Over the years, I've made a variety of trail meals for adventures like the 7-8 day Bowron Lake canoe circuit. Multi-ingredient dishes like soups, pasta, and stews bring comfort to the backcountry, especially when doing winter treks. But dehydrating them requires strategy. You can either cook the full meal at home and dehydrate it or dehydrate each ingredient separately for trail assembly. Both methods have unique benefits, depending on your trip’s demands.
My Ultimate Guide to Dehydrating Food for Backpacking covers the basics. However, this article compares the two dehydration methods for multi-ingredient camping recipes, with recipes, storage tips using Ziploc freezer bags and Vtopmart containers (which is what I use) and advice for backpacking and paddling trips.
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Why Multi-Ingredient Meals Matter for the Trail
Soups, pasta dishes, and stews are staples for backpacking meal prep, offering nutrition and comfort on long trips. Whether you’re paddling the Bowron Lakes or hiking the Rocky Mountains, these meals fuel your adventure. However, dehydrating them poses challenges: pack space, dehydration time, and flavour preservation. Paddling trips allow more storage in canoes or kayaks, while backpackers on trails like the Appalachian Trail (ATC) or Great Divide Trail (GDT) rely on resupply boxes for food and fuel. Choosing the right dehydration method—fully prepared meals or individual ingredients—balances prep time, pack weight, and trail convenience.
Method 1: Dehydrating Fully Prepared Meals
Dehydrating a fully prepared meal means cooking your dish (e.g., ratatouille stew) at home, then drying it in a food dehydrator at 135°F for 10-15 hours. Portion into Ziploc freezer bags, rigid sealable containers, or vacuum-seal for trail use. Best when you are backpacking and need to manage weight and space.
Pros
- Easy Trail Prep: Just add boiling water, stir, and eat—no complex cooking at camp.
- Integrated Flavours: Ingredients meld during cooking, preserving a cohesive taste.
- Time-Saving Prep: Cooking one dish is faster than dehydrating multiple ingredients.
- Consistent Texture: Blending ensures uniform rehydration, as shown in my Prepping Techniques.
Cons
- Longer Dehydration: Wet meals take longer to dry, sometimes requiring multiple sessions with a single dehydrator.
- Less Flexibility: Fixed ingredients limit trail customization.
- Storage Sensitivity: Must be fully dried to avoid spoilage in Ziploc or Vtopmart containers.
Best for: Backpacking trips for beginners, or complex dishes like soups and stews.
Method 2: Dehydrating Individual Ingredients
Dehydrating ingredients separately (e.g., zucchini, tomatoes, pasta) at 135°F for 8-12 hours, storing in Ziploc freezer bags, and assembling at camp offers flexibility for multi-ingredient camping recipes.
Pros
- Flexibility: Adjust ratios or omit ingredients on the trail for preferences or diets.
- Faster Dehydration: Individual items dry quicker than wet meals.
- Longer Shelf Life: Dry ingredients last longer, ideal for multi-week trips.
- Versatility: Use ingredients across dishes (e.g., tomatoes for soup or pasta).
Cons
- More Trail Prep: Requires cooking skills and time at camp, plus more stove fuel.
- Complex Packing: Multiple Ziploc bags increase organization effort.
- Inconsistent Results: Rehydration or cooking variations may affect texture.
Best for: When you have the space (e.g. car camping or paddling trips) and want the flexibility for experienced cooks, or groups with varied dietary needs.
Sample Recipe: Earl's Grillato
This blast from the past, back in my day; let's see if I can remember the Grillato Fettuccine recipe! There is a technique to this one, but I will try to adapt it as a backpacking recipe by using separately dehydrated ingredients, assembled at camp for a famous pasta dish.
Ingredients
I will do this one as fresh preparation for one serving:
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ripe Tomatoes | 1/2 cup | Very ripe tomatoes, julienned |
| Diced green chillies | 2 tbsp | Fresh or canned (Old El Paso) |
| Red onion | 1/4 cup | Any variety as a substitute, julienned |
| Garlic | 1 tbsp | Minced |
| Green peppercorns | 1 tsp | Adjust to your preference of heat |
| Olive Oil | 2 oz | For saute and sauce |
| Brandy | 2 tbsp | Flavour |
| Lemon Juice | 1 tbsp | Flavour |
| Heavy Cream | 1 oz | To add smoothness |
| Basil | 2 tbsp | For fresh basil, roll it and shave it. For dried, use 1 tbsp. |
| Fettuccine | 3 oz | Raw pasta->cooked will yield around 2 cups |
Preparation
- Heat your olive oil in a carbon steel pan with your peppercorns
- Once peppercorns are popping around, add your garlic, onion, green chillies, sundried tomatoes, and your fresh tomatoes. Cook until soft.
- While still hot, add your brandy to cook off the alcohol; best to flambé if possible with open fire.
- Add the lemon juice and heavy cream and simmer for a minute.
- Toss in your cooked pasta with shaved fresh basil to serve
Nutrition (per serving): 250 kcal, 8g fat, 40g carbs, 7g protein.
Storing Your Dehydrated Meals
Proper trail food storage ensures your meals stay fresh and packable. I use Ziploc freezer bags for lightweight backpacking, but for car camping, using rigid containers is fine for fragile or pre-made meals. For most trips, put your food in dry sacks, whether you are paddling or backpacking.
Which Method Suits Your Adventure?
Choosing between dehydrating full meals or individual ingredients depends on your trip. For short paddling trips like Bowron Lake, pre-made meals like soups and stews save time. For long-distance backpacking, separate ingredients offer flexibility and fit tight pack spaces. Experiment with both methods to find your style, and share your creations on Pinterest, Facebook, or X.