Peak Refuel Backpacking Meals Review | My Favorite Freeze Dried Meals

PEAK REFUEL PREMIUM FREEZE DRIED MEALS: bit.ly/3WzAJyL
Freeze dried and dehydrated backpacking meals have never been my favorite to eat in the backcountry because of how they make me feel. Last year after a week of eating various brands meals on a 5 day trip I couldn't force myself to eat anymore of those meals. Although I love to cook as fresh of meals as possible from scratch when on the trail, I still wanted to find a meal company that tasted good and didn't make me feel like garbage after.
I found Peak Refuel after a friend suggested I try them. So I did, and long story short, they are amazing and I now am a brand ambassador for them. They are that good!
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I am a PEAK REFUEL Ambassador | Save 15% on Peak Refuel Premium Freeze Dried Meals with code BCE15
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Why so many links in video descriptions? Affiliate links are how I invest money back into the channel for equipment, gear and trips. By clicking on these links and doing the same shopping you'd be doing anyway, I get a small kickback from the sale. This is the best way to support the content I create with no cost to you. Thank you!

[@jasonlommen4769]

I’ve eaten a lot of different freeze dried meals over the years, and I recently tried these peak refuel, and they are easily my favorite. I like that they don’t have as much sodium, I don’t like salty food, and they don’t require as much water. They might be a tad more expensive than others, but absolutely worth it to me.

[@fikeandhish2802]

High utility info, I just bought five meals. I used the coupon code and it worked great, Thank you!

[@BackcountryExposure]

FikeandHish awesome! Enjoy them! 👊🏻

[@jryan0891]

That’s for the info. Recently I’ve been using the Stowaway Gourmet meals. I’ve never had Peak Refuel meals, but ordered some this week. Looking forward to try them up against Stowaways.

[@rickfromvirginia]

Great video! I have already ordered 4 different meals to try them out. Your discount code works great! I'll keep you posted on how they taste😊👍

[@PeakRefuel]

Thanks for the order! Hope you enjoy the meals.

[@rickfromvirginia]

@@PeakRefuelThanks! I am sure I will Devin has never let me down on his reviews!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks Rick! Enjoy the food!

[@flashmanv3260]

I have to give them a try. I mostly dehydrate my own meals, but often when I don't have time and I like to keep some pre-made bag meal on hand they are a good way to go.

[@timdavis551]

Peak Refuel is awesome, too notch! 👍👍

[@avgeragejoe]

thank you

[@MisterCee41510]

Hey thanks for your review. I just used your code to order the Alpine pack 2.0. Pretty damn good deal for all that food

[@BackcountryExposure]

Excellent!!

[@gcaplan1]

Omeals seems to be larger portioned . Does peak expand significantly with the water ?

[@All_Things_Out_Doors]

I just tried peak refuel last year. They are really good!

[@BackcountryExposure]

All Things Out Doors excellent!

[@PeakRefuel]

Thanks for the love @backcountryexposure!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Peak Refuel 👊🏻

[@MoyMacGill]

Thanks for the code

[@frankieren8791]

Can't wait to try meal. 😋

[@m1sh99]

Thanks for sharing the info. I'm always on the lookout for good freeze dried food. I'm curious about your mixing spoon. It looks to be engineered perfectly for pouch meals. Cheers....Mitch

[@BackcountryExposure]

Mitchel Hoffart thanks, definitely give them a try and use the coupon code. I don’t get any kick back from it, just saves you money. The spoon is just a long handled titanium spoon. I think the one in this video is from Optimus, but you can get them from Toaks, Sea To Summit, Paria Outdoor Products and others.

[@kamikazitsunami]

Have you tried stowaway gourmet?

