Bear Vault Meal Plans

Steve Corso | April 26, 2022

As I started thinking about the 2022 season, I wanted to create some new meal plans to help with a huge and important part of any trip planning: the food.

MONTyBOCA currently has a nice selection of meal plans for differing lengths of trips and styles of eating at outdooreats.com but it was time to explore some new recipes.

I received a suggestion from a recipe tester that said,

“Hey…you know what would be great? A meal plan specifically for a bear can.”

Well, that’s an absolutely great idea!

As I thought more about this type of meal plan, I got excited (as I do for any new meal plan)!

Not only will these meal plans help keep folks safe in bear country (think Smoky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, Montana/Wyoming), but carrying a bear canister is a great way to stay organized on the trail for any destination.

But then the excitement shifted into the challenges of curating meal plans for this specific task. It’s no small feat to pack up meals for 2 people for 7 days and 6 nights in a limited area.

The other main challenge is that for the style of recipes, meal plans and cookbooks we create here at Outdoor Eats, we never use packaged meals.

So all the recipes that make it into our pack need to be fast, easy, tasty, fresh, and filling. Plus, most importantly, they need to fit in the BearVault.

Testing

For this project, I really wanted to get out there and test a meal plan of this style.

I enlisted one of my great buddies from culinary school, based in Austin, Texas, to help. I also wanted to test out a solid length of trip to really get the feel of how these meals held up and cooked up over multiple days.

So, we decided on Big Bend National Park this past Spring to test the first meal plan. 5 nights/6 days, mostly in the backcountry.

Factors to Consider

Equipment – which stove to bring

This is always the best first question as the stove dictates what recipes you can choose. I chose a Jetboil Stash. The pot is approximately 1 L and can easily cook up portions for two people and having a larger, squattier shape, it opened up the options for recipes. In comparison, a chimney style stove can cook many tasty meals, but it isn’t the best option for longer simmering or heavy stirring recipes as they can scorch on the bottom).

Water – will there be water along the way? Pack it in? Cache it?

The next important question is: what is the water situation? If water is available along your whole route, then you can literally cook anything. If it’s a challenge for the whole trip, even a few days, then selecting recipes that are lower in water is a good way to go. In some areas, you can pre-plan and cache some water in specific areas, which can help you stay hydrated and cook up tasty meals.

Weight

Any meal plan needs to be mindful of weight. I am packing up meals for 2 people over 5 days, and we decided to share the load for all the equipment. I carried the BearVault, TG carried our 2-person tent and stove/gas. Our total meal plan ended up being about 10 lbs.

Volume

This is INCREDIBLY important. The chosen ingredients must have a low volume. Tortillas are a better option than bread rolls. Dried cranberries are a better option than whole apples.

Ingredient/Menu Engineering

The next consideration I think about is how to reuse ingredients across different recipes throughout the trip. This helps with both shopping/provisioning and packing the meal plan. You need fewer items to make your full meal plan.

— Mashed potatoes can go from Loaded Mashed Potatoes to Holiday Bomb to Bravas Potatoes, completely changing the flavor. Or Dried Mango can go from Tropical Oatmeal in the morning, to Beef Mango fried rice in the evening.

— Dietary Restrictions/Preferences
And lastly, dietary restrictions and personal preferences are an important factor. Maybe someone doesn’t love tuna or blue cheese. Or can’t eat dairy.

Helpful Packing Tips

Every trip is different and every meal plan has its own needs. If you’re new to backpacking, check out our comprehensive guide!

Here are some helpful packing trips :

Repackage into larger bags to decrease volume.
(books are easier to pack than softballs)
Consider reusable ziplocs to save on waste. They clean up easily upon return.

Pack vertically to easily pull items out OR label and pack horizontally starting with your last day in the bottom and snacks/coffee on top

You can chose to label meals if you like or let the trail guide your meal choice.

Safety

Make sure to screw on and lock the BearVault after every use. (2 clicks)

Don’t leave the lid off so smells can wander

Don’t store it close to where you are camping. Walk it away from camp.

Where I Landed

Check out our YouTube video of our testing trip.

After returning to Austin, I made a few tweaks and got to work finding some great combinations of recipes for many lengths of trips, plus vegetarian options.

I am excited to share 9 new meal plans that all fit within a specific BearVault size.

All are available in the MonteBoca shop or by clicking the meal plans below!