New Sasquatch Fuel Granola Backpacking Breakfasts Review

Chances are, that at some point in your life, someone has told you that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” 

Whether you agree with this statement or not, I think we can all agree that breakfast is pretty important nonetheless; especially as a hiker on a backpacking trip. How do you expect to wake up and crush miles first thing in the morning without eating some form of breakfast? 

When given the chance to test out granola breakfast meals made by Sasquatch Fuel, I gladly jumped on the opportunity. I was gearing up for a multi-day trek through the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, and I was stoked that I could finally pack something for breakfast other than instant oatmeal and Belvita crackers. 

I was given three flavors to sample; Blueberry, Cocoa Chia w/ Banana, and Strawberry Banana. Continue reading on to find out if these meals turned out as appetizing and satisfying as they sound. 

Sasquatch Fuel Granola:

Blueberry 

• Price: $6.49 
• Dry Weight: 3.88 oz 
• Ingredients: Granola (whole rolled oats*, milled cane sugar*, expeller pressed canola oil*, rice flour*, corn starch*, flax seeds*, honey*, blueberries*, salt, natural flavor, barley malt syrup*, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E to maintain freshness), blueberries, nonfat dry milk. *Organic
  
  

Cocoa Chia w/ Banana 

• Price: $6.49
• Dry Weight: 3.84 oz
• Ingredients: Granola (whole rolled oats*, milled cane sugar*, rice flour*, expeller pressed canola oil*, chia seeds*, cocoa* (processed with alkali), salt, barley malt syrup*, natural flavor, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E to maintain freshness), bananas, nonfat dry milk. *Organic
  
  

Strawberry Banana 

• Price: $6.49
• Dry Weight: 3.63 oz
• Ingredients: Granola (whole rolled oats, milled cane sugar, expeller pressed canola oil, rice flour, cornstarch, flax seeds, honey, hemp seeds, salt, natural flavor, barley malt syrup, cardamom, fennel seed, fenugreek, nutmeg), banana, strawberries, nonfat dry milk.

 

What I Love: 

Lightweight: Let’s be honest, for most weight conscious backpackers, finding low-weight, high-calorie food options typically takes the forefront, while flavor/ taste come second. 

As much as we would like to bring pancake mix, this isn’t exactly feasible for many of us. I was thrilled to see that each packet of Sasquatch Fuel Granola only weighs 3.6 to 3.8 oz while boosting ~450 calories. Not bad! 

In the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, bulky bear canisters are required for overnight camping. I was already carrying a heavier-than-normal load thanks to this strictly enforced rule, so I wanted to pack as light as possible for food. 

These three hearty breakfast meals combined to weigh ~11 oz. while providing me with ~1,350 calories — a win in my book. 

 

Quick-and-Easy: I love freeze-dried and dehydrated meals on my backpacking trips. Backpacker’s Pantry and Good-to-Go meals were delicacies for me on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike; I didn’t eat them often, but when I did, it was definitely a treat. 

Other than being a bit pricey, one negative component of relying on pre-packaged backpacking meals is often the time of preparation. When you’re starving after a tough day, waiting for water to boil and then food to rehydrate can feel like an eternity. 

The first morning of my Adirondacks trip, I woke up and prepped my stove in order to boil water for my Cocoa Chia w/ Banana Granola meal. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this process was not necessary; all I had to do was simply add 4-5 oz. of cold water, shake the bag, and begin eating. 

No wait time? No boiling water? Cold-soakers, rejoice!

 

Taste: OK, so these meals passed the weight and convenience test. How about the taste test? My short answer is ... yes, they pass!  

With these meals, think backcountry cereal. The added water turns into milk, the granola is nice and crunchy, and the fruit is a great flavor addition. 

Would I love the taste of these at home, not on a backpacking trip?... Probably not as much as I would love the taste of normal granola cereal. Everyone knows that all foods taste better in the backcountry. I’ll give these a 7/10 on the taste scale, which is very solid considering how lightweight and convenient these meals are. 

Here are my rankings of the three flavors, starting with the best: 

1) Blueberry 

2) Cocoa Chia w/ Banana 

3) Strawberry Banana 

Satisfying, But Not Overly Filling. I feel the amount of food that comes in one package is the perfect amount. I felt satisfied and fueled up after eating these meals, but I didn’t have that overly-full feeling. When I eat too much and become very full, all I want to do is lie back down and digest. I was energized and ready to take on the day after eating one of these meals. 

 

 

What I Didn’t Love 

Packaging: Packability is important when it comes to backpacking food. The amount of food that comes in these packages is a good amount; but I feel the packaging is too big for the amount of food that comes with it. I would say ¼ of the bag is filled with food, leaving me to dig my hands inside the package to scoop out the granola on the bottom. If it were up to me, I would cut the package size in half; this would make the meal easier to eat, and make it easier to fit inside food bags/bear canisters. 

 

Good to Know 

High Carb! Carbs are our body's main source of fuel. One Sasquatch Fuel Granola Meal has ~77 grams of carbs, plenty to fire you up for the day’s adventures.
 

Solid Protein Levels. Each meal features ~15 grams of protein, which is great considering one instant oatmeal packet has around 3-5 grams of protein. 

Organic Ingredients. Several of the ingredients in the Blueberry and Strawberry Banana flavors are organic.

 

Omnidegradable Packaging. The packaging is not made with aluminum, like many other backcountry meals. Sasquatch Fuel packages are made using Omnidegradable technology, meaning that their products can be broken down over a period of time by microbes found in soil or water. Sasquatch Fuel does not condone the littering of their products by any means, and it’s important to always pack out what you pack in, including packaging from Sasquatch Fuel breakfasts. 

Bottom Line 

Overall, I was very pleased with the Sasquatch Fuel granola meals. These flavorful, satisfying backpacking breakfasts are very lightweight and super easy to prepare, making them a great addition to your backcountry food bag!

 

 

* Editor's Note: While GGG does carry Sasquatch Fuel dinners, we don't *yet* stock the breakfasts; those currently need to be ordered direct from Sasquatch Fuel. But let us know in a comment below if it's something you'd like to see GGG carry!