During the planning stages for our family backpacking trip, we were contacted by the PR company for Astronaut Ice Cream and instantly jumped at the chance to bring along some freeze-dried sweet treats!
Astronaut Ice Cream is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary! How many of us grew up trying the dessert of choice by legends like Neil Armstrong? I know my sister and I did! I was excited to surprise the family with four of the dessert choices along our 4 day through hike.
We brought along the following:
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar
- Neapolitan Ice Cream Bar
- Vanilla Ice Cream Bar
- Freeze-dried Peaches
The Mint Chocolate Chip and Freeze-dried Peaches were first to be annihilated by the kids! I almost lost a finger trying to break off a bite. There was no pause for the “Mom Tax”. The crunch of the freeze-dried ice 
cream bar was quite welcomed after two days of dehydrated meals. The Mint Chocolate Chip was delicious and the mintiness cooled us off after a day of hiking. I loved that the chocolate wafer cookie didn’t stick to my fingers making a mess!
Freeze-dried peaches were next and an instant game of tossing them into the air and trying to catch them with wide open mouths ensued. The crisp bite of the peaches against the beautiful background of the Shoshone Lake was quite magical. We agreed to save some for the morning’s oatmeal as they would be a perfect addition.
On our last night, a huge thunderstorm rolled through camp lasting over 2 hours. We retreated to our tents and indulged on the Neapolitan and Vanilla Ice Cream bars as a pre-dinner treat. Astronaut Ice Cream is a fun and special treat. The crunchiness of the bar mixed with the creamy taste is 
something everyone should try. They are perfect for hiking and backpacking due to their minimal weight (~1 ounce/package) and their fun facts packaging.
For our next trip we are already planning on the Banana Split combo (neapolitan ice cream bars, freeze-dried strawberries and bananas) and we can’t wait to try out the Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Sandwich!
Individual ice cream sandwiches run around $4.99 each but you can purchase combo packs of the fruit and ice cream. This has me thinking of a fun challenge for our next trip- who can create the best combo of fruit and ice cream?! Is there really a wrong combo?
Astronaut Ice Cream can be purchased on their website and at outdoor retailers like REI, AL’s Sporting Goods, Cabelas, etc.