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Freeze dried food on surf trips ?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 2:04 pm
by Ben79
Hey folks,

Just wondering if anyone here takes freeze dried food with them on surf trips? I started bringing a few packs when I did a week-long van trip up the coast (no fridge, no shops nearby), and honestly… not as bad as I thought. Some of them actually taste decent, especially after a long session when you're starving and can’t be bothered to cook proper food.
Had one evening where I nearly cried over a warm pouch of freeze dried chili, not because it was good, but 'cause I was cold, tired, and it just hit the spot. That said, some meals taste like cardboard or weird astronaut stuff. You guys got any recommendations? Or horror stories?
Do you even bother with that kind of stuff, or do you just live off granola bars and instant noodles?

Would love to hear what others do food-wise when you're chasing waves for days. Cheers!

Re: Freeze dried food on surf trips ?

PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2025 8:33 am
by Ben79
Just adding to my original post:
Anyone else tried pimping their freeze dried food a bit? Like chucking in some hot sauce, a cheeky bit of cheese, or even just a splash of olive oil? Had a packet curry the other night that was borderline tragic on its own, but with a bit of tinkering it actually became half decent. Not exactly gourmet, but better than living off Pot Noodles and stale cereal bars for three days straight.
Honestly, freeze dried food isn’t the worst when you’re knackered and everything’s damp. If anyone’s got go-to brands or tricks to make them less grim, give us a shout. Always keen to make van meals suck a bit less.

Re: Freeze dried food on surf trips ?

PostPosted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 7:30 pm
by oldmansurfer
I don't do surf trips but recently invested in some MREs and freeze dried food. If you want more than that bring stuff and cook it yourself. Some canned chili is decent as are a variety of canned soups or entrées. The MREs can be decent (but should be done outside the van if using the self heating packages) and some dehydrated food is decent as well. If you are a picky eater then it's more difficult to find stuff you like

Re: Freeze dried food on surf trips ?

PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2025 11:16 am
by Geezer
MRE’s carry the added benefit of almost guaranteed constipation which both alleviates & creates a different set of issues. Meals refusing to exit!!! LOL