On Track Meals – Reviewed & Tested

On one of the coldest nights of the year, the We Are Explorers team huddled under a tarp at the base of The Castle in NSW, each cooking an On Track Meal for their dinner in cold weather. Were they as delicious as they are nutritious?

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants, for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Why are we the right people to do this review?

The We Are Explorers team love spending time outdoors. Every Monday we catch up to chat about our weekends and without fail there are tales of every kind of adventure from hikes, bike rides, marathons, snorkelling, and so much more. Froth is high.

We need a lot of fuel to power our adventures and over the years we’ve experimented with a tonne of different hiking meals and produced great articles about food for the outdoors. We’ve got trail runners, cyclists, hikers, and snorkellers on our team, and I’m a practising nutritionist. Together we’re more than qualified to tell a good food choice from a bad one.

Dark night, delicious dinner, and deep chats

Who is On Track Meals?

When you prepare your own food for overnight trips you can tailor everything to your taste preferences and use high-quality ingredients, but this takes a lot of time and knowledge.

On Track Meals provides fresh, ready-to-eat meals designed for adventurers, hikers, and anyone seeking convenience and home-cooked nutrition in one package. Unlike freeze-dried or dehydrated options, their mostly gluten-free meals retain the fresh taste of real food without relying on preservatives.

Using locally sourced Australian ingredients, On Track Meals are packed in retort pouches, preserving nutrients and flavour for up to three years without refrigeration. Many meals are halal-suitable, offering a rare option in the outdoor food market. Easy to prepare, they’re a tasty and practical solution for overnight hikers.

The bags are tough & survived a plane trip and shuffling through backpacks before reaching our camp

What to Look for in Hiking Food

Your ideal hiking meal depends on your trip – whether car camping, overnight hiking, or multi-day trekking. Key factors include price, weight, energy needs, cooking utensils, cold vs hot weather, and personal taste.

Fresh fruit is energising but heavy, while lightweight options like sachets of soy sauce, curry powder, hot chocolate, and powdered milk add flavour and morale without much extra weight.

Decide whether you prefer fresh pre-packaged, freeze-dried, or dehydrated foods before you start shopping. Check out my full comparison of top freeze-dried, dehydrated, and pre-cooked meal options for more details.

The best food looks appealing, tastes good, and is nutritious

Our Review Process

On Track sent us ten meals and two desserts to review. To speed things up, I enlisted my colleagues during our latest team hike — because food always tastes better outdoors.

We rated each meal based on taste, texture, aroma, and aftertaste, giving a final score out of 5 (0 = awful, 5 = amazing).

Macronutrient info is listed per serving, but in our FAQ, we’ve used per 100g measures for easier comparison of nutritional value and cost.

Preparation & Cooking

After preparing On Track food for both an evening meal and a couple of sneaky breakfasts, we unanimously agreed that they’re super simple to prepare. Just drop the unopened packet into boiling water for 3-5 minutes, pull it out, unzip, and dig in — no risk of burning the bag on the bottom of your pot.

Note that you’ll need a carb side (like Debs potato, pasta, or this potato and pumpkin combo from On Track) to make it a complete meal. If you only have one pot, you’ll need to set the meal aside while cooking the carb, which may cause it to cool slightly. We found the quickest carb to pair was Debs as you can rehydrate it using the same water you boiled for the meal.

At 250g per sachet, they On Track meals on the heavy side, and don’t forget to factor in the weight of your extra carbs. Let’s dive into the reviews!

We added Deb potato or wraps to bulk up each meal. Other great options are couscous and instant rice or pasta

On Track Hiking Meals Reviewed & Compared

On Track Meals Tender Lamb & Pearl Barley

RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 15.2g/13.5g/16.3g/255.74

Henry was a big fan

Meal Overview

Interestingly this is a complete meal that includes the carbohydrates so On Track doesn’t recommend bringing an accompaniment. While the macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbs) are balanced, I wouldn’t say this is enough energy for a big day on the trail, though it’ll suit lighter eaters or people on shorter trips that are less physically taxing.

