Review: Mountain House Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bowl
BY SAM SCHILD
The Continental Divide Trail cuts directly through various towns in New Mexico. In one of those towns—Grants—I was walking down the street on my way out when I saw the word “pizza” lit up in a strip mall. I had already eaten lunch and then gone to the grocery store. I hoped to make it out of Grants before dinner…but pizza. I decided to have a slice or two and take the rest to go.
I walked in and ordered myself a large pepperoni pizza. When the cashier asked if I wanted it for here or to go, I told them I planned to eat some now and then pack out the rest. “We have gallon Ziploc for you guys. Do you want one?” they asked. Of course, this pizza place along the CDT knows what thru-hikers want!
I ate half the pie, crammed the rest into the 1-gallon bag, and stuffed it into my backpack’s outside pocket. Then I ate the leftovers with a spork the following day. It was cold and smashed into a ball of gooey cheese, soggy crust, and red sauce. Delicious.
The backpacking meal company, Mountain House, just released a freeze-dried Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bowl, a backpacking meal that’s a refined version of that pizza in a ziplock bag.
Eating the Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bowl on a recent backpacking trip reminded me of that day on the CDT. The Pizza Bowl doesn’t give you the exact experience of eating a fresh slice of ‘za, but it’s as close as you can get miles from a trailhead. Mountain House’s Bowl is hot, and the bits of crust aren’t soggy. On the other hand, leftover pizza is as warm or cold as the air, and the crust varies between soggy and slightly stale. The Mountain House “pizza” is also lighter than half of a fully cooked pizza since you add the water when you cook it.
Get ready for pizza night, coming to a backpack near you.
2 comments
Correction – the Outback Oven was sold by Backpackers Pantry.
Still make fresh pizza, fresh bread, muffins, and biscuits and gravy on trail, courtesy of my old Outback Oven by Traveling Light (from back in the ‘70’s). It may not be ul, but it’s not that weighty, only around 12oz., and the fresh baked goodness is priceless on the trail. Sadly, it’s no longer available for purchase. 😢