Campers Pantry Freeze-Dried Hiking Food Range Reviewed & Tested

We got a food-obsessed hiker and nutritionist to taste-test a range of food from Campers Pantry. Jess shared what she liked and disliked, including some thoughts from fellow hikers she roped in along the way.

In the great outdoors, food isn’t just fuel, it’s often the highlight of the day and a reward for hard-won kilometres underfoot. While I’m slightly biased as a nutritionist, I reckon it’s well worth the time to investigate the food you plan on eating before you hit the trail itself. In the past few months, I’ve been eating my way through various hiking meals from different brands to figure out my favourite. The latest of these is Campers Pantry.

Shot by Lachlan Gardiner

Why am I the right person to do this review?

Aside from running my own hiking nutrition business in my spare time, I’m a frequent hiker who loves to eat. Meal times are what I spend my hours on the trail daydreaming about, and there’s nothing I hate more than carrying an unsatisfying meal. Especially if it’s rough on my guts.

I’ve tested many hiking meals, from dehydrated and freeze-dried to ready-made. I have the vocabulary to describe what I’m tasting, and am not shy about saying what I truly think.

Nothing’s better than a meal with a view

Who is Campers Pantry?

Campers Pantry is a relatively new (started in 2016), Aussie-owned company based in Launceston that’s on a mission to make the best-tasting, most nutritious freeze-dried, lightweight hiking food possible. Get in an email chain with their founder AJ, and you know immediately that you’re in the presence of someone passionate about their products. And who better to make your food than someone obsessed with quality?

You can buy their meals from their website as well as a bunch of great online adventure retailers like Snowy’s Outdoors and Wild Earth. The most convenient in-store stockist is Anaconda.

And they’ve just rolled out this snazzy dark packaging | Shot by Wilkography

How These Meals Have Been Reviewed

When it comes to taste I rate each meal, snack, and drink based on taste, texture, aroma, and aftertaste, giving a final flavour score out of 5 (0 = awful, 5 = amazing). Wherever possible I get multiple people to try each meal and collect their feedback too.

Macronutrient info is listed per serving which means you’ll get the listed amount of nutrients, like proteins and carbohydrates, if you finish the meal.

Preparation & Cooking

The meals from Campers Pantry are super easy to prepare, and are designed to be cooked and eaten from the pouch itself. The packaging of these meals is clever in that they’ve been vacuum-packed to pack down super small, and you can rip off (and recycle!) the cardboard label before you head out.

Once you rip off the top, the surprises keep coming – the meals are packed inside a paper bag, circa school lunch orders. If you’re more coordinated than I am, you can rip off the top then use the bag itself as a bowl, tipping 300ml of water in and roll the top over to let it rehydrate. It’s recommended to give it a stir after five minutes, then let it sit for another five.

You need to tip the food out of the paper bag and into the main bag before adding water

Aside from ripping way too low accidentally, I found the bottom of the packaging hard to sit flat and found that using a bowl or pot to pour it into instead worked better.

In theory, these minimise washing up and the packaging is designed to be as recyclable as it’s possible to be. The shorter packaging also means you don’t need to bring that long-handled spoon – ultralight hikers rejoice!

Campers Pantry Hiking Food Reviewed & Compared

Breakfast

Spicy Mexican Beans

RRP: $16.95
Packed weight: 100g
Cooked weight: 400g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy: 14.7g / 8g / 62g / 411 calories
Sodium: 1090mg
Ingredients: Five bean mix, rice, passata, roasted red capsicum, onion, vegetable oil, cumin, corn flour, chicken stock (no animal content), garlic, chilli, black pepper, salt, rosemary extract.

If you want to maximise space in your pack you can remove the cardboard sleeve before you head out

Nutrition

This Spicy Mexican Beans meal is made with 10.5% Australian ingredients and provides a hearty 411 calories per serving. The substantial 62g of carbohydrates will help you to start your day on the trail strong! You can eat this for dinner or lunch too, but it makes a great brekkie!

The 14.7g of protein from beans is beneficial for muscle repair and helps keep you feeling full, while the 8g of fats offer additional energy. The fibre from the beans is likely to aid digestion, which is always a plus if you’re eating mostly processed or pre-prepared meals.

