Mountain House
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Maker of 33 varieties of tasty freeze-dried meals packaged in polyester, aluminum, and nylon pouches. In 1964, Oregon Freeze Dry, the parent company of Mountain House, opened its first plant in western Oregon. Three years later, the company won a military contract to replace the heavy, wet-packed C rations developed during World War II but still in use by soldiers in Vietnam. OFD helped create the Long Range Patrol ration, an 11-ounce package with cigarettes, gum, and 1,000-calorie entrées like chicken and rice or spaghetti with meat sauce. By the end of 1967, OFD had delivered nine million LRPs to the U.S. military. Extras wound up at Army surplus stores and were soon discovered by backpackers. In 1969, OFD partnered with REI to develop 14 flavors of LRP-style foods specific-ally for outdoorsmen. Each Mountain House meal has a shelf life of 30 years.
Just Add Water
The top-selling Mountain House meals.