Trailtopia is a Minnesota-based adventure food company using all-natural ingredients and a boatload of real veggies, fruits, and meat. They make entrees, desserts, and breakfasts perfect for bikepacking. Today we review several of their food packs and share our thoughts.
From Rochester, Minnesota, the idea for Trailtopia was born in 2013.
Vince Robichaud wanted a better option for adventure ingredients that included all-natural foods and real veggies, fruits, and grains. They're a family-run company that makes adventure food right from their up-north kitchen in Minnesota.
All of their meals (almost all) can be prepared right in the bag with no mess. They have minimal additives and usually have a shelf life of 5 years. They even sell freeze-dried meat on the side so you can go with extra protein or even add it to your own recipes in da woods. They're full of real fruits and veggies and color and protein.
Natural, Nutrient-Rich Ingredients
Trailtopia's foods are all made in their Minnesota kitchen using simple freeze dried ingredients. Their ingredient lists are all short and readable and their meals are full flavored but really wholesome. No matter what you choose, you're going to get a whole lot of veggies meat. If you need even more protein, they sell side packs of meat including beef, beef crumble, chicken, hulled hempseed, and sausage crumble. They're pre-cooked, freeze-dried, and rehydrate quickly.
They also have some fun collabs including a Bent Paddle Beer Braised Chicken Stew using Bent Paddle's ESB Amber Ale if you want to double down on Minnesota goodness.
Trailtopia Meals
Variety is pretty important if you do a lot of camping. Trailtopia has versions of several of the staple outdoor flavors like chili mac and beef stroganoff also have some fun twists like Cajun Smack Chicken and Rice and Chicken Cashew Curry. Open them up and they're all full of color since they have a full does of real freeze-dried veggies.
I'm gluten-free and really enjoyed the Teriyaki Chicken & Rice. But I'm also psychotic and don't like mushrooms so I pulled those all out before cooking. Back in the good old days, I would enjoy custom prepared meals in the woods, but I'm completely sold out on just-add-water meals. These are freeze-dried, super light, mess free, local, and made with wholesome ingredients.
I also tried some breakfast options. The oatmeal is definitely tasty and simple, but personally I think it's hard to beat the simple grocery store variety packs when it comes to oatmeal. They come in smaller portions, but I've always just cooked up a few of them and mixed and matched flavors. But f you're looking for larger portion sizes and real fruit, these are an excellent option.
Desserts with Real Fruit
I almost never go camping without dessert. Whether that's a maple waffle chocolate bar or fried rice crispy bars, dessert tastes amazing in the woods (and it's a nice evening activity around camp).
Trailtopia's Triple Berry Crisp weighs just 4oz and has real freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. These are gluten free, serve two, and you can prep it while eating your dinner so it's ready to go when you're done. The berry crisp was a nice sweet option that I wouldn't otherwise be able to have at camp without bringing some kind of processed berry goop. It comes with crisp topping and that made for a complete dessert.
They have a few varieties of berry crisps as well as cheesecakes and pudding. They all prep right in the bag for a mess free end-of-the-night snack.
To find more entrees, breakfasts, and desserts from Trailtopia, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
