Have you actually tried the food you bought for your storage? If not, you might want to soon. :19 - cryodesiccation! We noticed the mistake right after posting. We know the difference between it and defiling something. It was just a slip and UA-cam disabled annotations so we can't lay the correction over the video.
I have. I have Auguson Farms, Wise and 4Patriots Brands. Out of the three I purchased, Auguson was actually excellent. Wise was good and 4Patriots was good in a pinch. I think of the three, Auguson is something that I could eat every day for a month. All in all, nothing beats homemade but if it ever hits the fan, do you want to be prepared. Honestly if you don’t have a supply on hand right now, you are going to pay double or triple what I paid for my supplies when I got them. You have to buy the stuff when you don’t need it. Mountain house is very good but in my humble opinion over priced.
My own personal review to add a little more in depth analysis of other flavors: I bought quite a few Mountain House meals to see which ones I liked with the plan of ordering more of the ones I like for an emergency food supply. Liked and ordered more of the following: Beef Stroganoff- Great! Spaghetti with meat sauce- Great! Lasagna- very tasty. Not like real lasagna but tastes great. Pasta Primavera- fantastic! Chicken Teriyaki- great! Chili Mac with Beef- very good, noodles a little stiff. Granola- good/not great. Maybe too sweet but need something sweet for change of pace. Did NOT order more of the following: Mac&Cheese- Ok Spicy Southwest Style Skillet- good/not great/ spicy Chicken Fried Rice- didn't order more but it's good if you give it extra time to soak up the water in the pieces of chicken Breakfast Skillet-eggs sucked, too tough Scramble Eggs- eggs sucked, too tough Chicken&Dumplings- tasted great but chicken was like old wood that crumbled when I chewed it All were edible and I would not turn my nose up at any of them in a pinch. Ones I didn't like would probably be better with a little more time soaking in the water. Costco has their bucket of these meals on sale at a ridiculous price right now so I actually did get more Scrambled Eggs and Chicken&Dumplings because they were basically free. The others in the bucket would cost more individually than the entire bucket.
I drive a tractor trailer and always have mountain house food in my truck. Not all truck stops have food 24 hours or I get stuck someplace without food. I have a single burner MSR and water. Always have a decent meal.
I will have to look into that. I work out of a van and sometimes my job has me on a site all day and I bought a couple of cases of MREs for simplicity but I am Finding out that the heaters aren't up to the task and leave an odor long after the heater is evpended.
@@nickm9102 you have to watch using those heaters in an enclosed space. Sometimes I’ll go into the truck stop and fill a thermos with hot water for the freeze dried meals.
Same here if you ever been shut down on the side of a rd a good hot meal makes dealing with it better i use a jet boil myself but I also have a gas grill on the truck
I lived off my Mountain House stash during the grid collapse here in Texas last week. I also used my stash to feed my guys at my EMS station due to all our local restaurants being closed. Not a complaint was heard.
Wow! Thanks for sharing the real world experience, Mike! Please shoot an email to story(at)equip2endure.com, I'd like to get in touch with you. Stay strong out there, amigo. -Rusty
We used a lot of Mountain House during the freeze, too, and it was good! It was my first time trying it. We all enjoyed it. I bought many more since then to keep to the side.
Used to work security in remote locations, always kept 2 or 3 mountain house meals in my pack in case I was stuck doing double shifts. I worked out of a truck and I eventually found I could just add water to the bag, seal it up, and leave on the dash with the heater blowing to warm it up. Worked better during winter when the heater was going anyway. I used to leave it 30 minutes on one side, flip it and leave it another 30. Was always nice and hot.
@@Equip2Endure We used to leave MRE's foil packs on the engine of our ITV's in West Germany, or the Jeep in Ft. Lewis (not moving). Worked well. Just don't leave it there for too long and yer fine.
I used to sell readywise. When talking to the rep from the company, they told us that there regular line was focused on pure survival first and flavor second. The directions have you put extra water in them solely to up your water intake during times of emergency. The Readywise camping line is better then the bulk emergency line as far as flavor goes, most people don't realize they are different from the bulk meals. I would however agree that Mountain House is better on flavor. Mountain House and Readywise started by targeting two different markets. One focused on campers and hikers, while the other was more prepper and emergency focused.
Oregon Freeze Dry (mountain house) was formed in 1963 in Oregon's Willamette Valley to produce dried sliced strawberries for a General Foods breakfast cereal called Post Toasties corn flakes. General Foods executive Ellis Byer was the enterprise's first general manager and later its president and chairman as well. Oregon Freeze Dry was soon working to produce an alternative to canned rations for the military. It also supplied food for NASA's Apollo space program and developed meals for nuclear submarine crews and "Long Range Patrol Subsistence" in Vietnam. By the late 1960s, Oregon Freeze Dry was a publicly traded company with annual sales of about $5 million. The work in military rations led to the introduction of Mountain House brand freeze dried food for backpackers in 1970. Mountain House representatives claimed its products tasted better than those of competitors since the ingredients were cooked together before freeze drying. Within a few years Mountain House was marketing more than 100 different products. Oregon Freeze Dry also owned the Tea Kettle brand of backpacker food. Old AT&T long lines bunkers from the cold war ear can still be found with stocks of mountain house in them to this day, from a time when the phone company was expected to keep the phones working for up to a month without external resupply after a nuclear war.
If they think you should drink extra water, they could just write on the instructions "HEY BY THE WAY take an extra swig of water while you wait, idiot" and accomplish the same thing without ruining their meals. That makes little to no sense.
I did 500 miles on the Appalachian trail many years back. I couldn’t afford to have mountain house meals every day but when I really needed a good hot meal at the end of a hard day (especially cold rainy days) mountain house was worth the price. These products are made for different purposes.
Mountain House came in almost all of the arctic MRE's (cold weather - white ones) I had in Afghanistan and they were AMAZING, so good sometimes I bypassed regular chow to eat those MRE's since we had tons where I was at way up in the mountains. Needless to say, I have been a Mountain House devotee ever since.
That's good to hear. When I deployed to Norway in the 90s, I don't believe the RCW main courses were Mountain House, just a generic freeze dried meal in a clear plastic container with a white cardboard bottom so it would stand up. But the whole ration was good, packed with nuts, chocolate, little energy bars, soup and drink mixes, and a massive bag of oatmeal that was good with the freeze dried strawberries mix.
If you were in a long term calorie deficit, where foraging from the forest was your only food source, even ready wise would taste good. That said, I prefer MH too.
Basically - Mountain House is the way to go - THANKS very much for an honest test. This video was truly helpful for my wife and I making a decision for our first purchase of a product like this.
Hey, Rob! Thanks for watching. MH is some fantastic stuff. Be sure to watch our most recent video where we taste test all 31 meals that MH currently offers (@). The chili mac seems to be a favorite amongst our viewers. -Rusty
True words. I happened to have opened up a #10 can of dehydrated celery (I do random taste tests on some things i have in storage. Tasted terrible - and found they used even the bitter hearts of celery)
Two things I've learned from trying a few different brands: Don't use as much water as the instructions say (or you end up with soup, like the ReadyWise did here), and let it rehydrate a while longer before opening up to eat. Usually use about 75 - 90% of the water, and add about 25 -35% more time to rehydrate. The less water to avoid soup, the longer hydrate time to make sure the water has a chance to rehydrate everything (or you end up with crunchy food that's not supposed to be crunchy).
Also when you add things like fatty meats and salt pepper butter etc it makes it much better, mountain house is too expensive for most people but if you have food stores you can you readywise etc as food bases.
I’m new to buying freeze dried foods so this was helpful to actually have you prepare and taste it. I’ve seen both brands and now I know which ones I will purchase. Thanks
Me too! My local walmart was out of the buckets but I'll be finding some on payday. Do you know if there is a sample package? That would be great to try. That way I'd know what to store for my family.
Have you seen the price from both brands? Have you tasted both of them? I totally agree that readywise isn't that great but mountain house runs about 5 times the price. They also didn't make the readywise correctly, it looks like they portioned it out and used the full amount of water for multiple portions.
This was one of the better reviews I've stumbled across, genuine and informative responses. Loved the kid's reaction too! Thanks for the great content, subscribed!
I tested out a few dishes from MH during the Texas freeze, and they were all great. Despite the circumstances, I was excited to test out some of my emergency food. Cooking on a tiny Sterno stove and canned heat in my garage was my go-to, and these meals were awesome. They were SO easy, and there was more in that little pack than we thought. I have Saratoga Farms, Augason Farms, and MH, and MH will be my staple. I’ve bought much more since the freeze, and I’ll continue to buy more. Great products. Great reviews.
Look at the amount of actual meat in Mountain House vs others. That explains the price difference. It’s a big investment, but it’s food. It will be eaten eventually! It also makes it way easier to get my wife out in the backcountry knowing we have a yummy meal on hand.
