One person meals for camping/hiking

[Nightsniper]

Well when out camping/Hiking I use my canteen stove and cup alot and I usually make the old stand by "Ramen noodles" and Tea/Hot Coco and burn some Spam now and then (Mmm Good!) but I would like expand my menu.  I found some 1 cup instant mash potatoes,pull the top and boiling water to the line and stir,Good to!  I have not found any other single serving foods!,Do you guys know of any that are ether add water or Boil in pouch ?? Did a small can of Van Camps Beanee Weenee,broke the seal and set it in canteen cup of boiling water till hot.
Oatmeal comes in single packs,what else??
And before you say it "MREs" I cant eat that military stuff no more,gives me the winds something awfull!!   LOL
                                                            Thanks  Jeff
 

[Ranger99]

well. . . . . fooey.


i was in the midst of a reply and everything quit.


more or less i agreed with ramens, i use just the noodles a lot,
add various things, a squirrel is good with ramen, vegall or
equivalent, lipton and knorr soup mixes are good in hot water
and you can just drink 'em like a milkshake, need to carry salt and pepper
for spicing up bland things, bouillon is ok-a bit salty for me
but works, dried vegetables-homemade or otherwise, a friend
showed me corn soup-he came up with just mixing canned
corn and ground beef instead of the traditional cope's corn
and deer or buffalo or beef (had that this last weekend)
crumbled beef jerky and instant potatoes, don't overlook
canned fish and crackers-many variations on this, there
are the one shot chicken salad and tuna salad/ cracker packs
now everywhere-i carry them a lot, posole/sofkee- i usually
make a big pot but you could get the dried hominy and
some cured meat and come up with a one shot trail version.


many possibilities. only your imagination will limit you.
i have a canteen stove, but haven't used it since i got
a pocket cooker. you may want to try one.


good luck

[zero]

There are some decent instant rice packs. I usually just use that. Or carry some cans of chili, or beans or soup or whatever. Quick oatmeal is simple and quite healthy too. Buying a 2# jug of it you could put some in a bag and take it. Personally i like to just carry some lettuce or salad leaves or whatever and use small game for some meat along with it. Or carry some chicken. And the freeze dried stuff.

A friend of mine came up with an idea for a mini stove that used a 1"x 2" can with holes poked in it and alcohol used as fuel. Cuts down alot for carry weight

[bulletstuffer]

If you are camping and have a car close I take a cooler and have hard boiled eggs and bacon pre cooked, so all I have to do is grab a slice of bread and breakfast is done when you wake with no clean up    


There are many dehydrated foods in the grocery store that you just add powdered milk and water if weight is a concern.  Tons of different types of potatoes.   I used to go on 3 week remote camping canoe trips all the time so carrying food for that time had to be well planned.  If you forget something you just do without.  3 packets of instant oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast was a staple for me as there was no clean up again    Pancake mix is easy to carry and is good to for a change too.  I ate fish for dinner every night on those trips.


There are a lot of fancy meals you can buy at sporting goods stores but a little expensive for my taste.  That's what I ate on my first 10 day remote trip but figured out how to do it much cheaper on later trips.


Start a list and check it twice if you are going on a long trip.  Lay everything out on the floor and make sure everything will fit in your backpack or what ever you will be carrying your stuff in.  If you forget something important once...you won't do it again ie spatula. 


Good luck,


Bulletstuffer

[charles p]

Grits or Rice pouches.

[Bigeasy]

Mountain House makes a variety of single serving pouches of various breakfast / lunch / dinners.  Convenient, just add hot water, and not bad tasting.  You can do it yourself by shopping at the grocery store for freeze dried foods, break them down into single servings, stored in zip-lock freezer bags, and prep them in a heat resistant cup or pan, or use bags designed for boiling water.
 
Larry

[Nightsniper]

Hey good stuff here Guys! keep it coming.
Also have any of you seen the Pancake mix in the small(like 1 cup) bottles???    Just add water and shake for like 2 minutes,ever use it ??

[mcwoodduck]

What about getting a vaccume sealer and sealing up single servings of what you like to boiler in the canteen cup and reheat.  Like chilli, beef stew, spegetti / lazagna, or  boneless roast chicken mashed potatoes, and zuccini all in their own puch and dump them into a frisbee (best camping plate ever).

[Ranger99]

instead of buying (and paying more for)
bottles of pancake mix, you could just
save small plastic bottles (gatoraide-
apple juice-etc.) and wash them out
and dry and fill each say, half full of
dry pancake mix from a regular sized
(regular priced) box of your normal
pancake mix and use as you noted.
then again, you could wash out a
soup can or vegetable can and fill
a quart freezer bag with your pancake
mix and stuff it in the can for transport
and the can becomes your mixing bowl
with a clean stick to mix with.


you most likely have most of that already,
so there's no need to buy anything extra.


i save and wash and re-purpose rolaids
bottles and plastic peanut butter and
mayo jars. you're gonna toss 'em anyway.
why buy special stuff just to use outside?
you have freezer zip bags anyway. they're
sturdy enough for a week long trip.

