I discovered Trailtopia at the Midwest Mountaineering Expo. I purchased a couple meals to take on my next trip but I haven't tried them yet. I met the owner and his family at their Expo booth. Trailtopia seems to be a family business out of Rochester, MN. I haven't seen any reviews yet. Anybody out there try these Trailtopia meals yet?

Thanks for the link; I'm always looking for new options. They seem to be VERY new - only oatmeal, desserts, ramen available now . . .? It seems everything so far is single serve . . . and fairly short on calories, but some double serving dinners are in the works. It will be interesting to see if the 2-serving entrees are enough calories to satisfy even this light eater. It would take at least 2, if not 2+ of these to equal the single serve ones I've been using.

What is the packaging like?

Let me know what you try and how you like it. I'm going to check back on the 2-serving ones.

Maybe they haven't updated their website because the flyer from the Expo shows several meals besides Ramen and Oatmeal although I didn't purchase any. They pack them in cook in the bag foil pouches. I believe their customer service phone # is listed on their site. It might be worth a call to see what's available.

$10 for a dinner for one? Have to stay in a 5 star Hilton level campsite for these.

Maybe a bit more expensive but I like supporting a local family owned business. They try to use all natural ingredients and they have a selection of gluten free meals. Just another option if you are looking to try something else.

Yes, the website lists those 10 dinners as coming soon, so maybe they just haven't updated it yet. The only products on the site are the oatmeal and desserts you bought and the ramen meals. Did they have some of the new dinner entrees there?

quote billconner: "$10 for a dinner for one? Have to stay in a 5 star Hilton level campsite for these."

Maybe one would have made that 1-star site I stayed at feel like a 5-star :). There are cheaper ones, but for once a year, I'd try one.

quote DuluthPak: "Maybe a bit more expensive but I like supporting a local family owned business. They try to use all natural ingredients and they have a selection of gluten free meals. Just another option if you are looking to try something else. "

I agree with your points except the gluten free part. If you have celiac disease, I understand the appeal of gluten free but... "Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed." ....so for all but .03 percent - those diagnosed with the disease or 3 people in 10,000 - there's no benefit. Further gluten free diet may result in the loss of needed protein and may lead to gluten allergies or sensitivity.

Probably this will get pulled as more volatile than a discussion of mining in the BWCA.

I just talked to Vince, the owner of Trailtopia. He did have some samples of the dinners and lunches at the Expo but they won't be available for online sale until the end of May. Those products are delayed in the packaging and labeling stage of manufacturing. But the oatmeal and ramen meals are available now.

quote billconner: "

quote DuluthPak: "Maybe a bit more expensive but I like supporting a local family owned business. They try to use all natural ingredients and they have a selection of gluten free meals. Just another option if you are looking to try something else. "

I agree with your points except the gluten free part. If you have celiac disease, I understand the appeal of gluten free but... "Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed." ....so for all but .03 percent - those diagnosed with the disease or 3 people in 10,000 - there's no benefit. Further gluten free diet may result in the loss of needed protein and may lead to gluten allergies or sensitivity.


Probably this will get pulled as more volatile than a discussion of mining in the BWCA."

quote DuluthPak: "I just talked to Vince, the owner of Trailtopia. He did have some samples of the dinners and lunches at the Expo but they won't be available for online sale until the end of May. Those products are delayed in the packaging and labeling stage of manufacturing. But the oatmeal and ramen meals are available now."

Thanks, I'll take a look next month to see what they look like.

quote boonie: "

quote billconner: "

quote DuluthPak: "Maybe a bit more expensive but I like supporting a local family owned business. They try to use all natural ingredients and they have a selection of gluten free meals. Just another option if you are looking to try something else. "

I agree with your points except the gluten free part. If you have celiac disease, I understand the appeal of gluten free but... "Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed." ....so for all but .03 percent - those diagnosed with the disease or 3 people in 10,000 - there's no benefit. Further gluten free diet may result in the loss of needed protein and may lead to gluten allergies or sensitivity.



Probably this will get pulled as more volatile than a discussion of mining in the BWCA."

Ummm, Bill- I'll have to disagree with your statement, and I believe you are smart enough to know that the fact that they are undiagnosed does not mean they wouldn't benefit, just as anyone who has cancer benefits from being diagnosed, and the earlier the diagnosis the better.


I'm also not sure why you would believe that "gluten free diet may result in the loss of needed protein and may lead to gluten allergies or sensitivity."


The primary source of protein for the majority of people is meat and fish, neither of which contains gluten unless it is added during processing. A person diagnosed with celiac disease, such as my sister (and yes, she has benefitted enormously from eliminating gluten from her diet), may eat any meat, fish, vegetable, fruit, nut, seed, or dairy product in its natural state. The thing she can't eat is gluten, which is found in wheat and some other grains (but not all), or any product to which it has been added during processing. Most foods do not naturally contain gluten.


I can also assure you she did not develop celiac disease by avoiding gluten during her formative years. Breads, pastas, cereals were major parts of our diet. It seems to me that saying that avoiding gluten would lead to gluten allergies or sensitivity is kind of like saying that avoiding poison ivy will lead to . . . getting poison ivy.


"

I don't deny that people with celiac disease have no option but to eliminate glutten from their diet but by what I could find only .03% of the population knows they have it.

The consequences of reducing or eliminating gluten from our diets when not neccesitated by disease or perhaps other gluten sensitivities is not well understood but I find the medical experts that suggest it leads to sensitivities and perhaps other health problems credible.

For all but a few, like your sister, I believe the gluten free craze is simply a fad, with no benefits for most of us and unknown negatives.

Here is what UW Madison says, not an institution who's opinions and views I often side with.

We obviously disagree. I stand by my math and the medical opinions that advise against a glutren free diet for people without celiac disease or other gluten allergies or sensitivities.

My apologies, DuluthPak.

Mine also. Did not intend to upset you. Bill