Hungry Hikers Meal Review

Hungry Hikers sent Murray’s Hurried Currie, Three Sisters Scramble and Chicken Pot Pie for me to take into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last week. Each meal is freeze dried and packaged up into meals for two. I had two captive test subjects with me on the trip that agreed to be unbiased guinea pigs for each of the meals.

Murray’s Hurried Curry

Upon reading the directions on the back of the package the Hurried Curry is a simple to make and tasty meal. I cooked the meal in my GSI soloist cookset and used the indexed cup to measure out two cups of water and proceeded to bring the water to a boil with my CR2 and Trangia Spirit stove. Once the water reached boiling temperature I poured in the ingredients and stirred until the water was absorbed completely. The result was a consistent and thick paste of Couscous, chicken and vegetables.

I must admit that I am not adventurous when it comes to food so this was a first for me. Luckily I had with a curry fan with me that could vouch for the flavor. Upon my first bite, I was greeted with a very tasty meal that if you would have told me it was freeze dried I wouldn’t have believed it. All of the flavors from the different seasonings, the vegetables and the chicken strike you at once. I asked the curry fan what his thoughts were and he was also surprised at the flavor and voted this to be his favorite meal of the three we tested.

Portion size

The packaging says this meal is for two and I can tell you that there is more than enough for two very hungry people in this meal. This is the type of food that you eat and it fills you even after you’re done eating.

Meal instructions

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Remove clay desiccant and discard. Add contents of the bag to the boiling water. Bring back to a boil. Simmer 8‐10 minutes or until water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Overall Group Rating: 5 out 5

Three Sisters Scramble

When I saw that this one had eggs in it I immediately became a skeptic of this meal. The other two were apprehensive as well, but in the end I forced them to eat some anyway. The instructions for this meal were simple, open the bag pour in 1‐1/4 cups of water and let sit, then cook. I measured up the 1‐1/4 cups of water and poured it into the bag. I proceeded to take care of my gear and get some more water filtering while I was waiting for the ingredients to rehydrate in the bag. I really liked the fact that I could use the package as the “mixing bowl”.

Pour the water in, seal the bag and shake like crazy. No mess and I didn’t have to worry about dirt getting into my food while it was hydrating. We don’t allow watches on our trip so I wasn’t sure how long the ingredients hydrated, but I made sure that the potatoes were soft and ready to be cooked. I poured the mixture into my cook set and continually stirred it until the eggs were completely cooked.

The first thing I noticed was the texture as it wasn’t nice fluffy scrambled eggs, but more of a “beady” consistency. The aroma from the meal was mouthwatering though. The first bites were full of sausage, potato, onion and tomato with egg “beads” surrounding everything. The texture of the eggs was a bit odd, but that didn’t affect the taste. The meal overall was delicious and filling. My dad thought the meal was great and wouldn’t change a thing and the “curry fan” thought it was alright. For him the texture was hard to get past.

Portion Size

Again the package says this is a meal for two and I would tend to agree with it. We ate just the meal with no other supplement and there was enough food for two of us. I would say if you have a bottomless pit in your group that this may not be quite enough, but I could see this coupled with some bread of sorts being the perfect portioning.

Meal Instructions

Open pouch and remove clay desiccant and discard. Add 1 1/4 cup of cold water into pouch, seal and let sit for 3‐4 minutes to rehydrate sausage and potatoes. Pour egg mixture into a pot and put over heat. Cook as you normally cook scrambled eggs. When eggs have reached your desired consistency remove from heat and enjoy.

Overall Group Rating: 4 out 5

Chicken Pot Pie

We waited until our second to last night to try this meal out as it sounded so good. I read the instructions on the package and again the meal makes use of the package it comes in. I got a little squirrelly and messed this meal up, so I take responsibility for the consistency not being correct. To make this meal you almost need a second pot as you need a place to put the vegetables and gravy while you boil the water for the mashed potatoes.

Once I had the four cups of boiling water I dumped in half of it with the potatoes and sealed the bag. After a few good shakes I had buttered mashed potatoes (Mmmm). I dumped the rest of the ingredients in the pot with the remaining water and stirred until everything was hydrated (this is when I learned I actually had more than two cups of water left). All said and done I had really soupy gravy to pour over my mashed potatoes.

First bites were filled with real vegetables and chunks of chicken that tasted amazing. The soupy nature of my misfortune couldn’t screw this meal up. The flavor of the buttered mashed potatoes with the gravy over the top was the perfect way to top a long day of paddling off. The other two in the group were also very pleased with the taste.

Portion Size

Makes enough for two and I completely agree. Even if you have a healthy appetite this meal will certainly fill your hollow leg.

Meal Instructions

Remove potato pouch and gravy packet from cook‐in‐bag. Remove clay desiccant and discard. Boil 4 cups of water. Pour 2 cups of water into the cook‐in‐bag with the mashed potatoes. Shake, stir and blend completely. Seal bag and set aside. Pour veggie/meat ingredients and gravy packet into remaining water in cook pot. Bring back to boil. Simmer 8‐10 minutes. Serve potatoes in serving bowls. Pour veggie/meat gravy over potatoes. Enjoy!

Overall Group Rating: 5 out 5

Summary

Any one of these three meals would make an excellent addition to your menu selection on your next trip. I will be looking to supplement my food pack for next year with Hungry Hikers meals.

Contributor Bio | Peter Nelson

Editor’s Note: Please join me in welcoming Peter Nelson as a contributor to Brian’s Backpacking Blog – Peter is the creator of the Critter CR1 and Critter CR2 camp stove stands and an avid outdoorsman. Who better to test and review some great sounding meals than a stove designer! We are thrilled to have him onboard as a contributor.

Disclosure: The author of Brian’s Backpacking Blog was provided with complimentary samples of this product for the purpose of evaluation, testing, and feedback. He was under no obligation to publish a review. His thoughts are his own.

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