Summit to Eat
Product Review
Freeze dried adventure food for camping, hiking and expeditions
We have been approached by a number of product suppliers since we began our little community, well its actually not that little now! We’ve been very selective with those that we choose to align with as its incredibly important to us that we recommend quality to those that follow On the Adventure Trails - Scotland. We are however delighted to announce that we have become brand ambassadors for Summit To Eat, a supplier of freeze-dried adventure food. As such, our very first product review hopes to help you identify the benefits that we have from a good hearty adventure meal. Of course it helps with brand awareness for Summit to Eat but more importantly we hope it will help you!
We asked for some of the New Big Pack Meals to try out, and were keen to try out one of the Summit to Top selections. Honestly, we thought all we were getting was a larger quantity of food, but actually its changed the way we plan our meals, you’ll see what we mean!
Okay, lets get started…
New Big Pack and Summit to Top Selections
As we said, we couldn’t really see us using the Summit to Top selections, the standard size packs were enough for us individually. However, now that the big packs have come out the option to use the big packs in conjunction with the toppers has given us a new direction in terms of planning the menu for our adventures. Putting it simply, what’s important to us is energy return, weight and space. We don't need to know the intricate details.
We first tried the big packs on our last adventure, packrafting and summit camping on Suilven. Film - Click Here: Suilven summit camp.
We had both the smaller, standard sized packs and the new big pack but we also tried the Summit to Top - Vegetable Selection. This contained caramalised red onion, green beans and grilled mixed peppers in three separate bags. What we found was that by using the new big pack and adding additional vegetables we actually made a meal for two! How romantic eh! The great thing about the toppers is that you can add as much as you want from each of the packets and reseal them ready for your next meal. Not only did they add volume to the meal, they were exceptionally tasty and complimented the main meal well, we had it with chicken fried rice. One set of toppers will last you a few meals, unless you are super hungry! Love that concept.
Main Meal - BIG Pack
Summit to Top - Vegetable Selection
Before we go any further, Freeze-dried, how does that work ?? Have a look…
Okay, back to what we think, that's the important part…
Practicality
How practical is using Summit to Eat food. Using a freeze-dried option means that you can boil water, fill to the line which is clearly marked inside, seal it up - I put it in my jacket which keeps me and the meal warm, wait for 8-10 minutes, give it a good stir. Then just enjoy.
A quick stop for a spot of lunch
The alternative to freeze-dried options are hydrated food packs, wet food, this means that you have more weight to carry. The weight difference can vary but on average you are looking at Summit to Eat meals weighing either (Dry): 136g for the small pack and (Dry): 186g for the new BIG pack. The Summit to Top selections are a fraction of that weight. Hydrated or wet food is
significantly more weighty in compression, on average weighing around (wet): 300g. The heating options for most of these wet option meals are either, empty the content into a pot and heat on your stove, or place the pouch, unopened into boiling water for 7-8 minutes. I often find that you need to boil it for longer in order to really heat it through. It’s often stated by manufacturers that emptying the contents into a pot brings out the best flavours…hhmmm, dirty pots and more stove fuel used. Freeze-dried is suddenly becoming the more attractive option!
What is the shelf life of Summit To Eat Products?
Summit to Eat state that “Based on storage studies conducted over many years, our shelf life is at least 7 years from the date of manufacture if stored properly. For best results, we recommend the pouches be stored unopened in a cool dry area. For more information about our shelf life, please click on product shelf life.
Fruit, savoury and cheese pouches only have a 2 years shelf life from the date of manufacture if stored properly.”
Calories count, you just need them
We really did burn a bucket load of calories on that adventure as you’ll see from the film. Once we had set up our campsite it was time to recharge. Soon after eating we were ready to explore Suilven, both of us were more than full and feeling back in the game after the meal we put together.
It’s extremely important to consider that meals for physically demanding adventures need to provide sufficient energy. Food needs to be high calorie and high in carbohydrates. It must also be light and easy to digest, especially in the morning before you start the next leg of your adventure.
Now, we aren't nutritional experts by any stretch of the imagination but I know from experience that some food you choose to adventure with isn't actually going to give you the calorie intake you need. Its for that reason that we go with the experts who produce meals bursting with carbohydrates and protein to give you the energy you need, it also helps that the food tastes great.
Suilven Wild Camp, brew and dinner time!
Its recommend that we consider a menu of around 2500-3000 calories worth of protein and carb rich food. That's a lot of conventional food, faff, and weight! Lets take the Summit to Eat standard pack size and see what a days food will give us.
Meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner and, if you can manage, desert! This menu will provide you with roughly 2000 of the calories you may need to keep pushing on.
Don’t forget, the Big Packs hold around 1000 calories each alone, then there’s the calorie value of the Summit to Top selections. Perfect if you want to share with your adventure buddy.
Part of the ingredient that keeps you safe whilst on adventure is that you are fit and strong, both physically and mentally. Calorie deficient people quickly begin to make wrong choices and begin to physically struggle. Good nutrition is extremely important for your own safety and that of your group.
Incidentally, the total weight for ALL four STE meals is: 422g
A ‘Full Monty’ canned breakfast alone weighs: 395g
No contest on the weight and calorie count!
Taking care of your adventure environment
This isn't unique to Summit to Eat but we feel it’s important to note. The good thing with using this kind of food during your adventure is that when you have finished with the packaging you can simply put the rubbish, teabags, wrappers and food waste back in the Summit to Eat bag then reseal it. Then you can put it all in a clear bag, it stays clean which makes that bag reusable for your next adventure.
The alternative is that you have food packaging such as tins and plastics that are dirty from food etc. This takes up space, adds weight that you wouldn't normally have if you chose to use Summit to Eat options. So, the long and sort of that is that our kit stays clean, the environment is protected and makes it easy to ethically dispose of rubbish. Carry it in, Carry it OUT !
Value for money
So, this is very much a hot topic on many social media forums and groups. Yes, its true that you do need to dip a little deeper into your pocket and it can get a bit pricey, depending on how you’d like to structure your menu and what the duration of that adventure is. This is true when choosing ANY prepared adventure meal product. BUT…read on..
We firmly believe that Summit to Eat meals provide value in a number of non ££ terms.
The weight reduction of your kit is often priceless. We’ve all had that horrendous feeling, you know, the ‘having a tough day physically’ feeling! You wish you had less weight on your back. In most cases conventional food is often the main contributor of excessive rucksack weight! Using this product will drastically reduce the weight and space taken up in your kit.
The simplicity of its preparation in terms of time, fuel and faff factor required to prepare your meal is minimal. Also, the calories available to you have been already calculated to provide you with what you need to recharge and sustain your physical performance, Summit to Eat has worked all that out for you.
Freeze dried food is always slightly more expensive than wet food but the benefits we’ve already spoken about far outweigh the negatives in our opinion.
The Summit to Eat range also comes out as being one of the best priced options on the market without compromising on quality! I’m sure you will see that once you start comparing! Don't forget about using the Big Packs and Toppers, this is also a way to get even better value for your hard earned cash.
What we would like to see
We have to say that we’ve now been using Summit to Eat for quite a while and feel that we have found our option. There are a couple of points we think could improve the product, these are almost personal preference but we think these would really improve an already awesome product.
It would be good to see the fill line information on the back printed BIG and BOLD, just the letter. I wear glasses for reading and whilst out adventuring I prefer not to have to use them. Also, when in dark or low light conditions it can be a little difficult to read. Nothing worse than turning a good meal into soup by accident.
While the range is excellent and varied we would like to see at least one other hot breakfast option.
We think it would be nice to have a slightly wider and less tall packet. This would allow a shallower dip into the bag for using with a standard, commonly used Spork length. Thus keeping your hands and other kit clean while devouring your meal.
The purchase process
As far as ordering goes, it’s one of those that’s standard, there’s no complicated order process. What we will say is that we ordered on the Friday and it dropped on our doorstep on the Monday morning, couldn't have asked for more.
Shipping within the UK - Free shipping on orders over £25.00, Orders under £25.00 have an £3.95 delivery charge, that's not really over the top.
Shipping within the EU, outside of the UK. Free shipping on orders over £45.00, Orders under £45.00 have an £18.00 delivery charge.
We have also seen the Summit to Eat product in most major outdoor retailers such as Tiso and Cotswold. That's another credible indication of a great product. Its always better to order direct in our opinion. More profit for the brand means more development of new products and improving its current range. Both you and they benefit, winner!
You can order through the Summit to Eat website, email or by calling. Joanne and the team will be ready to take care of your order and advise you on any questions you may have, they really are a friendly bunch.
Tel: +44 01772 654441
Email: joanne@europeanfreezedry.com
There are many things that we could have talked about but adventure food is always a matter of personal taste. We really do think Summit to Eat have got the product really well placed and the formula is certainly hitting the spot with us and would say, give it a try!
To find out more about the Summit to Eat’s range of freeze-dried adventure foods, take a look at their meals page, or contact them to speak to a member of the team, they really are happy to help.
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