Auguson Farms sells hamburger and sausage crumbles, as well as chunk chicken and beef, that is pretty good when reconstituted. The sausage crumbles are a bit hard to rehydrate, but still pretty good. One could always put together their own meals with that and rice or their Potato Shreds. I wouldn't recommend their sliced potatoes though, unless you are baking them in some liquid (like scalloped potatoes) for an hour or two.
I've been backpacking for 55 years, usually preferred Mountain House to the alternatives. Used to love the Turkey Tetrazinie, especially since it came in a very light aluminum bowl that I could reuse for those other meals that didn't cook in the bag. Always expensive, but worth it for the light weight if backpacking. For emergency use though, where that is not so important, I have a box of MRE's. Newer ones even self-heat, and contain other useful items; seasoning, cookie, drink mix, coffee & creamer, sugar, toilet paper, matches, etc.
Thankyou for making this video!! We have Mountain House in our go bags for hunting. I've thought about buying the readywise, but after watching this I won't be. Also I really like the fact that y'all mention whether or not your kids will eat them-i've got picky eaters so that is really helpful!
My kids and I love Mountain House. We take it camping anf I have a small amount set back with my prepping supplies. It's by far the best my family and I have tried , I love to help promote it too, dont know on what level but if I believe in a product Ive always been know to let others know how great it is. Wishful thinking anyways 🙂
I bought a bucket of the Wise foods to test. Mountain House beats that stuff hands down! The #10 cans are better for long term storage, as you don't have to worry much about perforating packaging. I've lost quite a bit of both Wise and Alpine Aire foods to thin mylar packaging failures. I've heard from other preppers that the Wise food made them sick, and I also got sick after eating one of the test packs. The only downside is that Mountain House has shrunk their lineup, and things like vegetables and fruits have been dropped. Would like to see drinks (milks/juices), baby foods, and pet foods. Babies and pets are parts of the family that need to be prepped for as well! I keep a 30 day supply of pouches, and a year's supply in #10 cans. I also keep a box full in my vehicle for camping while gold mining. I used part of my 30 day supply to help a coworker get through motel living after a house fire. He was glad for the help, and was surprised at the quality of the meals.
Mountain house i would love for you to sponsor me . I pimp your products to everybody i care about anyway on a daily basis. Oh and you guys should try a chicken and sausage gumbo possibly cajun style beans and rice with sausage or jambalaya. A Chunky Texas style chili would be awesome too.
Emergency Essential is some of the best, they also sell Mountain House in #10 cans. The thing I've noticed the most is to let them set a little longer to have it done. Great company!
I was not too keen on their peas, but everything else was good. The meatballs goes really good with Mountain House spaghetti. Their ground beef soaks up taco spices real well, and the sausage crumbles go good with the MH biscuits n gravy.
With mountain house, I use the exact amount of water, but double the wait time, stir & again double the wait time. Then I let it sit unsealed for 5 min before digging in. Absolutely perfect every time. My go to adventure meals.
so far for me it has been at home. so i do add to the products spices, for flavor or just for filling my belly better. but mt house right out of the bag is great. but yes cut back a bit on the water for the eggs.
If I were shopping for convenient freeze dried meals and compared side by side, either in store, or online, just for the “one-pot” heat and eat by Mountain House, that’s the one I’d bye. Thanks so much for the taste test!
I've purchased three buckets of Ready wise for an emergency. Never tried it but I guess it's better than nothing. I've purchased a number of mountainhouse from walmart as individual packs. Guess I stick to Mountainhouse. Good info, wish I watch it before I purchased the readywise.
And I bet they are in the same price range, right? Equal products with equal prices. Ignoring the fact that mountain house is 5 times the price just makes everybody look shady.
Thank's for taking the time to do this review. I was on the fence about which brand to go with. Not anymore! Thank's again and great review by the way.
With taxes you are looking at 7100 for mountain or 1700 for wise for a 6 month supply. I doubt you are on the fence if price matters at all and if it doesn't matter then you wouldnt be on the fence either. Are you a real person or just full of it?
I bought a bunch of Mountain House and came real close to actually having to use them during the winter storms that caused huge electric outages in Texas. Like most people I hadn’t actually tried them before that though. I got lucky and didn’t experience a long outage, many people around me did. I decided to try the meals out after the storms passed, just to make sure I’d actually want to eat them during an emergency. I was really surprised at how good they were! I agree, they taste like regular meals someone would throw together during regular times. I’d have no problem eating them during an emergency. Try your food out folks, because someday you might have to eat it. It took almost a week for our stores to start to get back to normal. People were having trouble finding food for a few days.
Rusty! It's been a while. So glad I found your channel but I wish I would have found it last week... before I made an impulse buy at Costco of, you guessed it, some Readywise. Oh well. In case of emergency and it came with a dry sack. Yes! Thanks for the info and I'll use your link to grab some Mountain House for our upcoming Uintas trip with a couple of our boys and their wives. Yes, they're all married now. Time flies. Tell the fam hello from me and Melanie. Awesome video! Liked and subscribed! Side note... I really like the logo.
I asked Ready Wise about this review - here is the response I received: They didn’t compare apples to apples. They used Mountain House camping meals, but did not use our camping meals. We have camping backpacking meals that are prepared in the pouch just like Mountain house does. It would be nice if they compared apples to apples and such. Our long term food storage (which they used) does need to be prepared in a pan like they showed. There is no doubt Mountain House put out the most expensive product to the marketplace, and they do have a good product. I am not going to dispute that. Our food holds its own in both the Emergency Food market, and the Outdoor/Camping food as well.
I absolutely agree with this comment. I wondered why they did not compare the same same, I had to double-check the date of this video. I have Mountain House and Wise and Readywise and to be honest, price is the biggest difference.
I wondered this too. I'm a backpacker and I've used ready-wise backpacking meals and they're nothing like what they showed in this video. Although, I don't know why ready wise would put out that as an option either way. In an emergency situation cooking with a pot and pan isn't always practical.
Two of the dishes were the same thing though, so I am not giving Ready Wise a pass. These guys didn’t like the taste of the Ready Wise, so it doesn’t matter what type of products these are, they didn’t look appetizing, and these guys didn’t like the taste.
Lol it doesn't change the fact that ready wise came out as crappy tasting soup. They literally followed the directions and It still came out like garbage.
My best advice for keeping food like this stored for emergencies is also keep some seasonings in water tight containers and in a ziplock freezer bag so it’s easy to grab. A little salt and pepper some sugar, maybe some garlic powder, Cajun seasoning can make a huge difference. Add a bottle of hot sauce and maybe some bouillon packets too. Instant coffee and some powder creamer if you have the room.
Mountain House meals, generally, have a higher protein content too. This provides a longer term energy that will keep you going longer/further than a bag of, mostly, carbohydrates. I've spent a number years just picking up a few bags (or a can) every time they went on sale at a local store, and currently have a nice little stockpile for a greatly reduced overall price. I live in a tsunami zone of the PNW, so I did my research & tasting quite a few years ago.
if i had the money ( retired) i would buy a couple 30 day supplys. just me but if what some people are scaring people with can not hurt. if i die. it will help my friends out. if i live i have no worries about my next meal.
I bought Mountain House kit for emergency supplies around the start of pandemic lock down last year. I also wanted to see if the taste was ok, so prepared one of the pouches, maybe chicken stroganoff(?). I remember that it tasted fairly decent and the pouch preparation was super easy. Like the reviewers, I would generally recommend Mountain House for either emergency meals or even for regular camping trips.
Good work, thanks. Looking beyond regular jars, cans, cartons and jugs, "Wise" is only about 5% of my prep supply, MH maybe 20%, AF maybe 25%, and MRE's the remainder. My get-home bag reflects that ; the usual breakout is a full MRE, a couple of supplemental Mains, a trio of MH or Alpine Air dehydrateds, a couple of tuna lunch kits, a couple of Spam singles, a couple of oatmeal pouches, several Clif bars, some peanut butter, a ramen packet, jerky pouch and some other snacks - enough to keep me three days on the move in a variety of circumstances and some to spare to help out others.
Thanks for sharing real world experience, Joe! It seems like those who say, "just use the cheap stuff!" haven't actually tried the options, right? -Rusty
That's how we role, Fergy! Thanks for watching and chiming in. We planning on doing another comparison video where we stack up all the major players in the space. Stay tuned! -Rusty
Thanks for the review, and taste test! I've heard that Mountain House is the Cadillac of prep food, and here you can see why. New Subscriber! Came over from Canadian Prepper's page!
