2023 Updates to My Backcountry Meal Prep System

[@cliffordschorr]

Was literally in the middle of ordering dehydrated meals, your timing is immaculate

[@MindfulHunter]

My spidey sense was tingling.

[@Bouncing22]

I usually don’t dig rants but if they are mindful rants, i definitely did it.

[@MindfulHunter]

🤣 mindful rants. I love it!

[@raphaellavigne201]

Man I can't believe you did all the homework for us. This is gold. Thanks brother.

[@MindfulHunter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattydelong]

“There is no magic sugar!” Thanks for tips Jay. I’m a big gummy bear fan myself for the quick sugar along with Honey Stinger strip waffles. I’ll be trying the MCT powder on my next trip instead of coconut oil packs to save a little weight and maybe increase speed of absorption in my coffee.

[@MindfulHunter]

Awesome.

[@snoop2477]

Super interesting. Thanks Jay. Really cool understanding the way fat aids in slow release of calories. Interestingly I'm running the same ratios of carbs/fat/protein. Recently moved to whole foods vacuum packing home made meals and a light pan - much more fun and better for the stomach on shorter trips. Carrying less body weight and being fitter makes everything easier!😂

[@MindfulHunter]

Yeah I’ve started thinking about making my own dehydrated or freeze dried meals just for the cost savings lol

[@snoop2477]

@MindfulHunter yeah there is a balance here of enjoying what you eat in return for a little extra weight. My latest addition is home made vac packed Chipotle n cheese venison(with pork fat) burger Patties and garlic pita pockets.

[@MindfulHunter]

@@snoop2477 damn. I could get down with that.

[@AtotheK17]

Great meal plan! I’d love to see a review on stove systems

[@MindfulHunter]

💪

[@jesset245]

great to know about the clif blocks i have never really paid attention and have bought many of those for hunting

[@MindfulHunter]

Save a couple bucks ;)

[@zacharyphelan]

Body builder and hunter. My type of guy! I remember watching you last year before my elk hunt. Iv been subscribed since then. Keep the videos coming. Solid sheep video btw.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks man!

[@johnkunis353]

Excellent information here. Really made me rethink the food I'm bringing into the backcountry. Gotta have enough of the right type of fuel to perform, especially for multiple days in a row. I really enjoyed how in depth your explanations were. Thanks for the great video.

[@MindfulHunter]

My pleasure. Glad it was helpful.

[@bobbytomlinson9285]

Lots of good stuff here. Thanks. I was diagnosed as pre diabetic about a year and half ago. I have overhauled my diet pretty drastically to combat that. Very low carbs and sugar. Not Keto just low carb but I eat mostly just meat and veg day to day. It makes meal planning for trips a real pain though. And as you mentioned, I do not feel like I'm getting the energy I need from just protein and fat on longer training hikes. And I've lost some weight which was not my intention...I was already thin. You made some good points. Appreciate it.

[@MindfulHunter]

Yeah man that’s a tough one for the backcountry. Good on ya for pushing through.

[@logangill8036]

Great info and suggestions! As a backpacking guide my food is sometimes dependent upon the company I’m leading for, but when I’m solo or with the family I’ll try some of these out. When I don’t carry whole bean coffee and my grinder (little much I know) I’ve tried the Via coffee and just can’t stand the acidity. My next trial will be Alpine start instant coffee. I hear it’s less acidic. My evening hot drink is hot lemonade with some powdered ginger.

[@MindfulHunter]

Yeah the via is not for everyone. I tend to drink super dark roasts at home so I think I’m a little immune lol

[@mjc_208]

Love the content of this video. I found out about a couple things you talked about while training for ultramarathons. Your stomach can only digest 200-300 calories *per hour* while your body is under exertion (i.e. while hiking) because the blood flow gets diverted more to your muscles and those are great times to have carb heavy snacks, especially simple sugars, for the fast energy. But you can’t just do that all day so you still have to include the other macros or you will feel extremely exhausted after a day or two. Like you said, when you stop to take a little break, that’s the best time to go more fat and protein heavy when your body can digest it quicker. I try to make sure I’m eating about 100-200 calories of carbs per hour while hiking, and mix in a little fat and protein. For my mid day meal fats and proteins, I like to have JIF peanut butter go packs and flavored tuna pouches, with crackers like Cheez-its. I really try to get a lot of fats and protein at dinner time so it has time to digest over night. I found out the hard way, about 10 years ago, that not eating enough calories over the span of a few days will make it feel like you are walking in quicksand with 10 lbs strapped to each foot.

[@MindfulHunter]

Grateful for the feedback!

[@johnnydub237]

Love it man appreciate the info and the free pdf. Just doing some meal prep research for my first time hunting in 2 weeks. Instead of the freeze dried meals from brands like Peak Refuel, have you ever tried making your own meals, freezing them into vacuum sealed mylar bags, and then when you're out in the backcountry, instead of adding the water inside of the bag to 'rehydrate' the food, you just add the entire bag itself (contents inside) into a boiling pot of water for several minutes. Have you ever tried this? I just did a 3-day camping trip where 2/3 of the meals I ate everyday were those Peak Refuel dehydrated bags, and man oh man I do not want to be eating that shit while hunting. I'm curious if you've ever tried this different method. You'd essentially bring a frozen meal bag in your pack, and whenever it's dinner time, you'd throw the entire bag into some boiling water to heat it up. Not sure about the logistics in terms of how long each meal would last in a state of constantly thawing out during the day, etc. But like I mentioned, I'm new to this so wondering if someone more seasoned like yourself has tried this approach. Cheers from BC!

