If you鈥檝e never heard of sweet potato bark, don鈥檛 worry because before we met , an outdoor lifestyle writer and Washington Trail Association Guide Correspondent, we hadn鈥檛 either. Leader lives in the Greater Seattle area in Washington and tackles hikes across the Pacific Northwest. This, of course, requires plenty of on-the-go fuel, like Leader鈥檚 favorite dried sweet potato bark.

The bark is dehydrated sweet potato puree that鈥檚 spread onto parchment paper into thin pieces and sprinkled with spices. It鈥檚 sweet, salty, and highly nutritious. 鈥淎 sweet potato makes a great trail food because it鈥檚 a basic ingredient packed with fiber and vitamins,鈥� Leader says. 鈥淧lus, you can eat it both as bark for a snack or rehydrate it back into hot water for mashed potatoes or soup.鈥�

Leader鈥檚 bark recipe came about when she became fixated on ras el hanout, a North African spice blend. In Arabic, ras el hanout roughly translates to 鈥渉ead of the shop,鈥� because in places like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia where it鈥檚 regularly sold, this blend is made of the best spices the store has to offer. There鈥檚 no single recipe for the blend, but the most common flavor profile includes cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorn, sweet paprika, dried turmeric, and cinnamon. Traditionally, ras el hanout is used for stews and grilled meats, but it can be used for about anything, including sweet potatoes.听

鈥淥nce you make a batch of ras el hanout, you’ll find yourself sprinkling it on everything!鈥� Leader says. 鈥淚 even gave it away as Christmas presents one year.鈥�

Ras El Hanout Sweet Potato Bark

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Welcome to , a monthly taste-test of dehydrated backpacking meals. We鈥檝e surveyed the market, sampling both big, corporate brands and tiny cottage operations in our search for the very best. While we certainly take note of caloric value, food weight, and the use of unhealthy dyes and stabilizers, this is first-and-foremost about taste. Is it delicious? Does it have texture? Would you happily eat this rehydrated pouch if you weren鈥檛 starving in the backcountry?聽

Mac 鈥榥鈥� cheese is a common sight on the trail: There are few off-the-shelf comfort foods as accessible and ubiquitous as a box o鈥� Kraft or Annie鈥檚 macaroni. But their complexity and caloric value leave much to be desired. That鈥檚 where these upgraded takes on the classic come in.

Unlike most dehydrated food categories, which are often freeze-dried interpretations of meals containing meat and vegetables, the trail-ready versions of dehydrated macaroni and cheese aren鈥檛 that different from what you鈥檇 cook at home: It鈥檚 basically just powdered cheddar, powdered butter or milk, and annatto extract (for color). The only thing that sets dehydrated mac apart from regular mac is that the pasta is par-cooked or 鈥渋nstant,鈥漨eaning you don鈥檛 have to waste 10 minutes and several cups of precious water on boiling noodles. (聽and other big brands use the same shortcut, which makes them suitable for backpacking).

Pasta type, ratio of calorie-rich cheese and dairy to noodles, and flavor-boosting extras are what set a stellar backcountry mac apart from the Blue Box. Six cheese delivery services went head-to-head. Only one earned our top slot.

First Place: Right On Trek Bechamel Style Mac and Cheese

Score: 5/5

This mac is like a from-scratch Kraft with the volume turned up to 11.听, a meal- and trip-planning operation based out of Montana, is serious about its culinary offerings. For starters, we love the ridged elbow mac, which holds onto sauce better than regular pasta. A hacky sack-sized pouch containing cheddar, whey, buttermilk, and whole milk powders makes for a traffic cone orange, uber-gooey and luxuriant cheese sauce that positively epitomizes what this dish is all about. An optional seasoning packet containing dried onion and parsley, black pepper, and mustard seed powder adds a nice level of heat and Funyuny goodness to the equation. As a bonus, Right on Trek offers discounted pouches for larger group sizes. The only downside? It鈥檚 not a true cook-in-pouch meal, although no draining or straining is required, and it has a very short cook time.

1080 calories for a 2-person pouch; 8.7 oz; 3-5 minute cook time
$14;听

Runner Up: Farm to Summit Green Chile Mac

Score: 4.5/5

Farm to Summit鈥檚 chile-spiked dehydrated mac 鈥榥鈥� cheese is the freshest we tried. The fire-roasted green chiles (also known as Hatch chile or New Mexico chile to Southwesterners) have terrific crunch, even heat, and a smoky, blackened edge. Bites of fresh tomato, onion, and garlic are also integral to this pouch of macaroni and cheese. The combination of spiral egg noodles and dehydrated sweet cream butter made this dish rich without making us feel ill, as we often do after too much mac. It does, however, take a full 20 minutes to rehydrate. Farm to Summit also sells a 聽with white cheddar, zucchini, squash, kale, chard, and spinach for those hoping to get a full dose of greenery.

890 calories; 6.1 oz; 20 minute cook time
$13.50;听

The Rest

Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry Hatch Green Chile Mac & Cheese

Score: 3.5/5

After Farm to Summit鈥檚 take on green chile mac, Backpacker Pantry鈥檚 entry felt a bit like the poor man鈥檚 version of dehydrated macaroni and cheese, but it certainly held its own in our taste test. We appreciate the diversity of powdered cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, romano) and buttery (dehydrated butter sauce) flavor. It鈥檚 a good deal spicier than our other macs, thanks not only to powdered smoked Hatch chile, but also jalape帽o powder. The extra-long elbow pasta is a bit gummy and overcooked.

450 calories; 3.7 oz; 15 minute cook time
$7;听

Mountain House Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

Score: 2.5/5

As much as we tout Mountain House as our preferred budget brand, its mac is not a banner example. The nearly flavorless cheese sauce has an odd, airy texture, almost like marshmallow fluff. That, in combination with extra-thick elbow noodles, reminded us strongly of cafeteria mac straight from the chafing dish. If that type of macaroni gives you the nostalgic feel-goods, this pouch might be worth consideration. One upshot: It packs a whopping 138 calories per ounce鈥攖he highest in this test.

620 calories; 4.5 oz.; 9 minute cook time
$9.25;听

AlpineAire Forever Young Mac & Cheese

Score: 2/5

These noodles do not, in fact, live up to the 80s synth-pop quality we hoped for given the name. Just barely a hint of cheesiness adorns this overcooked fusilli pasta. Random flecks of carrot, corn, and pea make this dehydrated macaroni and cheese taste like a sad macaroni salad at your aunt鈥檚 weekly bridge game.

400 calories; 7 oz.; 10-12 minute cook time
$9;听

Outdoor Herbivore 鈥淐heddar鈥� Mac

Score: 1/5

We rarely dole out a ranking like this, but Outdoor Herbivore鈥檚 gluten-free, dairy-free 鈥渕ac鈥� is borderline inedible. We鈥檙e not sure if it鈥檚 the nutritional yeast, turmeric, or quinoa-corn flour-based pasta, but the otherwise flavorless pouch has a slight ammonia aftertaste. Vegans deserve better.

530 calories; 4.8 oz.; 10 minute cook time
$9;听

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