I'm leaving for an elk hunt in a couple days and need some suggestions for breakfast while I'm spiking out from base camp.  I will start out saying that I HATE oatmeal.  I take those instant packs with me because they are convenient, but I can't stand eating them.  Looking for lightweight alternatives that are simple and easy.  As always, thanks for the help!

Mountain house.  Those things are pretty darn good and more nutritious than just oat meal. Will last longer than oatmeal too cause it has protein. And it's a just add water product.
At home. Before we leave for camp. I open the package and empty the contents into a vacuume sealer bag. Then I seal it smaller than the factory packaging. About 1/2 the size. (And it's all bulk with no weight) leaves more room for "stuff".  I pack along the original packaging. To cook the meal in (sealed) i use 1 package for 2 meals a day.

QuoteOriginally posted by Matty:
Mountain house.  Those things are pretty darn good and more nutritious than just oat meal. Will last longer than oatmeal too cause it has protein. And it's a just add water product.
At home. Before we leave for camp. I open the package and empty the contents into a vacuume sealer bag. Then I seal it smaller than the factory packaging. About 1/2 the size. (And it's all bulk with no weight) leaves more room for "stuff".  I pack along the original packaging. To cook the meal in (sealed) i use 1 package for 2 meals a day.

x2....cant beat em unless you have a dehydrater and whip up some of your own.    

Power Bars or similar. That and a cup of coffee will get you going. I usually do that before first light, and then come back mid morning and get some 'real' breakfast.

tried some really great meals from Hawk Vittles. Dehydrated and not freeze dried.

http://hawkvittles.com/index.html

Single serving packs of instant grits. Variety box. Bacon, ham, cheese, plain....etc

Two packs, same or mixed, make a good hot breakfast.

Boil once......then coffee and grits.

Mountain house.

Granola and powdered milk with dried fruit is good also. But it's hard to beat some of the good power bars out there. Try a bunch as some taste terrible.

I like taking some powdered protein. I just mix in my water jug or bottle and drink it up. I think its good way to get some good protein in your body fast. Chase it with a cup of coffee.

Gilbert

Pro Bar Super food slam. Great for breakfast, very filling. I carry them in my pack when I'll be out all day. I also like the Quest protein bar, particularly the "Double Chocolate Chunk". The Quest bar has less sugar than the Pro-Bar, but not as much fruit and fiber.  

Trying something different this year.  Last time we did the Mountain House breakfasts, (pretty good)  but we found that they were just too time consuming in the morning, especially when the goal was to get out on the mountain like 3:00 - 4:00 am to listen for bugles and do locating prior to sun-up and then move in. I'm not all that big of an oatmeal guy in the morning either - I like the stuff I can make at home on the stove top,  but those instant packets are like eating wallpaper paste.
This year our plan is to get up real early and smack down some energy bars and drink water laced with those flavor additives that are on the market, that also contain caffeine and electrolytes. That should get us through the morning. I never eat a big breakfast anyway, or at all, except on Sunday mornings. We are packing a Mountain House meal and our pocket rocket stove in day packs and will eat a hearty regular meal during the mid day heat when action is typically slow.  Possibly take a little 30 minute siesta as well.
This way we get a good solid hot meal at midday when we are actually hungry and have several hours of grinding under our belt, as opposed to chewing on a granola bar or jerky.  That will carry us until evening when we can have another hot meal before hitting the sack to start it all over the next day.
As a side note, similar to what Matty described above, we bought our Mountain House flavors in large #10 cans (a lot cheaper in bulk), breaking them down into the serving sizes we prefer and then re-vacuum sealing them into much smaller compact single serving pouches. The bags they normally come in work well, but are quite bulky.  Like Matty we are bringing a few of the original packages empty and flattened out and re-using them throughout the trip to rehydrate/heat our meals

If you have a dehydrator you can make most any back packing food. Those mountain house breakfast are ok but not cheap. The big zip locks can withstand boiling water and can be used the same as the packaging for other freeze dried meals. Also my favorite quick and easy meal with no cooking is fruit like and orange and a couple granola bars for protein.

Mountain House blueberries and granola. Add suggested amount of water and you have the best Mountain House breakfast meal they make.

I would take it with in the morning and once I found a good place to sit for awhile, I would dig it out and have a great breakfast out on the mountain.

FYI,  I cant stand any of their egg meals.  Then trail mix and jerky for lunch.  I was good to go until nightfall back at camp.

Clif Bar and Starbucks VIA in the morning here.  I'll occassionally do an oatmeal laced with brown sugar and pecans but I'm not a huge fan of the instant oatmeal either.  I've also been known to pack enough of Patrick Smith's Wild Casserole to just eat it in the morning.  I'm a night shifter though too, so morning is usually when I'm looking for "Real" food.

Mountain House is too expensive and takes too much time for me, and most other options don't have any "meat" - just carbs. I make ziplock baggies of granola with powdered whole milk and vanilla protein powder, and mix in some dried fruit (usually blueberries) and flax meal. That way I at least get some protein and fat, and it's fast. Just add water!

Matty, I'm going to have to try your Mountain House trick with removing them from packaging and vacuum sealing them again. Genius. Headed up tomorrow night and I've got a big wad of Mountain Houses taking up pack space.

No need to vac seal, just stick mountain house in quart freezer bags.  They stand up find to the boiling water.

QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
No need to vac seal, just stick mountain house in quart freezer bags.  They stand up find to the boiling water.

Yes this works as well. I have learned the hard way however. If the food has jagged or hard edges it can put little pin holes in the ziplock bag. Even the freezer type. Usually when my back pack is full there can be pressure from other articles in there. I use the vacuume sealer bags now cause they are a bit stronger.

Granola bar and/or pop tarts and coffee.  I don't do much for breakfast.  Just a cup of coffee or two and I'm on my way.  Granola and jerky for lunch, Mountainhouse meal for dinner.

I don't care to eat oatmeal, either. Granola, powdered milk and freeze dried fruit in a baggie, pre-packaged for each day.