Dehydrated Backpacking Meals for 5 Days + all the food I’m carrying 

Cheaper, lighter, and healthier. Once you start dehydrating your meals it's so much fun. I would recommend rotating your trays every so often as you go, it helps to speed up the process and make things more consistent. Making jerky is definitely the way to go because it's a 2 in 1 treat that you can eat on the go or add to a meal and rehydrate. Have fun dialing in the process and experimenting as you go! 😁

The canned chicken always ends up looking like peanut brittle but it still works well. Try some ground beef, mixed veggies, brown mushroom gravy, and mashed potatoes...backcountry sheppard's pie. Check out dehydrating sauces and condiments. I use dehydrated siracha and can carry just about a whole bottle for a fraction of the weight. Fruit is another good one. It concentrates the flavor and sugars. Dehydrated watermelon is almost like a Jolly Rancher candy. Then there is jerky...which is a whole other topic. Enjoy!

I find that steaming the froxzen vegetables a little before dehydrating them helps them rehydrate and "cook" faster. Loved watching this!

This was great! I'm glad you don't wait until you've perfected something to share (which is what I always want to do) because we learn from your experience both the do's and don'ts. I'm curious if you've been able to figure out how much money you might have saved dehydrating your own meals vs buying them.

Can not wait to hear what you thought of the meals on trail. My fav lunch is pasta salad! I cook and dehydrate orzo. Then on trail I cold soak it and add nuts, salad dressing packet, cranberries, bacon bits, and anything else id like. It is so good!

Hey there! I also have a Nesco dehydrater and they recommend always using atleast 4 trays. They can be empty ones. Apparently using less can make it run too hot and fry the heating mechanism.

Make sure you sample everything at home just as you would on the trail before you leave. This is CRUCIAL. Big difference in dehydrated food vs freeze dried food. It should be fine but you don’t want any unwelcome surprises on the trail when it comes to your food. Those look really good! It just may take longer to rehydrate the dehydrated things. Looks really good tho! The biscuits and gravy looks AMAZING and I’m pretty excited to try that.

🎉❤ you did great

For multi-day hikes, I've always bought the packaged dried foods, but they're a little expensive. This would be much cheaper, plus, you get the benefit of creating meals to your own taste, Did I ever mention the time I bought some dehydrated water? I still haven't figured out what to add, though. 😁

I have found it best when I actually cook the meal/recipe and adjust seasoning as needed then dehydrate. Pastas do best for me when I par cook (and not fully cook)it and then dehydrate. Cutting up the chunky meats in smaller pieces will help the dehydrating process too. I also break up and stir whatever I’m dehydrating halfway thru. I love making my own meals for backpacking too! My favorite is a lasagna 👍🏾. Have fun on your trip!

Tip after dehydrating Leave air dry 12-24 hrs before sealing

This more down to earth lesson is great. Thank you.

Fresh zucchini dehydrates far far better than frozen & you can also flavour up the crispy zucchini and eat them as a snack (everything bagel seasoning is amazing here), sliced tomatoes make great tomatoe chips too. If you have an instantpot/pressure cooker then pressure cook whole chicken breasts, drain well, then slice 1/4 in thick, works far better than dehydrating canned stuff which tends to rehydrate quite leathery. Try doing your own beef jerky 😍

I just finished the Bartram Trail two weeks ago. It was amazing! Dehydrating your own food is a great idea, probably weighs less than some of the choices on the market today. Good luck on your hike!

Great video, thank you!!

Great video. Thanks. Look forward to the hike

cant wait for the hike 😊

Excellent recap. This is something I am considering as well.

Enjoyed learning about food dehydration. Look forward to the next hike.

Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to see what you think of the meals on trail.

Wish you all the best on your hike. I am looking forward to you sharing your journey :)

Great video! Can’t wait to see how you like them on trail!

Superb video!! Was very interesting to see all the food you will carry!

Great idea making yourself. Can't wait to this is hike videos.

Nice video. My wife and I enjoy watching you so much, whether on the trail or videos like this one. Keep it up. We really look forward to seeing you and Jerry.

Awesome video!!

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for taking us along for this dehydration journey! I have my late parents dehydrator but I haven't used it yet. I think I will get it cleaned up and do some experiments myself. I can't wait for your thru hike videos. I'm eager to see how your meals turn out. Have a blessed day! Remember, God loves you!

This was fantastic! We have the type of dehydrator you described at the end. We've honestly only ever dried herbs from our garden with it. This gives us all sorts of ideas for future use - starting with making food bags we can keep at the house for emergencies too. Thanks for compiling this. Would love to hear down the road when you eat your meals, which ones were a winner for you versus which you wouldn't repeat.

Thanks a lot the great! Lot of love and respect from a solo mountain hiker friend from the Lower Chitral District of Pakistan.

