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Mountain House Expedition Bucket | Freeze Dried Food

Curated from 100 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: April 2, 2025

Mountain House Expedition Bucket | Freeze Dried Food

Brand: Mountain House
Price: $135
Snoop Score:
7.6
Sentiment
7.0
Popularity
8.6
Technical
8.2

Snoop's Take

The Mountain House Expedition Bucket is a convenient solution for outdoor enthusiasts seeking delicious and satisfying meals during camping or backpacking trips. Packed with a variety of freeze-dried meals, this bucket offers 30 servings designed for easy preparation and portability, making it an ideal choice for adventurers on the go. Consumer sentiment surrounding the Mountain House Expedition Bucket is largely positive, with many users praising the taste and quality of the meals. "This stuff is AMAZING. Seriously, I am impressed," reflects the enthusiasm found in feedback regarding the overall flavor and convenience of the meals. Additionally, many users appreciate the quick preparation time, finding it especially beneficial after a long day of outdoor activities. Based on the feedback, the Mountain House Expedition Bucket is highly recommended for those seeking reliable food options for camping or emergency food storage. While there are some concerns about sodium levels and long-term suitability, the overall taste and ease of preparation make it a standout choice in its category.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Freeze Dried Food

My daughter and I love the biscuits and gravy, I mean to the point that we’ll eat that for breakfast just because we don’t feel like toasting an English muffin.

Positive Feedback

Shame they reformulated for cost savings back in '17, a lot of recipes suffered for it.

Negative Feedback
Product
7.6
Mountain House Expedition Bucket | Freeze Dried Food
Backpacking
5 / 10
Car Camping
6 / 10
Emergency Prep
8 / 10
Road Trips & Travel
6 / 10
See how this compares to all Freeze Dried Food

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Tasty meals for outdoor use
My daughter and I love the biscuits and gravy, I mean to the point that we’ll eat that for breakfast just because we don’t feel like toasting an English muffin.
They taste pretty good to me, but, as I've mentioned in other threads on this topic, they are not good for gut health.
Amazing taste of meals
This stuff is AMAZING. Seriously, I am impressed.
Mountain House are consistently the best freeze dried foods out there.
That MH breakfast skillet is absolutely the best freeze-dried breakfast thing I've tried.
When you're hungry after a long day of canoeing/hiking/etc, mountain house can't be beat.
Quality meals for outdoor activities
Mountain House breakfast skillet is freaking great
Best price Mountain House Food Looking to stock up on good freeze dried provisions.
Costco had a 12 pack of mountain house meals recently. It pencilled out to about 6 bucks per meal.
Lightweight and easy to carry
Man, I made a beer koozie out of some spare Reflectix & Gorilla tape, just to see how it worked - best beer koozie ever!
Good deal on Mountain House products
Costco has 8 pack of Mountain House for 49.99 Not sure if it's everywhere, but it's in Lacey Washington.
TL;DR - This is a good deal.
Easy to prepare meals
With the rice sides usually I boil water and fill the pouch then fold the top closed.
I just pour it directly in and let it sit.
Excellent rehydration at high altitudes
But when you're up above that nothing rehydrates as well as mountain house.
Good balance of protein, fat, and carbs for strenuous activity
despite the sodium, the mountain house has a much better balance of protein, fat, and carbs which you will want if you’re doing strenuous activity.
Quick preparation with no cleanup
Research which ones are actually good and I prefer the ones where you pour the water in the bag to avoid clean up + you can hug it while it “cooks” if it’s a cold night.
Great taste and nutritious
Love MH. 100% my preferred FD brand - whether #10 can or pouches.
Good for emergency food storage
I think they would be a good thing to have in my prep stock, and ultimately would feel worth it to me if I bought 30-50 worth of them every month or so, then just stowed them away.
Convenient and satisfying after hiking
they're pretty damn good.
Mountain house biscuits and gravy is the best one of them all.
Easy preparation with minimal effort
they're expensive, and pretty salty. the salt isn't the worst thing for you for a few days especially when you're exercising heavily.
Convenient meal preparation
If it that lazy morning or rainy night to know just a cup of hot water can get me a well deserved meal is the ultimate safety net of reassurance.
Variety of tasty meals
MH all day. Beef stroganoff, breakfast skillet and chili Mac are my favorites
Extended shelf life of meals
Anyone know why there is such a difference in expiration? Also, he had some Wise meals with just a manufacture of 2015.
Mountain House changed the expiration for their pouches from 7 years to 30 years

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Quality may have decreased over time
Shame they reformulated for cost savings back in '17, a lot of recipes suffered for it.
High sodium content
Best tasting ones I have ever had are Peak Refuel. However they are super unhealthy for you.
Mountain House is considered pretty basic
REI does indeed have tons of brand options
Expensive for long-term use
My vote is no.
Most of the time those kits are mostly oatmeal, beans and rice & pasta.
Not suitable for long-term exclusive use
I agree it’s nothing you want to eat long term.
Pasta texture is not enjoyable
I think the pasta texture is terrible and near useless nutritionally.
Not suitable for long-term use
Yes for their intended purpose, no for long-term provisioning.
Expensive compared to other quick meal options
FYI, most packets are labeled 2 servings… for me each packet is a single serving.
Meals not filling enough for longer trips
they just are not enough food. Even caloric wise, they're super low!
Ignore the packaging on freeze dried meals; they're only enough food for one person for the vast majority of people.
You should each bring your own.
Expensive compared to other meal options
Part of the problem is that I'm sharing my meals with my boyfriend who can eat a lot, so we both go hungry.
The convenience of meals like Mountain House and Packit Gourmet is awesome, but the cost is more.

