I found a previous thread that says the Excalibur is the best dehydrator. Which one? There are several models. Especially looking for feedback from people who have used theirs for several years. I have a family of 6 with 4 boys (they eat a ton), it will be used to make 1 1/2 months worth of food every year.

We have the D500S. Not sure if they still make that model or not since we've had it for a number of years, but it works great. Worth every penny.

NEIowapaddler: "We have the D500S. Not sure if they still make that model or not since we've had it for a number of years, but it works great. Worth every penny. "

Unfortunately, that one is discontinued. But I did find it on Amazon. Thanks for the feedback!

9 tray Excalibur 3900B from Amazon. I am going solo this year and don’t have ambitions for any trip larger than tandem for a few years, but I can’t imagine going any smaller. It takes a lot of initial effort to get a solid arsenal of dehydrated ingredients to make a variety of meals. It’s been useful for making party snacks and meals for the thermos food jars on those days when we gotta eat on the run.

I've never been disappointed or felt missing anything with my basic Nesco dehydrator, which also stores on the top shelf of a kitchen upper cabinet. I only do solo and tandem trips, but same one Mona Gauthier, a regular presenter on dehydrating food for BWCA trips at Canoecopia.

YardstickAngler: "9 tray Excalibur 3900B from Amazon. I am going solo this year and don’t have ambitions for any trip larger than tandem for a few years, but I can’t imagine going any smaller. It takes a lot of initial effort to get a solid arsenal of dehydrated ingredients to make a variety of meals. It’s been useful for making party snacks and meals for the thermos food jars on those days when we gotta eat on the run."

Excellent! This was one of my top picks. Thanks!

billconner: "I've never been disappointed or felt missing anything with my basic Nesco dehydrator, which also stores on the top shelf of a kitchen upper cabinet. I only do solo and tandem trips, but same one Mona Gauthier, a regular presenter on dehydrating food for BWCA trips at Canoecopia. "

If it was just me I would definitely go this route, but I was really hoping to get a much bigger one. I have to pack enough for 6 people for 1 1/2 months (3 separate trips).

This is a gigantic amount, or maybe I’m just crazy in the kitchen. I’ve always been the chef around here and with four kids I don’t know how to do “just a little” cooking. It took me a hard 6 weeks of dehydrating a lot on my off days to feel like I was ready to assemble my meals for a weeklong solo. I work away from home so obviously that wasn’t a continuous run for six weeks, but I did have some stretches where I was running the dehydrator for 40 hours straight. 9 trays of ingredients out and sealed in mason jars, 9 more trays of food going in.

Start early!

I realize I am starting late. I am going to concentrate on dinners. Whatever I don't get done this year, I will just pack the old way (foil pouches of chicken or tuna, rice and pasta). I just want to get a start this year. After reading Ripple's threads, it seems possible to make the switch. Our food packs are just unbelievably heavy. We need to lighten up, so we can make more portages.

What I like to do is just make a double or triple batch of a dish (obviously it has to be something that dehydrates well) and then eat some for dinner (or breakfast, lunch, whatever - you get the idea) and then dehydrate the leftovers. The advantages of this are that I make a meal at the same time, which is a more efficient use of my time and effort, and also that I have camping food that I know I like to eat.

NEIowapaddler: "What I like to do is just make a double or triple batch of a dish (obviously it has to be something that dehydrates well) and then eat some for dinner (or breakfast, lunch, whatever - you get the idea) and then dehydrate the leftovers. The advantages of this are that I make a meal at the same time, which is a more efficient use of my time and effort, and also that I have camping food that I know I like to eat. "

That is an excellent idea! Thank you!