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boonie
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My mistake - I just checked again and the Pro Packs are 2 servings, so about 500 calories. I still don't think it'll be enough for more than one of you, and maybe not quite enough for him.
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Northwoodsman
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I find the Pro Packs to be harder to pack into a Bear Vault because of there weird shape when vacuum packed. If your not using a bear barrel they should be fine. In the future I'm going to dump them out of their packages into a ziplock right before the trip. I'm going to re-hydrate in my MSR Windburner pot. I'll have an extra dish to wash but 1) I always seem to burn myself with a leaking seal when I agitate it during the re-hydration process, 2) even though I have the long handled spatula designed for mixing them up, there is always a little pocket that I miss, 3) their packaging takes up at least half of my BV500, and 4) I don't like carrying the bulky trash for the entire trip. A ziplock will easily conform the the inside of my BV500 and I will have 1/10th the trash to lug around. Overall I really like the convenience and most of the flavors. I purchased several of the bulk cans a few months ago on Woot for around $15 - $20 ea. They contain 10 - 12 servings each so they were a fraction of the cost. So at the present time I really don't have an option other than a zip-lock.
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schweady
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We used 4 of the regular Mountain House ("non pro-pak") meals on our last trip. Packing them into a BV500 without wasting a lot of air space was quite a challenge, until:
Based on a tip found either here or some other source ?? I poked a small hole in the packaging and carefully squeezed out as much air as possible, then taped over the hole. Worked perfectly due to being able to fold the package fully in half.
We were happy mixing and eating right our of the foil packet. Cleanup was a matter of licking the spoon. Folding up the bag and resealing it didn't seem to pose an unbearably heavy burden in our garbage ziploc. Plus, we used reflectix envelopes (THANKS, boonie!!) to hold the meal pouch while rehydrating (and, some judiciously-placed dots of velcro allowed a sort of mitten-like handle to use during eating), meaning that it was piping hot, even after the 10-12 min following adding the water, and after getting all situated on our rock point for dinner...
Favorites: lasagna - 2.5 servings, breakfast skillet - 2 servings. Also good, with qualifications: chicken tetrazzini - 2.5 servings (rather sweet), vegetarian pasta primavera - 2.5 servings (a little soupy, needs a bit less water) All 4 meals were generous enough for my wife and I to share.
We hadn't tried commercially dehydrated meals since our early camping trips in the 70s and 80s. They sure have come a LONG way!
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boonie
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You can repackage them into freezer bags (I use the heavier boil-in-bags from PackItGourmet) to save space - the packaging is bulky - but I wouldn't bother unless you need to get them into a bear canister. And then only if you can't get the number you have in the available space. You can reduce the bulk somewhat without repackaging by putting a pinhole in it, squeezing out excess air and covering with tape. If you do this, I'd wait until the last minute. The ProPacks are vacuum-packed and are like packing baseballs - they do not conform to fill space.
I used to take MH single servings (ProPacks), although I haven't for years, and they were about 500 calories. I just checked and they are about half that now! 250 calories is just a snack - he's not going to be happy with one all by himself; you might not be either. That's the amount in a Clif bar. I think there regular pouches are about 500 calories now, which won't be enough for both of you, unless you're having other food with it.
The "hungry single" size meals I get from Outdoor Herbivore/Hawk Vittles are about 600 calories and that works for me, but I'm not a big guy/big eater.
I hope you have time to try some at home and make whatever adjustment is necessary.
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nojobro
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In an effort to make things super easy for our trip, I'm bringing mostly MH meals. Can I leave these in their original packaging or does it save space to repack them? And how happy will my husband be sharing a ProPack with me? I'm assuming that won't be enough for the two of us????
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billconner
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I'd be fine but they are smaller than the two serving pouches it seems - 4.06 vs 4.8 ounces for the stroganoff?
(Oddly their single serving pouch is just 2.0 - go figure.)
I would not even consider not packing and hydrating in the packet. Never tried a pro-pack - do they hydrate in the package?
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AdamXChicago
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I have not repackaged them in the past, though some meals do come in vacuum pre-shrunk versions (for minimalists). As for serving size, that depends on your respective appetites - we usually guesstimate about 1.5 "servings" per person and adjust for group size and composition.
AdamX
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