Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: BWCA Food and Recipes :: Anyone try Trailtopia meals?
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boonie |
A note on the nutrition is that it may be more calories than you think. The nutrition label that say 360 calories is per serving as is the rest. (All nutrition labels are "per serving" no matter how many "servings" are in a package. A "serving" may or may not be the amount the average person eats.) There are 2 servings in the package, so 720 calories for the package. Likewise the sodium for the package would be 860 mg vs. 430 per serving. You get the same on Backpackers Bistro, but first a note: my computer is advising me that caution is advised as it is not an encrypted site (which would be preceded by https:// like you see in the address of Trailtopia)). If you click on their Meat Lover's Beans, you can order a 1-serving package or a 2-serving package. If you put your cursor on the picture and click the arrow that shows up on the right side a couple of times, you'll get a picture of the nutrition label. It will tell you there are 2 servings per container and 470 calories per serving, so a 1-serving package would be that and a 2-serving package would be 940 calories. A long-winded answer, but hope it helps some. FWIW, I did try some of the Heather's Choice last fall. I liked the Salmon Chowder a lot, but wasn't really crazy about the Doro Wat, and even less so the Strawberry breakfast. I got a couple of the Packaroons, which were tasty, but dry. |
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HappyHuskies |
Based on your experience I will tread lightly, but will probably try a couple of Trailtopia's meals, just to have something new to try. Thinking about trying the Jambalaya and Ginger Chicken. I don't really need much and tend to rely mostly on things I know from past experience that I will like. I still have quite a bit of unused food from last year, as family illnesses kept me out of the woods most of the summer and fall, so really just looking for new things to experiment with. Sorry you did not like the Doro Wat. I like most of what I have tried from Heather's Choice and will order from them again. Have not tried any of their breakfast items or Packaroons though. Usually just do a hot cereal for breakfast and trail mix and dried fruit for snacks. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. |
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HappyHuskies |
A second thought is to try Backpackers Bistro, which sound better based on descriptions of the meals, but there is no nutritional information that I can find on their website, thought I may have just missed it. Again any first hand feedback would be appreciated. Anyway, this year I think I'll try an offering or two from Trailtopia or Backpacker Bistro or both but again wondered if anyone had tried them and, if so, could recommend a couple of their entrees. Thanks. |
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boonie |
I usually just have cold cereal for breakfast, sometimes a hot one. I did try a Trailtopia Oatmeal once and it was good, but they are all in a single serving size that's barely over 200 calories, so even two servings is a little short and a lot of packaging. I could get two (or three) and repackage into one, but it seems a lot of trouble compared to just buying a 600-calorie breakfast I like that's already minimally packaged. I tend to do best with about 600-calorie meals, a little less is OK and a little more is OK, but 400 is not enough on a continued basis and 700 is pushing it, especially on bean dishes. The bean thing from BB looked good, 940 calories of beans is way too much for me, although 470 could work for one meal, maybe with a little augmentation. |
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billconner |
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billconner |
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HappyHuskies |
HH |
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HappyHuskies |
Boonie, yea I get a few things from both the Outdoor Herbivore and HawkVittles. I particularly like some of the Outdoor Herbivores cold salads for something different for lunch once in a while. I usually get he Sunflower Salad and Gazpacho. I sometime take a packet of the HopPeaSlop too, but I get tired of this one pretty quickly. For HawkVittles, I seem to like his stews best, particularly the North African Stew and the Black Bean Stew. I also take one of his potato based breakfasts once in a while for a break from oatmeal. Thanks again to both of you for your input on Trailtopia. I'll try to report back about anything I liked. Will probably be at least April before I get out again. I like to do an early season backpacking trip in the BWCA once most of the snow has left, but before the lakes ice out. Usually don't see anyone else that time of the year once I'm a half day in or so. Hope to spend more time paddling this year too. It would be hard to do less than I did last year. |
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TominMpls |
I'm a fan of Trailtopia. Their apple crisp dessert is heaven in the woods, though of course just about any dessert is heaven in the woods. I really like their Jambalaya, for precisely the same reason that others have mentioned they don't like Trailtopia - it's heavily seasoned, and that appeals to me when I finally get down to the dehydrated / freeze dried food near the end of a trip. My daughter got the beef stroganoff once, and while it was pretty decent, it wasn't nearly as good as the jambalaya. The dinner portions are huge, however - truly one two-person dinner of theirs is enough for two if you're not a huge eater. I also had one of their lunch ramen packs and it was very good as well. Those are single serving, and it was a bit light for me, but it *is* meant for lunch and I was planning on snacking on other things anyway. I like that the Trailtopia meals actually look like dry versions of the meal when you open the bag. It probably doesn't really matter in how they taste, but I'm really turned off when I open the bag and it looks like a bag of powder. |
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boonie |
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HappyHuskies |
If you do please let us know how you like it. I ordered the Risoto, the Wild Rice Pilaf and the Mexican Rice and Beans. Probably a little spending for Risoto and Pilaf, but I've spent money a lot worse ways and a trip into the BW is always a bargain. I still have quite a few of the Bean Salads from Packit Gourmet and the Black Bean Stew from Hawk Vittles in the freezer, so need to finish those before stocking up on a lot of bean dishes. HH |
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HappyHuskies |
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm still mulling over what to order from Trailtopia and will probably try a small sample of their meals (and maybe a desert). I like to have a few spicier meals in the pack to change things up, so the Jambalaya sounds like a candidate. I did just place and order from the other company I mentioned in this thread, Backpackers Bistro. I ordered through Garage Grown Gear ... thanks for making me aware of them Boonie. I know everyone's taste in trail food is different, but asking can lead me to a few gems that a company makes and hopefully help me steer clear of the clunker that no one (or almost no one likes) Anyway, thank you for the input. It really helps. HH |