Australian Hiker

Dry Weight 80 Grams
Calories/Serve 266 Calories

Cost $15.95

Campers Pantry Balti Vegetable Curry

Single serve

Rating

Rating: 8.6 / 10

Value for Money 1.8 / 2.5

Taste 2.0 / 2.5

Convenience 2.3 / 2.5

Weight 2.5 / 2.5

Campers Pantry Balti Vegetable Curry Review

Campers Pantry have been known over the past couple of years as producers of high quality freeze dried vegetables but in late 2017 they became the newest entry into the Australian freeze dried meal market releasing ten main meal options in addition to three dessert choices. I was lucky enough to test out some of the prototypes and based on that, I was eagerly awaiting the appearance on the market. These meals are progressively becoming more commonly available and can also be ordered both online, in store and through the supplier.

The Campers Pantry Balti Vegetable Curry is one of the two new vegetarian options to come to the market from this company. I’m not a vegetarian but am happy to eat vegetarian meals provided they taste good. I tend to get a bit bored with vegetable and pasta options so found that this vegetable curry to be pleasant change. The curry itself is pretty mild and while I usually prefer something spicier I didn’t mind this meal at all.

There is a good mix of vegetable in this curry including corn and the sauce was thick enough that it provided a good taste and creamy texture. As with the other meals that I have tried from Campers Pantry the taste is not that typical artificial flavour you come to expect from commercially prepared meals. In addition there is less salt and as someone who doesn’t add salt to food, I appreciate this.

The Campers Pantry bag recommends adding 250 grams of boiling water to rehydrate this meal but the supplier informed me that when he reprints the bags he will increase this recommendation. I added 300 mls as suggested and found this created a meal with a good consistency and texture.

Campers Pantry recommend allowing 20 minutes for rehydration with an occasional stir but I checked as I went and 14 minutes worked out well on this meal.

The normal price for these meals sits around the $15.95 mark for a single serve pack which if you compare this to the offerings from Back Country Cuisine single serves is expensive. However these meals are great tasting and provide a variety to what already exists on the market so I don’t se this pricing as being prohibitive.

The meal comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to provide a flat base if you want to leave the bowl at home. Unlike Back County and Outdoor Gourmet, the Campers Pantry meals don’t have a tear point to make the food easier to access. This doesn’t bother me as I prefer to use a long handled spoon and leave the bag intact otherwise you can end up a big mess in your rubbish bag.

So what is the final verdict? I would be quite happy to eat this as part of my meal rotation and given that this is a vegetarian option and I usually prefer meat in my meals that’s saying something.

We Like

A range of unique meals from which to choose that sits in between (size wise) the single and twin offering currently on the market
Minimal preparation time. All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water there’s only a 14 minute wait
If you eat from the bag there is only your eating implement to clean up. In fact you may not even need to carry a bowl at all thereby limiting the weight you carry
Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body
Two year warranty which means you can buy these when you see them discounted thereby reducing the price. You also know the meals will always be edible

We Don't Like

The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meal is the cost. These meals are more expensive than other brands but having said that they are great value for money for what they deliver in terms of taste, nutrition and calories versus weight
The recommended amount of water to add is off a bit but the supplier is aware of this and remedying this in the next print run of the bags

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal whether it be on a short or long trip for camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Campers Pantry Balti Vegetable Curry meal from Wild Earth or from Campers Pantry

If you have tasted the Campers Pantry Balti Vegetable Curry meal or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or questions below

Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!