So RightOnTrek reached out to me about their new Adventure Meals, wanting me to give them a try. As you know, if you follow any of my backpacking food on the site, I typically make my own. Not that I don’t like ready-made commercial backpacking meals, but they’re not always tasty or filling or they’re too pricy for what you get. But, I figured why not!
Just a bit of info on RightOnTrek Adventure meals: They’re nutritious, they have many vegetarian options and the packaging is environmentally friendly (you can composte it!). My favorite thing(s) though is that you can choose your portion size, for one person, two people or four and the price is on point.
RightOnTrek sent me 3 flavors of my choosing and each pack was made for two people. They sent me Backcountry Chili, Vegan Shepherd’s Stew and Broccoli Beef Stroganoff. Let me tell you how they worked out for me!
I want to preface what I’m about to tell you with I did not go on a backpacking trip with these. For one, it is still way too hot here to go on any trips. Two, it’s really risky for me to go on a trip and take an unknown, untested food. Been there done that – it doesn’t work out well. My point is that this was just me and wife cooking it on my JetBoil MiniMo on a normal day. I was not starving, I did not just hike 12 miles. That is, I was not desperate for food. Food tastes much different in those conditions. These were normal, everyday conditions. Here we go…
BACKCOUNTRY CHILI
Guys, this one was my favorite and would take it any day on any hike. There is nothing that I did not love about this. The portion size is truly fitting for two people. It is a vegetarian chili, but believe me you don’t miss the meat. It’s very hearty, tasty, filling, full of good stuff like beans, corn, bell pepper, and tomatoes. And looka here: It has 29 grams of protein per serving and 640 cals. It satisfies, I’m not gonna lie. Me and the wife really dug this one. It’s easy too. Boil water, add the chili, cook then stir in powdered cheese. Easy peasy.
Now, just like any other backpacking meal you gotta step it up a notch. I added a little bit of salt and hot sauce. It was perfect. Cost for 2-person serving: $13.99. Gotta love it!
VEGAN SHEPHERD’S STEW
The shepherd’s stew was nice. I liked it, the wife loved it. Flavorwise, it needed quite a bit of salt, but not a big deal. I would rather add my own than it come salted for me. Once salted and peppered, I would call it nice. It was pleasant. Not sure I would take it with me, but again, my wife was all over it like white on rice. I ate it for lunch, sitting on my couch. I like it. If I was out in the wilds, I’m not sure…?
The looks of it, I’m not gonna lie, is not the most pleasant. It tastes way better than it looks. This is vegan, so if you’re expecting it to look like what you think shepherd’s stew would look like…it doesn’t. It’s more like mashed potatoes with some add ins. And you know, everyone likes their own thing. My wife loved that soft, creamy texture. If you’re someone who feels like you have to chew something to be satisfied, this might not nail it.
I would call this a winner though. It might not sound like it from what I’ve said so far, but yeah, it was good, especially if you’re a vegan or just like meatless stuff. It was filling, for sure. This one also has 29 grams of protein and 520 cals per serving. For the 2-person bag, it’s a meager $13.99! Just ignore the appearance on this one. Remember, looks aren’t everything!
Broccoli Beef Stroganoff
This one, this one was a real doozy, I’m not gonna lie. When you open the bag, the smell really hits you. It’s hard to describe, but let’s just say it’s in no way pleasant. But, we kept an open mind on this one. This broccoli beef stroganoff is NOT MEATLESS. It does have actual beef in it, just want to make that clear.
After cooking it up, which involves boiling water, adding the ingredients for a few minutes and then stirring in a powdered flavoring mix, things didn’t get any better. The smell was still pretty bad. The texture was not good at all. That might have been the most off putting, was the texture. The flavor, nuh uh. This is the perfect example of why I don’t bring untested foods with me on a trip. Total failure.
Sounds scathing, but let me say, to each his own. They make this meal. I presume they sell this meal, so some people must find it tasty. I didn’t and neither did the wife, but you gotta do you. It has 32 grams of protein (!) and 520 cals per serving. Cost: $17.99. A tad bit more than the others, but this has real beef.
In summary, I am really impressed with these ready-meals. It’s hard to find tasty, filling, meatless meals and they really do nail it. I love that their bags are compostable. I love the portion size – super big! And the cost, when you compare it to other companies, it’s a great price. If you’re looking to try some ready meals for camping/backpacking, I definitely think you should try these RightOnTrek meals.
One last thing is that there are no funny ingredients in these meals. It’s real food. While that is great and nutritious for camping/backpacking, it is not made as emergency meals to last 45 years. These expire. Real foods don’t last forever. Look elsewhere if you’re prepping for armageddon.
Go, please go to the website and check out RightOnTrek Adventure meals. They have a wide variety of meals, including breakfasts and they offer customizable meal plans for your party and how many days you’ll be going – super cool ya’ll! Right now they are offering 25% off with the use of code “REVOLUTION25”. 25% off! Yes!