Glad you liked it, @Investigator77! We actually just did a huge comparison video between all the major players in the adventure meal/survival food space. Should drop in the next few weeks. Stay tuned! -Rusty
@@Equip2Endure I will watch for that. I have to say that your side kick there, sure looks Canadian! My brother was in the Air Force here for 28 yrs, and all his friends look like your buddy! LOL
Great video guys. Good comparison. As a soon-to-be thru-hiker I'm definitely looking towards Mountain House for some quality products on the trail. They are already my favourite meals out in the backcountry! And I know I speak for a lot of backpackers. Question though... have you thought about trying this with the ready wise backpacking meals? They have those too. Perhaps a follow-up video? Could be a hit!
I had done a lot of reading and shopping with my eyes, until I finally tried one or two Mountain House items. I was sold, primarily on the biscuits and gravy, of all things. If you can freeze dry THAT and get it right, you can do almost anything.
When my niece was at college in England I would send her mountain house she loved it. I sent freeze dried because it was more reasonable postage and made her life a little easier.
Now I know which freeze dried meals to buy/or not to buy, can you review best way to carry water/purify water. This is necessary since it is a component in freeze dried meals.
Make sure to watch this one before buying any - ua-cam.com/video/QxIMNxlCy6Q/v-deo.html As far as water, thruhikers love using Sawyer mini water filters. Super lightweight and very effective. -Rusty
I laughed way to hard on your open case of ready wise give away. I have used mountain house for years and have wondered if the alternative might be better. Thanks for the video.
Rusty I get a kick every time I watch one of your videos as I was still going by Rusty when I attended the best cooking school in the world back in 82! As a Certified Executive Chef and an avid bushcrafter I would relish the chance to do one of these vids with you! Great job bud!
I’ve had mountain house plenty of time, I usually use less water than recommended but I learned that over time. But it tastes the best from what I’ve had. It’s good to know about the readywise packs needing a separate container since my friend bought me one of the buckets, haven’t had a chance to try them though. Alpine aire is decent taste wise but I like it due the amount of sodium in it compared to mountain house. I also recently found omeals, only ate the beef stew and it was okay. I love that the packs have a flameless heater in them.
Thanks for watching, William! How grateful we'd all be in an emergency situation if we have a supply of tasty, convenient, and nutritious meals on hand. -Rusty
Alpine Aire is a NOGO for me! They need to start buying mylar pouches that can withstand a little torture. I've bought new AA pouches and found them to be junk within 2 weeks. Their #10 cans are OK, but not their pouches.
I've found that Mountain House's suggested water amount is right on. I just keep some heat on it while waiting for it to reconstitute. I found that I initially didn't give it enough time to reconstitute.
I think one of the most important differences isn't just taste, but nutrients - the Mountain House has way more protein since it contains meat, so taste matters, but so does the fact that you're getting more protein in the Mountain House meals.
My wife and I lived off of Mountain House for a week after a hurricane and no power, she is really picky and liked the food. We also now bring them backpacking and she enjoys them when we do backpack camping.
Thanks for sharing your real world experience, Bento. You echo what those who have actually been in an emergency situation say... Mountain House is good stuff! -Rusty
Thanks for doing the comparison. I have not purchased these products due to their price and because I never saw the food item. Most preppers just show the packaging. I wish you had put the MH food in bowls so we could have seen the food better. Thanks for a great presentation. Very helpful.
Hello there, Amaya! Thanks for watching. Take a look at our more recent video focusing on Mountain House. We show what all of their standard dishes look like and review them - @ - Rusty
I keep a bucket of Mountain House around just for emergencies. I've used Mountain House products numerous times when out hiking and camping. It tastes more than good enough. But mainly I just want the calories and nutrients it offers. It works for me.
I’ve backpacked for 6 straight days on Isle Royale eating only Mountainhouse meals. It’s pretty good and very easy to prepare. I packed one small pot and stove and a spork. I ate well all week, but I would say the breakfasts are the best. I could probably live on their Breakfast Skillet meal.😎
Girlfriend and I about to spend a week hiking the Great Wall in Bob Marshall Wilderness. One thing that surprised us was the number of options for these meals. You might have saved us from finding something out the hard way! Thank you!
Yep. Millions of Americans are seeing the same thing. After trying both of them the low price is no longer tempting to these reviewers. Thanks for watching, Jason! -Rusty
For European viewers, I recommend Fuel Your Preparation. Mountainhouse had a European branch for a long time, but they closed shop here and another company (FYP) took over their facilities and production, and their dishes are even better than Mountainhouse’s was. I’ve had all the Europeans main dishes by MH and FYP and where MH had a few that were not tasty, all of FYP’s are good, and some are really surprisingly good.
I've done this same taste test with these and several other brands. Ready Wise was the worst tasting and now sits in the basement waiting for the apocalypse. I'll probably still not eat it and just use to bait other humans. Mountain house is the go to brand for quality, taste, and like they pointed out it comes in its own cooking container. Thanks for the video!
Do a taste test on 4Patriots if possible. I'm looking to buy some freeze-dried prep foods. Just undecided about the best one to choose. Based on this vid and comments I'm leaning towards Mountain House. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for watching, Bro. Allen M! We'll take that shot if we have it (trying 4Patriots). In the mean time, you will probably want to try them both out yourself anyway to see which you like better. If you read through the comments though you will see that most people with real situational experience will choose Mountain House every time.
I've only had the Mt House and I've always thought they were good. Being prior service and eating plenty of MREs; these actually taste like something you'd cook in your kitchen. Thanks for doing the comparison so I didn't waste money 👍
SMH, you know the mountain house is 5x the cost of the wise right? Have you tried them? You should try them and compare prices and use cases instead of just going along with the crowd. This channel isn't making any sense... nobody is worried about the price of mountain house and yet here you are talking about not wasting money.
@@craigcutler6919 Sorry... I'll pass on Wise ( and yes... I tried them). Mountain House Rocks... and just like everything else in Life... you get what you pay for..... Quality costs... just sayin....
Interesting data points. I might have to try my meals in a few months when i get time. As a positive, if it's soupy, it should be easier to drink down fast ;)
You know why Mountain House has been around for so long because they make a good product. I found out about them in the early 90's when my buddies got into camping. We bought our gear from a local Army/ Navy surplus and would usually snap up any MRE's they would have, spaghetti being the crown gem. Preparing for one trip there was only one of the spaghetti MREs available but the store owner pointed out this new product called Mountain House that had freezing dried meals for backpacking and they had a spaghetti meal so we purchased a couple. Was blown away by the taste and you got more than the MRE portion. It became our go to option. Eventually tried the other meals and we forgot about the MRE's altogether.
Good review. As an adjunct to my established prepper pantry of canned & dried goods, I’d happily pay more for a stash of freeze-dried food that is more appetizing. Headed to the store now to buy a couple pouches & try it out.
Your testing was solid! I have tested, used and stored Wise Company, Mountain House, Augason, Legacy and two or three others that are not even in business anymore. Mountain house tastes best, Augason has somewhat better nutrition *with some meals* Though, all of the meals tested were high in sodium and carbs, not great for long term, but very good for short term needs -
Thanks for sharing, I haven't had freeze dried food other than icecream in maybe 10 years. Due to the price, I tend to just go with the Khorr sides or other options such as instant potatoes.
@thenextarcher It can be pricey for sure, but if weight and convenience are a factor for you, it's worth picking up a couple bags - even at Wally World. Great addition to a bug out bag or 72-hour kit. Thanks for watching and for commenting.
In the video they are pretending that this is an apples to apple comparison. The mountain house costs about 5 times the price of the wise. It is like everybody on here is BSing like they know anything or something shady is going on. You are the second person I have seen talk about price in well over a hundred comments and that is usually one of the first things that people talk about.
I have a solid mix , but the majority of my stuff is Mountain House and Augason Farms...hell we use Augason Farms stuff regularly in the pantry as it is...
Thanks for watching, Thomas Richardson! That's critical - working your storage food into regular rotation so it's not so disruptive when you HAVE to use it. -Rusty
Augason Farms freeze dried fruit is really great. I used to use it to add to my cereal in the morning (Honey Bunches of Oats Strawberries ftw). I tried a couple different brands but Augason ended up still being cheaper (#10 cans) and tasted way better.
Glad I saw the video... great job guys! I know I like a mountain house because I’ve had many of them. I saw the ready wise and was thinking about them, you saved me from a big mistake!
Hey, Steve! Glad you found it useful. We try to be careful about being too biased and would recommend you try it yourself if you have any doubts about our experience. But after our experience, our tribes aren't planning on buying it again. -Rusty
Very informative , and really interesting as well . I've been looking at these things for some time , trying to decide which way to go . I'd had been leaning towards the Mountain house , but the down side is they are fairly expensive over here . Export/transportation/import all have to take their cut , and we do have other product available too . Now it is fair to say my intended use is completely different , to what they are meant for , pots and pans are not an issue . In much the same way as , something else you didn't mention , the extra water required to reconstitute some of these products . That needs to be carried . This is not a problem in my use either , but taste is a serious issue , and by enlarge this is what has been holding me back . Equally i would have purchased and tested the products myself , before buying in bulk , but an honest review certainly helps out . Thank you , my friend , certainly a worthwhile watch .