Thank you for sharing! I myself am I big foodie, too. I LOVE your recipe videos. You should make a backpacking meal recipe with pictures book! 🤓🥾🥾 this video came just in time I was literally looking up dehydrators and how to’s on YT yesterday. I need ideas as I plan my AT thru-hike. I’ve saved so many of your videos 😊

I can’t wait to watch you on trail. Thanks for all the recipe’s. I did bananas, fresh berries and kale.

Great video,

Love love love hearing you talk about going out on the trail. I’ve been thinking about rehydrating my own backpacking food. While I eat a plant based diet the veggie part was great and I can probably just sub meat with tofu, tempeh bacon and vegan sausages. I’m excited to give it a try. Thanks Braids. You did great 👍🏻💕🥾🥾

Ty for this video we just bought one at walmart today we dpnt hike much but we camp and kayak bring foods with us when we go kayak so excited to try dehydrating different foods using

Thank you so much for doing this. I’ve been wanting to pull out my old dehydrator and try this because I really don’t care for a lot of the spices in the packaged meals. Looking forward to you thoughts on the meals you prepared.

This is so awesome! I’m going to give the dehydrator a try 👍🏼. Thanks for your honesty that is just one of the reasons I follow ❣️. ( Beth)

Looks good to me . Delicious 😋

I'm using my dehydrator for the first time today! Starting out easy with strawberries, but your video inspired me to start dehydrating!

Props for trying something outside your comfort zone. Inspiring me to do as well.

This is awesome! Me and my boyfriend want to try section hiking the MST and I’d like to try and do our own meals! Thanks for the inspiration! 😊

Cool Video !

My substitute for Biscuits & Gravy is 1 package of Ramen broken up in small pieces (don't use seasoning packet) + 1/2 packet Pioneer Country Gravy + 1oz Bacon Pieces + 1 cup boiling water. Biscuits is flour and so is Ramen. I buy 2.5oz packet of Bacon pieces from Walmart condiment section. Also, I bring 2 packets instant grits + 1oz bacon pieces + 1 cup boiling water. I divide the Idahoan Mash Potatoes in half + 1 cup boiling water + 1 packet BBQ Pulled Pork (Walmart), let the steam from the potatoes heat up the pork.

I Injoy Watching Your video And I'll be Looking forward to seeing your Next Video

Would also love to see a video on how you rehydrate (like how much water and for how long) them to create a meal.

Those candies are eddibles... not just a snack.🤣😂🤣😂🥰😂🥰😍🥰

I want to know if you tried any of it yet. How was it all once re-hydrated? I would definitely sample before heading out on the trail.

Show us how it looks rehydrated pleaseeee :)

Loved the video and all the creative things you’ve tried. So hard to find a video where someone actually REhydrates the meal though. Would be great to see how that goes. Thank you! 😊

I dehydrate low fat turkey sausage, in pieces. (I cook it first in water in a pan. Slice it about 1/4 inch pieces.) It becomes like jerky that I eat as is, or sometimes put in with other food. Similar to your chili, I dehydrate baked beans and love adding that to almost any meal. Have fun with it. Be sure to test the food rehydrated to make sure it works and tastes good. Have a good trip.

Dried spaghetti sauce is not only possible, it's a favorite! Also, buy berries frozen for economy, and dry them for granola or add to oatmeal. Put them in water to soak before the boil, then use that for the oatmeal. Also presoak dried meat for tenderness and put it on full boil for safety then add the fast ingredients. Next step: wild greens?

I just made some last night. Mexican chicken casserole. 62 cents per half pound reconstitutd meal!! $6.23 made 5 pounds of food. A 5lb Mountain meal would cost over $100!!

Great job on your first go at dehydrating! I just started doing the same thing. Thanks for sharing, you have some good ideas that I'm going to copy. I am going to try the bacon jerky, I made flat iron steak jerky before but bacon sounds AWESOME!! I have a couple of follow-up questions for you. 1) What was the weight savings between previous meal plans and this dehydrated meal plan? Also, you packed in ziplocks, how do you rehydrate? What is your cooking/rehydrating plan? 3) Did you taste test the meals before you went out on the trail? 4) Can you share more on the protein packets that you have, did you package them or do they come like that? I'm looking forward to your videos on the Bartram Trail. Hike on!

Hi!! I’ve just recently found your channel and you’re a ball of energy and inspiration ❤️❤️ I have a question: my friend and I are planning our very FIRST backpacking trip 3 days in GA most likely! What trail would you suggest? I’ve searched and searched and am overwhelmed by the amounts of trails! I want something scenic and beautiful trails! Do you have any suggestions?! Thanks so much in advance and LOVE your vids, you’re amazing!!

