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Reviews > Food > Packaged Meals > Cache Lake Foods > James Triplett > Cache Lake Camp Food Test ReportCache Lake Camping Foods (Report 1 of 1) Personal biographical information Name: James E. Triplett Age: 42 Gender: Male Height: 6' 2" (1.88 m) Weight: 199 Lbs. (90.3 kg) Email address: jetriple@rockwellcollins.com City, state: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Date: December 2, 2002
My Backpacking background information is at the end of this report. Product information
Year of Manufacture:
2002
Items Tested: Minnesota Minestrone Soup ($5.75) Arrival and Initial inspection: All items arrived in their individual packaging and were grouped together in a cardboard box. Everything arrived in perfect condition with no damage to the box or the contents. The individual packaging consisted of sealed plastic bags with an insert describing the product and providing preparation instructions. The turkey hotdogs were in more of a vacuum sealed type bag which was within its own cardboard container with the labeling on the box.
Testing: All items were prepared outdoors on my MSR RapidFire canister stove. I tested the Minestrone Soup, Cinnamon Raisin Fryin' Pan Bread, and Smoky Turkey Dogs on an overnight trip (supper, breakfast, lunch) in a nearby camping area. I hiked in approximately 6 miles, set up camp, had supper, and spent the night. The next morning, I had breakfast and then hiked back to my truck where I fixed the hot dogs for lunch. Temperature was 40 F (4.4 C) during the day, with a low that night of 29 F (-1.7 C). The Creamy Wild Rice Asparagus Soup and the Fryin' Pan Biscuits 'n Gravy were prepared for lunch on separate day-hikes. Temperature at meal time was around 45 F (7.2 C) on both occasions.
Breakdown by product: Minnesota Minestrone Soup This soup requires 3.5 cups (828 ml) of water, so it is a significant amount of soup. I made it in two batches and ate the first batch while the second cooked. The cook time of 20 minutes seemed quite long, although it was necessary to soften the rice. The soup, along with 8 soda crackers and a snickers bar, served as my complete meal. The Minestrone soup was easy to prepare and quite delicious. It is a zesty selection, and I enjoyed the strong flavor. Conclusion:
Suggestions:
Breakfast Fryin' Pan Breads - Cinnamon Raisin I prepared the Pan Bread the next morning and it was rather difficult. First, you must use a “mixing bowl” to prepare the dough. I used a large cook pan from my cook set. I had brought along a 9” round cake pan for the purpose of cooking this bread, and it didn’t work very well. With the thin pan, and the large amount of batter, I burned the bottom in the center thoroughly, while failing to completely cook the bread in all places. Even after turning the bread, I wasn’t able to get it cooked all the way through. This was probably due to not spreading the dough all the way out to the edges of the pan, which I did in order to be able to flip the bread over. I ended up cooking the bread for 15 minutes. The taste of the pan bread was okay. There were some areas that were appropriately done, and even those left me without much excitement. Not too sweet, not too flavorful at all. In fairness to Cache Lake, this product is meant to be prepared in a frying pan, and I would expect better results if this was done. Conclusion: Not a good product for backpacking. Probably okay for car camping if you brought a frying pan and a mixing bowl. Suggestions: Make the packaging such that the water can be mixed with the mix while in the package.
Smoky Turkey Dogs These “dogs” were good and bad depending on how you look at them. The instructions say to cook in a microwave (what!) or boil in water. It specifically says not to prepare them in an oven, but doesn’t mention cooking on a stick over a fire. Not wanting to deviate from the instructions I cooked mine in boiling water for five minutes. The good part of these hotdogs is that they taste okay, and they are meat! This makes for a nice treat on the trail. The down side is that they are not dehydrated, so the pack weight is the same as conventional hot dogs which would probably last several days, and be less expensive. Preparation and taste were as expected. Conclusion: These would be a welcome treat in a mail-drop box or on a thru-hike, but aren’t worth the price for a day or two hike. If you do boil them in water, you could prepare pasta in the same water when the hotdogs are done. Suggestions: Eliminate the cardboard box which gets discarded before heading out on any backpacking trip.
Fryin' Pan Biscuits 'n Gravy This product is similar to the pan bread, in that you need to mix the dough before you commence cooking. This time, however, I packed in a small Circulon frying pan to cook the biscuits. I mixed the batter as suggested and then divided the batter/dough into four (more or less) equal biscuits. These cooked to a golden brown in one tablespoon (14.8 ml) vegetable oil which I also brought along. The gravy portion requires mixing in a “sauce pan” and then cooking, separate from the biscuits. This was easy to do, although did require an additional cooking step and allowed the biscuits to get cool since I only brought one stove. The gravy is then poured over the biscuits, or in my case, the biscuits were added to the gravy and then eaten from the same pan in which the gravy was cooked. This was very good. The gravy had dehydrated sausage in it and the taste was great. I cooked the biscuits for ten minutes and the gravy for ten minutes. Conclusion: Great taste. Way too much cooking gear required for backpacking. Good choice for car camping. Suggestions: Make the packaging such that the water can be mixed with the mix while in the package.
Creamy Wild Rice Asparagus Soup This soup requires 4 cups (946 ml) of water, so it is a significant amount of soup. The cook time of 20 minutes (5 minutes with rice and water, and 15 more with the soup mix added) seemed a bit long, but it simmered nicely and didn’t take much fuel to complete cooking. This is a creamy soup with good flavor and it is quite filling. Conclusion:
Suggestions:
Final Thoughts: Cache Lake does not claim that these products are trail food but rather “camp food”. The two soups were both delicious and easy to prepare. I would welcome these in my pack. The two bread based products were too complicated in that they required mixing bowls and multiple steps, not to mention (for ideal results) a frying pan. I did not care for the pan bread, but had trouble preparing it, so the mediocre results were at least partially my fault. Your results will, no doubt, vary. The biscuits and gravy were tasty, but again, are really only suited for a well appointed camp kitchen. The hotdogs were hotdogs. Not worth the weight or money unless you are shipping them or packing them for more than a couple of days. From my experience, the carbohydrate count on the package seems to be about right. Consuming the entire package (2 servings) provided enough energy to hike and camp without feeling hungry or running out of energy. The serving size is no different from grocery items, which have smaller serving sizes listed than I would consider adequate. Purchase them accordingly. In general, the products appear to be good. However, if you think there is some new invention that will allow you to have non-trail food on the trail, there isn’t. Complex items that require two foods (biscuits and gravy), or bread items, are difficult to prepare on the trail, just like you probably thought they would be. I really enjoyed testing these camp foods. Thank you to Cache Lake Foods and Backpack Gear Test for the chance to participate in this test. Respectfully submitted, -James T.
Backpacking background: Most of my packing experience came in college on the trails and bluffs in Southern Illinois, which ultimately led to hiking the lower third of the Appalachian Trail with a college friend. I have always enjoyed camping, packing and hiking, and am now in the midst of a resurgence of interest in packing and the new gear available to make the hikes even more enjoyable. I participate in a variety of sports and am in excellent physical shape. My hiking and camping experience is extensive, however my backpacking level is intermediate. I am continuing to gain more and more packing experience and am thrilled to be a part of Backpack Gear Test. Read more reviews of Cache Lake Foods gear Read more gear reviews by James E. Triplett Reviews > Food > Packaged Meals > Cache Lake Foods > James Triplett > Cache Lake Camp Food Test Report | |||