I didn’t have good experiences with Mountain House. I actually ended up cooking them to both further reconstitute and boil off the extra liquid. I used AlpineAire and really liked them. I’d love to see a review on those.
I've always preferred mountain house meals. They taste like your grandmother made it. They can be a little pricey but for what you get they are more than worth it. Great video, I was thinking about getting some ready wise meals and this saved me some money.
readywise always takes longer to cook, and i always have to bring a can of something hearty to put inside for flavor. always been told to buy MH since scouts. it still holds true 15 years later.
I have stuff from almost every freeze dried food company out there, rarely do they ever compare favorably to mountain house in quality and taste. I to wish mountain house was more economical, but i still buy it .
Excellent test video. Thanks for sharing. I live not far from Oregon Freeze Dry in Albany, OR. They have been in operation for decades, so not too surprising on the results. One funny thing at the start of the video you said freeze drying is a process of "cryo desecration", I think you meant to say 'cryodesiccation'.
From the review, I would go with the simple hot water mix in bag so fuel isn’t wasted “Cooking” the other meal using utensils that require cleaning = more work. In many hiking areas open fires are discouraged. In a SHTF a fire will divulge your location.
@@SWPG Its quite a long process to make large amounts, And I'm in the learning process, but if your serious, I can send you a preliminary batch of ice cream sandwich bites, if you want. It will be in a mylar bag with oxygen absorber. I plan on selling batches locally, I'm in Washington state...of course It would cost the price of the product plus shipping.
I was at a gun show where reps from both of those companies had a table. I was able to sample both and agree with your comments and appraisals. Wise needs to rethink their directions and make cook-in bags, if they expect to compete with other companies back pack meals.
Eh wise bags are a lot more compact, I'm bringing a pot to boil water in anyway. Not a big deal to just add the contents to the pot, especially when the packaging is so much more compact. It takes like 15 seconds to clean the pot after.
Readywise already do this in their camping meals, but in the video he used their long-term food storage meals to compare to Mountain House's camping meals, so it wasn't a fair comparison.
Mountain House is amazing. You ate in a studio. Try it after hiking all day or, like me, a meal at Burning Man before you go out for the evening. You'll spend the whole time you eat it taking with your friends about how delicious it is. Time to order more. Great video!
That's actually a great idea! I mean, not doing your neighbors wrong, but keeping this on hand to be able to give food to someone that doesn't harm your own supply. Its a lot less suspicious to say, yeah, we don't have much, but here's something for your family, than to say noope - we've got nuthin (while not having new tighter notches in your belt.
My daughter and I tried several brands to prepare for summer fishing. Our two dogs would not eat the ready wise. Made us all hang over the toilet. I'll be shopping for my own set up. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for taking the time to do this video, I suspect I would have been suckered by the fancy plastic storage container. I'm researching lightweight fast food for all day mountain bike trips and I'm guessing Mountain House will be my go-to brand.
I’ve tried the Ready Man meals and I agree most are pretty horrible. I purchased the sample packs that you would think represent the best they had to offer. The ready man Mac and Cheese was the best from them. You would have to add things to the ready man meals to make them filling. The Mountain House always wins on flavor, food value and calorie content. Mountain House is much more expensive at least online. But when you consider that the Ready Man serving size isn’t realistic and what it taste like it puts the value back to Mountain House. And I think the comment about children is very correct.
Something I almost never hear added to preppers food is vitamins. If you are only eating processed/freeze dried/mre food for months you REALLY need vitamins.
We have some of both and hadn't tried the ReadyWuse. After watching this, we pulled one out and instead of the 4 cups it called for we only added 2.5 cups and the beef stroganoff turned out pretty taste and was not watered down. I will still be sticking with mtn house for future purchases.
Have you actually tried the food you bought for your storage? If not, you might want to soon.
:19 - cryodesiccation! We noticed the mistake right after posting. We know the difference between it and defiling something. It was just a slip and UA-cam disabled annotations so we can't lay the correction over the video.
I do need to try out a bag of the patriot pantry my dad has stocked up on but I do have so.e mountain house and have enjoyed every kind I've tried.
Stowaway gourmet is the best hands down
I have. I have Auguson Farms, Wise and 4Patriots Brands. Out of the three I purchased, Auguson was actually excellent. Wise was good and 4Patriots was good in a pinch. I think of the three, Auguson is something that I could eat every day for a month. All in all, nothing beats homemade but if it ever hits the fan, do you want to be prepared. Honestly if you don’t have a supply on hand right now, you are going to pay double or triple what I paid for my supplies when I got them. You have to buy the stuff when you don’t need it. Mountain house is very good but in my humble opinion over priced.
I've lived on both Mountain House meals, MREs and LRPs for months at a time during emergencies or between jobs/relocations.
My own personal review to add a little more in depth analysis of other flavors:
I bought quite a few Mountain House meals to see which ones I liked with the plan of ordering more of the ones I like for an emergency food supply.
Liked and ordered more of the following:
Beef Stroganoff- Great!
Spaghetti with meat sauce- Great!
Lasagna- very tasty. Not like real lasagna but tastes great.
Pasta Primavera- fantastic!
Chicken Teriyaki- great!
Chili Mac with Beef- very good, noodles a little stiff.
Granola- good/not great. Maybe too sweet but need something sweet for change of pace.
Did NOT order more of the following:
Mac&Cheese- Ok
Spicy Southwest Style Skillet- good/not great/ spicy
Chicken Fried Rice- didn't order more but it's good if you give it extra time to soak up the water in the pieces of chicken
Breakfast Skillet-eggs sucked, too tough
Scramble Eggs- eggs sucked, too tough
Chicken&Dumplings- tasted great but chicken was like old wood that crumbled when I chewed it
All were edible and I would not turn my nose up at any of them in a pinch. Ones I didn't like would probably be better with a little more time soaking in the water. Costco has their bucket of these meals on sale at a ridiculous price right now so I actually did get more Scrambled Eggs and Chicken&Dumplings because they were basically free. The others in the bucket would cost more individually than the entire bucket.
I drive a tractor trailer and always have mountain house food in my truck. Not all truck stops have food 24 hours or I get stuck someplace without food. I have a single burner MSR and water. Always have a decent meal.
That's smart, Daniel! I imagine you've got some really good ideas for preps living life on the road. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
I will have to look into that. I work out of a van and sometimes my job has me on a site all day and I bought a couple of cases of MREs for simplicity but I am Finding out that the heaters aren't up to the task and leave an odor long after the heater is evpended.
@@nickm9102 you have to watch using those heaters in an enclosed space. Sometimes I’ll go into the truck stop and fill a thermos with hot water for the freeze dried meals.
Same here if you ever been shut down on the side of a rd a good hot meal makes dealing with it better i use a jet boil myself but I also have a gas grill on the truck
@@nickm9102 Use a propane powered single stove. It heats up the water quickly.
I lived off my Mountain House stash during the grid collapse here in Texas last week. I also used my stash to feed my guys at my EMS station due to all our local restaurants being closed. Not a complaint was heard.
Wow! Thanks for sharing the real world experience, Mike! Please shoot an email to story(at)equip2endure.com, I'd like to get in touch with you. Stay strong out there, amigo. -Rusty
From a fellow first responder (EMT-B) in NY, well done, brother! Well done, indeed!
If you need any help replacing what you used to help others, please let me know how I can help..
Anything tastes good if you're hungry enough!
We used a lot of Mountain House during the freeze, too, and it was good! It was my first time trying it. We all enjoyed it. I bought many more since then to keep to the side.
Used to work security in remote locations, always kept 2 or 3 mountain house meals in my pack in case I was stuck doing double shifts. I worked out of a truck and I eventually found I could just add water to the bag, seal it up, and leave on the dash with the heater blowing to warm it up. Worked better during winter when the heater was going anyway. I used to leave it 30 minutes on one side, flip it and leave it another 30. Was always nice and hot.
That's valuable input, Travis. Thanks for watching and sharing your real experience! -Rusty
@@Equip2Endure We used to leave MRE's foil packs on the engine of our ITV's in West Germany, or the Jeep in Ft. Lewis (not moving). Worked well. Just don't leave it there for too long and yer fine.
I used to sell readywise. When talking to the rep from the company, they told us that there regular line was focused on pure survival first and flavor second. The directions have you put extra water in them solely to up your water intake during times of emergency. The Readywise camping line is better then the bulk emergency line as far as flavor goes, most people don't realize they are different from the bulk meals. I would however agree that Mountain House is better on flavor. Mountain House and Readywise started by targeting two different markets. One focused on campers and hikers, while the other was more prepper and emergency focused.