[@Quillons1]

I have a few comments. First, I appreciate the transparency that you are actually representing the company and admitted that and that this is "subjective". I don't know if that's a legal obligation but either way, that's one to you. Second, You stated that the other three companies mentioned had "horrendous" products. Well, at least you were honest about "subjectivity". I've had products from all 3 of those companies and none of them were "horrendous" in my subjective opinion. Most were actually quite tasty. A couple were actually delicious, particularly for being in the field. Only maybe 2 or 3 fit the category of "I wouldn't get this one again, but it was ok". It sounds more like a sales pitch for Peak food than an actual "subjective" comparison. Third, In keeping with transparency, I have not yet tried Peak refuel food. It's rather more expensive than the others which I find more than acceptable so I don't spend the extra 3 to 4 bucks per pack. Their price point is consistently higher than their competitors and when ordering 2 or 3 packs isn't a big deal but when you're ordering 6 to 10 in a pop, that's $30-$40 bucks more. But I'd like to. I have heard good reviews and I'm curious. Fourth, you mention "tons of years experience" from a company that got started in I think it was 2018. Mountain House has been making freeze dried meals since the mid 60's. I'd say they have a lock on experience in this field and to dismiss that or not mention it is not an apples to apples comparison. Again, I know you have to toe the company line but facts are still facts. I'm 47 years old. I've been eating Mountain House since I was 10. I've been eating Alpine Aire for about 3 years and Backpacker's pantry for about 5. I've never had a "gut-bomb" experience. I have from cooking in the field with fresh food but never from a packaged freeze dried meal from any company. Maybe I'm just lucky. Lastly, I do think these meals look delicious and I like the numbers. When I was a kid I used to laugh at older people worrying about salt and other dietetic things but now I'm the old guy that looks at that stuff. I would like to try them and I'm sure they're very high quality but when people are given options and the other companies are consistently less expensive, people will gravitate there, especially with a VERY well established company like Mountain House. Without having tried Peak yet, it does appear to look like you are, at least, getting what you pay for. It seems like you know where those extra few bucks went when you eat them. Thanks for the review!

[@josephhirsch1796]

My favorite Backpacking meal brand is Packit Gourmet. I also like Trail Topia, another great cottage company. I have really enjoyed Backpackers Pantry. And Mountian has always been a good stand by, that you can get at most big box stores. Only freeze dried meal I have been disappointed with is Apline Air, the taste and quality wasn't there for me. I never had a freeze meal give me the runs or anything like that. Your body must some sensitivity to some of the ingredients. Anyways, trying to gauge "Peak" meals and see what people think. I have a few to try on my upcoming Backpacking trip of the Foothills Trail.

[@bertman4]

Cholula makes everything taste better!

[@buddyleeson4529]

I want to know when will they have the elk,bison,deer packs again, wish to order them

[@underdogontheappalachiantr9646]

Mountain house lasagna n the chili mac r the bomb...

[@YankeeTankerOutdoors]

Lower sodium is crucial. I’ll have to check em out.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yankee Tanker 👊🏻

[@simonkang3775]

Great Review. Strawberry Granola

[@natesmultishop1814]

Man that’s funny. I took a trip last summer and brought all three of the ‘big brands’ as well and the mountain house was the only acceptable meal of the trip. The other two were DISGUSTING! Gonna have to try these Peak meals. Lately I have just been dehydrating my own food so I’m not limited to someone else’s palate. Huge protein shots in these though, I like that. Thanks for the vid.

[@BackcountryExposure]

It's good stuff!!!

[@ultramagapatriot5874]

What is the shelf life on these food packs? Thank you

[@darrellzelinsky7095]

Thanks for the review. It looks like you had the strawberry granola on that trip.

[@calypsoraz4318]

They're definitely tasty. The curry and the pesto pasta are my favorite. The skillet I thought had zero flavor, the mountain house skillet tasted better to me. Different people, different palettes though.

[@uptrail7169]

Lower sodium and high protein! 👍

[@KimRope]

I’ve heard those are the most delicious meals also! Haven’t tried them myself

[@deborahbusch5179]

Can you do a video on how to train for a thru hike?

[@BackcountryExposure]

hmmm I could look into doing that. I've never done a thru hike, so I am not sure I am the best source for that info. I'd look at Darwin and Homemade Wanderlust for a lot of good info on preparing for a thru hike. Thanks!

[@deborahbusch5179]

Backcountry Exposure ok thank you

[@garyantesr]

Any idea what the new flavors are going to be?

[@BackcountryExposure]

They've got a sweet chili, chicken pesto, Blueberry granola, beef stew, and a couple others.

