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Trailtopia

35 meals, and home to the single densest meal in our 284-meal database - yet the lowest average calorie density of any of the 14 brands we track.

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#1 of 284 meals in our whole database: Trailtopia's Egg Scramble, at 185 cal/oz, is the single densest meal we track from any brand.

#14 of 14 brands by average calorie density (107.0 cal/oz) - the lowest in our database, despite owning the #1 spot above.

35meals in our DB #2 of 14 brands by size
107.0avg cal/oz (378 kcal/100g) #14 of 14
41.9avg protein g/1,000kcal #10 of 14
$20.91avg cost/1,000kcal #7 cheapest of 13 priced

Brand profile

Trailtopia was founded in 2013 by longtime outdoor enthusiast Vince Robichaud after a backpacking trip through Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains, and remains a family-run company based in Rochester, Minnesota, where it says its meals are made in its own scratch kitchen.
Its products reach more than 600 retailers nationwide, including REI, according to a June 2024 Tasting Table review - the same review that ranked Trailtopia 11th of 12 brands tested, citing meals that average just 9.6 g of protein per serving, well below the other brands it reviewed.

Sources: trailtopia.com/aboutus · Tasting Table, June 2024 · trailtopia.com/gluten-free-products

Who Trailtopia 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 want a lot of cheap trail breakfasts: 8 of Trailtopia's 9 breakfast meals (every oatmeal in the lineup) are priced at exactly $3.99 - the single-serving Egg Scramble, the priciest breakfast at $12.99, is also the single densest meal in our whole database.
You eat vegetarian or vegan: 19 of 35 meals are vegetarian and 9 of those vegan, per Trailtopia's own diet-category listings - the oatmeals, fruit crisps, and its flavoured-noodle ramen line, whose "beef/chicken flavoured" pouches are seasoned noodles with no meat (confirmed against the ingredient panels).
You're minding a food budget over a multi-day trip: at $20.91 per 1,000 kcal, Trailtopia is the #7-cheapest of the 13 USD-priced brands we track, and its Brown Sugar Raisin Oatmeal ($13.17/1,000kcal) is the 13th-cheapest single meal of all 284 in our database.

Look elsewhere if…

You want every pouch to be one fixed serving size for trip math: Trailtopia mixes 1-serving oatmeal and ramen pouches with 2-serving mains and desserts - unlike Peak Refuel, where every one of its 20 meals is a 2-serving pouch.
You need certified gluten-free: Trailtopia tags 22 meals gluten-free, but that is the brand's own category label (trailtopia.com/gluten-free-products), not a third-party certification - and it sells near-identically-named wheat versions of the same ramen (its "Ramen Noodles" line lists WHEAT; the "Gluten Free Ramen Noodles" line is the safe one), so confirm the exact SKU before you buy.
You want the densest meal on average, not just one standout: Trailtopia's 107.0 cal/oz average is the lowest of the 14 brands we track - lower even than Backpacker's Pantry (115.5) and Campers Pantry (116.1) - despite the brand owning the single densest individual meal in our entire database.

Our pick

For the best balance of value and protein in the Trailtopia lineup, Pesto Chicken Pasta stands out: 109.3 cal/oz with 42 g of protein (56.8 g per 1,000 kcal, well above the brand's own 41.9 average) at just $16.20 per 1,000 kcal - cheaper than the brand's $20.91 average and the 4th-best value of Trailtopia's 35 meals.

