Hikers - mountain house?

[Guest]

Hi, purchased a couple of mountain house entrees for the first time.  200 calories per entree.  Is 200 Cal supposed to be a meal if you just hiked 5 miles up and down mountain trails with a full pack? 

[Guest]

I just tried one.  Have to say the beef stew is really good - even without considering it also has a 30 yr shelf life.  Just wwondering why the packets are so small.

[mike_f]

Did you get the 1 serving:

or 2 serving size?

 

 

My wife and I eat about 3 weeks worth of Mountain House meals a year while backpacking.  On the whole, we like them a lot.  We usually have them for breakfast/supper on our trips supplemented with other things (not just Mt. House for each meal).

As you noticed, the calories aren't usually enough for a complete meal.  While its a benefit when exerting during hiking/backpacking, they usually are pretty high in sodium too.

 

[Omega]

For backpacking these types of meals are not bad due to weight, but no, 200 is probably not enough.  The average person needs between 1500-2000 calories a day with up to 5000 for someone doing a lot of high stress activities such as hiking.  An MRE has 1300 calories on average I believe, with two minimum and three a day recommended for soldiers.  Of course we never ate the whole thing, and supplemented with energy bars and drinks.  

[monkeylizard]

This ^^^

When hiking, you use the Mt. House as an "entree" but you'll supplement it with something else like energy bars, fruit, trail mix, etc.

[BBill_TN]

I always found the 2 serving size to be about the right size for dinner after hiking all day. They're lightweight and no dishes to do since you're only boiling water and adding it to the bag. Mountain House Beef Stroganoff is a must try.