[@slashoutdoors3693]

Amazing video looks like a amazing product and good I’m gonna have to get some to try out thanks for the awesome discount code I’m definitely hitting that sub button

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thank you!

[@AmyRoutt]

I always do freeze dried bag meals for the convenience (I happen to really enjoy Mountain House and Backpackers Pantry meals). Haven't tried Peak Refuel, but I have a couple other friends that are also ambassadors. I'm assuming they don't sell at outdoor retail stores yet?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Amy Routt who yo friends?!?! You can get them at Scheels 😁

[@AmyRoutt]

@@BackcountryExposure I've never been in a scheels! The guys over at Teton Sports are also ambassadors. At least a couple of them I think

[@AaronWanamaker91]

Thank you for posting. The two things I’m wondering about are, are these meals all real food, or do they have processed fillers in them? Also, would these pack into a backpack easier than the mountain house packages, or is the packaging as bulky as mountain house/Backpacker’s pantry? I bought a military style 3 day assault pack, for bush-craft/camping trips. I’m not in the military. I just like that style of pack, due to the durability and space.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Real food, real meat! They pride themselves on not filling you with unnecessary sodium levels and soy fillers that you get in other meals. They are still freeze dried, so they pack the same as you'd pack a mtn house meal, and they come in the same type of bag for rehydrating.

[@azclaimjumper]

I remove the freeze dried food from the foil pack at home & put it in Freezer 1 QT ziplock baggies. I discovered there is more food in the Beef Marinara Pasta than I can eat at one time, so I open the pouch at home & weigh out 2 equal portions & put them in their own FREEZER 1 QT ziplock baggie. I add the freeze dried food to my 750 ml Titanium cup with boiling water. I made a cozy of Reflectix for my Titanium cup which retains the heat & enables me to eat the entire meal HOT HOT & I use a fold-up Titanium spork. No need for a long handled eating utensil when my meal is in my cup. Mountain House has recently changed their packaging, reduced the quantity of food per pouch yet they are still the same price as the older pouches that had more food.

[@jisterKIS]

Just went to order the sampler pack. Got the discount. But now its saying I have to pay for shipping still?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Hmm they might have changed my code a little.

[@alrighteeyore6764]

I have tried and reviewed all of these meals and yes, these are awesome meals. Better quality than mountain house and I love mountain house. But the use of parboiled rice is a bad decision, it adds a terrible texture. The quality control on the strawberries could be much better as I have gotten green ones and brown ones. But I definitely recommend them. A bit more expensive but you are getting higher quality ingredients and tons more protein. The breakfast skillet and pasta dishes are amazing for sure.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Alright Eeyore that’s interesting about the granola. I’ve not seen that in any of my meals.

[@bent7406]

Off subject, what are the blue-ish pants that you are wearing?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Ben Tompkins Prana Brion Pant

[@dougjohnsonj3438]

Does putting your gas for your stove in the snow make it not work good?

[@BackcountryExposure]

doug johnsonj yes it sure does! Ha ha.

[@deannathompson4009]

I hope some of their newer meals are vegetarian. I would love to try them. Curious if you've tried Good to Go?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yes, in their new meals coming out, they have a couple veggie options. One of them is a sweet chili I believe that doesn't have any meat in it. Good to Go is one brand I haven't had the chance to try yet.

[@DumpTrump4TRE45ON]

Like Back Packer's Pantry, love Mountain House but it did get knocked down to second after I started buying Peak Refuel. I would pay more for food that looked and tasted like...real food. Sometimes I test meals at work before the field. When co-workers smell it and say "what are you eating?". I live in bear country. You just can not dump mediocre food on the trail.

[@live4wild968]

Looks good Devin, Hope you are doing well. I will have to try some. Just signed up for the email list.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks John! Hope you are well too. Cheers!

[@philmcracken6590]

Mountainhouse is rad bro. I actually like most their stuff

[@garyantesr]

I love the Alfredo, that’s the only one I’ve tried so far. I have all six

[@JJones-gr6hz]

I’ve been eyeing those for awhile but unless they come out with meals without meat I probably won’t try them.