[@MindfulHunter]

I know people who do this truck hunting or horseback hunting in the winter when it will stay frozen but the weight makes it impractical for backpack hunting. Maybe you could get away with it for a day or two at most. But if you’re going in for 10 days nonway.

[@johnnydub237]

@@MindfulHunter Ah yeah good points thanks. I'll only be going for 2-3 days and not entirely sure if we're going to be camping out or not. So will probably do some of both options. Probly leave the better homemade meals in a cooler in the truck, but will be hiking in several miles each day so I'd rather just camp out instead of going back and forth so often. But good to have both options available.

[@CD02]

Thanks for posting. Insightful as always.

[@MindfulHunter]

💪

[@johnA012]

Excellent 411, Thank You!

[@MindfulHunter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vancejohnson1778]

Great video man,dig how well u broke it down, be referring back when doing meal preps for sure

[@MindfulHunter]

Thx bro!

[@user-yd3uh4pz5e]

Maybe consider taking a travel size bottle full of olive oil. Not sure if that was already mentioned.

[@MindfulHunter]

Also a good idea.

[@eduardovazquez4310]

Great stuff

[@MindfulHunter]

🙌

[@13hawks32claws]

Nailed it! 💪🏼

[@MindfulHunter]

Yessir!

[@yungskullivan]

Have you ever considered getting a freeze dryer? The initial invest is quite steep at ~$2.5K. Even though peak refuel is delish I die inside a little bit every time I buy one for $13

[@MindfulHunter]

Been considering it more and more. I had to pack for over 60 days I’m the backcountry this year. That’s like $1200 in dinners alone.

[@brad7634]

pretty much 20 canadian commie bucks after tax up here

[@123-JDAWG]

Really good video!! Thank you

[@MindfulHunter]

My pleasure man!

[@daxhinton7660]

Thanks for the video. I was wondering Have you ever tried making your own pemmican as food source for back country hiking.?

[@MindfulHunter]

I have not but I’ve thought I should for a while now.

[@WestonHoma]

Awesome video Jay!

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks brother!

[@cal8362]

Have you thought about adding some dry whole milk in your morning cereal?

[@MindfulHunter]

Not a big fan of lactose. I like dairy products. My guts don’t.

[@martinsmith7344]

Awesome. Great info.

[@MindfulHunter]

You bet!

[@Adam_Bileckyj]

Great video! Very pragmatic. Are you considering the sodium of the items you ingest and/or supplementing with electrolytes?

[@MindfulHunter]

Should have mentioned that. I do carry and additional electrolyte product. Usually Mio.

[@Adam_Bileckyj]

@@MindfulHunter This is an area I am somewhat ignorant of and haven't researched much. Probably true with others as well. I usually drink a lot when I first wake then hit an electrolyte packet mid-day. I have a feeling this is insufficient and want to experiment with this more to find a more ideal hydration plan. Might make a good video? There are a lot on food but I haven't seen any on hydration.

[@travisscott6257]

could you use a freezer ziplock bag for the peak refuel? I don't have a vaccum sealer...

[@MindfulHunter]

💯

[@MindfulHunter]

Some guys I know will take one empty Mylar bag with them just cause it holds up to the boiling water better than a ziploc.

[@nickkolar8183]

For your breakfast - do you just add hot water to it? What’s best for the cereal

[@MindfulHunter]

I prefer cold. Also, if you’re gonna use protein powder, you gotta use cold water before hot. The hot water breaks down the proteins in a very unattractive way and you get this clumpy bitter tasting mess. That’s why you don’t wanna put chocolate protein powder in with your coffee and then make a mocha. You need to add some cold water and make a slurry and then add the warm water slowly. There’s a particular new brand of Cheerios. It’s a cinnamon crunch Cheerios that I like a lot because it stays extra crunchy in the protein liquid mix.

[@TCB77]

Love how this video was interrupted for a Pringles commercial 😂

[@MindfulHunter]

It's a sign!

[@GTWGamer]

What freeze dryer and bags do you recommend?

[@MindfulHunter]

I’ve never used a freeze dryer.

[@GTWGamer]

@MindfulHunter My bad man had a brain farther, what vacum sealer and what type/thickness of bags do you use?

[@MindfulHunter]

@@GTWGamer anhhh. I recently bought the Weston pro 3000 and love it. Also really like the Weston bags you can grab off Amazon. There’s some ultralight Mylar ones I’d like to try next season for my dinners. Keep the heat in a little better when rehydrating meals.

[@jjjohnston54]

❤

[@MindfulHunter]

👍

[@zacharyphelan]

Make sure you all try the keto powder with coffee before you go on the trip..... Get your body used to the MCT's. No joke here.

[@MindfulHunter]

Wide worlds. Overdosing on MCT’s is a quick trip to the toilet lol

[@mdog1615]

Gotta eat similar to what a guy eats regularly, can’t be a salad and quinoa guy at home then go out and eat a bunch of food that is totally different to home meals. I’ve hunted with guys that are stopping for a dump every hour because they’re eating food they’re not used to. Oh yeah and spam in a can , that shits got everything you need …fat, salt , sugar ..,apparently there’s meat in there as well ..😂😂😂😂

[@MindfulHunter]

🙌

[@michaelmcgraw6323]

Your first point was the most poignant. You’re out there to hunt so bring the fuel that’s going to allow you to get out there and do that. Keep it up my guy 👊

[@MindfulHunter]

Yessir!

[@kendrick9878]

Promo sm

[@MindfulHunter]

what?

[@mothman7922]

Has anyone ever accused you of being an over thinker?

[@MindfulHunter]

Regularly.