Unfortunately, the sodium content is very high at 1090mg, over halfway to the maximum recommended intake for adults (2,000mg), which could turn out to be excessive if paired with other salty meals throughout the day. Additionally, the presence of allergens like wheat, gluten, egg, soy, nuts, and lupin may limit its suitability for some hikers.

With only 10.5% Australian ingredients, it’s not a top choice for those prioritising locally sourced foods. Overall, it’s a flavourful, filling option but best enjoyed in moderation due to its sodium level.

Immediately you can see real food

Flavour

The Spicy Mexican Beans meal is made up of rice with mixed beans, a roasted capsicum and tomato sauce with spices, and a pop of chilli. The dominating aroma and flavour was tomato, with strong spicy overtones. Despite the depth of flavour there wasn’t a lingering aftertaste, which was a relief. Nothing worse than tasting your brekkie for the next three hours. 

The consistency is similar to risotto and there isn’t a lot of distinction between the sauce itself and the rice, which’ll be a plus for some and a negative for others. Essentially, it goes down very easily and wasn’t too spicy for someone who normally avoids anything but the mildest option! This makes it a good choice for kids or the fussy eater in your group. 

Fazz said: ‘This would be an awesome choice for a winter meal. It’s very warming.’

Lunch

Indian Chicken Pilaf

RRP: $16.95
Packed weight: 100g
Serving size: 400g
Flavour: 5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy: 13.4g / 10.8g / 33.9g / 296 calories
Sodium: 455mg
Ingredients: Rice, chicken breast, tomatoes, green peas, onion, coconut powder, green beans, ginger, garlic, curry powder, vegetable oil, chicken stock, corn flour, salt, rosemary extract.

The bag is vacuum sealed so it takes up minimal space, but is densely packed so you can’t squish it around things

Nutrition

This Campers Pantry meal is made from 65% Australian ingredients and provides a balanced mix of protein, carbs, and fats. I had to be quite picky to try to find problems with it! The 13.4g of protein aids muscle recovery, while the 33.9g of carbs help replenish energy. The coconut-based fats offer quick-burning fuel, and the 296 calories make it a light, filling option.

The 455mg of sodium, can be considered to be a drawback if combined with other salty foods. For reference, 460mg of sodium is considered an adequate daily intake and represents about a ¼ of the maximum recommended intake. But! 455mg of sodium is a relatively low amount when it comes to premade hiking meals. If you’re working hard, you need to replenish sodium lost through sweat, so while initially you may baulk at the 455mg, it needs to be looked at in relation to the bigger picture. My point is, it isn’t a dealbreaker.

The rice absorbs the sauce well and there’s plenty of it if you want to add more rice or throw in some debs potato for more calories on bigger days

Flavour

The Indian Chicken Pilaf meal is made up of a basmati rice soaked in a fragrant coconut sauce with peas, green beans, and chicken pieces of varying textures. The peas and beans were a bit rubbery in places but we all agreed it wasn’t that bad and was a good compromise if it meant a light meal.

The sauce was really well balanced and the amount of chicken was generous – you could actually identify it in the sauce (rarer than you might think!). As a bonus, the chicken tasted and felt like real chicken when you chewed it. This makes a huge difference after days on the trail craving real tasting food.

My initial reaction: ‘100g of bloody excellent! The sauce is delicious and it smells so nice too – like it’s homemade.

Dinner

Chicken Cacciatore

RRP: $16.95
Packed weight: 80g
Serving size: 380g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy: 30g / 12.8g / 42.7g / 425 calories
Sodium: 861mg
Ingredients: Rice, chicken breast, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, tomato paste, onion, celery, vegetable oil, garlic, corn flour, chicken stock, black pepper, salt, mixed herbs, rosemary extract.

Ripping the top so you can use it like a bowl can be unpredictable so I’d recommend using a knife

Nutrition

This Chicken Cacciatore meal provides a generous 425 calories per serving, with a high protein content of 30g, which is excellent for muscle recovery and satiety on the trail. The 42.7g of carbs from rice and vegetables help replenish energy stores, while the 12.8g of fats provide a slower-burning energy source, contributing to sustained energy over time.

