During my wife and I’s three day bikepacking honeymoon on the White Rim Trail we only had one bad meal, and that was the one meal that was not from Packit Gourmet.  Since then, when I take backpacking-style meals with me on my trips, they are exclusively Packit Gourmet.  With everything from peanut porridge to pasta beef Bolognese, Packit Gourmet offers a wide-variety of recipes with delicious the common theme among them all.

When it comes to boil-in-bag meals, Packit Gourmet cannot be beat for freshness and flavor.  The shelf life of these meals is measured in months, not years, but the trade-off is worth it for the freshness of the ingredients.  Where else will you find a bikepacking tortilla soup with real cheese and crispy tortilla strips or a shepherd’s pie with real ground beef?Packit Gourmet Meals

The ingredients for these meals are packaged individually inside a larger outer bag.  The outer zip closure bag is used for rehydrating the meals.  The majority of boil-in-the-bag meals require 10-20 minutes of rehydration with hot water.  Therefore, a simple coozie is a good idea to keep the water hot during this process.  I have made one that is more than adequate out of the foil lined bubble wrap insulation from a meals-of-the-week service my wife has subscribed to.  The bags for rehydration are quite deep to prevent spills, so be sure to take a long-handled spoon along if you plan to eat from the bag.

Boil-in-the-bag meal offerings include Austintacious Tortilla Soup, Big Easy Gumbo, Dottie’s Chicken & Dumplings, Poblano Corn Chowder, Savory Italian Polenta with Pork Sausage, Ramen Rescue, Santa Fe Breakfast Corn Pudding, and West Memphis Grits Soufflé.  These meals provide anywhere from 400 to 800+ calories so you can pick the best meals for you trip based on how hard you predict the days to be.  My last trip had some cold mornings, and it was great to start the day with some corn pudding or hot soup. Packit Gourmet Meals

If you’re not one to carry a stove, don’t want to hassle with boil-in-the-bag, or just want to get rolling a bit quicker, Packit Gourmet also has you covered.  They offer a variety of meal options which just require cool water for rehydration.  My personal favorites are the Jump Start Smoothies, and I have found these to be a wonderful breakfast.  Available in Berry-Berry, Mango-Kale, and Peach-Passionfruit, these smoothies require only 8 ounces of cool water and 5 minutes of prep time yet pack 370-430 calories and up to 55 grams of carbohydrates depending on the flavor choice.  Other available meals that don’t require boiling water are Many Bean Salad, Pizza Margherita Wrap and Roast Beef Deli Wrap (you provide tortillas), Cajun Ranch Chicken Salad, Boston Crème Parfait, Mexican Chocolate Mousse, and another of my favorites, the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust.

Packit Gourmet’s website is very helpful when deciding which meals are right for you and your trip.  The entire list of ingredients for each meal as well as allergy warnings are provided along with the detailed nutritional information.  The water required, cook time, and preparation difficulty are also listed.  In addition, the packed weight of each meal is provided.  Furthermore, the meal’s customer rating from 1 to 5 forks is given based on actual product reviews.  With the exception of the meal’s rating, all of this information is also included on the meal’s packaging.

Camp is one of my favorite parts of bikepacking trips.  My camp experience is further enhanced by having a hot meal for dinner and breakfast, and undoubtedly the best bikepacking camp meals I have tasted have been from Packit Gourmet.   Packit Gourmet Meals

Note: Packit Gourmet has seasonal meal offerings.  The majority of the meals mentioned in this review are from their winter 2016-2017 menu which is listed to run through the middle of February 2017.

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