[Ranger99]

i'm with b.e. on the mountain house.
it's been over 20 years since i've had
any of their meals, but at the time,
they were the best tasting thing you
could get at the time as far as dehydrated.


i'll admit i like the m.r.e.'s iv'e had, but
they seem too salty and greasy for me.


you'll want to try any pre-fab food like that
before you head for the bush with that as
your one and only.


you may want to get one or two of those
meals as a go-to j.i.c. and pack your everyday
meals yourself.

[spruce]

Lot depends on what type of camping you're doing.  If your car camping and just hiking during the day from your base camp you can eat just as good as you can at home in the morning and evening and have something real quick and easy for lunch.  If you're strictly backpacking you can still eat good with freeze dried food - as long as you have access to plenty of water and a way to purify it.
 
Like was said, Mountain House meals are good, but quite expensive.  The grocery store is full of dehydrated foods if you browse around.  You just have to repackage them to suit your needs.  My opinion of most of the single serving stuff in the grocery stores is they are not very appetizing, and are expensive.
It's surprising how well you can eat if you use your imagination.  For example, I don't like oatmeal without milk so I used to take some powdered milk and add it to instant oatmeal when I mixed the water in.  Always took some Bisquick.  You can rig up a reflector oven with some aluminum foil or just fry up some dough in a pan for bannock (take some cooking oil - olive oil or whatever your preference).
 
If you've been surviving on Ramen noodles ANYTHING will be an improvement!

[Nightsniper]

Lot depends on what type of camping you're doing.  If your car camping and just hiking during the day from your base camp you can eat just as good as you can at home in the morning and evening and have something real quick and easy for lunch.  If you're strictly backpacking you can still eat good with freeze dried food - as long as you have access to plenty of water and a way to purify it.
 
Like was said, Mountain House meals are good, but quite expensive.  The grocery store is full of dehydrated foods if you browse around.  You just have to repackage them to suit your needs.  My opinion of most of the single serving stuff in the grocery stores is they are not very appetizing, and are expensive.
It's surprising how well you can eat if you use your imagination.  For example, I don't like oatmeal without milk so I used to take some powdered milk and add it to instant oatmeal when I mixed the water in.  Always took some Bisquick.  You can rig up a reflector oven with some aluminum foil or just fry up some dough in a pan for bannock (take some cooking oil - olive oil or whatever your preference).
 
If you've been surviving on Ramen noodles ANYTHING will be an improvement!

HAHa LOL !!  Amen Brother 

[Nightsniper]

What about getting a vaccume sealer and sealing up single servings of what you like to boiler in the canteen cup and reheat.  Like chilli, beef stew, spegetti / lazagna, or  boneless roast chicken mashed potatoes, and zuccini all in their own puch and dump them into a frisbee (best camping plate ever).

Souds good ,but dont you have to refrigerate after you seal the bag??

[Anduril]

What about getting a vaccume sealer and sealing up single servings of what you like to boiler in the canteen cup and reheat.  Like chilli, beef stew, spegetti / lazagna, or  boneless roast chicken mashed potatoes, and zuccini all in their own puch and dump them into a frisbee (best camping plate ever).

Souds good ,but dont you have to refrigerate after you seal the bag??

Depending on the time of year and temperatures, you could freeze the bags at home. Put one in your pack in the morning and when you are ready to eat it will be defrosted and ready to re-heat. If you want to keep them frozen longer wrap in a sweater or sleeping bag, etc.
..
 

[mechanic]

I'm big on the freeze dry, but I usually camp several miles from nothing and pack in.  Everything you need or want on your back.  As I've gotten older, weight means more, so the lighter the better.  I don't even take the butane stove if I'm solo, I use a tin can hobo stove, and a canteen cup as my only cooking utensils.
 
Mountain House is not just good, it's probably the best of the freeze dry lot.  You can buy it in #10 cans, and parcel it out in zip locks to save money.  The only thing is it must be resealed well if you don't eat it all soon.
 
Ben

[Empty Quiver]

I'm sorta partial to a pull tab can of Hormel chili, and a plastic spoon. I generally serve it at room temperature.


I have gotten so sick and tired of slick meat sandwiches over the years I'll take damn near anything out of the fridge and eat it at work cold. Sort of an acquired taste I suppose but I don't bother taking the time even when a microwave is available. Ice crystals is a different story though that gets nasty, I've got to be pretty danged hungry to eat frozen chili.

[Victor3]

[size=78%]i'll admit i like the m.r.e.'s iv'e had, but [/size]
they seem too salty and greasy for me.

 That's because they're designed for sweating, running 20 year-olds in combat. Us oldsters would get fat on the high calories in MREs PDQ. 