That makes a lot of sense, Caleb. Thanks for chiming in with that insight! -Rusty
Oregon Freeze Dry (mountain house) was formed in 1963 in Oregon's Willamette Valley to produce dried sliced strawberries for a General Foods breakfast cereal called Post Toasties corn flakes. General Foods executive Ellis Byer was the enterprise's first general manager and later its president and chairman as well.
Oregon Freeze Dry was soon working to produce an alternative to canned rations for the military. It also supplied food for NASA's Apollo space program and developed meals for nuclear submarine crews and "Long Range Patrol Subsistence" in Vietnam. By the late 1960s, Oregon Freeze Dry was a publicly traded company with annual sales of about $5 million. The work in military rations led to the introduction of Mountain House brand freeze dried food for backpackers in 1970. Mountain House representatives claimed its products tasted better than those of competitors since the ingredients were cooked together before freeze drying. Within a few years Mountain House was marketing more than 100 different products. Oregon Freeze Dry also owned the Tea Kettle brand of backpacker food.
Old AT&T long lines bunkers from the cold war ear can still be found with stocks of mountain house in them to this day, from a time when the phone company was expected to keep the phones working for up to a month without external resupply after a nuclear war.
Sorry that’s a poor excuse to make it watery soup.
If they think you should drink extra water, they could just write on the instructions "HEY BY THE WAY take an extra swig of water while you wait, idiot" and accomplish the same thing without ruining their meals. That makes little to no sense.
How about good cooking instruction and I’ll drink a bottle of water with my meal vs dumping it in my Alfredo making it watery garbage.
I did 500 miles on the Appalachian trail many years back. I couldn’t afford to have mountain house meals every day but when I really needed a good hot meal at the end of a hard day (especially cold rainy days) mountain house was worth the price.
These products are made for different purposes.
Mountain House came in almost all of the arctic MRE's (cold weather - white ones) I had in Afghanistan and they were AMAZING, so good sometimes I bypassed regular chow to eat those MRE's since we had tons where I was at way up in the mountains. Needless to say, I have been a Mountain House devotee ever since.
Thanks for sharing the real life experience and thanks for watching too, T R! -Rusty
same on all that all the way!
Thank you and God bless you for your service.
That's good to hear. When I deployed to Norway in the 90s, I don't believe the RCW main courses were Mountain House, just a generic freeze dried meal in a clear plastic container with a white cardboard bottom so it would stand up. But the whole ration was good, packed with nuts, chocolate, little energy bars, soup and drink mixes, and a massive bag of oatmeal that was good with the freeze dried strawberries mix.
I loved the white MRE's too, did not know MH made them. Those and the Norwegian rations where the best ones
I love how that veteran is so honest. No bullshit.
It's true!
😂😂😂😂😂 they are paid by mountainhouse
@@Jesusissaviorofworld actually we weren't. We bought these ourselves to test them. 100% genuine review with no vested interest.
@@Equip2Endure Doomsday prepper is sponsored by Ready.
Anything but crystal clarity costs lives in combat.
If you were in a long term calorie deficit, where foraging from the forest was your only food source, even ready wise would taste good. That said, I prefer MH too.
No argument from us on that! Well said, Hawaii Volcano Squad. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
@@Equip2Endure is mountain house food any good?
@@mehchocolate1257 it is good tasting and if you want try it out I recommend testing it. :)
You should try cutting back on the water for the ready wise just to see if it makes a difference
most anything would taste good. compared to starving to death.
Basically - Mountain House is the way to go - THANKS very much for an honest test. This video was truly helpful for my wife and I making a decision for our first purchase of a product like this.
Take a look at this first - ua-cam.com/video/QxIMNxlCy6Q/v-deo.html
I have 12 buckets of MH in my bunker. Bought in 2013. I’ve used a few for backpacking trips. Love MH. The chili mac is the bees knees.
Hey, Rob! Thanks for watching. MH is some fantastic stuff. Be sure to watch our most recent video where we taste test all 31 meals that MH currently offers (@). The chili mac seems to be a favorite amongst our viewers. -Rusty
That's cuz mountain house needs their food to be good cuz hikers use it. Readywise doesn't expect u to actually eat it
Omg I’m laughing right now! That’s hilarious!
True words. I happened to have opened up a #10 can of dehydrated celery (I do random taste tests on some things i have in storage. Tasted terrible - and found they used even the bitter hearts of celery)
@@theShamrockShepherdWagon ugh
So true!
100% dead on!
Two things I've learned from trying a few different brands: Don't use as much water as the instructions say (or you end up with soup, like the ReadyWise did here), and let it rehydrate a while longer before opening up to eat. Usually use about 75 - 90% of the water, and add about 25 -35% more time to rehydrate. The less water to avoid soup, the longer hydrate time to make sure the water has a chance to rehydrate everything (or you end up with crunchy food that's not supposed to be crunchy).
Also when you add things like fatty meats and salt pepper butter etc it makes it much better, mountain house is too expensive for most people but if you have food stores you can you readywise etc as food bases.
I agree 100%, I usually cook the mountain houses 5 minutes longer and use less water.
I’m new to buying freeze dried foods so this was helpful to actually have you prepare and taste it. I’ve seen both brands and now I know which ones I will purchase. Thanks
Happy to help and thanks for watching!
Buy some from many different manufacturers and test before buying a years supply or even camping.
Me too! My local walmart was out of the buckets but I'll be finding some on payday. Do you know if there is a sample package? That would be great to try. That way I'd know what to store for my family.
Have you seen the price from both brands? Have you tasted both of them? I totally agree that readywise isn't that great but mountain house runs about 5 times the price. They also didn't make the readywise correctly, it looks like they portioned it out and used the full amount of water for multiple portions.
@@craigcutler6919 do you have a video making it properly?
This was one of the better reviews I've stumbled across, genuine and informative responses. Loved the kid's reaction too! Thanks for the great content, subscribed!
Welcome aboard, Matt Diehl! Glad it was helpful. And yes, kids should be considered when stocking up on food storage. -Rusty
I tested out a few dishes from MH during the Texas freeze, and they were all great. Despite the circumstances, I was excited to test out some of my emergency food. Cooking on a tiny Sterno stove and canned heat in my garage was my go-to, and these meals were awesome. They were SO easy, and there was more in that little pack than we thought. I have Saratoga Farms, Augason Farms, and MH, and MH will be my staple. I’ve bought much more since the freeze, and I’ll continue to buy more. Great products. Great reviews.
Look at the amount of actual meat in Mountain House vs others. That explains the price difference. It’s a big investment, but it’s food. It will be eaten eventually! It also makes it way easier to get my wife out in the backcountry knowing we have a yummy meal on hand.
Auguson Farms sells hamburger and sausage crumbles, as well as chunk chicken and beef, that is pretty good when reconstituted. The sausage crumbles are a bit hard to rehydrate, but still pretty good. One could always put together their own meals with that and rice or their Potato Shreds. I wouldn't recommend their sliced potatoes though, unless you are baking them in some liquid (like scalloped potatoes) for an hour or two.
Mountain House Chicken with Mashed Potatoes - 2 Servings& Mountain House Beef Stew
These are my go to freeze dried meals
Same
Same
I've been backpacking for 55 years, usually preferred Mountain House to the alternatives. Used to love the Turkey Tetrazinie, especially since it came in a very light aluminum bowl that I could reuse for those other meals that didn't cook in the bag. Always expensive, but worth it for the light weight if backpacking. For emergency use though, where that is not so important, I have a box of MRE's. Newer ones even self-heat, and contain other useful items; seasoning, cookie, drink mix, coffee & creamer, sugar, toilet paper, matches, etc.
Thankyou for making this video!! We have Mountain House in our go bags for hunting. I've thought about buying the readywise, but after watching this I won't be. Also I really like the fact that y'all mention whether or not your kids will eat them-i've got picky eaters so that is really helpful!
I've always been a huge fan of Mountain House. I almost bought some Readywise for my long-term food storage, but I'm glad I watched your video first!
Happy to help.
Hi guys! We'd love to partner with you on a video! Let us know if you're interested :)
Let's talk! Shoot an email to partner(at)equip2endure.com
My kids and I love Mountain House. We take it camping anf I have a small amount set back with my prepping supplies. It's by far the best my family and I have tried , I love to help promote it too, dont know on what level but if I believe in a product Ive always been know to let others know how great it is. Wishful thinking anyways 🙂
@ Mountain House. I love your product! Keep up the good work.
I bought a bucket of the Wise foods to test. Mountain House beats that stuff hands down! The #10 cans are better for long term storage, as you don't have to worry much about perforating packaging. I've lost quite a bit of both Wise and Alpine Aire foods to thin mylar packaging failures. I've heard from other preppers that the Wise food made them sick, and I also got sick after eating one of the test packs. The only downside is that Mountain House has shrunk their lineup, and things like vegetables and fruits have been dropped. Would like to see drinks (milks/juices), baby foods, and pet foods. Babies and pets are parts of the family that need to be prepped for as well!
