Skip to content 
Wise Foods Vs Mountain House Vs Backpackers Pantry
When it’s time to set up camp for the night or you need a quick meal on the trail, freeze dried meals can make it easy and quick to get the nutrition you need to keep strong while out in the wild.
Freeze dried meals are also great for emergency preparedness in case of bad weather or power outages.
All you have to do is heat some water, and add it to the food. You can also use cold water if you don’t have a way to heat any via a single burner or even a candle.
Mountain House, Backpackers Pantry, and Wise Foods are three companies that have a variety of such meals available to choose from so that you’re never without a hot meal when you’re away from civilization.
This product review compares three types of freeze-dried lasagna meals, one from each company.
The first meal is from Mountain House, and it is lasagna with meat sauce. The second is vegetarian lasagna from Backpackers Pantry, and the last is cheesy lasagna from Wise Foods.
While it’s impossible to directly compare the three different meals, you can get a good idea of the nutritional value and taste of each before you buy them.
Additionally, you’ll be able to do a general comparison of the quality of lasagna between the three companies.
Quick Comparison: Mountain House Vs Backpackers Pantry Vs Wise Foods
| Product | Calories per package | Calories per ounce | Preparation | Texture | Taste |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1. Mountain House Lasagna with Meat Sauce Our Best Pick  Check Price | 2.5 servings - 600 | 108.6 | 8-9 minutes | Best | 5 stars - best |
#2. Backpackers Pantry Vegetarian Lasagna Check Price | 2 servings 760 | 123.3 | 15-20 minutes | Better | 2.5 stars - worst |
#3. Wise Foods Cheesy Lasagna Check Price | 2 servings - 740 | 125 | 12-15 minutes | Runny - worst | 4-4.5 stars, depending on rater “ better |
Nutrition
The serving sizes between the three meals are about the same. Mountain House has the most servings at 2.5 per package for its lasagna with meat sauce.
Backpackers Pantry and Wise Foods have two servings each of vegetarian lasagna and cheesy lasagna, respectively, in their packages.
The calories per package are as follows: Mountain House – 600, Backpackers Pantry -760, Wise Foods – 740. Carbohydrates per meal are 72.5 g for Mountain house, 110 g for Backpackers Pantry, and 88 g for Wise Foods. Protein is 35 g for Mountain House, 44 g for Backpackers Pantry, and 32 g for Wise Foods.
Fat content is 20 g for Mountain House, 18 g for Backpackers Pantry, and 34 g for Wise Foods. Backpackers Pantry has the most fiber at 122 g, while Wise Foods comes in second at 8 g. Mountain House is right behind at 7.5 g.
The vitamin A content of Mountain House is 37% of recommended daily allowance from the Food and Drug Administration, while Backpackers Pantry is 120%. Wise Foods has 80% of the RDA for Vitamin A.
For Vitamin C, Backpackers Pantry is again in first at 120%, and Mountain House is second at 62.5%. Wise Foods is 50% for Vitamin C. Calcium is 60% for Backpackers Pantry, 50% for Mountain House, and 20% for Wise Foods. Iron is 50% for Wise Foods, 30% for Backpackers Pantry, and 25% for Mountain House.
While the nutritional content of each meal varies depending on the brand and the specific type of lasagna, it is in the sodium that the differences between the meals really stand out.
The sodium content of the three meals differs quite significantly: Wise Foods packs a whopping 2,640 mg for its cheesy lasagna, while Backpackers Pantry vegetarian lasagna is 1,300, and Mountain House is 975 g.
Weight
Weights between the packages are very similar. The weight of the Mountain House meal is under 5 ounces, and it is 6 ounces for Wise Foods. Backpackers Pantry weighs 7 ounces.
The number of calories per ounce breaks down to 125 for Wise Foods, about 123 for Backpackers Pantry and almost 109 for Mountain House.
Preparation Time, Texture, and Taste
Backpackers Pantry takes the longest to prepare at 15 to 20 minutes, and Wise Foods takes between 12 and 15 minutes. Mountain House is the fastest at between eight and nine minutes.
Mountain House has the best texture hands down compared to the other meals. Backpackers Pantry was much better than Wise Foods, which was runny at first, but which thickened up some later.
>>Check Best MREs for Backpacking
>>Check Best-Tasting Powdered Eggs
Final Verdict – Wise Foods Vs Mountain House Vs Backpackers Pantry
There is a lot to consider when you’re considering buying freeze-dried meals for the trail or an emergency. Freeze dried meals are typically a bit on the expensive side, so you don’t want to take your purchase lightly.
If you’re big on taste, Mountain House is the obvious way to go. However, remember that the taste test in this review reflects the testers’ personal preferences, and the meals are different types of lasagna.
As far as nutritional content goes, some of the nutritional markers are similar, but others, such as sodium and Vitamins A and C, are quite different. For many of the markers, the vegetarian lasagna from Backpackers Pantry is the best, although it has the worst taste, according to the reviewers.