Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef & Freeze-Dried Food for Camping, 10 Servings, 30-Year Shelf-Life

Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef is a 10-serving pouch of freeze-dried macaroni and beef chili — ready in 9 minutes with boiling water added directly to the pouch, producing one of Mountain House's most popular backcountry meal options at a calorie density and taste profile that performs better than most competing freeze-dried products in the chili category. Mountain House's 30-year shelf life rating makes the pouch format appropriate for emergency food storage as well as active camping use.

Freeze-Dried vs. Dehydrated Camping Meals

Dehydrated meals remove moisture through heat, which can partially break down flavors and nutrients and requires longer rehydration times — typically 15-20 minutes. Freeze-dried meals remove moisture at low temperatures through sublimation, preserving the cellular structure, flavor, and nutrients of the original food more completely and allowing faster rehydration at 5-9 minutes. Mountain House uses freeze-drying for all their main course products, which is why the taste comparison with dehydrated alternatives consistently favors their products in side-by-side testing.

• 10 servings per pouch — group meal size for car camping or multi-person trips
• 9-minute preparation — just add boiling water to the pouch
• 30-year shelf life — suitable for emergency food storage and pantry rotation
• Freeze-dried technology — superior texture and flavor vs. dehydrated alternatives
• Mountain House quality — the industry standard for backpacking meal taste

Calorie Planning for Backcountry Trips

Active backcountry hikers and hunters typically require 3,000-4,500 calories per day. A Mountain House meal serving typically provides 300-400 calories — plan 2-3 meal pouches per person per day supplemented with high-calorie snacks (nuts, jerky, energy bars) to maintain adequate caloric intake. The 10-serving pouch size works for a group of 4-5 people at one meal, or for a solo camper wanting several days of the same meal without carrying multiple single-serving pouches.