[pct-l] cheese

[Edward Anderson]

During my PCT rides from Mexico to Canada in 2008 & 2009 (and also on my 2011 ride SOBO from Sierra City and ending at Tuoloume Meadows) I brought BabyBel cheeses in all of their flavors. They are sealed in wax and keep very well without refrigeration. I would purchase them prior to starting each year. I had none spoil but did have some mold in a few cases when I had crushed them in the pack. It was not a real problem - I would just trim off the mold, with very little waste. I considered them to be delicious with lunch and cut up and added to Mac & Cheese and to pasta sides for dinner. Each individually packaged cheese weighs three-quarters of an ounce and has 70 calories. 
 
I recently discovered another individually packaged cheese that is Stater Bros brand and is sold only in their supermarkets. To me, they taste just as good as the BabyBels and do just as well without refrigeration. An advantage is that they would be more resistant to being crushed. I have been rodent testing them. So far, the rodents can not detect the cheese smell through the transparent packaging. Perhaps the plastic is the same type as is used in OPSaks - which provide a total barrier, not allowing food smells to escape. I used OPSaks to store my food during all of my rides on the PCT, in camp, and also in all my food resupply caches. I have never lost food stored that way.
 
MendoRider-Hiker
 

________________________________
 From: neil p. <neildpetersen at gmail.com>
To: pct-l <pct-l at backcountry.net> 
Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2012 5:14 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] cheese
  
The cheese problem/debate will never end. However, in my experience and it
seemed everyone I was on trail with you get whatever cheese maybe a
pound/block of tillamook cheddar or whatever split it up amongst whoever
and put in a baggie (change baggies as needed, maybe every town). As with
all cheese there is some separation of oil, what you can do is get a
low-fat cheese= less fat to separate. Ultimately what you need to do is
store the cheese and any other heat sensitive food in the center of your
pack well insulated. Even in the desert I had no problem keeping cheese
good and solid through every stretch between towns. I might be biased but
please get your cheese while resupplying in town and enjoy on trail!
Adios
-Queso
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