Takes about 18 hours to fully dehydrate.
• Steam/boil your favorite veggies, then dehydrate until crisp (takes about 24 hours). They rehydrate faster this way, but a simmer in your pot makes them soften up quicker than waiting 10 minutes. I like corn, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, etc.
• My local grocery store has a huge dehydrated foods selection (WinCo, to be exact). They have an awesome tortilla soup mix and also a vegetarian chili (spicy) that make great food bases. Put a little dried macaroni in there for a good chili mac type of meal.
• Instant rice makes a great pasta substitute. It rehydrates in 5 minutes.
• Meat is tricky - for chicken, use lean breast meat and boil it for a good 30+ minutes (I do close to an hour) then dice up into tiny pieces before dehydrating. Cut across the grain as much as possible for faster rehydration. Rehydrates better with a simmer. For beef, the leanest ground beef you can get will dehydrate best, and like chicken does best rehydrating with a simmer.
• Add your raw ingredients in the ratios you want into a foodsaver bag, then add your seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, whatever you want). This way, you control the sodium content. I use sea salt for better mineral content and electrolytes.
• Oatmeals are easy. Get a good flavored granola from your bulk section of your grocery store, add a little bit of powdered milk, and foodsaver that stuff. Makes a great instant oatmeal with sweetness and creaminess, and it rehydrates in less than 5 minutes by just adding to boiled water. I also like to add a bit of peanut butter powder to it for a protein kick and it thickens it up. Add vanilla protein powder to give it a real kick.

I'm still trying to find a good powdered egg that I like, but I hate the mess of cleaning up a fry pan. Actually, I almost never carry a fry pan when I backpack. Everything is done in the JetBoil.

 

I can tell you the Mountain House granola cereal with blueberries is delicious. And their macaroni & cheese is disgusting. Their chili mac is pretty good though.

 

I've done both. I almost always carry a mountain house spaghetti with me as emergency meal. Plus 1 or 2 things of top ramen.

But I don't bother with freeze dried unless I'm going to e out for 3 or 4 days. A nice way to make fresh meals last is to make it all at home, put it in a seal-a-meal bag and seal it, then freeze it. It'll be either still frozen or at least cool the next evening. I'll do breakfast for after the second night that way but that's as far out as it usually lasts to be safe. Then to heat it up you have two options. One is to cut it open and heat up in a pan. Two is to boil water and put the bag in still sealed. Then cut bag open and eat out of the bag and no dishes and drinking water that's safe to drink (I usually do hit chocolate since its hot already)

 

I also have a WinCo nearby. I'll have to try those mixes.

 

I'm sure I've set it before, but I really appreciate your posts. Always full of excellent information.

 

Get bulk granola from your grocery store. It softens fast with boiled water. Per my instructions above, you can add powdered milk, peanut butter, or protein powder to give it a dairy taste. My favorite is a vanilla granola with flax and blueberries that I get from Sprouts.

 

Haha I actually like the macaroni.

 

I love the tortilla soup and veg chili the best. 1 cup of either of those, 1 cup of rice/pasta, and 2 cups of water and you have a very filling double serving.

 

Right on!
Thanks for the input....sounds like I'm going to have to eventually invest in my own food dehydrator.
I always use my JetBoil for everything as well.

 

Me, too

But, I bought some awesome cheese powder recently and that stuff is better than Kraft! I use 2 cups of my dehydrated pre-cooked elbow mac, about 4 tablespoons of the cheese powder, and a cup of boiling water to make an awesome backpacking mac n cheese. Even without butter/milk added to it, it has a really creamy good flavor. Waaaaay cheaper, too.

 

I love my Excalibur dryer too!

Lean ground beef. Browned. Drain off the fat them rinse under hot water ( it pulls out more grease/fat).
Dry.
Veggies listed above are great. I'll add peas and kernel corn (canned or frozen then thawed) to the list.

Ground beef, peas, corn, instant mashed potatoes, a dash of powdered gravy mix. Add boiling water. Generic shepherds pie.

 

120 video/photos....

 

Black beans, (canned, rinsed, dried)

yellow rice, (cooked per directions, dried)

shredded chicken. (Cooked, rinsed, diced or shredded, dried)

 

I do like the Backpacker's Pantry Louisiana red beans and rice. I bought a couple #10 cans of it so I can take what I need in foodsaver bags.

 

Where was said cheese powder obtained?

 

Amazon