[@BackcountryExposure]

J. Jones in the new meals they’ve got coming out there are a few veggie options.

[@lonniematherne1046]

Looks good but way to expensive. I guess some people just have money to burn.

[@coaroas9243]

You said it was lower in sodium. Can you give out the numbers? Say Breakfast Skillet vs Breakfast Skillet (Mountain House). Also, how much more expensive? You didn't say.

[@BackcountryExposure]

COAR OAS 630mg per serving from the Peak Breakfast Skillet and 920mg per serving from the MH Breakfast Skillet. Cost difference will vary depending on the brand compared to. Good To-Go is in the $10-$12 range, Peak is $7-$13, MH is $8-$10, Backpackers Pantry $8-$11, Pack it Gourmet $7-$10. So not a huge difference, but Peak is on the higher end.

[@coaroas9243]

@@BackcountryExposure , Do they have #10 cans?

[@TimWatsonOutdoors]

🤔🤔 And holy cow 49g of protein??!!!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Tim Watson 😁😁😁

[@rgmALC]

I don’t think your body can even process that much protein. My weightlifting days are far behind me, but I want say anything above 40 grams can’t be absorbed

[@DixonHikes]

The Chicken Alfredo looks awesome, but $12.99 is laughable.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Chris Dixon worth it for real food and not a bunch of fillers. No gut bombs!

[@rodneymruk9055]

I agree. I can't afford such a price even with the 15% off. I find Mountain House acceptable and can get it on sale. If I did not, I'd prefer to dehydrate my own food.

[@DixonHikes]

For $12.99 it better be a freeze-dried Filet mignon w/asparagus & a loaded baked potato! Haha

[@DanBecker]

Great video!!! Now I’m hungry!!!

[@dwayneplatt9687]

Agreed these are fantastic. Although I cannot understand the reason for 2 servings per pouch. Especially since most of us are trying to avoid carrying extra weight, are not going to save rehydrated food for multiple meals, and not going to dispose of uneaten portions on the trail for obvious reasons. Having to split them and take them out of the pouch to rehydrate at separate times seems to defeat the purpose of the pouch. Just seems like missing the mark of the needs of the target audience. But otherwise these are top notch.

[@TwoTracksOutdoors]

Based on your review of Peak Refuel meals, just ordered a sampler pack + one extra meal to get free shipping and used your provided discount code, which brings per meal cost down to around $10.00 and change. That's a little more than the Mountain House meals with tax but hopefully the quality and taste will make up for it. I'm willing to try a few meals to find out, so looking fwd to sampling these meals on the trail. Thx for the video and will let you know down the road, what I think of Peak's meals.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Mike Kovitch awesome. I hope you enjoy them! Thank you!

[@SkyroofNova72]

Thanks for the review. I went to purchase and try, but $13 is too steep for my budget.

[@butchkelin3762]

Just way too expensive, even with a trifle off.

[@RickHoffman777]

gotta love paid endorsments, this alone tells me I don't want to try this product

[@BackcountryExposure]

Not paid. Ambassador for the company? Yes. Is the product good? Absolutely! Making comments like this is so dumb.

[@robertkitchens6341]

This dude must work for this company or getting paid by them fake review

[@MaDmanex100]

Where is the annotation before presenting the payed advertising? I think it helps to show it in the video space and in the lowbar.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Not a paid video. Sure, I am an ambassador, but I received zero money for this video. Just a product I believe in and have been using/eating for 6 months before even thinking about doing a video.

[@MaDmanex100]

Ah okay, the video does sounded just like one, with the deals and you throughly explaining the protein gain of these foods. For the price i could believe that, they do cost quite alot per pack so you get what you pay for. My bad!

[@sweethollowcreations5389]

Do they know backpackers are regular people and not rich. For over 10 bucks I want someone else cooking it and serving it at my table or at least through a drive though window. Packit gourmet all the way. Try them and way more options dude.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Sweet Hollow Creations I’ve had pack it gourmet and they are good food too.

[@fikeandhish2802]

High utility info, I just bought five meals. I used the coupon code and it worked great, Thank you!