Flavour

Our head honcho Henry’s initial thoughts were that the On Track Tender Lamb & Pearl Barley was ‘a little bit liquidy’, but after giving it a bit more time, he ‘had some of the most beautiful pieces of meat I’ve had in my mouth in some time’. He described the texture as perfect – ‘it was really really good’. He can confirm that this meal pairs well with Deb… and goon.

Henry said: ‘I’ve never had pearl barley before but I can attest to how brilliant that is now.’

On Track Meals Bean Bolognese

Dietary considerations: Vegan
RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 3/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 34.1g/7g/63.8g/468.5

The protein content is huuuuuge for a pre-cooked vego meal

Meal Overview

The Bean Bolognese by On Track Meals provides a hefty 34g of protein per serve and almost 64g of carbohydrates. Even without adding a carbohydrate to pair with the sauce, that’s really good value for a vegetarian meal and great to see.

Flavour

Jack, our resident vegetarian and Head of Social & Community, was perfectly happy eating this one for dinner and described the flavour as generally good. But it wasn’t mind-blowing.

The beans were super soft and had a melt-in-your-mouth quality, but the mouthfeel was a bit same-ish. Jack paired it with Debs potato and found the potato was similar in texture and overwhelmed the sauce.

Overall, the bean bolognese was a hearty treat after a hard day hiking uphill, but it’s not a meal he’d make a specific trip to the shops to buy again.

Jack said: ‘Pair this one with pasta’.

On Track Meals Chickpea Curry

Dietary considerations: Vegan & Gluten-free
RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 3.5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 14.9g/11.2g/40.8g/346.56

This one scored really well

Meal Overview

The Chickpea Curry by On Track Meals provides 14.9g of protein and just under 41g of carbohydrate per serve, which is less than half the protein and only two-thirds of the carbohydrate provided by the bean bolognese. The best way to apply this knowledge is to reserve the bolognese for tougher days on the trail and the chickpea curry for easier ones.

Flavour

Our Editor Amy rated this as very flavourful – always a good sign with a curry. It was spicier than she was anticipating for a curry rated as ‘medium spice’ but that was a good thing.

She commented that it definitely needed the accompaniment of the potato or she wouldn’t have been full. Paired with the potato the meal was quite baby-food-like in texture, but it was her favourite when compared with the On Track Mild Chilli Con Carne meal she had on the second night of the hiking trip.

Amy said: ‘Would definitely buy this again! It was my fav by far!’

On Track Meals Slow Cooked Australian Steak

RRP: $17.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 200g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 42.5g/8.8g/5.6g/272.47

Tim was the envy of the group with this meal from the premium range

Meal Overview

It’s not every day you can buy a fresh steak for the trail that doesn’t need to be refrigerated and isn’t absolutely bursting with preservatives. The On Track Meals Slow Cooked Australian Steak is part of the premium range, and you’ll note it’s priced accordingly. While the serving size is 50g lower than the rest of their meals, it has a whopping 42.5g of exceptionally high-quality protein per serve. It only has a tiny 5.6g of carbohydrates, so adding your side is important for energy. This meal has the most sodium by far – it exceeds the daily recommended limit – so ensuring you stay hydrated is extra important if this is your dinner.

Flavour

Squeezing the steak out of the pack, our MD Tim, initially wasn’t so sure about the Slow Cooked Australian Steak. The gravy was all dark, and stuck at one end. But his reservations evaporated when he cut into it.

The meat was super tender, delicious, and fell apart in his mouth. The gravy was peppery and warm, but hard to mix well so he got big clumps of flavour every couple of bites. He found needing to prepare carbohydrates to pair it with a hassle and reckons the gravy would be nicer if it came in a seperate packet.

Overall, this was a very nice steak – especially when accompanied with wine in a plastic Sea to Summit cup!

Tim said: ‘It might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten on the trail.’

On Track Meals Mild Chilli Con Carne

RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 2.5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 27.5g/12.9g/32.5g/396.75

Tip: Put the packet in the pot when you pour the water in, take it out while you boil the water, then add the packet back for 3-5 minutes to heat it most efficiently

Meal Overview

This meal has a relatively even balance of protein and carbohydrates, which makes it a good all rounder for everything from day hikes to multi-day trips. It’s got minimal spice, and a soft texture, so it makes a great choice for kids. Fat has more than double the calories per gram compared to carbohydrates and protein, which is great for sustained energy but it can be deceptive as while you’re getting enough energy, it doesn’t feel like you’re eating as much food at the time.

