Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#195432 - 05/23/16 08:25 PM Anyone ever seen Green belly meals?
toddfw2003 Offline
member

Registered: 01/08/16
Posts: 369
Loc: Texas
http://www.greenbelly.co/

I just spent two weeks in Canyons of the Escalante in Southern Utah. I was backpacking an average of 12 miles a day with lots of slot canyon exploring. At the end of the day I looked forward to a hot meal and in the morning some hot coffee. These meals are cook free so I wondering if sacrificing 10 oz for my cookset would be worth these meals

Top
#195436 - 05/23/16 10:50 PM Re: Anyone ever seen Green belly meals? [Re: toddfw2003]
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
These appear to still be bars - despite the advertising spin to call them something else. (I think it was the old Bear Valley Pemmican that tried calling its product "Meal Packs" but they were still bars. Very good bars, but still bars.)

I don't think I could use them as my sole source of food for any length of time, for several reasons:
1. I'd still need a lot of water, since they're going to be dry. One advantage of a cooked supper with a sauce is that it is getting water into you along with the food.
2. You said you like hot food (I like a hot supper, too.) Cold food in the evening just doesn't satisfy. There's assuredly no nutritional science behind that, but we're not out her to rough it; there's no need to eat something you don't like just to save half a pound of kitchen. (The Army, which knows a bit about walking in the countryside, found out long ago that giving a person an adequate, balanced diet with enough calories isn't enough: the person has to actually eat the stuff to get any benefit.)
3. You like coffee. No cookset, no coffee. (Again, I suppose you could substitute those coffee bean snacks that Starbucks sells. YOU could; I wouldn't.)
4. Although they come in several varieties, they're still bars. Variety in texture and consistency is, to me, just as important as flavor.
5. They're still bars. I've eaten lots of bars in my backpacking life (at one time, I was Granola Kid.) Over the years, I've cut way back, and now only carry one or maybe two bars per day; I've come to prefer trail mix or dried fruit over bars. But that's just me.

You could try it for a weekend, to see how you like it, but I wouldn't go to an all-bar diet cold turkey for a two week trip.

Top
#204708 - 08/23/20 07:23 PM Re: Anyone ever seen Green belly meals? [Re: toddfw2003]
a_gunslinger Offline
member

Registered: 05/27/20
Posts: 48
Greenbelly was ok. But Ive really enjoyed Pack It Gourmet and Trailtopia meals lately. And Mountain House still makes some of my favorites (Biscuits and gravy!). Always prefer to bring and add extra spices and supplement them. But as a starting point they have come a long way. I use a FoodSaver to reseal them in smaller bags and bring a couple to the manufacturers ziplock cook bags and just resuse them.

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 180 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum