Trailtopia was a brand of backpacking meals I had overlooked until recently. I picked up two pasta dishes to check them out and see how they were. The company sells a breakfast line, hot lunches, dinners and desserts. The lunch meals picked my interest me as they serve 1 person. I became a fan of a hot lunch on trips as it forced me to just sit down and park my rear. Just rest. And a meal with extra water helped keep my hydrated. It’s a habit I still do on hikes, years later.
Normally I link to Amazon for easy buying of meals I review, however for Trailtopia, buying direct is better price wise, they are not Prime. REI does carry some of the meals online (where I found them) and are priced normal there.
The Meals:
Ramen Noodles – Beef Flavored with Mushrooms and Vegetables.
It is priced at $3.99 a meal, and has 600 mg sodium, and weighs in dry at 2.4 ounces. Very, very light.
The ingredient list: WHEAT NOODLES (WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, EGG POWDER, SPICES), YEAST EXTRACT, FREEZE DRIED CORN, FREEZE DRIED MUSHROOMS, FREEZE DRIED GREEN BEANS, SPICES.
The other one? They have it in gluten-free at $6.49 a meal. So you have options.
Not too brothy, it is satisfying. The noodles are not greasy cheap ramen. It fills you up but you don’t feel like you sucked a salt bowl down. Plenty of vegetables. A winner to eat. You could add in diced up jerky with the hot water for meat, or add in a peeled and chopped up hard boiled egg, for more protein.
It is $12.99 per meal. It is a 2 serving meal, though larger appetites could eat it all, due to being vegetarian. Per serving it has a low 600 mg sodium, and 380 calories. If you eat meat, I would suggest adding in some chicken if it is a 2 person meal.
The ingredient list: ROTINI NOODLES (SEMOLINA (WHEAT), DURUM FLOUR (WHEAT), NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), DRIED TOMATO, HULLED HEMP SEED, PARMESAN CHEESE ((PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), CELLULOSE POWDER, POTASSIUM SORBATE), DRIED CARROTS, FREEZE DRIED BROCCOLI, DRIED GREEN BELL PEPPER, ONION, FREEZE DRIED MUSHROOMS, FREEZE DRIED ZUCCHINI, DRIED SPINACH, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, GARLIC, SPICES.
It’s not often you find backpacking meals with hemp seeds, unless you make the meal yourself. I am a huge fan of hemp seeds, because it tends to be allergy safe as a nut and seed alternative (what can hemp not do??). The seeds give a pleasant buttery crunch between the teeth. Lots of vegetables and a flavorful broth sauce. The pasta had a slightly odd texture, but that is just how dried pasta can be. Not unpleasant, just sticks to the teeth a bit.
I enjoyed the meal and found it filling.
Afterthoughts:
Both meals were winners – easy to prep, just add boiling water and let rest. They were brothy, rather than bogged down with starches to thicken. Reasonable sodium. The only note is be careful with the bags. They are lower cut/wider. This makes for easy eating (no sticking your hand in a deep bag) but just be careful when zipping them up after adding the water. Do this with the bag on the ground, not on your lap!
~Sarah
Cool! Thanks for the review. I’m always curious about these meals but often scared to end up 20kms from my car with a disappointing bag of noodle mush. Greatly appreciated