RecPak at REI, Bringing the No-Cook Complete Meal to 70 Stores and REI.com

September 8, 2026

Veteran& guide - founded outdoor nutrition brand earns placement alongside the technical gear brands backcountry users already rely on

September 8, 2026 /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – RecPak, the veteran & guide-founded maker of the outdoor industry’s first no-cook complete meal, announced national retail placement with REI Co-op. RecPak is now available in 70 REI locations across the country and on REI.com in all three flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla Chai, and Coffee.

The placement comes through REI’s Path Ahead Ventures program, which supports emerging outdoor brands led by founders historically underrepresented in the industry.

Traditional freeze-dried and dehydrated meals require a full cook system and 10 to 15 minutes of setup. Bars and gels are convenient but incomplete. RecPak was built to close that gap for people who need real nutrition without stopping to make it.

Each RecPak pouch delivers 700 calories and 45 grams of tri-source protein along with 22 essential vitamins and minerals in a 6.6-ounce package with an 18-month shelf life. The product requires no stove, no pot, and no fuel. Add water, shake, and eat. For multi-day trips, eliminating the cook system entirely saves 13 to 20 ounces of pack weight before a single meal is accounted for.

“When you walk into REI, you are surrounded by brands you trust when it counts in the backcountry. Arc’teryx. Gregory. Black Diamond. Brands that show up when it counts,” said Deed Ziegler, RecPak founder. “RecPak is now in that same store. That means something. It means we have earned a place among the gear you can trust to perform the way you need it to, when you need it most.”

For a brand that has grown largely through word of mouth among thru-hikers, alpinists, backcountry hunters, and search and rescue teams, the national placement means greater access.

“Most people build their kit and then figure out food at the last minute. We have never seen it that way. Fuel is equipment. It belongs as part of the plan alongside your shelter and your layers, not after-thought,” Ziegler said. “Being on the REI shelf means you are picking up RecPak on the same trip where you are sorting out the rest of your gear.”

RecPak’s growth has been built on partnerships across the outdoor community. The company is a member of 1% for the Planet and The Conservation Alliance, and partners with the American Alpine Club to support climbers and the places they climb.

“Through REI’s Path Ahead Ventures and thousands of backcountry travelers who trusted us early, we’ve taken RecPak from powder in a Nalgene to a nationwide retail product,” RecPak co-founder Joy Seward explained. “That doesn’t happen without our customers, our brand partners, and the wild places that make any of this worth doing, and we don’t take for granted that our work is helping more people get out to them.”

About RecPak

RecPak is a nutritionally complete instant powder meal saving outdoor adventurers and professionals space, weight, and time. Designed by top endurance sports nutritionists, each durable pouch delivers 700 calories and 45g of protein with all essential nutrients, just add water and drink on the move. RecPak keeps you focused on your mission, not meal prep. Veteran and mountain guide owned, proud members of The Conservation Alliance, 1% For The Planet, Access Fund, and the AAC.