I keep a 30 day supply of pouches, and a year's supply in #10 cans. I also keep a box full in my vehicle for camping while gold mining. I used part of my 30 day supply to help a coworker get through motel living after a house fire. He was glad for the help, and was surprised at the quality of the meals.
Mountain house i would love for you to sponsor me . I pimp your products to everybody i care about anyway on a daily basis. Oh and you guys should try a chicken and sausage gumbo possibly cajun style beans and rice with sausage or jambalaya. A Chunky Texas style chili would be awesome too.
Emergency Essential is some of the best, they also sell Mountain House in #10 cans. The thing I've noticed the most is to let them set a little longer to have it done. Great company!
I was not too keen on their peas, but everything else was good. The meatballs goes really good with Mountain House spaghetti. Their ground beef soaks up taco spices real well, and the sausage crumbles go good with the MH biscuits n gravy.
With mountain house, I use the exact amount of water, but double the wait time, stir & again double the wait time. Then I let it sit unsealed for 5 min before digging in. Absolutely perfect every time. My go to adventure meals.
I pretty much do the same
so far for me it has been at home.
so i do add to the products spices, for flavor or just for filling my belly better.
but mt house right out of the bag is great. but yes cut back a bit on the water for the eggs.
If I were shopping for convenient freeze dried meals and compared side by side, either in store, or online, just for the “one-pot” heat and eat by Mountain House, that’s the one I’d bye. Thanks so much for the taste test!
That would be a good choice based on our experience. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
I've purchased three buckets of Ready wise for an emergency. Never tried it but I guess it's better than nothing. I've purchased a number of mountainhouse from walmart as individual packs. Guess I stick to Mountainhouse. Good info, wish I watch it before I purchased the readywise.
Thanks for watching! If the cases are unopened, you may be able to return them. Or craigslist them. -Rusty
The difference is consistency is pretty surprising. Glad you tried them out so I don’t have to!
It was really surprising to us. We were not expecting that big of a difference.
And I bet they are in the same price range, right? Equal products with equal prices. Ignoring the fact that mountain house is 5 times the price just makes everybody look shady.
Looks like my readywise costco pack is now considerd part of my barter stash. Will order some mountain house to replace it.
😆 At least you found out now, right? Thanks for watching, Steven! -Rusty
Same!
@@Equip2Endure oh yeah. Thanks for the review. Is there a code yet to use at mountain house so you get some of the proceeds?
@@Gonz.0 Thanks for thinking of that. We're actually in talks with them right now.
@@Equip2Endure should i hold out a few days to purchase? Or is this something that take time?
Thank's for taking the time to do this review. I was on the fence about which brand to go with. Not anymore! Thank's again and great review by the way.
Glad to hear it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
With taxes you are looking at 7100 for mountain or 1700 for wise for a 6 month supply. I doubt you are on the fence if price matters at all and if it doesn't matter then you wouldnt be on the fence either. Are you a real person or just full of it?
I bought a bunch of Mountain House and came real close to actually having to use them during the winter storms that caused huge electric outages in Texas. Like most people I hadn’t actually tried them before that though. I got lucky and didn’t experience a long outage, many people around me did. I decided to try the meals out after the storms passed, just to make sure I’d actually want to eat them during an emergency. I was really surprised at how good they were! I agree, they taste like regular meals someone would throw together during regular times. I’d have no problem eating them during an emergency. Try your food out folks, because someday you might have to eat it. It took almost a week for our stores to start to get back to normal. People were having trouble finding food for a few days.
WrathfulTexan- Thanks for sharing you real life experience and thanks for watching. -Rusty
Rusty! It's been a while. So glad I found your channel but I wish I would have found it last week... before I made an impulse buy at Costco of, you guessed it, some Readywise. Oh well. In case of emergency and it came with a dry sack. Yes!
Thanks for the info and I'll use your link to grab some Mountain House for our upcoming Uintas trip with a couple of our boys and their wives. Yes, they're all married now. Time flies. Tell the fam hello from me and Melanie.
Awesome video! Liked and subscribed! Side note... I really like the logo.
Glad you found it useful, Dave! Costco has a great return policy. If you put in an order, be sure to try the curry. -Rusty
I asked Ready Wise about this review - here is the response I received: They didn’t compare apples to apples. They used Mountain House camping meals, but did not use our camping meals. We have camping backpacking meals that are prepared in the pouch just like Mountain house does. It would be nice if they compared apples to apples and such. Our long term food storage (which they used) does need to be prepared in a pan like they showed. There is no doubt Mountain House put out the most expensive product to the marketplace, and they do have a good product. I am not going to dispute that. Our food holds its own in both the Emergency Food market, and the Outdoor/Camping food as well.
I absolutely agree with this comment. I wondered why they did not compare the same same, I had to double-check the date of this video. I have Mountain House and Wise and Readywise and to be honest, price is the biggest difference.
I wondered this too. I'm a backpacker and I've used ready-wise backpacking meals and they're nothing like what they showed in this video.
Although, I don't know why ready wise would put out that as an option either way. In an emergency situation cooking with a pot and pan isn't always practical.
Two of the dishes were the same thing though, so I am not giving Ready Wise a pass. These guys didn’t like the taste of the Ready Wise, so it doesn’t matter what type of products these are, they didn’t look appetizing, and these guys didn’t like the taste.
Lol it doesn't change the fact that ready wise came out as crappy tasting soup. They literally followed the directions and It still came out like garbage.
@@DayBowBow but. it would be nice to compare equal to equal products.
My best advice for keeping food like this stored for emergencies is also keep some seasonings in water tight containers and in a ziplock freezer bag so it’s easy to grab. A little salt and pepper some sugar, maybe some garlic powder, Cajun seasoning can make a huge difference. Add a bottle of hot sauce and maybe some bouillon packets too. Instant coffee and some powder creamer if you have the room.
Yes!
Basically how they packed MRE's for the military 20 years ago. I heard they nixed the Tobasco.
Mountain House meals, generally, have a higher protein content too. This provides a longer term energy that will keep you going longer/further than a bag of, mostly, carbohydrates.
I've spent a number years just picking up a few bags (or a can) every time they went on sale at a local store, and currently have a nice little stockpile for a greatly reduced overall price.
I live in a tsunami zone of the PNW, so I did my research & tasting quite a few years ago.
Thanks for this video. You just saved me from making a big mistake. I just ordered the 14-day Mountain House emergency food supply kit.
if i had the money ( retired) i would buy a couple 30 day supplys.
just me but if what some people are scaring people with can not hurt.
if i die. it will help my friends out.
if i live i have no worries about my next meal.
Good review, wish you'd have put some of the MH in bowls to see it better, and price difference?
Please check the more recent taste test video. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
I bought Mountain House kit for emergency supplies around the start of pandemic lock down last year. I also wanted to see if the taste was ok, so prepared one of the pouches, maybe chicken stroganoff(?). I remember that it tasted fairly decent and the pouch preparation was super easy. Like the reviewers, I would generally recommend Mountain House for either emergency meals or even for regular camping trips.
Good work, thanks. Looking beyond regular jars, cans, cartons and jugs, "Wise" is only about 5% of my prep supply, MH maybe 20%, AF maybe 25%, and MRE's the remainder.
My get-home bag reflects that ; the usual breakout is a full MRE, a couple of supplemental Mains, a trio of MH or Alpine Air dehydrateds, a couple of tuna lunch kits, a couple of Spam singles, a couple of oatmeal pouches, several Clif bars, some peanut butter, a ramen packet, jerky pouch and some other snacks - enough to keep me three days on the move in a variety of circumstances and some to spare to help out others.
This was an excellent comment, Steve! Thanks for sharing your experience and thinking. -Rusty
I've tried several of the emergency food brands and Mountain House has always been above and beyond the others. Perfect for camping.
Thanks for sharing real world experience, Joe! It seems like those who say, "just use the cheap stuff!" haven't actually tried the options, right? -Rusty
One of the best reviews I've ever seen on UA-cam, great job
That's how we role, Fergy! Thanks for watching and chiming in. We planning on doing another comparison video where we stack up all the major players in the space. Stay tuned! -Rusty
Thanks for the review, and taste test! I've heard that Mountain House is the Cadillac of prep food, and here you can see why. New Subscriber! Came over from Canadian Prepper's page!
Glad you liked it, @Investigator77! We actually just did a huge comparison video between all the major players in the adventure meal/survival food space. Should drop in the next few weeks. Stay tuned! -Rusty
@@Equip2Endure I will watch for that. I have to say that your side kick there, sure looks Canadian! My brother was in the Air Force here for 28 yrs, and all his friends look like your buddy! LOL
Great video guys. Good comparison. As a soon-to-be thru-hiker I'm definitely looking towards Mountain House for some quality products on the trail. They are already my favourite meals out in the backcountry! And I know I speak for a lot of backpackers.