Flavour

Our Editor Amy initially rated the flavour of the On Track Mild Chilli Con Carne as ‘fine, but like, nothing crazy’ – not too compelling! By the end of the meal her rating had improved slightly to ‘pretty tasty’.

She couldn’t identify any specific mince in the mix and commented that it didn’t look like it did on the packet. As a caveat, this meal was consumed in the dark by the light of head torches, which could have played a role.

Overall it was all very soft and mushy, with a few defined beans.

Amy said: ‘It went down really easily but I had it with a lot of Deb, and it needed it to be an adequate meal size.’

On Track Meals Spicy Mexican Beans

Dietary considerations: Vegan & Gluten-free
RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 3/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 30.9g/6.2g/59.4g/473.23

If you’re chasing a lighter option than Debs or rice, try a wrap instead

Meal Overview

This is another meal with almost double the carbohydrates to protein. This combination ensures good energy levels over time, and enough protein for excellent muscle recovery. The 6.2g of fat delivers energy more slowly than carbohydrates and these nutrients work in tandem to ensure better endurance throughout your day. The fats are on the lower side, but this is a great option for hikers who perform better on higher carbohydrates.

Flavour

Our Senior Sales and Partnerships Manager, Julia said that the On Track Spicy Mexican Beans had a pretty solid tomato-ey base and was super flavourful, despite it not being a flavour she’d typically select. She ate the Spicy Mexican Beans in a wrap and thinks that definitely elevated the experience.

She found the beans to be quite noticeably wet in the mixture, which was odd. Once she moved past the surprise of the additional moisture she said they were quite good.

Overall she was really impressed with On Track Meals and was jealously eyeing off Tim’s Australian steak!

Julia said: ‘I wouldn’t buy this meal again because I prefer to travel light and I think they’re just too heavy when you need to factor in bringing carbohydrates to pair them with.’

On Track Meals Sweet and Sour Pork

Dietary considerations: Gluten-free
RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 33.7g/22.3g/20.8g/430.21

Choose a carb that’ll soak up some of the sauce for this one

Meal Overview

The Sweet and Sour Pork has high protein, balanced fats, and a moderate amount of carbs. It’s a great choice for bigger days on the trail as it will support muscle recovery well. This amount of fats will also help support cognitive functioning (fats are great for your brain!) as well as ensure longer energy provision over time. The carbs are on the lower end so focus on carb-heavy snacks throughout your day and a good pasta to go with it.

Flavour

Our Campaign Producer Tom said this tasted pretty much exactly how he expected it to from reading the title. He said to expect saucy, big chunks of flavourful meat that resemble a slow-cooked casserole.

He was particularly impressed by the amount and sizes of the pork included and recommends rice or potato to help soak up some of the sauce for optimum texture.

Tom said: ‘Sweet and sour flavouring can be a bit divisive, so if you’re not a huge fan of that flavour don’t go for it, but having said that I was doubtful and I really enjoyed it.’

On Track Meals Beef Bolognese

Dietary considerations: Gluten-free
RRP: $13.95
Packed Weight: 250g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 22.7g/9.1g/8g/217.26

If you told me my Mum had made it, I wouldn’t have argued

Meal Overview

The Beef Bolognese by On Track Meals was cooked in Australia from 61% fresh Aussie ingredients. It has lower energy and protein per serve than I’d expect from a beef bolognese (especially compared with the bean bolognese!), but it’s still more than sufficient for a dinner on an overnight hike or longer walks as a lunch, provided you have a generous serving of carbohydrates (like pasta!) with it. On Track Meals recommends this.

Flavour

Aside from the odd texture, this could have been made in my own home. The flavour was full, the meat tasted and looked like real meat, and it smelt like spaghetti bolognese. If we buy bolognese, this is what we expect to eat. Unfortunately, the texture was quite gritty. It didn’t make it taste bad, but it was distracting and very noticeable. The sauce was also quite watery – unnoticeable with Debs potato as an accompaniment, but it meant the sauce slid off the pasta and the last mouthful was watery sauce.

