Cook a Trail Meal, vis Camping Merit Badge

[ScoutDad2001 10]

Camping Merit Badge requirement #8c is "Cook for your patrol a trail meal requiring the use of a lightweight stove." Just what is considered a "trail meal", these days?

 

When I was a Scout, in the 60's, a "trail meal" usually referred to a commercial, pre-packaged box containing several mysterious envelopes. You'd dump these into several pots, add water, heat and... Voila! Beef Stew with biscuits and chocolate pudding. Very light-weight, perfect for taking on long backpacking treks.

 

I've skimmed through the merit badge book, and although it does spend time discussing good camping meals/nutrition, and the various types of stoves, it does not seem to specifically define what a "trail meal" is. Just what is expected by this requirement?

 

Thanks!

[LPC_Thumper 10]

Hi Scoutdad,

 

What my troop does is to allow the older boys to teach the skill (at the meeting about how to cook dehydrated meals) I was a boy about the same time. Now after many meals I can tell you that while dehydrated foods are not as good as fresh meals (from a taste stand point), they are dramatically better than what they were when we were doing this. There are many vendors that provide food like this, but they are not cheap.

 

We don't have a good food source for this sort of thing locally (we live in a VERY rural area), so I don't feel bad about plugging REI.com, Campmor.com, or cabelas.com. (Oh I almost forgot your friendly Army/Navy store might have MREs (these are individual packaged meals that are VERY similar to what I'm describing). They MAY be cheaper than these other suppliers) This way you can look at a menu and get an idea.

 

When our new scout patrol is getting to these requirements, we let the PLC know where they are at. They then decide how to teach the skill. Then on our next backpack the new scouts get to cook it. It's worked for us this way for several years.

 

I'm looking forward to other's ideas on this. I could always use more advice.

 

Good luck with this. (Honest all of these types of meals are lots better than some of the stuff we as kids ate, hey and we lived through it )

[Greeneagle5 10]

Hey Scouters,

For anyone looking for quality, low-cost, high energy trail meals check out the Venture Crew 5 Company : www.geocities.com/wilderness_chef/index.html The Crew members package the trailfood themselves as fund-raisers for International High Adventure Trips.

 

 Greeneagle5

[ScouterPaul 11]

A trail meal is anything a boy wants. Most of our Scouts on backpacking trips eat ramen noodles with a foil type package of chicken or tuna. We have one who likes macaroni and peperoni with a butter sauce. Most of them utilze the one pot method of cooking. They realized early on it is easier to cleanup.