Peak Refuel Meals

[JWreno]

We are taking a 9-11 day (depending on pace) trip starting early September. We decided to sample 10 different Peak Refuel meals. We haven't been eating freeze dried food since about 2004. We either have done home dried or no cook meals. Since the trip is in September and days are shorter we thought a hot meal would be good idea.

We will use a common pot to boil water and have 4 sets of soaking jars with 1/4 closed cell foam insulation on the outside to keep the meal warm while rehydration. We ordered 30 meals for 3 of us. My brother is Vegan and is picking out his own food. Jars are easy to clean and don't require a long spoon since we aren't eating out of a bag. We will repack on the meals into ziplock bags just before the trip. The empty bags will serve to hold trash.The ziplock bags take up less space in the bear can verses the heavy packaging of the freeze dried meals.

I found all the food eatable with no detected aftertaste. I settled on 2 meals each of my top 5 choices. We have done no cook for all 3 of our JMT trips so I need to adjust down the afternoon grazing on the trail to have a desire to eat a hot meal at the end of the day.

We gave up on the old Moutain House meals years ago because nobody could stand the aftertaste. Home dried meals tasted better but they require simmering on the stove for about 5 minutes followed by about 30 minutes in a pot cozy to fully rehydrate. The Peak Refuel meals are less work and don't leave a messy pot. Each of us get to decide what we want to eat verses sharing a common pot of food.

[grampy]

The Peak Refuel meals I have tried are pretty tasty, but (since they pack more protein/fat/calories per ounce than MH, etc) tend to be too filling to eat an entire 2-serving pouch when I am solo.
They also sometimes require about 30-50% more water to rehydrate than what is stated on the package instructions, so keep that in mind.

[JWreno]

I bought four pairs of nesting soaker containers. The bigger one will have 1/4 inch closed cell foam insulation added to the lid, bottom and sides to help retain heat while rehydrating. We used the soaker jars for rehydrating the 10 test meals. I added additional water for all of them compared to the instructions. I don't mind eating the contents with the added water. It rehydrates better and the added water keeps things warmer while rehydrating. The intent is each of us will eat the complete meal. We are bringing one MSR reactor stove/pot for the 4 person group and everyone gets there own soaker jar. The smaller jar nests inside the larger one and will serve as a cup for hot liquids. It won't need its lid.

My 41 year old son will graciously carry the MSR stove and pot. I choose the system for its extreme fuel efficiency even in very windy conditions. When we are finished with the High Sierra part of the PCT we will revert to a lighter stove and pot because resupplies are more frequent and cooking locations are less exposed to wind. We will use the smaller fuel containers since we don't need it to last more than to the next resupply. I have a tool that allows refilling the small containers from the 1 pound version. I use a 1/10 gram scale to accurately replace the fuel.

We will repackage each meal into ziplock bags just before we leave on the hike. The empty ziplock bags will reused to hold tissue paper and other trash after the meal has been eating. The ziplock packaging saves weight and packs better in the bear can. Eating out of the soaker jar means we can use a regular size spork and the soaking jar is easy to clean afterwards.

The intent is for my 72 year old brother and wife and I at age 66 to hike the PCT over following 3 years. This years trip is the last trip before my wife and I will be retired. It is also a test trip to help my brother decide if he wishes to continue to hike the whole PCT. My wife and I have done several 2-3 week long trips over the years and are excited to spend about spend August - October hiking the PCT in our first 3 years of retirement.