Gear Review Paleo Meals To Go: Freeze dried, gluten-free backpacking meals

[Nick]

Paleo Meals To Go: Freeze dried, natural, gluten-free backpacking meals

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Price: $12.99/each direct from Paleo Meals To Go, or 3-packs for $36

Overview​

The good folks at Paleo Meals To Go sent us out a variety pack of their freeze dried backpacking meals to try out. Obviously these are going to have big appeal for people on the paleo diet, but they may also be worth looking at for those who prefer to eat gluten free, or just want to stick with more natural ingredients that don't have all the funky additives that a lot of backpacking food has.

I sampled three flavors from them; Beef Mountain Stew and Savory Chicken & Vegetable dinners and their breakfast meal, Coconut Berry Breakfast. It looks like they have come out with some additional flavors since I tried the product late last year.

Overall I was very impressed with the product. The texture and flavor is much more consistent with quality, home cooked food. The first time I tried it, I cooked up a pack of their Beef Mountain Stew alongside a packet of Mountain House Beef Stew. The difference was tremendous. They both taste good, but the Paleo Meals To Go meal was much more satisfying. My only complaint is that their seasoning is sometimes inconsistent with some very strong pockets here and there. Shaking the product better before preparing might fix that.

Mountain House and Paleo Meals To Go, side by side​

For comparison, Mountain House Beef Stew ready to eat


Paleo Meals To Go Beef Mountain Stew ready to eat​

What do we love?​

The lack of preservatives, gluten and other non-paleo, potentially gut-busting ingredients is the obvious draw, and in that respect, these can't be beat. The texture and flavor of the meals was as good or better than any other freeze dried meal we tried. The meat in particular seemed much more real and less spongey and fake than most other meals.

The berry breakfast was phenomenal. Even for non-paleo eaters, it's hard to beat. Say goodbye to oatmeal!

The brown paper packaging is narrow and compresses easily. It seemed to take up less space in the pack than typical freeze dried meals.

The Savory Chicken & Vegetable was juicy and tender. Nothing like previous freeze dried chicken we've tried.


What would we change?
​

The seasoning inconsistencies are a slight problem, but like I said, better shaking before preparation could solve that. Unfortunately we didn't have enough samples to to find out if it was an isolated issue or widespread.

The meals might be a little small for some people. I'd like it if it was increased in size by about 20%, or closer to a '2 serving' Mountain House type meal.

Price is a big problem. At $12.99 per meal, it's hard to justify for people who backpack a lot. If you get out a few times per year and eating well is important, then it's well worth considering. But for those who spend a significant time on the trail, the price makes this product hard to justify. We acknowledge that you get what you pay for - more protein and from higher quality sources is not cheap, but $13 per meal adds up fast.

Coconut Berry Breakfast before adding water

Conclusion​

Paleo Meals To Go has a great product and offers an excellent option for paleo eaters and anyone looking for high quality, gluten free, natural freeze dried backpacking meals. As with any new niche industry, costs can be high starting out which will limit the product for many. We're looking forward to seeing where they take things and hope that increased interest and competition can drive prices down to a level that is more reasonable for a wider audience.

The Coconut Berry Breakfast was the highlight of the samples we tried​

 

[Bob]

$13 a meal ! That's three days dinner for me...... no thanks, no matter how good it is....

They are making a killing imho. To each his own though

 

[Nick]

$13 a meal ! That's three days dinner for me...... no thanks, no matter how good it is....

They are making a killing imho. To each his own though

It's not necessarily for everyone, and It's definitely more expensive than a lot of other options, but comparing most cheaper alternatives is like comparing apples and oranges. Rice and pasta are cheap fillers while good quality meat, vegetables, berries and nuts are much more expensive. I'm sure their margin is not even close to 'making a killing'. For people who don't care to eat paleo, it might sound ridiculous, but for those who do, it's a pretty neat product (although still pretty expensive).

 

[DudefromOhio]

How big are the meals? Typically I can't eat a whole mountain house in one sitting, are these the same way?

I'm all for trying something new. Mountain house are okay, but give me the poops.

 

[Yvonne]

without the steep price tag I woud probably try it. But 13 bucks for a single meal is way too much. Especially the coconut breakfast looks good. I should try to do something similar myself for one of my backpacking trips this summer.

 

[Nick]

How big are the meals? Typically I can't eat a whole mountain house in one sitting, are these the same way?

They're about the same size as a Mountain House Pro Pak (the smaller ones), maybe a tiny bit smaller. I'm not sure exactly how much smaller than a standard Mountain House, but the fact that an MH requires 2 cups of water and one of these requires 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 should give a good indication.

 

[DrNed]

It's not necessarily for everyone, and It's definitely more expensive than a lot of other options, but comparing most cheaper alternatives is like comparing apples and oranges. Rice and pasta are cheap fillers while good quality meat, vegetables, berries and nuts are much more expensive. I'm sure their margin is not even close to 'making a killing'. For people who don't care to eat paleo, it might sound ridiculous, but for those who do, it's a pretty neat product (although still pretty expensive).

Well said Nick. I do not consider myself a 'health nut' but I know the value of good food. A $900 beater will get you from A to B, but there are plenty of us who buy $40,000 trucks. A $79 point and shoot camera will take pictures but there are plenty of us spend thousands of dollars on cameras. Do you know how many calories are in one of these meals?

 

[AustinCronnelly]

Awesome, the thought of being able to still eat clean while backpacking makes things much easier. No longer will you have to sabotage your Whole30 in favor of backpacking. Nick's right, it absolutely not for everyone but it's nice to have for those who are looking for it.

 

[steve]

great review nick.