Question though... have you thought about trying this with the ready wise backpacking meals? They have those too. Perhaps a follow-up video? Could be a hit!
I had done a lot of reading and shopping with my eyes, until I finally tried one or two Mountain House items. I was sold, primarily on the biscuits and gravy, of all things. If you can freeze dry THAT and get it right, you can do almost anything.
I love biscuits and gravy 😋
That's my favorite mountain house! I keep a bunch of those in my go bag
@@mhernandez3078 Only 7 bucks on Amazon. That is, if you want to help the biggest corporation on the planet.
I want to get those ones so bad to try but as a canadian, amazon sellers are ripping you off or there not even available at all.
When my niece was at college in England I would send her mountain house she loved it. I sent freeze dried because it was more reasonable postage and made her life a little easier.
Now I know which freeze dried meals to buy/or not to buy, can you review best way to carry water/purify water. This is necessary since it is a component in freeze dried meals.
Make sure to watch this one before buying any - ua-cam.com/video/QxIMNxlCy6Q/v-deo.html As far as water, thruhikers love using Sawyer mini water filters. Super lightweight and very effective. -Rusty
Try the ready wise with 1/2 or 1/3 of the water
Remember. If you’re not always prepared, you’re never prepared. Keep the new content comin’
@Billt - Thanks for watching and the continued support!
I mean I get the sentiment, but that's objectively not true, lol. If you're prepared 50% of the time, you are, factually, not "never prepared"
Never use as much water as they say, 20% less or so. If you need more you can add but I found that helps tremendously.
Thanks for the tip and for watching!
I laughed way to hard on your open case of ready wise give away. I have used mountain house for years and have wondered if the alternative might be better. Thanks for the video.
Rusty I get a kick every time I watch one of your videos as I was still going by Rusty when I attended the best cooking school in the world back in 82! As a Certified Executive Chef and an avid bushcrafter I would relish the chance to do one of these vids with you! Great job bud!
Love cooking myself. I see what you did there... a chef "relishing" the opportunity. Glad you're liking the videos. -Rusty
These are great reviews. Most people won’t know how good or crappy these are until they need them.
You're spot on, @. Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to watch the latest taste testing video we put out (if you haven't done so already). -Rusty
@@Equip2Endure I will watch your latest reviews before making my purchases.
I’ve had mountain house plenty of time, I usually use less water than recommended but I learned that over time. But it tastes the best from what I’ve had. It’s good to know about the readywise packs needing a separate container since my friend bought me one of the buckets, haven’t had a chance to try them though. Alpine aire is decent taste wise but I like it due the amount of sodium in it compared to mountain house. I also recently found omeals, only ate the beef stew and it was okay. I love that the packs have a flameless heater in them.
Thanks for watching, William! How grateful we'd all be in an emergency situation if we have a supply of tasty, convenient, and nutritious meals on hand. -Rusty
Alpine Aire is a NOGO for me! They need to start buying mylar pouches that can withstand a little torture. I've bought new AA pouches and found them to be junk within 2 weeks. Their #10 cans are OK, but not their pouches.
You can always add water if you need to but you can't always take it out.
I've found that Mountain House's suggested water amount is right on. I just keep some heat on it while waiting for it to reconstitute. I found that I initially didn't give it enough time to reconstitute.
Thank you for confirming my suspicions about ReadyWise!
Check out Freeze Dried Wholesalers, I can get you 15% your entire order if interested.
I think one of the most important differences isn't just taste, but nutrients - the Mountain House has way more protein since it contains meat, so taste matters, but so does the fact that you're getting more protein in the Mountain House meals.
Nailed It!
My wife and I lived off of Mountain House for a week after a hurricane and no power, she is really picky and liked the food. We also now bring them backpacking and she enjoys them when we do backpack camping.
Thanks for sharing your real world experience, Bento. You echo what those who have actually been in an emergency situation say... Mountain House is good stuff! -Rusty
Thanks for doing the comparison. I have not purchased these products due to their price and because I never saw the food item. Most preppers just show the packaging. I wish you had put the MH food in bowls so we could have seen the food better. Thanks for a great presentation. Very helpful.
Hello there, Amaya! Thanks for watching. Take a look at our more recent video focusing on Mountain House. We show what all of their standard dishes look like and review them - @ - Rusty
Mountain House biscuits and gravy, and breakfast skillet are stellar!
I’ve been wondering about the biscuits and gravy. Going to pick me up some!
@@micahwatson9017 if you buy the skillet, use slightly less water. Mix it well.
Honestly canned Sausage gravy is way better and biscuits are easy, flour,salt, butter,baking soda,& water.
I keep a bucket of Mountain House around just for emergencies. I've used Mountain House products numerous times when out hiking and camping. It tastes more than good enough. But mainly I just want the calories and nutrients it offers. It works for me.
I’ve backpacked for 6 straight days on Isle Royale eating only Mountainhouse meals. It’s pretty good and very easy to prepare. I packed one small pot and stove and a spork. I ate well all week, but I would say the breakfasts are the best. I could probably live on their Breakfast Skillet meal.😎
Thanks for sharing your real world experience, RC Heas! And thanks for watching. -Rusty
Girlfriend and I about to spend a week hiking the Great Wall in Bob Marshall Wilderness. One thing that surprised us was the number of options for these meals. You might have saved us from finding something out the hard way! Thank you!
The mountain house is sitting next to the readywise at my Costco. Was going to buy a few buckets until now. Good review
Yep. Millions of Americans are seeing the same thing. After trying both of them the low price is no longer tempting to these reviewers. Thanks for watching, Jason! -Rusty
For European viewers, I recommend Fuel Your Preparation. Mountainhouse had a European branch for a long time, but they closed shop here and another company (FYP) took over their facilities and production, and their dishes are even better than Mountainhouse’s was. I’ve had all the Europeans main dishes by MH and FYP and where MH had a few that were not tasty, all of FYP’s are good, and some are really surprisingly good.
Summit To Eat are pretty good too
I've done this same taste test with these and several other brands. Ready Wise was the worst tasting and now sits in the basement waiting for the apocalypse. I'll probably still not eat it and just use to bait other humans.
Mountain house is the go to brand for quality, taste, and like they pointed out it comes in its own cooking container. Thanks for the video!
What other brands have you tried? Any warnings you can give the community?
Thrive Life has great tasting food!
We'll be sure to try it out when we have the chance. Thanks for watching!
Haha bait other people. Just a rabbit snare and you see a readywise bag in the middle, it'll gather dust out there lol.
Do a taste test on 4Patriots if possible. I'm looking to buy some freeze-dried prep foods. Just undecided about the best one to choose. Based on this vid and comments I'm leaning towards Mountain House. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for watching, Bro. Allen M! We'll take that shot if we have it (trying 4Patriots). In the mean time, you will probably want to try them both out yourself anyway to see which you like better. If you read through the comments though you will see that most people with real situational experience will choose Mountain House every time.
@@Equip2Endure Thanks. I will.
Alpine Air has been pretty good for me. And XMRE too, a meal with several "courses" costs little more than a MH from most retailers.
@@stevekillgore9272 thanks for the info I'll be looking into that.
Thank you for doing this comparison. I’m getting ready to do a taste test between Mountain House, Peak Refuel and Next Mile Meals.
Sounds good. Always good to test things before you need them. -Rusty
Good points on ease of cooking/cleanup and ability to eat on the move. Nice to be able to eat some of it and have the rest in a sealable container.
I've only had the Mt House and I've always thought they were good. Being prior service and eating plenty of MREs; these actually taste like something you'd cook in your kitchen. Thanks for doing the comparison so I didn't waste money 👍
Happy to help, Hooks! And thanks for your service! -Rusty
SMH, you know the mountain house is 5x the cost of the wise right? Have you tried them? You should try them and compare prices and use cases instead of just going along with the crowd. This channel isn't making any sense... nobody is worried about the price of mountain house and yet here you are talking about not wasting money.
@@craigcutler6919 Sorry... I'll pass on Wise ( and yes... I tried them). Mountain House Rocks... and just like everything else in Life... you get what you pay for..... Quality costs... just sayin....
I've eaten ready wise camping pouches and they were thick and creamy. This video is a bad comparison
Interesting data points.
I might have to try my meals in a few months when i get time.
As a positive, if it's soupy, it should be easier to drink down fast ;)
It will help it exit quickly too. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
You know why Mountain House has been around for so long because they make a good product. I found out about them in the early 90's when my buddies got into camping. We bought our gear from a local Army/ Navy surplus and would usually snap up any MRE's they would have, spaghetti being the crown gem. Preparing for one trip there was only one of the spaghetti MREs available but the store owner pointed out this new product called Mountain House that had freezing dried meals for backpacking and they had a spaghetti meal so we purchased a couple. Was blown away by the taste and you got more than the MRE portion. It became our go to option. Eventually tried the other meals and we forgot about the MRE's altogether.