I have never used a dehydrator before. I guess that would be the best way, just trying different things and finding what foods work and or taste best through trial and error. Biscuits and gravy, what a great idea! Diet Coke? Lol 😆🤣🤪 Your hair looks great btw 👑

U sound like u will be eating good. Everything looks good for sure and that should save u money and time on trail😊

I dehydrate a lot. Be careful with fatty meats tho, they could spoil. I dehydrate leftover dinners too. I cut up small tomatoes in half, gut out the juices and sprinkle with spices to make a yummy snack. Dehydrated fruit is a great snack too. Have fun, play around. Make mistakes. It's definitely healthier and lighter.

Jumping in and doing is always a great learning experience. I have a couple of dehydrating books and one take away is that you can't "over dehydrate" only under dehydrate - which has it's own host of problems. Anyway, did you do the calculations to determine if this was a savings in backpacking meals compared to those you can buy in the outdoors stores?

What is the Protien powder? Looks like you bought it in the small portions. Love these ideas!

You really inspired me to do this. I thought about it for a while now and after watching this video I will be dehydrating my food. Please say 👋 hi to HOBS for me!

omg chili jerky CHILI JERKY

Sprinkling your zucchini with salt and letting it sit for 20 mins, then ,icrowaving for 30 seconds will help remove some of the initial moisture so they dehydrate easier. I also like spiralizing it.

A tip about the peanut butter is to dehydrate pieces of fruit covered in peanut butter. that way maybe you can get away with bringing a smallen amount of peanut butter in wet form?

Zucchini will get super dry and crispy if you let it go longer. I slice them super thin put everything bagel seasoning on it and made "chips"

My opinion the chili I wouldn’t dehydrate on the bacon I would go ahead and cook it to crunchy style bacon will not ruin unless it s in high temps liked your video been watching and listing at work as I pull orders . Keep posting new ones. I’m planning a winter hike in January 2023 I’ve priced a back pack on Amazon for around 35.00 or so the question I have is how long of a rope do I need to put my food up high when I’m sleeping? Also I plan to hike next to a stream as I drink a lot of water maybe you have a video on these subjects , as for bear spray I plan to use wasp and hornet spray it shoots easily 20 feet

Mac and cheese is great dehydrated

Is Jerry going with yu ? I love that dehydrater so cool I need to buy 1

Great job on the meals!!! Just to help you out, the g in ghee is has the same sound as it would in the word goat.

she got that "Geee" lol

Where did you find the individual ghee? I have been wanting to carry some on trail to cook things I find along the way. Never heard of using it in coffee. Excited to see how this works for you. Are you keeping the meats in the fridge until you leave?

Which foods do you thaw & which do you dehydrate from frozen?

I think you did just fine. Your gonna need all that you dehydrated. Looking forward to seeing your videos. You becareful and take something to defend yourself out there, seriously. Don't tell the RU-vidrs where exactly you are because some peckerhead might follow you, just tell your immediate family especially your hubby of course and happy hiking 🥾

A tasty snack w/ your peanut butter might be some dehydrated apple slices. Unfortunately, they’re so tasty, they get “stolen” so they don’t last until the trip.

If you use frozen chopped onions, they won't run you out of the house when dehydrating 😊

I always buy frozen vegetables at Walmart there cheap a good my favorte the corn a green beans

Where did you buy the energy boost packets?

So, what are biscuits made of? Here in the UK, we call cookies biscuits. I've never seen those kind before.

pressure cook your meats for better rehydrating

Wouldn’t it be almost as easy to just cook the Mac and cheese out on the trail, as well as the rice? Just wondering. Great video 👍😊

This is absolutely fun to do. I have some video's about dehydrating your own backpacking meals on my channel as well. Maybe it is helpfull to you 😊

What's your next hike?

“Wash your sister sauce “ 😎

Maybe if some of the food doesn’t have salt,you may add salt to it. Salt is good to dehydrate food.

It looks like you did a good job of dehydrating the food, but I find the idea of dehydrating canned food to be kind of funny. Even when I was 13 years old and didn't have much experience with backpacking, I carried three days worth of nothing but canned food. It was heavy but it didn't kill me. If I was still healthy enough to do it today, I would still carry the cans and dehydrate everything else, to make up for the weight of the cans. It would be easier, and I think fresh out of the can food, would probably taste better.

I follow Matthew Pisa on RU-vid. He loves to cook on trail, but he has a good spaghetti recipe for dehydration.

I make the best spaghetti

Such a beautiful lady

Ghee is pronounced Gee. Hard G.

Girl you lookin like sam puckett

Another great way to save weight is to use dehydrated water, all you need to do to use it is add water. 🤣🤣 Just joking, ok, I’m sorry, I’ll just let myself out.