[Ranger99]

just for grins, while at the dollar store,
looked at possible one shot non-perishables.
water packed tuna and chicken in foil packs.
plenty of variety of sardines and kipper snacks.
(i love 'em-and good for you) cracker packs.
chicken and tuna salad with crackers indiv. packs.
ind. cookie and peanut butter and cheese cracker
packs. canned beef. canned chicken breast. dried vegetable
soup packs. ramens    dried vegetables.
individual mashed potatoes. indiv. macaroni and cheese.
bunches of options

[Nightsniper]

I have been playing at home with different dried foods and they were not bad,still have to try this Coleman Max Patch Mac & Cheese I bought.   But then a Catastrophe happend at work,I broke out with a bad Gout attack.  Never before has this happend to me and has caught me off guard.  Dam it hurts!!!  So now the Doc has me on a Gout Diet and from what I can see all the good stuff I cant have,so will have to rethink my position.  Between the Gout and the diet it kinda makes me want to poll over and Die!!    Ah! but I can still have Buttermilk  LOL!

[Empty Quiver]

Gout now that is an attention getter. You will find your life devoted to stopping that chit.


I changed my BP meds and the crap went away for all intents and purposes. My diet had changed mostly by that time and I be double damned if I'll press my luck too far.  I was getting light flares every couple months with the suspect PB meds none for over a year now that the script was changed.


Moral here is think about any changes in the past 6 months or so took a good year before my first attack, then they became worse and more frequent over three years.


Hows that for a thread drift. Sorry

[Nightsniper]

Hows that for a thread drift. Sorry
Oh No dont worrie about that!!
Im just scared of eating anything now.  Im single cook much at home so I generaly eat out for lunch and stop on the way home(Quicker)
I guess Taco bell is out! and Mcdonalds.
I did see alot of this "Just add water " stuff has alot of Sodium in it.

[Victor3]

 In addition to canned/dried food for longer trips, you can pre-cook just about any non-liquid food you like. Wrap individual portions in several layers of foil and freeze. When you're ready to go, put the pouches in a ziplock bag and wrap it up inside a towel to put in your pack. It should stay cold enough for a couple of days or so. Vegetables will stay safe to eat a lot longer.


 When it's time to eat, light a fire in your canteen stove and set a pouch on top. When it's hot, slice open and dig in.


 Foil pouches are my favorite way to prepare meals even for car camping because there's no cleanup required. I just set a pouch in a pan or on coals in the fire (gotta be careful not to burn the food on coals). I often line a pan with foil for cooking spam, corned beef hash, etc. Last thing I want to do while camping is wash dishes. With foil, all you've got left is silverware to clean and a wad of foil you can incinerate in the campfire.

[mcwoodduck]

Hows that for a thread drift. Sorry
Oh No dont worrie about that!!
Im just scared of eating anything now.  Im single cook much at home so I generaly eat out for lunch and stop on the way home(Quicker)
I guess Taco bell is out! and Mcdonalds.
I did see alot of this "Just add water " stuff has alot of Sodium in it.

The vaccume sealer is starting to look better and better.
Able to cook and make what you want that will keep you from getting gout.  You can also cook in large quantity and portion it and freeze it and pack some of it off to lunch. 

[Nightsniper]

I believe I will get a Vacuum sealer.  I been playing with different foods and have now mastered the art of making a Poached Egg in a 4" sauce pan. Of course the time I would have eggs is if I was Truck Camping.
Been takin the Gout pills and eating different and seem to be getting better.  If it hits me again IDK!!  Bad Chit

[charles p]

When I was a kid a one-person meal was boiled eggs, Vienna sausage, potted meat, sardines, saltine crackers, and stuff that could be transported on a bicycle to the woods.  Still works 50 years later.

[Victor3]

When I was a kid a one-person meal was boiled eggs, Vienna sausage, potted meat, sardines, saltine crackers, and stuff that could be transported on a bicycle to the woods. Still works 50 years later.

 And for some reason, all of those items tasted way better out in the woods than they ever did at home.

[gcrank1]

Always take some onion, celery and carrots to cut up into whatever ya got; it richens up Ramen (which is my basic 'starter soup kit'). They are kinda my 'three sisters' for most all my cooking. Even though canned stuff usually has a high moisture content I tend to carry some on any trip, and now there are some dandy non-frozen 'microwave' meals' at every grocery store (often on sale at W-Mart for like $2.49) that dont have to be nuked, Ive opened 'em up, dumped in a pan, added boiling water and just cooked some more over whatever flame I have and they are as good as out of the nuker.
Always take salt, pepper and curry powder (if you can stand it, I know some dont). Some of it for my spiffed up Ramen Curry is good for me  .
Early on eggs will last quite a few days unrefrigerated, but I like to use them soon, same with a small Summer Sausage, though Landejager (sp?) is good to go for the duration, just wrap either in some brown paper bag to sop any drippin's. Cheeses like XX Sharp Cheddar or aged Swiss are good the same way.
Most breads break down to mashed too quick for me but 'cocktail' mini loafs hold up much better, and some of the more HD crackers last the best (or make your own hardtack).
And 'Gorp'; I get nuts of several types, raisins, craysins, dates, whatever I like and make mine much cheaper than store-bought; its always good to grab & munch.
Some Fig Newtons make a pretty good snack or desert too.

[Mike in Virginia]

Mountain House is my favorite one person meal.  All of it's good tasting food.  I realize the bags usually state 2 servings, but when I'm out in the wilds, I'm always extra hungry.  The down side is you need a source of water to dehydrate, which means carrying it or getting it out of a creek with a filter.  But then water is always a necessity.