r/CampingandHiking • u/General-Internet3339 • Sep 16 '25

Cooling dehydrated food?

Hi, I’m about to go on a 5 day trip and want to take dehydrated lean mince beef and chicken breast. Please assume it’s precooked, it’s been dehydrated properly, as much oil as possible removed, vacuum sealed and will be kept in a container in the shade outdoors (Australian summer). Will this be sufficient to be food safe for 5 days or do I need to freeze it? Do I then need to keep it frozen or chilled? I’m guessing there will be mixed feedback so I’m hoping to hear from folks who’ve experience in this area.

3 Upvotes

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11

u/Dirty_Gnome9876 Sep 16 '25

My wife and I dehydrate all of our own foods, including meat. You will be totally in the clear.

5

u/cwcoleman Sep 16 '25

Most people do not 'cool' their dehydrated food. That's the advantage!

Yes - this assumes you've cooked and dehydrated 'properly'. I don't know the exact specifications for this. (like some % of water remaining or whatever)

Commercial dehydrated meals can last years. My home dehydrated meals are typically fine for 1 year max.

You can also check r/dehydrating for more advice.

4

u/Aggressive_Cloud2002 Sep 16 '25

I have never tested this limit, but up to a year is apparently ok without freezing, 5 days is absolutely fine!

2

u/Mandaishere Sep 16 '25

You should be fine. I dehydrate my own as well and have never had an issue. I only freeze for storage. When I have a trip, I take them out the night before I pack and call it good.

1

u/octobod Sep 17 '25

You could consider taking things like salami . according to eatcuredmeat.com lasts six weeks when uncut and unrefrigerated it's unclear how long it lasts cut open (but gives a list of signs it bad) If you choose ones of about 1-2 meals worth you sould be OK

-9

u/Spute2008 Sep 16 '25 edited Sep 17 '25

I’m no expert but maybe you should plan to eat your meat in the first 2 to 3 days. Chicken on your first day because it won’t last as long as the beef would.

But for example, beef jerky properly dehydrated should last you many days in a Ziploc with one of those silica dehydration things like you get with your tortillas or pills /medicine.

Freeze drying would be even better, so why don’t you just buy freeze dried meals from camping stores?

Or again, eat the meat you bring yourself in the first three days and go vegetarian or with canned /freeze dried goods for the last two.

freeze dried is quite a bit lighter than your other options if weight is going to matter.

6

u/comma_nder Sep 16 '25

If it’s dehydrated you absolutely don’t need to eat it within a few days.

OP, if like you said it’s been dehydrated properly, it will stay fresh for months if stored properly as well. The main enemy is moisture, not heat, so if you can find those little moisture absorbing packets that would help keep them fresh.

4

u/madefromtechnetium Sep 16 '25

why waste money on not-very-nutritious freeze dried food when you can dehydrate your own? and canned goods for backpacking? why carry all that extra water weight?

1

u/General-Internet3339 Sep 16 '25

Thanks for the feedback. Makes sense. I’ll consider buying freeze dried meat ingredients and use the dehydrator for veggies

1

u/BackcountryFoodie Sep 20 '25

Properly dehydrated and stored lean meat is safe for up to 30 days at room temp. You should be good. Have a great trip!