Jess said: ‘Nice sauce, but it was grainy, which was hard to ignore.’

On Track Meals Coconut Ginger Chicken

RRP: $13.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 30.5g/37.8g/8.5g/504.3

This meal is hefty! If you’ve got a big appetite this one is the best bang for buck

Meal Overview

The Coconut Ginger Chicken is a seriously energy-dense food option compared to the rest of the range. Anna had this on the first day of camp before doing any hiking and couldn’t finish it. It’s rich in healthy fats, and high in protein, which are both awesome for supporting your body after a big day hiking. When you’re unsure how much food you’ll need on the trail, this would be an excellent option to ensure you don’t go hungry.

Flavour

Our Head of Campaigns, Anna described this meal as not too spicy but with a little kick. There’s a hint of citrus but mostly has a creamy coconut taste. The chicken fell apart in her mouth and the texture was super smooth in a good way.

The Debs she paired it with was thicker than the sauce, but it paired well. The only improvement she’d like to see is the addition of more vegetables.

Anna said: ‘100% would buy this. It’s just delicious.’

On Track Meals All Day Breakfast

RRP: $14.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 250g
Flavour: 4/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 16.5g/20g/13.8g/308.32

The textures in this pot were incredible. Incredible.

Meal Overview

The All Day Breakfast from the On Track Premium Range is another balanced all-rounder but you’ll notice it’s lower in energy, protein, and carbohydrates with higher fats. This is great for brekky because it’ll provide you with enough energy to get going (carbs), sustained fuel for hours (fats), and protein to support hard-working muscles.

Many hikers can feel sluggish on hikes after a big meal, so the smaller total energy is likely to help your comfort during your walk. Ensure you carry and eat snack foods along the way, and pair it with a generous lunch for maximum benefit.

Flavour

This definitely didn’t look visually appealing, so people who eat with their eyes may struggle initially, but this provided welcome warmth in cold weather. The texture was varied thanks to all the different components – big mushies, succulent potato, fresh beans, rich sausage, and delightfully fatty chorizo smoked bacon.

I don’t normally eat a meal of this size for breakfast, preferring a bigger lunch, but I’d absolutely make an exception for this.

Jess said: ‘I don’t know how they’ve done it, but the roasted potato is somehow even better than Debs.’

On Track Meals Coconut Rice Pudding

Dietary considerations: Vegan & Gluten-free
RRP: $9.95
Packed weight: 200g
Serving size: 100g (200g in the packet, serves two)
Flavour: 5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy (cal): 2.2g/12g/16.8g/241.40

As a disclaimer, you can eat these directly from the bag with a long-handled spoon, but it was easier to put it into pots to show each meal

Meal Overview

This combination of high fats and protein ensures sustained energy, which your body can use for repair and recovery without a sugar crash often associated with desserts. The high overall calories make the Coconut Rice Pudding a great option for people who struggle to eat enough on the trail, and the arborio rice is filling. Note that one packet is enough for two servings – though it tastes so good you might not want to share!

Flavour

I was fully prepared to hate this meal. The recommended suggestion to pair a rice pudding with potato seemed weird, and I’ve always associated hiking desserts with sickly artificial sweetness. I couldn’t have been more surprised when I had my first bite and found it was subtly sweet, with a gorgeous creamy coconut flavour.

It was a nice treat after one of my shorter hikes after the team trip, and in no way resembled the overly sweet dehydrated meals I’ve had for dessert previously. It might be just me, but I also love when I can take food that doesn’t require additions like powdered milk or extra seasoning to make it palatable.

It was phenomenal paired with the potato and needs it to balance out the sweetness. It still tasted good solo, but the Debs took it to new heights. Make sure to stir them together. Hands down the best dessert I’ve had in the outdoors so far.

Jess said: ‘I don’t want to feel like I’m eating fake food and I definitely didn’t with this. It was amazing!’