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

Product NameImagePriceScoreCompareSee DetailsBuy Now
Mountain House Chicken & Dumplings Freeze Dried MealMountain House Chicken & Dumplings Freeze Dried Meal$10
8.4
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Breakfast Skillet - Freeze Dried Camping FoodMountain House Breakfast Skillet - Freeze Dried Camping Food$10
8.0
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with NoodlesMountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles$10
7.7
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Expedition Bucket | Freeze Dried FoodMountain House Expedition Bucket | Freeze Dried Food$135
7.6
DetailsBuy
Peak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice Freeze Dried MealPeak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice Freeze Dried Meal$13
7.4
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Adventure Weekender KitMountain House Adventure Weekender Kit$49
7.3
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef - Freeze Dried MealMountain House Chili Mac with Beef - Freeze Dried Meal$11
7.3
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Biscuits & GravyMountain House Biscuits & Gravy$8
7.1
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Fettuccine Alfredo with ChickenMountain House Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken$11
6.8
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Classic Spaghetti with Meat SauceMountain House Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce$8
6.8
DetailsBuy
Peak Refuel Three Bean Chili MacPeak Refuel Three Bean Chili Mac$13
6.8
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Chicken Fried RiceMountain House Chicken Fried Rice$9
6.7
DetailsBuy
Peak Refuel Biscuits and GravyPeak Refuel Biscuits and Gravy$14
6.4
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Beef Stew - Freeze Dried Camping FoodMountain House Beef Stew - Freeze Dried Camping Food$10
6.4
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with BaconMountain House Scrambled Eggs with Bacon$7
6.2
DetailsBuy
Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto PastaPeak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta$14
6.1
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Vanilla Ice Cream SandwichMountain House Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich$3
6.0
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Creamy Macaroni & CheeseMountain House Creamy Macaroni & Cheese$9
5.6
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Granola with Milk & Blueberries - Freeze Dried FoodMountain House Granola with Milk & Blueberries - Freeze Dried Food$7
5.5
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki with RiceMountain House Chicken Teriyaki with Rice$9
5.0
DetailsBuy
Backpacker's Pantry Dark Chocolate Cheesecake MixBackpacker's Pantry Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Mix$7
4.8
DetailsBuy
Backpacker's Pantry Creme BruleeBackpacker's Pantry Creme Brulee$7
3.4
DetailsBuy
ReadyWise Breakfast Skillet Meal PouchReadyWise Breakfast Skillet Meal Pouch$13
3.2
DetailsBuy
Mountain House Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream SandwichMountain House Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich$3
2.8
DetailsBuy
Backpacker's Pantry Mango Sticky RiceBackpacker's Pantry Mango Sticky Rice$7
2.5
DetailsBuy
ReadyWise 72 Hours Emergency Food SupplyReadyWise 72 Hours Emergency Food Supply$28
1.9
DetailsBuy

Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Visual perception of the food
It looks like a condensed-ish stew to me🤷‍♀️🙂‍↔️
Discussion about freeze-drying process
How does big companies like Mountain House freeze dry their food? Hello.
I've never dried chili, but have done eggs many times. After being freeze-dried, the eggs are in chunks as well, and using a blender grinds it into a powder.
They have a factory tour video on Youtube where they show you what they're doing.
They freeze dry the meals in totality. It’s not done by ingredient and then mixed at Mountain House.

Hidden Hero Hacks

Unexpected tricks and side‑door uses you’ll love.
Discussion about making your own freeze-dried meals
$1800 would almost cover the cost of a freeze dryer. Then you can make your own.
Discussion about DIY freeze-dried meal preparation
I like that I do not need to load up with salt, although things do seem saltier for some reason.
Suggestions for alternative meal options
Not always cheaper, but here are a bunch of alternative options:
Easy to make some of your own. Ramen bombs are great, cheap, and light.
Omeals are usually pretty cheap and extremely convenient as you don't have to boil water for them.
Personal preferences for enhancing meals
It's all about having a little something to add to the meal to make it that much nicer.
Suggestions for supplemental foods
Most people over pack food.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Comparison with other brands
Personally I prefer peak refuel but I think it’s subjective.
Use as part of a well-rounded pantry
They’re small and lightweight. Went camping this weekend. It rained all afternoon so the planned campfire cooking was out, took out the jetboil and fixed a mountain house meal.
Comparison with other cheaper meal options
This. Also ramen, cup of noodles, or even just plain couscous (add your own seasoning) will work.
Personal preference for other brands
Alpine Aire is my favorite brand taste wise.
Which alpine aire meals do you recommend?
Discussion about alternative food storage options
Check out other brands, too, and sales online.
General discussion about meal prep
On the whole, I think MH products are amazing.
Discussion about the longevity of freeze-dried meals
The changed their expiration dates but, not all freeze dried foods last the same amount of time.
Let us know and record your results it would be helpful to know.
Discussion on meal portion sizes and calorie needs
My thumb rule is Mountain House 2 person = Real World 1 person
a 2.5 serving for me alone is rarely enough.

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Unexpected enjoyment from freeze-dried food
This was going to be a joke, but this was surprisingly really good.
Personal experiences with freeze-dried food
the noodles and sauce were a 2/5 compared to real meals but for a dried meal it tasted just fine.
Tried the chicken and dumplings today. It looks and tastes EXACTLY like the pot pie filling from the Marie Calendar frozen pot pie.
I like it very Tasty 😋
Lighthearted comments about pet reactions to freeze-dried food
Also, I asked your dog what they thought of freeze-dried backpacking food and they just said “HECKIN YES PLEASE”
He’s like “You don’t even have to add water! Trust me , bro!”
They make freeze dried dog food too if you were wondering
Discussion about freeze-dried vs dehydrated meals
I haven't tried Huel, but I'm interested.
Personal experiences with various meal brands
I think it’s an excellent product and great for camping.

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