However, the 861mg of sodium content is a lot higher than I’d like, and could be a concern for those watching their salt intake, especially when combined with other salty foods throughout the day. The meal also contains common allergens (wheat, gluten, egg, soy, nuts, lupin), limiting its suitability for those with sensitivities.

The use of only 48% Australian ingredients may be a minor downside for those who prioritise local sourcing, but this is still higher than many of the food products on our shelves. Overall, it’s a nutritionally balanced but somewhat sodium-heavy choice for active hikers.

The sauce is more fully absorbed compared to the Indian Chicken Pilaf

Flavour

The Chicken Cacciatore meal has a base of rice with a rich tomato sauce, mushrooms, kalamata olives, and chicken pieces. It smells really appetising, mostly tomato with a hint of mushroom coming through. It wasn’t as flavoursome as the Indian Chicken Pilaf. Overall it’s got a pretty mild flavour, and was unanimously voted as ‘yummy’ by three taste-testers.

The texture is quite mushy. It absolutely feels like there’s slightly too much rice at times, but that could be down to lazy mixing. Granted, if there’s ever a time I’m going to be lazy mixing it’s at dinnertime after a big hike, but even with the shoddy mix, this was more than palatable.

Joanna said: ‘This is really tasty! It would be good on cold trips especially.’

Dessert

Freeze Dried Whiskey Ice Cream

RRP: $9.05
Packed weight: 50g
Serving size: 50g
Flavour: 5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy: 5.7g/ 16.5g / 22g  /270 calories
Sodium: 193mg
Ingredients: Milk, cream and/or butter, sugar, skim milk powder, fibre (inulin), whiskey (1%), dextrose, natural flavour, vanilla bean extract, coffee, emulsifier (471), stabilisers (cellulose, cellulose gum, carrageenan, tara gum, guar gum)

This indulgent dessert boasts a dash (or two) of single malt Tasmanian whiskey blended with a rich caramel sauce swirled through velvety Tasmanian ice cream, freeze-dried for you to enjoy on your favourite tracks and trails.

Unfortunately the packets aren’t resealable – I recommend taking a ziplock so you eat over multiple days

Nutrition

This freeze-dried whiskey ice cream, made from over 97% Australian ingredients, offers a rich, high-energy treat at 270 calories per serving, with a decent amount of fats (16.5g) for long-lasting energy on the trail. The moderate protein content (5.7g) adds a small recovery boost, and the 22g of carbs replenish what you’ve likely lost that day. Its 50g size makes it a compact, convenient dessert option.

On the downside, the presence of multiple stabilisers and emulsifiers (like cellulose, carrageenan, and guar gum) may be a problem for those prone to digestive discomfort. The sodium is on the high side again, but provided you’re keeping tabs on your intake, this isn’t a reason to avoid this snack.

Flavour

This dessert was brought to you by a collaboration between Campers Pantry and the iconic Tasmanian Van Diemans Land Creamery. If you’ve had their ice cream before, you’ll know this is something to be very, very, excited about. I was beyond psyched to try this trail snack – ice cold ice cream on a hike? Heck yes!

Alas, the ice-cream isn’t an item you need to rehydrate, but is ready to eat out of the packet, and is kind of like more-solid macaron chunks. Pushing my disappointment to one side I was able to come to terms with this devastating development.

The ice cream chunks are light and airy, and dissolve in your mouth. Fair warning – they do a great job at coating your teeth so having some water handy for a swish around afterwards is recommended.

This is what it looks like

Out of the Chocolate Gelato, Pepperberry & Leatherwood, and Whiskey flavours I shared with a group of hikers on a hot multi-day trail, the whiskey was the overwhelming favourite.

The whiskey ice cream was sweet and creamy, and tasted like caramel with just a dash of whiskey vibes throughout. It was a thoroughly unique experience and it was a fun novelty as most of us don’t normally take dessert.

One bag is enough for four or five people to share. We didn’t find it overly moreish, so if you’re hiking in a duo you could easily enjoy a few pieces over multiple nights on the trail, which improves the value for money slightly as these are about $9 a packet. 

Group consensus: ‘It kind of melts in your mouth and stays there. It’s definitely delicious but you don’t need a lot’.

