Brand hub

Peak Refuel

20 meals, and the highest average calorie density of any brand in our 284-meal database.

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#1 of 14 brands by average calorie density (145.3 cal/oz) - the highest in our database.
4 of the top 10 most calorie-dense meals in our entire 284-meal database are Peak Refuel.
  • 20meals in our DB #8 of 14 brands by size
  • 145.3avg cal/oz (512 kcal/100g) #1 of 14
  • 46.5avg protein g/1,000kcal #6 of 14
  • $17.89avg cost/1,000kcal #4 cheapest of 13 priced
Beef Pasta Marinara package, Peak Refuel

Brand profile

Sources: LeadIQ company profile · Wasatch Magazine, Dec 2018 · peakrefuel.com/pages/why-peak · peakrefuel.com/pages/faq

Who Peak Refuel suits - and who should look elsewhere

Built from the 284-meal database, not opinion - the same facts anyone can check in the table below.

Good fit if…

  • You're cooking for two, or want to save half for later: every one of Peak Refuel's 20 meals is a 2-serving pouch (published servings on all 20). Split it, and the $14.99 median pouch price works out to about $7.50 a serving, not $14.99.
  • You eat vegan: 3 of 20 meals are tagged vegan (one also dairy-free) - Mountain House, the only other brand this size in our database, tags none.

Look elsewhere if…

  • You have a milk or wheat allergy: milk appears in 13 of 20 meals and wheat in 12, consistent with Peak Refuel's own FAQ that no meal is certified gluten-free - check every label, this is not an allergen-light lineup.
  • You're comparing sticker price to Mountain House: Peak Refuel's $14.99 median pouch looks pricier than Mountain House's $12.49 - but the Peak Refuel figure buys two servings and the Mountain House figure buys one, so it is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
  • You want a big rotation of flavors on a long trip: 5 breakfast and 15 main meals is 20 total, under half Mountain House's 41 - fewer options to cycle through before repeating a meal.
Beef Pasta Marinara package, Peak Refuel
Our pick

For density and protein without the data conflict on Chicken Alfredo (see the table below), Beef Pasta Marinara is the pick: 164.1 cal/oz - the 2nd-highest of the brand's 20 meals and the 6th-highest of all 284 meals in our database - with 49 g of protein at $14.41 per 1,000 kcal, near the cheapest in the Peak Refuel lineup.

Every Peak Refuel meal in our database

20 meals, sorted by calorie density by default - click a column header (or focus it and press Enter) to re-sort.

175 617 kcal/100g
870 53 16.08 5.0 oz141 g -
164 579 kcal/100g
1040 49 14.41 6.3 oz180 g -
163 573 kcal/100g
1100 34 13.63 6.8 oz192 g -
162 572 kcal/100g
810 41 18.51 5.0 oz142 g -
161 568 kcal/100g
920 43 16.29 5.7 oz162 g -
159 559 kcal/100g
850 44 17.64 5.4 oz152 g -
154 543 kcal/100g
760 41 19.72 4.9 oz140 g -
151 534 kcal/100g
1120 40 14.28 7.4 oz210 g -
150 529 kcal/100g
740 45 21.61 4.9 oz140 g -
149 525 kcal/100g
870 23 16.08 5.8 oz166 g Vegan
148 523 kcal/100g
920 40 17.38 6.2 oz176 g -
144 507 kcal/100g
740 40 18.91 5.2 oz146 g -
143 505 kcal/100g
1010 30 12.86 7.1 oz200 g -
139 491 kcal/100g
540 31 27.76 3.9 oz110 g -
132 465 kcal/100g
930 42 17.19 7.1 oz200 g -
132 465 kcal/100g
800 40 17.49 6.1 oz172 g -
127 449 kcal/100g
610 30 22.93 4.8 oz136 g Vegan
125 439 kcal/100g
580 40 24.12 4.7 oz132 g -
116 407 kcal/100g
530 23 15.08 4.6 oz130 g -
113 397 kcal/100g
570 13 15.77 5.1 oz144 g Dairy-freeVegan

† This brand's own product page publishes two different nutrition figures for this meal. We use the more detailed spec block; the summary widget on the same page shows a different number. See the meal table above for the figure we use, and check the brand's page directly before relying on either.

Where the data says Peak Refuel is strong - and weak

Computed from all 284 meals in our database, not opinion.

Strong

  • Highest average calorie density of any of the 14 brands in our database: 145.3 cal/oz, ahead of Expedition Foods (140.3) and every other brand we track.
  • 4 of the top 10 most calorie-dense individual meals in our entire 284-meal database are Peak Refuel: Beef Pasta Marinara (#6, 164.1 cal/oz), Biscuits & Sausage Gravy (#9, 162.5), Beef Stroganoff (#10, 162.1), and Chicken Alfredo (#3, 175.0 - though that meal has a data conflict on Peak Refuel's own page, see the note below the table).
  • Despite premium branding, it's the 4th-cheapest brand in our database by cost per 1,000 kcal ($17.89) - only Tent Meals, Adventure Food, and Strive Food come in cheaper on average, and Adventure Food's figure is a reseller estimate.
  • Full price coverage: all 20 of 20 meals carry a real USD price.

Weak

  • Only 3 of 20 meals (15%) carry any diet tag at all - all vegan, plus one dairy-free. No gluten-free or vegetarian tags anywhere in the lineup, versus Backpacker's Pantry's 32 of 33 or Strive Food's 7 of 7.
  • Mid-pack on protein despite the brand's own marketing emphasis on protein: Peak Refuel averages 46.5 g per 1,000 kcal, ranking 6th of 14 brands - behind Packit Gourmet (66.6), LyoFood (60.3), Campers Pantry (55.8), Wild Zora (55.1), and Mountain House (52.7).
  • 1 of the 20 meals, Chicken Alfredo, has a data conflict: the detailed spec block on Peak Refuel's own product page reads 870 kcal / 53 g protein, while a summary widget on the same page reads 830 kcal / 48 g. Our database uses the spec-block figure; the brand's own page has not resolved the discrepancy.

What people say

Independent reviews of Peak Refuel, quoted briefly, each outlet linked once. We have not tested these meals ourselves - this is what other outlets report.

“Peak consistently puts out protein- and calorie-rich backpacking meals”

“an excellent local alternative to the big-name backpacking food brands”

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Head-to-head

Mountain House vs Peak Refuel

Where Peak Refuel beats Mountain House on density and cost per calorie - and where the heritage giant wins. All 61 meals, head to head.

Compare →
Brand hub

Mountain House

The largest catalogue in our data - 41 meals, more than any other brand.

View Mountain House →