Brand hub
Peak Refuel
20 meals, and the highest average calorie density of any brand in our 284-meal database.
Affiliate disclosure: this page contains affiliate links. If you buy through one, FoodEverest may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, whether through the Amazon Associates Program or another brand's affiliate program. Full disclosure.
- 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
Brand profile
- Peak Refuel is a Utah-based meal brand, founded in 2018 (per business directory LeadIQ) and based in American Fork, Utah, as reported by the University of Utah's Wasatch Magazine in that same year. It markets its meals as made with 100% USDA-inspected meat rather than TVP filler - a brand claim we have not independently verified.
- Its own FAQ discloses that no meal is certified gluten-free, since meals are produced in a facility that also manufactures products containing gluten - a claim our own allergen data below is consistent with.
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.
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.
175617 kcal/100g | 870 | 53 | 16.08 | 5.0 oz141 g | - | |
164579 kcal/100g | 1040 | 49 | 14.41 | 6.3 oz180 g | - | |
163573 kcal/100g | 1100 | 34 | 13.63 | 6.8 oz192 g | - | |
162572 kcal/100g | 810 | 41 | 18.51 | 5.0 oz142 g | - | |
161568 kcal/100g | 920 | 43 | 16.29 | 5.7 oz162 g | - | |
159559 kcal/100g | 850 | 44 | 17.64 | 5.4 oz152 g | - | |
154543 kcal/100g | 760 | 41 | 19.72 | 4.9 oz140 g | - | |
151534 kcal/100g | 1120 | 40 | 14.28 | 7.4 oz210 g | - | |
150529 kcal/100g | 740 | 45 | 21.61 | 4.9 oz140 g | - | |
149525 kcal/100g | 870 | 23 | 16.08 | 5.8 oz166 g | Vegan | |
148523 kcal/100g | 920 | 40 | 17.38 | 6.2 oz176 g | - | |
144507 kcal/100g | 740 | 40 | 18.91 | 5.2 oz146 g | - | |
143505 kcal/100g | 1010 | 30 | 12.86 | 7.1 oz200 g | - | |
139491 kcal/100g | 540 | 31 | 27.76 | 3.9 oz110 g | - | |
132465 kcal/100g | 930 | 42 | 17.19 | 7.1 oz200 g | - | |
132465 kcal/100g | 800 | 40 | 17.49 | 6.1 oz172 g | - | |
127449 kcal/100g | 610 | 30 | 22.93 | 4.8 oz136 g | Vegan | |
125439 kcal/100g | 580 | 40 | 24.12 | 4.7 oz132 g | - | |
116407 kcal/100g | 530 | 23 | 15.08 | 4.6 oz130 g | - | |
113397 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 with a link to the full source. 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”
Keep exploring
Best freeze-dried meals
See where Peak Refuel lands against the top picks, ranked on the numbers - no sponsored placements.
Read the guide →RankingMost calorie-dense meals
See how Peak Refuel stacks up against all 284 meals in the database, ranked by cal/oz.
View ranking →ToolTrip planner
Build a trip food list across every brand in our data, optimised for weight, cost or protein.
Open planner →Head-to-headMountain 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 hubMountain House
The largest catalogue in our data - 41 meals, more than any other brand.
View Mountain House →