Sustainability

Before deciding to go on a deep dive into the Campers Pantry website, I wasn’t aware of any sustainability initiatives. But, as it turns out, they’ve got their finger on the pulse. They’re just not shouting about it.

While they need to use the triple-layer mylar pouches to maintain product quality (which currently need to be binned in general waste), they’ve had conversations with Terracycle to figure out a better way to deal with the hard-to-recycle material. Production volume limitations have so far prevented a partnership. In the interim, they’ve produced an awesome list of ways to upcycle their meal packets.

Beyond packaging, Campers Pantry shares a kitchen with and supports the Tassie-based Loaves & Fishes program, which produces nutritious school lunches for underprivileged students. Profits from the partnership with Campers Pantry are fed back into the school lunches program and during school holidays staff switch from producing school meals, to producing Campers Pantry meals for hikers. It’s a great initiative to make the most of existing resources and people power. In the future, they aim to expand these efforts, providing meals to the homeless and offering mentorship to young chefs through outdoor activities.

Campers Pantry’s approach shows a deep-rooted commitment to community and sustainability.

The packaging has been through multiple iterations and there’s a new version already on the way | Shot by Lachlan Gardiner

Price

At $16.95 per meal, these are about what I’d expect to pay for a dehydrated hiking meal these days. While more gourmet brands like Alps & Amici command prices that are much higher, most brands on the market hover in the mid-teens for pricing. These aren’t cheap, but they also shouldn’t be.

While I’ve never loved paying this much for a single meal I have to effectively make myself, you can’t argue with the price once you understand how much research and development goes into the curation of them. It’s a small price to pay for a meal you can cook in the middle of nowhere that’s nutritionally balanced, tastes good, and doesn’t set your stomach cartwheeling.

The $9 price tag on the dehydrated ice cream does feel a bit much though. I’d say the price is a result of the small production runs typical of a small business, but it is more than I’d happily part with for a dessert or trail snack, unless it was for sharing amongst a group. 

Final Thoughts

The Campers Pantry range offers a fantastic blend of convenience, taste, and nutrition, making it an excellent choice for the trail. The meals are the lightest I’ve come across and if I had to choose any brand at this point in time to take on the trail with me, it’d be Campers Pantry.

I trust the ingredients are good. I like that my money is going towards a smaller Aussie business that’s doing everything it can to be sustainable and provide nutritious food, and it tastes great!

The main downsides I see are that most meals may contain the common potential allergens of wheat, gluten, soy, and nuts, limiting their suitability for some hikers. And the sodium levels in some meals are quite high. Realistically though, sodium is high in most purchased hiking meals and as consumers we have to exercise some level of responsibility in choosing food to suit our needs.

What do you think of their meals? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Campers Pantry FAQs

What other food does Campers Pantry have?

Campers Pantry has a variety of other food on offer, including meals like Penne Bolognaise and the Cauliflower & Pea Dahl. They also have marshmallows!

How can I tell quickly if a meal is healthy?

If you don’t know how to read a food label or determine if an ingredient is a goodie or a baddie, the Yuka App is a great option. It allows you to scan product barcodes for a health overview of the ingredients, even providing a rating and traffic light system code if you just want a quick glance for a yes/no verdict.

What types of meals does Campers Pantry offer?

Campers Pantry provides a variety of freeze-dried meals, including options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Some are suitable for vegetarians.

How do you prepare Campers Pantry meals?

Simply add boiling water to the meal pouch, seal it, and let it sit for ten minutes until fully rehydrated. For best results you should stir it after five minutes or so.

What flavours of freeze-dried ice cream are available?

Aside from the chocolate, whiskey, and pepperberry & leatherwood flavours I already mentioned, Campers Pantry have recently released Banana Ice Cream, Cafe Latte Ice Cream, and Raspberry Ice Cream.

Want more outdoor meal reviews?

• Offgrid Provisions Range Reviewed & Tested
• Hiking Meals Comparison: Pre-Cooked, Dehydrated & Freeze Dried
• Radix Nutrition Breakfast and Protein Powder – Reviewed & Tested
• On Track Meals – Reviewed & Tested

Feature image and Table of Contents image by Lachlan Gardiner