snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on Feb 29, 2016 12:52:49 GMT -8
As we continue to plan for our upcoming trip to Zion and the Trans Zion Trek, I'm evaluating our gear and food choices closely. We plan to cover a lot of miles (for us) per day and the thought of being able to drop a few pounds from our packs is appealing. We are considering leaving the stove and fuel behind and going strictly no cook. We are meat eaters, so I am mostly interested in no cook meals that include chicken. I love the trailcooking site, but it's almost overwhelming with delicious sounding options, I'd love to know some of the meals that are super popular or extra yummy. TIA!
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Feb 29, 2016 13:55:42 GMT -8
Well, I'll be honest, if you like meat...you can't go wrong with pouch chicken or even lighter, freeze dried chicken, that you toss with dressing (in packets) and then serve on wraps!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2016 14:09:06 GMT -8
Out on the trail I take some pouch chicken or SPAM. Cut a cheese or jalapeno bagel in half. Add a packet of mayo to the pouch chicken and spread onto the bagel. I prefer Spam over the pouch chicken.
The Chick-Fillet mayo packs are made to last 8 months without being in the fridge.
We get 5 days out of bagels on the trail, then we switch to Pro Bars and spam.
Dump a foil chicken into a pouch of a Tasty Bites product (no cook).
Dehydrated Chicken Ala King hydrates well after about a 30-45ish minute soak (no cook). I tend to put a bit more water then called for in the Ala King. I also add in NuSalt for some K replacement.
Those are some of the no cook things I have tried with chicken and SPAM.
I put a serving and a half into a quart baggie of granola (Costco), add in some powdered milk for a breakfast. Add in water on the trail for a breakfast (no cook).
For Breakfast, I will mix up a Backpackers Pantry Creme Brulee, Mocha Mouse Pie, or a Dark Chocolate Cheese Cake. I use one 2 serving pack for each of us. I will also use a Mountain House 4 serving Apple Crisp for breakfast (one 4 serving pack is good for both of us).
Repackage all the Mtn House and Backpackers Pantry into freezer bags for weight savings.
We found we like a hot dinner and a 10AM coffee. With no cook breakfast and no cook lunches we get 6 dinner meals and 3 mornings of coffee from a small fuel canister.
Our 2 person cook kit with stove case, carry bag, fuel, pot with lid, stove, igniter, and sporks weighs .98 pounds. We each carry a spare ignition device in our 10E kits.
Added:
Some instant rice allowed to soak in hot water in a freezer bag with some Tasty Bite and chicken or SPAM makes for a yummie dinner meal.
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mk
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North Texas
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Post by mk on Feb 29, 2016 14:50:03 GMT -8
For Breakfast, I will mix up a Backpackers Pantry Creme Brulee, Mocha Mouse Pie, or a Dark Chocolate Cheese Cake. Well this sounds WAY better than oatmeal!
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snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on Feb 29, 2016 17:26:13 GMT -8
Thanks, some great tips! We are looking at chicken pouches and couscous for dinner. We already do our own granola with powdered milk,so that's easy. I like the bagel and wrap suggestions too. We did some math and realized for short trips(3 nights or less), doing no cook saves us about 2 lbs over bringing the stove, fuel, and backpacker meals. Neither of us do coffee on the trail, we get our caffeine fix with Mio Energy, so that makes it a little more doable for us vs. the diehard coffee lovers. I'm going to keep scouring Sarbar's site, so much good info there to wade through! We have a dehydrator, so I look forward to trying some new stuff with it. Please keep your favorites coming, I'll be experimenting with no cook meals starting this week. I'm curious, has anyone ever had failures(leakage, breakage) with the freezer bags? My SO is a bit paranoid about that and I explained they are pretty durable, and I don't want to have to double bag if we don't have to.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Feb 29, 2016 17:31:22 GMT -8
I prefer a warm meal once a day, but that's just me. But the other times I make some Hudson Bay bread which is filling. Naturally jerky is a great meat to bring along (and if you can find it, pemmican bars. I like Tanka bars).
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 29, 2016 17:35:47 GMT -8
Freezer bags: Go with a name brand like ZipLock. If in doubt, test them in your kitchen sink. I had a buddy try to go cheap, store brand, and he lost 2 meals in a 7 night trip. We have never had a failure with Ziplock or vacuum bags (think Food Sealer).
I will add this. If you are using pasta in your home dehydrated meals, line the bag with a paper towel you can remove before adding the water. The towel will keep the pasta from poking holes in the bag. Sometimes food needs to be crammed into a small space, and holes happen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2016 17:50:18 GMT -8
Thanks, some great tips! I'm curious, has anyone ever had failures(leakage, breakage) with the freezer bags? Just once with granola with one 1 quart bag day 4 of a 6 day trip did we hve a problem witha freezer bag. The bag developed a minor hole that my wife dealt with by tilting the bag so the hole did not leak.
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snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on Feb 29, 2016 18:01:04 GMT -8
Thanks, some great tips! I'm curious, has anyone ever had failures(leakage, breakage) with the freezer bags? Just once with granola with one 1 quart bag day 4 of a 6 day trip did we hve a problem witha freezer bag. The bag developed a minor hole that my wife dealt with by tilting the bag so the hole did not leak. I think we are more worried about the ones we hydrate at lunchtime to eat at dinner springing a leak. But I'm thinking we can check it at rest stops and always throw some tape on it or switch to a new bag or something.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Feb 29, 2016 18:06:08 GMT -8
I can attest to Zeke's warning about pasta poking holes in freezer bags. Specifically ramen that I took out of the wrapper. Keep it in the wrapper!
Speaking of ramen, it can be rehydrated with cold water. It just takes some time; I may add water to it just before I break camp in the morning, let it slosh around in the freezer bag until lunch, dump the water, and add some Italian dressing. Add pouched chicken if you want a heavier meal.
Bagels with peanut butter and honey are a great breakfast as well.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Feb 29, 2016 18:06:58 GMT -8
How many days will the trip take?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2016 18:12:45 GMT -8
The freezer bags can be nested for added protection.
We use the emptied dinner freezer bag for the next days garbage.
One can purchase a small insulated lunch box, the all nylon kind, to put the rehydrating meal into.
We have used one of the emptied Mtn House package to insulate/protect the rehydrating meal; less weight then the lunch box.
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Post by scapegoat on Mar 1, 2016 4:14:47 GMT -8
Vietnamese Crispy Vegetables ooooo any chance for a pic of the packaging? If it's anything like the place near us -there's no english on any of the products;)
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Post by Coolkat on Mar 1, 2016 7:29:15 GMT -8
More power to you. I tried couscous on the trial about 6 years ago swore I'd never do it again. Then last year I said to myself it can't be that bad so I tried again. Twice is enough for me. Maybe it's how you cook it or something but for me it was so dry it was all I could do to force myself to it. Even then I only ate about half of it.
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snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on Mar 1, 2016 11:41:01 GMT -8
How many days will the trip take? We hope 3. We are modifying the trek and ending at the main canyon instead of continuing on the East Rim. So it will be around 40 miles instead of 50. That's partly why we are considering the no cook food, we figure it's only for 2 dinners (3 if things don't go as planned) and we can "suffer" through 2-3 cold dinners, especially since the weather will be warm.
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