Good review. As an adjunct to my established prepper pantry of canned & dried goods, I’d happily pay more for a stash of freeze-dried food that is more appetizing. Headed to the store now to buy a couple pouches & try it out.
Let us know what you thought after trying it out. -Rusty
Always Appreciate Chris' Candor!!! Stay Strong, Live Long!!!
Your testing was solid!
I have tested, used and stored Wise Company, Mountain House, Augason, Legacy and two or three others that are not even in business anymore.
Mountain house tastes best, Augason has somewhat better nutrition *with some meals*
Though, all of the meals tested were high in sodium and carbs, not great for long term, but very good for short term needs -
I believe the only one out of business is Legacy
Thanks for sharing, I haven't had freeze dried food other than icecream in maybe 10 years. Due to the price, I tend to just go with the Khorr sides or other options such as instant potatoes.
@thenextarcher It can be pricey for sure, but if weight and convenience are a factor for you, it's worth picking up a couple bags - even at Wally World. Great addition to a bug out bag or 72-hour kit. Thanks for watching and for commenting.
In the video they are pretending that this is an apples to apple comparison. The mountain house costs about 5 times the price of the wise. It is like everybody on here is BSing like they know anything or something shady is going on. You are the second person I have seen talk about price in well over a hundred comments and that is usually one of the first things that people talk about.
I have a solid mix , but the majority of my stuff is Mountain House and Augason Farms...hell we use Augason Farms stuff regularly in the pantry as it is...
Thanks for watching, Thomas Richardson! That's critical - working your storage food into regular rotation so it's not so disruptive when you HAVE to use it. -Rusty
Augason Farms freeze dried fruit is really great. I used to use it to add to my cereal in the morning (Honey Bunches of Oats Strawberries ftw). I tried a couple different brands but Augason ended up still being cheaper (#10 cans) and tasted way better.
Glad I saw the video... great job guys! I know I like a mountain house because I’ve had many of them. I saw the ready wise and was thinking about them, you saved me from a big mistake!
Hey, Steve! Glad you found it useful. We try to be careful about being too biased and would recommend you try it yourself if you have any doubts about our experience. But after our experience, our tribes aren't planning on buying it again. -Rusty
Very informative , and really interesting as well . I've been looking at these things for some time , trying to decide which way to go . I'd had been leaning towards the Mountain house , but the down side is they are fairly expensive over here . Export/transportation/import all have to take their cut , and we do have other product available too .
Now it is fair to say my intended use is completely different , to what they are meant for , pots and pans are not an issue . In much the same way as , something else you didn't mention , the extra water required to reconstitute some of these products . That needs to be carried . This is not a problem in my use either , but taste is a serious issue , and by enlarge this is what has been holding me back .
Equally i would have purchased and tested the products myself , before buying in bulk , but an honest review certainly helps out . Thank you , my friend , certainly a worthwhile watch .
Great video, you should compair Mountain house verse augason farms
I'd watch that
And Patriot Supply
I didn’t have good experiences with Mountain House. I actually ended up cooking them to both further reconstitute and boil off the extra liquid. I used AlpineAire and really liked them. I’d love to see a review on those.
Hey Chris! Thank you for your service!
I've always preferred mountain house meals. They taste like your grandmother made it. They can be a little pricey but for what you get they are more than worth it. Great video, I was thinking about getting some ready wise meals and this saved me some money.
I bought Readywise and it is supposed to be prepared in the bag! I don't what these guys are doing. It's amazing!
readywise always takes longer to cook, and i always have to bring a can of something hearty to put inside for flavor. always been told to buy MH since scouts. it still holds true 15 years later.
I love mountain house, I look forward to eating it whenever I go backpacking
That's when you know it's good stuff! Thanks for watching. -Rusty
I have stuff from almost every freeze dried food company out there, rarely do they ever compare favorably to mountain house in quality and taste. I to wish mountain house was more economical, but i still buy it .
Excellent test video. Thanks for sharing. I live not far from Oregon Freeze Dry in Albany, OR. They have been in operation for decades, so not too surprising on the results. One funny thing at the start of the video you said freeze drying is a process of "cryo desecration", I think you meant to say 'cryodesiccation'.
From the review, I would go with the simple hot water mix in bag so fuel isn’t wasted “Cooking” the other meal using utensils that require cleaning = more work. In many hiking areas open fires are discouraged. In a SHTF a fire will divulge your location.
Astute observation, Steven. Those cook in the bag options are high speed - low drag for sure. Thanks for watching! -Rusty
*Ive tried them all for my job, Mountain House 100% or make your own !! HOOAH*
Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching!
I just bought a Harvest Right freeze dryer...gonna start making my own!!!
@@shuff1111 wow awesome, Ill buy some food from you !
@@SWPG Its quite a long process to make large amounts,
And I'm in the learning process, but if your serious, I can send you a preliminary batch of ice cream sandwich bites, if you want.
It will be in a mylar bag with oxygen absorber.
I plan on selling batches locally, I'm in Washington state...of course It would cost the price of the product plus shipping.
@@shuff1111 brother if you can make it, we need to sell it. I sell Freeze Dried Wholesalers Meals, can add you to the deal !
As a backpacker, I always say with Mountain House: less water, let it sit longer.
And MH's Lasagna is freekin delicious. 😄
Legit my favourite dehydrated meal on the trail! Heck I'd eat that at home!
Agreed.
Had the beef stroganoff 10,000 feet up Rainier the night before summiting, one of the best meals of my life.
Flavor is good. Cheese stuck to my to my titanium spoon. A pain to bite it off. Chili is my favorite
Also mountain house bags can be used to store water after you rince it out.
I was at a gun show where reps from both of those companies had a table. I was able to sample both and agree with your comments and appraisals. Wise needs to rethink their directions and make cook-in bags, if they expect to compete with other companies back pack meals.
Eh wise bags are a lot more compact, I'm bringing a pot to boil water in anyway. Not a big deal to just add the contents to the pot, especially when the packaging is so much more compact. It takes like 15 seconds to clean the pot after.
Readywise already do this in their camping meals, but in the video he used their long-term food storage meals to compare to Mountain House's camping meals, so it wasn't a fair comparison.
@@SniffBackBetter could not agree more. The camping meals are cook in bag.
Mountain House is amazing. You ate in a studio. Try it after hiking all day or, like me, a meal at Burning Man before you go out for the evening. You'll spend the whole time you eat it taking with your friends about how delicious it is.
Time to order more.
Great video!
Glad you guys made this. I was about to get some ReadyWise, but after seeing this, I will just go with Mountain House. I know they are good.
This is why I buy a few of each brand. I'll probably be saving the readywise till the end or giving it to my neighbors haha
That's actually a great idea! I mean, not doing your neighbors wrong, but keeping this on hand to be able to give food to someone that doesn't harm your own supply. Its a lot less suspicious to say, yeah, we don't have much, but here's something for your family, than to say noope - we've got nuthin (while not having new tighter notches in your belt.
use it for currency when money is useless haha
Heck, I'll take the opened box of ready wise lol. It beats starving 😂🤣😂
I have tried ready wise, you are better off trying to catch a fat pigeon with that stuff than eating it yourself, its pretty damned bad.
starving situation: “...I’d rather not eat it.” kept me entertained. great vid.
My daughter and I tried several brands to prepare for summer fishing. Our two dogs would not eat the ready wise. Made us all hang over the toilet. I'll be shopping for my own set up. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for taking the time to do this video, I suspect I would have been suckered by the fancy plastic storage container. I'm researching lightweight fast food for all day mountain bike trips and I'm guessing Mountain House will be my go-to brand.
I’ve tried the Ready Man meals and I agree most are pretty horrible. I purchased the sample packs that you would think represent the best they had to offer. The ready man Mac and Cheese was the best from them. You would have to add things to the ready man meals to make them filling. The Mountain House always wins on flavor, food value and calorie content. Mountain House is much more expensive at least online. But when you consider that the Ready Man serving size isn’t realistic and what it taste like it puts the value back to Mountain House. And I think the comment about children is very correct.
Something I almost never hear added to preppers food is vitamins. If you are only eating processed/freeze dried/mre food for months you REALLY need vitamins.
Mountain House Chicken and Rice is so popular with one of my kids, we got him a #10 can of it for Christmas!
YOU, SIR, are a parent who is making good gift decisions! Thanks for watching. -Rusty
We have some of both and hadn't tried the ReadyWuse. After watching this, we pulled one out and instead of the 4 cups it called for we only added 2.5 cups and the beef stroganoff turned out pretty taste and was not watered down. I will still be sticking with mtn house for future purchases.