Product Review, REC PAK Ultra Light Meal Replacement

This page may contain an affiliate ad banner and/or text link. If one clicks/taps on this link and then makes a purchase, I sometimes receive a small commission. Please patronize our advertisers. One REC PAK Chocolate and one REC PAK Vanilla Chai Ultralight Meal Replacement were sent to me free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.

Lately, the weather has been either too hot or too rainy. So when we had a decent day, I decided to combine a hike, a product review of one of the REC PAC products along with an Instagram “Reelz” that I wanted to make. So on Friday, July 4, 2025 I traveled to Doves Landing Regional Park near Manassas, VA. It was 68 degrees when I started this one mile in, one mile back out hike at 7:00 AM.

First, a bit of background on REC PAK. They are located in Eugene, OR and were founded by Deed Ziegler in 2022. Ziegler is a retired Marine and got the idea for this product while leading Marines in Afganistan. He saw the need for an energy packed meal that could be consumed on the go.

REC PAC is basically a 700 calorie meal in a pouch that weighs only 6.6 oz. One simply adds about 12-14 oz of water, kneads and shakes the package, waits a few minutes, then is able to consume the contents. This type of meal is a great find for hikers, backpackers, campers, boaters, runners and anyone else persuing outdoor adventures. The company donates 1% to the planet and donates proceeds to Ukraine

On more than one occasion, while backpacking, I have either gotten to camp in the evening or left in the morning during driving rains. It’s not safe to cook a meal in a tent. Though I have cooked a meal in a shelter. And once, while leaving a remote campsite in the pouring rain, I had to pour a freeze dried meal into a water filled Nalgene bottle, shake it and eat/drink it while hiking in the pouring rain. It was chunchy and cold. That was not fun. This product allows one to get a great deal of nurishment during adverse conditions.

According to their website, this product has an 18 month shelf life and should normally be consumed in 1-2 days after hydrating in warm weather and 4-5 days in colder weather So I prepared a REC PAK Vanilla Chai meal before setting off for Doves Landing Regional Park near Manassas, VA. I added about 8 ounces of water to the container, shook it and then kneaded the package before I left home. I then added another 6 ounces of water and did the same thing when I got to the park. It only took me about 15 minutes to get to this park.

The goal was to drink the REC PAK while hiking the orange trail within this park. I would also take a “Reelz” of the confluence of Broad Run and Cedar Run where they intersect to become the Occoquan River. I have some history with this park. I helped blaze it originally about 7 years ago and did some chainsaw work within it about 5 years ago. The county that I live in has big plans for this park development wise. They plan rest rooms, a canoe launch, expanded trails and a bridge over the Occoquan River to connect to two other parks on the other side of the river. This will also be the potential future eastern terminus of the planned 20 mile Broad Run Trail.

The trail was a bit muddy since it had recently rained. My hike to the confluence was about a mile. I drank the REC PAC while I hiked. It was good. I hadn’t eaten breakfast so I was hoping that this liquid meal would fill me up. It did and it tasted very good as well. Though I kneaded it and shook it after both fillings it was a bit lumpy at first. But it got smoother as I hiked.

There were a few issues on this hike. First off, there a medium sized blowdown and two smaller blowdowns along the orange trail. I will report these. Then, when I got to the .75 mile mark, there was a Trail Closed sign. I went past it anyway. There was also a Do Not Enter, HOA Only sign at around the .90 mile mark. This is where the future Broad Run Trail is supposed to terminate.

It looks like the Lake Jackson HOA and Prince William County Parks and REC are having a bit of a disagreement about access to the approximately 75 foot wide shoreline along Broad Run and the Occoquan River in this area. I hope that it can be amically resolved..

I had a tough time finding the confluence of Broad Run and Cedar Run because of the dense foliage between the trail and the water. I found a faint side trail at one point and shot my Reelz from there. It wasn’t as good as I hoped because I could not get close enough to the confluence. However, you can see my Reelz post

Here on Instagram.

I returned to my vehicle around 8:30 AM. It was only 73 degrees. I made it home by 8:45 AM and was able to watch Perry Mason at 9:00 AM.

So REC PAK is a 700 calorie meal replacement. It has between 10 and 30% of the daily requirement of over 20 different vitamins and minerals. It tastes very good and I was full foodwise and energy wise afterwards. REC PAKs are available in Chocolate, Vanilla Chai and Coffee. They sell in 3, 6 or 12 packs and they can be purchased just once or via subscription. All outdoorspersons engaging in mult-day excursions should have some REC-PAK’s on hand in case you need to eat while on the go or under adverse conditions.

I presently do not have an affiliate relationship with this advertiser. However, I invite the reader to visit their website and check out their products.