Packed with necessary nutrients, light and compact, Mountain House freeze-dried meals are what the Backcountry Hunt Doctor ordered.
by Jace Bauserman
I gagged and then sprayed pieces of dried whatever it was onto the mountainside. I don’t know how our troops do it. They are tougher than me, that’s for dang sure. Whatever was in the 10-year shelf-life MRE wasn’t edible. I tried another. The results were the same.
That was a miserable 10 days on the mountain. I didn’t have much more than MRE’s, water, trail mix, and beef jerky. I forced myself to choke down the MREs, but by day four, I was nutrient-depleted and nauseous. I can go without sleep. Dealing with pain is something I pride myself on. However, I’m a big baby when the food I have at my disposal is terrible.
I killed a nice bull on that hunt. Packing him out was terrible. I was in top ripping shape, coming off a 4th-place finish at the Silver Heels 100-Mile Ultramarathon. When I got back to my truck, I drove two hours into town and ordered three double cheeseburgers. I was in the small cafe for two hours, but I ate all three burgers and two strawberry shakes.
What’s the point? Backcountry nutrition matters, and you shouldn’t wait until you’re in the backcountry to discover what your body craves when you’re burning 5,000 calories or more per day. Before my hunt, I’d never tried an MRE. Huge mistake. I knew better, but a few of my hunting pals swore by them, so I gave them a go. I won’t do that again.
The truth is, I’ve trusted freeze-dried meals from Mountain House since 2008, the same year Mountain House launched their Breakfast Skillet line. I cheated on Mountain House in 2022. I will never do it again.
What Is Mountain House?
Mountain House has built a reputation among hunters for reliability and taste since its inception in 1969. Their freeze-dried meals are crafted with high-quality ingredients, ensuring that every bite offers the nutrition outdoor enthusiasts need. When you are miles deep in the backcountry, you want fuel that you can count on. Hunters trust Mountain House because their meals are lightweight, easy to prepare, and packed with flavor, making them perfect for long trips. The brand’s commitment to consistent quality means that every meal delivers the same great taste and nutrition you expect. With a range of options tailored to meet rigorous outdoor demands, Mountain House becomes a dependable partner on any hunting expedition, giving you the energy to tackle whatever challenges nature presents.
Why Flavor And Options Matter
Mountain House will fuel your hunt. That’s a given. However, when I’m in the backcountry for days on end, flavor matters as much as nutritional value. I’ve read books and countless magazine articles about hunters going weeks without anything more than peanut butter and bacon bagels, or a jar of peanut butter and a bag of tortillas. That’s awesome. I’m just not that hunter.
One of my hunting buddies once told me, “Jace, backcountry hunt cravings are the closest thing I can think of to semi-relate to the cravings of a pregnant woman.”
I don’t disagree. I have no idea what women go through, but I know that after a few days of hard hunting in hellish terrain, covering miles on my feet with a heavy pack, I start to think about what I will eat when I get out of the mountains. I’m sure many of you reading this can relate.
Since I started stuffing Mountain House meals in my backpack, I rarely think about a medium-rare steak and a buttery baked potato.
Why?
Because my backpack contains Mountain House’s Pad Thai With Chicken, Chicken And Dumplings, Beef Stroganoff With Noodles, Kung Pao Chicken, Korean Inspired Beef, and other options. Mountain House’s list of freeze-dried meals is extensive, and they add new items every year. This past week, while chasing elk in Colorado’s canyon country, I ate Granola With Milk and Blueberries every morning, two Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich bars with some trail mix for lunch, and destroyed the options above for dinner.
Learn What You Like And If Your Body Likes It
I’ve run four 100-mile mountain ultramarathons, multiple 50-mile ultras, and more 60Ks than I can remember. Those races taught me to learn what your body needs when it’s being pushed to the limit. What sounds good usually is, but I’ve learned that even though my body is craving a certain food or flavor, it may quickly reject that choice within minutes of consuming it. You don’t want that.
Do you go into a backcountry hunt without shooting your bow for months on end or sighting in your rifle? Do you order a new pair of boots and pull them out of the box minutes before you make a 10-mile vertical death march to base camp?
No, you don’t. Why? You want your arrow or bullet to hit behind your pin or crosshairs when the moment of truth arrives. You don’t want to get a blister a mile into your hike, or deal with foot and ankle pain. You prepare for success.
Here’s the thing: Your best chance for success on any hunt is YOU. If you can’t crawl out of bed morning after morning, you won’t be successful. If you feel sick and depleted every single day, you’ll take shortcuts. Your mental psyche will quickly turn negative. The bottom line: If you don’t pay attention to your backcountry nutrition, you’re not fueling your best asset for success. Roll that around for a minute.
I know backcountry meals aren’t cheap. Most Mountain House lunch/dinner meals are around $12.50. But it’s money well spent. I’ve eaten almost every single Mountain House meal available during the offseason when my body is under serious physical strain. I’ve learned which meals my body likes and which it doesn’t. You should do the same.
What Happens To Your Body When It Gets Depleted Of Nutrients
I learned the hard way that burning 3,000 to 6,000 calories a day isn’t some heroic badge you wear without consequences. If you don’t replace enough of that fuel, your body starts eating itself.
At first, you feel hungry. Then you feel hollow. Your legs get heavy, your hands shake, and every climb seems steeper than the last. I’d stop, pull out food, and stare at it as if it had personally offended me. Nothing sounded good. When I forced it down, my stomach sometimes rolled, cramped, and sent it right back up onto the rocks.
After several days, the damage gets uglier. Your glycogen stores run dry, so your body starts burning fat and breaking down muscle for energy. Your strength fades. Your coordination gets sloppy. You become cold, irritable, dizzy, and stupidly tired. Cuts heal slowly. Your immune system takes a beating. Even carrying a rifle or standing upright can feel like work.
The worst part isn’t always the hunger. It’s the mental collapse. You stop making smart decisions. You take shortcuts. You sit down “for a minute” and don’t want to stand back up.
That’s not toughness. That’s depletion.
In the mountains, food isn’t comfort. It’s movement, heat, judgment, and the difference between finishing the hunt and becoming somebody else’s rescue call.
Why I Love Mountain House
I love Mountain House meals for the same reason I love a reliable rifle, a warm sleeping bag, and boots that don’t shred my feet: they work when I need them most.
The options keep me from eating the same miserable meal night after night. I can pack breakfast, lunch, and dinner without hauling a full kitchen into the mountains. Granola and blueberries in the morning. Chicken and dumplings after a long day. Beef stroganoff when I’m tired, cold, and thinking about food every five minutes. That variety matters. When the flavor is good, I’ll actually eat enough to keep moving.
The nutrition matters, too. I’m burning thousands of calories every day, and I need dependable fuel—not a handful of crumbs and wishful thinking. Mountain House meals give me calories, protein, carbohydrates, and satisfying flavor that makes a hard day feel manageable.
They’re lightweight, compact, and easy to pack. I don’t need pots, pans, or a sink full of greasy dishes. I fire up my MSR WindBurner 1.0L, boil water in minutes, pour it into the pouch, seal it, and wait about 10 minutes.
Then I open the bag and eat a hot, great-tasting meal straight from the package.
No fuss. No mess. Just backcountry fuel that helps keep me moving.
