Gear Review: Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches

Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwich

One question that perplexes a lot of outdoor enthusiast is what to eat when in the backcountry. Almost everyone I ask what they eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner all have completely different answers. I admit it’s hard to pack in food that tastes as good in the backcountry as it does in the front country.

Honey BBQ Beef

Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches are a great food option for the backcountry or in emergency kits. The Bridgford Sandwiches are lightweight weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 ounces (71-99 g) without packaging (4.8 ounces/1360g with the packaging). Each sandwich packs between 270 and 330 calories making them great for refueling after a day of exercising outdoors. Each box comes with four individually packaged ready to eat sandwiches. The Ready to Eat Sandwiches have a shelf life of about three years so they are not going to spoil right away.

Each Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwich comes in a coffee colored package that reminds me of MRE’s. Each package lists the flavor, ingredients and nutritional information. There are two tear tabs that make opening the package easy. There is also a non-edible oxygen absorber in each packaged sandwich. Once the package is open a delicious aroma immediately escapes. Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches smell delicious. I suspect opening this package near other backpackers who are resigned to ramen or Pop-Tarts would elicit looks ranging from inquisitive to jealousy. The Ready to Eat Sandwiches can also be heated while in their packaging using a flameless heater or submerging the package in boiling water.

Italian Style sandwich

Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches taste great. The sandwiches consist of bread with flavored filling in the middle. The fillings are appropriately named. I received flavors of BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef, Bacon in Cheese-Flavored Bread, Pepperoni Stick and Italian (which is sausage, pepperoni and tomato sauce). Other flavors available include Cinnamon Bun, Italian Soy Marinara and Shelf Stable Bread. Bridgford’s Ready to Eat Sandwiches are great for any meal. I really like that they are good for any meal. Tired of dehydrated foods for dinner then substitute a Bridgford Italian Sandwich instead. Not sure of what to do for lunch, don’t use snacks just eat a Bridgford BBQ Sandwich. Sick of Oatmeal and Pop-Tarts for breakfast then try Bridgford’s Bacon in Cheese-Flavored Bread instead. These are just examples of course any flavor can be used for any meal.

Bacon in Cheese Flavored Bread When the filling pulls out

The Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches are pretty filling too. For breakfast and lunch eating one sandwich will do it for me although sometimes I’ll have room to eat a fruit snack for dessert. For dinner I find the sandwiches satisfying but I need just a few extra supplements to make me feel stuffed (dehydrated meals are the same way with me so this was not unexpected). The Ready to Eat Sandwiches do not sit heavy in my stomach like a lot of energy/protein bars and taste like a sandwich made at home. My only real complaint about the sandwiches is that there is a lot more bread than there is filling. Some fillings, such as bacon or pepperoni stick, will come out prematurely when biting into the sandwich. This occasionally leaves bread with a cavity in it (although it also means I had a really good bite of sandwich filling). I’m not too bothered by it because I like the way the bread tastes alone just fine.

Pepperoni stick sandwich

Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Another thing I found to be great about the Bridgford sandwiches was not what they contained but what they did not need – water to prep it. Exploring the desert southwest can often mean going where there is very little water. Every drop is precious and using water to cook with or even to boil water means sometimes hauling that water throughout the day (or even longer). The only water I need when consuming the Bridgford Sandwiches is water to help wash it down afterward and I need this with everything I eat so it is not extra water. The same problem can occur in the winter as well. Melting water for food prep means fuel and extra weight. With the Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches I do not have to melt snow into water to enjoy the sandwiches so I could leave extra fuel at home if desired.

The Bridgford Ready to Eat Sandwiches are a great meal option for those whose venture into the backcountry. They are lightweight, taste great, come in a variety of different flavors and don’t require any prep (time, water or anything else). I am delighted to see a product like this on the market and suspect I will be eating these on trips for years to come.

Manufacturer	Bridgford Foods Corporation
Weight	2.5 oz (71 g) to 3.5 oz (99 g) unwrapped + 0.4 oz (11 g) for packaging
Calories	270 - 330 cal
Price (MSRP)	$15.99, comes as four individually wrapped sandwiches per box

This story was originally posted April 1, 2011.