On Track Meals Coffee Infused Rice Pudding

Dietary considerations: Vegan & gluten-free
RRP: $9.95
Packed weight: 250g
Serving size: 100g (200g in the packet, serves two)
Flavour: 3.5/5
Protein/Fats/Carbs/Energy(cal): 2.4g/19.8g/14.1g/241.40

On Track recommends eating this without an accompaniment, but we found it tasted more balanced with Deb. Can also recommend stirring as it doesn’t look that appealing straight out of the bag!

Meal Overview

The first ingredient listed in the Coffee Infused Rice Pudding is ‘Cream, made up of: Cream (35% milk fat), gelatin (halal), stabiliser (407a), and emulsifier (471)’. This certainly isn’t the worst first item on an ingredient list I’ve seen, but I never like seeing E-numbers like that stabiliser and emulsifier as they indicate artificial flavours are more likely. By comparison, the first ingredient listed for the Coconut Rice Pudding was ‘Coconut Cream (47%), made up of 99.9% Coconut cream, and less than .01% stabilisers – much better.

Flavour

On Track recommends eating this with no accompaniment, but I couldn’t finish it. As a caveat, I’m not a coffee drinker so I had my coffee-obsessed partner Farris try it too. He also found it artificially sweet. He ended up pairing it with Debs and finished it, but the potato was necessary to reduce the artificial taste. We agreed it was ok, but if you like sweet treats there’s every chance you’ll love it.

Farris said: ‘It tasted like I was eating coffee and it took a while for my brain to catch up. If you like coffee you need to try it – it’s an experience. I’ve finished it and still feel confused about what I just ate.’

FAQs On Track Meals

Why don’t On Track Meals include a carbohydrate?

We reached out to On Track to ask about this and loved their response. They said that, with the exception of the Lamb & Pearl Barley, they chose to make all their meals gluten-free to ensure everyone in their wide customer base can enjoy them. By keeping carbs separate, it makes these meals versatile when catering group trips with different dietary requirements. Makes sense!

Which meals had the most sodium per 100g?

The Slow Cooked Australian Steak had at least four times more sodium than every other meal in the range, with a whopping 4,690mg per serve. It’s not recommended to exceed the upper limit of 2,300mg of sodium per day, so it surprised me to see such a high number from a brand otherwise ticking just about every criteria for nutritionally balanced meals. Interestingly, Tim didn’t comment that it was salty.

If you’re going to eat this delicious steak, save it for a physically demanding day when you need to replenish salt anyway and ensure you hit your required fluids for the days surrounding the meal. The rest of the meals fell within the daily recommended intake range.

How did each hiking meal compare in terms of the sugary stuff?

I was expecting the dessert to have the highest amount of sugar but I was very, very wrong – that title went to the Chickpea Curry. It’s still less than 5g per 100g (commonly used indicator to select low-sugar food) so on this basis, every single meal in this range is considered a fantastic option.

On Track Meals Chickpea Curry – 10.2g/serve | 4.08g/100g

On Track Meals Bean Bolognese – 9.2g/serve | 3.68g/100g

On Track Meals Spicy Mexican Beans – 9.1g/serve | 3.64g/100g

On Track Meals Mild Chilli Con Carne – 7g/serve | 2.8g/100g

On Track Meals Sweet and Sour Pork – 6.8g/serve | 2.72g/100g

On Track Meals Beef Bolognese – 5.6g/serve | 2.24g/100g

On Track Meals Coconut Rice Pudding – 5.7g/serve | 2.85g/100g

On Track Meals Coconut Ginger Chicken – 2.4g/serve | 0.96g/100g

On Track Meals All Day Breakfast – 3.9g/serve | 1.56g/100g

On Track Meals Tender Lamb & Pearl Barley – 3.8g/serve | 1.52g/100g

On Track Meals Slow Cooked Australian Steak – 1.8g/serve | 0.9g/100g

What are sulphites?

If you’re as beady-eyed as me when you read a product label, you’ll notice that all of these meals contain sulphites. These are a preservative compound pretty commonly used in food production to inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mould over time. It’s not an ingredient to be overly concerned about, but it must be listed on the packet as some consumers are sensitive to sulphites.