Source: Pesto Chicken Pasta on trailtopia.com

Every Trailtopia meal in our database

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


Egg Scramble	185 653 kcal/100g	620	40	20.95	3.4 oz95 g	Gluten-free
Cajun Smack Chicken & Rice Check price	118 417 kcal/100g	630	42	19.03	5.3 oz151 g	Gluten-free
Cheesecake Chocolate Strawberry	118 416 kcal/100g	640	12	15.61	5.4 oz154 g	Vegetarian
Beef Stroganoff	116 409 kcal/100g	720	38	17.50	6.2 oz176 g	-
Brown Sugar Raisin Oatmeal	115 404 kcal/100g	303	7	13.17	2.6 oz75 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Chicken Cashew Curry	114 402 kcal/100g	720	38	16.65	6.3 oz179 g	Gluten-free
Apple Crisp	113 398 kcal/100g	434	2	23.02	3.8 oz109 g	Gluten-freeVegetarian
Triple Berry Crisp	112 395 kcal/100g	466	4	23.58	4.2 oz118 g	Vegetarian
Ginger Chicken Stir Fry Check price	111 390 kcal/100g	640	44	21.86	5.8 oz164 g	Gluten-free
Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal	110 389 kcal/100g	253	7	15.77	2.3 oz65 g	Gluten-freeVegetarian
Chili Mac with Beef	110 389 kcal/100g	680	30	17.63	6.2 oz175 g	-
Pesto Chicken Pasta	109 385 kcal/100g	740	42	16.20	6.8 oz192 g	-
Jambalaya	109 385 kcal/100g	740	40	17.55	6.8 oz192 g	Gluten-free
Szechuan Chicken & Rice	109 384 kcal/100g	844	54	18.95	7.8 oz220 g	Gluten-free
Chicken Stew with Noodles	108 382 kcal/100g	660	42	18.17	6.1 oz173 g	-
Garden Vegetable Pasta Check price	108 380 kcal/100g	760	34	19.72	7.1 oz200 g	Vegetarian
Peach Oatmeal	107 377 kcal/100g	215	7	18.56	2.0 oz57 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Blueberry Oatmeal	106 372 kcal/100g	227	6	17.58	2.2 oz61 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Mango Oatmeal	105 371 kcal/100g	215	6	18.56	2.0 oz58 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Strawberry Oatmeal	105 370 kcal/100g	207	6	19.28	2.0 oz56 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal	105 369 kcal/100g	214	6	18.64	2.0 oz58 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Banana Oatmeal	103 364 kcal/100g	233	7	17.12	2.3 oz64 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Gluten Free Ramen Noodles - Beef flavored Stroganoff Check price	103 362 kcal/100g	315	8	25.37	3.1 oz87 g	Gluten-free
Teriyaki Chicken & Rice	102 358 kcal/100g	620	38	20.95	6.1 oz173 g	Gluten-free
Gluten Free Ramen Noodles - Chicken flavored with Broccoli Check price	102 358 kcal/100g	265	11	30.15	2.6 oz74 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Beef & Black Bean Burrito Check price	100 354 kcal/100g	850	42	17.64	8.5 oz240 g	Gluten-free
Bent Paddle Beer Braised Chicken Stew Check price	100 353 kcal/100g	600	40	21.65	6.0 oz170 g	-
Beef Stew	99 351 kcal/100g	540	30	25.91	5.4 oz154 g	-
Gluten Free Ramen Noodles - Beef flavored with Vegetables and Mushrooms	99 351 kcal/100g	270	10	29.59	2.7 oz77 g	Gluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Rocky Road Pudding Check price	99 349 kcal/100g	244	2	32.75	2.5 oz70 g	Gluten-free
Gluten Free Ramen Noodles - Curry	98 345 kcal/100g	276	9	28.95	2.8 oz80 g	Gluten-freeVegetarian
Ramen Noodles - Beef flavored Stroganoff Check price	95 335 kcal/100g	258	11	19.34	2.7 oz77 g	Vegetarian
Ramen Noodles - Curry	88 309 kcal/100g	216	12	23.10	2.5 oz70 g	Vegetarian
Ramen Noodles - Chicken flavored with Broccoli Check price	84 297 kcal/100g	190	9	26.26	2.3 oz64 g	Vegetarian
Ramen Noodles - Beef flavored with Vegetables and Mushrooms	83 294 kcal/100g	200	11	24.95	2.4 oz68 g	Vegetarian

Where the data says Trailtopia is strong - and weak

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

Strong

Its Egg Scramble is the single densest meal in our entire 284-meal database at 185 cal/oz - denser than the next two closest meals from any brand, Packit Gourmet's Tex-Mex Breakfast Tacos (176.6 cal/oz) and Peak Refuel's Chicken Alfredo (175 cal/oz from that product page's detailed spec block; a summary widget on the same page shows 830 cal / 48 g instead).
Full price coverage: all 35 of 35 meals carry a real USD price, the same as Mountain House (41 of 41) and unlike Radix Nutrition, which publishes no usable price at all in our data.
Broad first-party diet coverage: 19 of 35 meals are vegetarian, 9 vegan and 22 gluten-free, taken from Trailtopia's own /vegetarian, /vegan and /gluten-free listings - the third-broadest diet coverage of the 14 brands we track, behind only Backpacker's Pantry and Strive Food.
Its cheapest meal by cost, Brown Sugar Raisin Oatmeal, is the 13th-cheapest of all 284 meals in our database at $13.17 per 1,000 kcal - and at $20.91 per 1,000 kcal on average, the brand is the #7-cheapest of the 13 USD-priced brands we track, ahead of Mountain House ($23.31) and Good To-Go ($25.28).
Second-largest catalogue in our database: 35 of 284 meals (#2 of 14 brands by size), behind only Mountain House's 41.

Weak

Lowest average calorie density of the 14 brands we track: 107.0 cal/oz, behind even Backpacker's Pantry (115.5) and Campers Pantry (116.1) - despite owning the single densest individual meal in our database (see above).
Mid-to-low on protein: 41.9 g per 1,000 kcal on average, #10 of 14 brands - trailing Packit Gourmet (66.6), LyoFood (60.3), and Campers Pantry (55.8). An independent June 2024 Tasting Table review found the same pattern, citing meals that average just 9.6 g of protein per serving and ranking Trailtopia 11th of 12 brands reviewed.
Mixed serving sizes across the lineup: 1-serving oatmeal and ramen pouches sit alongside 2-serving mains and desserts, so the sticker price is not directly comparable meal to meal - unlike Peak Refuel, where every one of its 20 meals is a 2-serving pouch.

What people say

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

“Trailtopia entrées contain just 9.6 grams of protein per serving”

Tasting Table (Abigail Bliss) - ranked review of 12 camping meal brands, June 2024 - placed Trailtopia 11th of 12

“it could be easy to assume Trailtopia is a small, lesser-known brand”

Tasting Table (Abigail Bliss) - same review, on Trailtopia's 600+ retail listings including REI

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