Best Dehydrators for Backpacking Meals of 2024

Drying Tray Expandability

Though not enough to disqualify a model, we considered expandability. Depending on what you are dehydrating and the length of your trip, the number of trays and drying space required for the job will change.

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For one trip, you might just want to make some dried fruit or fruit leather, which only requires one tray. On another trip, you might decide you want to make all your meals at once, necessitating 5-6 trays. Or for an extended trip, you may wish you had 20 trays. Sliding tray dehydrators do not have the option to expand the number of trays.

Stackable Dehydrator

A stackable dehydrator usually comes with 4-5 trays. Nesco sells more trays that fit their dehydrators, as well as extra accessory trays like those for dehydrating liquids. Expandability also goes hand-in-hand with motor size. A 1,000W motor--like that on the Gardenmaster--can handle up to 20 stackable trays. A 600W motor--like the Excalibur and Nesco Snackmaster--can only handle 9-12 trays.

Size and Weight

We read what reviewers had to say about size and weight. All dehydrators are bulky, but some are more space-efficient. Square dehydrators without a hole in the tray, like the Excalibur, maximize the drying area available with the least counter space. Some dehydrators, like the Presto Dehydro (which we considered but didn’t make it to the top of our list), can nest the trays for storage.

Stainless steel dehydrators are attractive and durable, but they weigh more than twice that of their competition. They’re often more expensive, too. So, we included a small consideration for space and weight in making our choices, and all our picks fall somewhere in the mid-range.

Timer Function

We also considered whether a dehydrator has a timer function. Some reviewers love it, especially people who load up their entire dehydrator with beef jerky. They like that they can set the timer and go to bed or take off for work and not worry about over-drying their food. But our experts didn’t think it was a function that alone was worth paying extra for. For use for backpacking, where you might be drying several different kinds of food at once (all with different drying times), a timer may not be as helpful. So, we took timers into consideration but didn’t make this feature critical in our decision-making.

Noise Level

Because some customer reviewers commented about how loud or quiet various models were, we made sure to include noise level as a consideration. Dehydrating experts Melissa Erkel and Whitney LaRuffa reported that they put their dehydrator in a far corner while dehydrating. But, for users who don’t have far corners, this may be something to consider.

Ease of Getting Accessories

Our experts mentioned that the ease of getting accessories is important to allow for dehydrating variety. All of our Best Dehydrators have accessories for sale in places like Amazon.

Made in the USA Food Dehydrators

Finally, some reviewers commented that they liked things that are made in the USA. Although this was not a deal-breaker criterion, we were pleased to find out that all three of our highest-rated dehydrators are made in the USA.

Today I have 15 tips for buying your first dehydrator. Have you thought about buying one, or do you already have one? Let me know what brand you have and what you like about it.

It’s worth the investment because it allows you to preserve foods that you’ve purchased and not only want to eat now but store for future use. This will ultimately prevent waste and save you money in the long run. However, before buying a dehydrator, it’s essential to know a few helpful tips to ensure that you’re buying the perfect one for your home.

I’ve decided to update this post because more than ever before the price of food continues to rise. Please learn to dehydrate or freeze-dry your food. My budget doesn’t warrant a freeze-dryer at my age, and my dehydrator works well for me. I have been stocking commercially processed freeze-dried food for years and it is the best food storage you can stock. But money is money and a freeze-dryer is not in the cards for me.

Please start a garden or buy from a Farmer’s Market or buy frozen vegetables on sale and dehydrate them for soups. You will love the jars lined up on the shelves in your pantry! Several Ways To Dehydrate Food

15 Tips for Buying Your First Dehydrator

1. Research Some of the Different Brands

When you’re looking for the perfect dehydrator, expect to see lots of options from different brands. It’s a good idea to start researching these brands and their reputation based on customer reviews.

If a company has sold dehydrators for years and has great reviews, their products are likely worth buying, but you should dive into doing more research to see for yourself.

Nesco Gardenmaster, Excalibur, and Cosori are just three of the many brands you may come across in your search. This is similar to the one I have (mine is 9 years old), Excalibur 9-Tray With A timer

2. Figure Out How Much You’re Willing to Spend

Set a budget for yourself after getting a rough idea of how much the average food dehydrator costs. Some are more expensive than others, but they usually come with convenient and valuable features for the consumer.

How much can you afford to spend on a food dehydrator? Next, try to think of all the money you can save once you buy the appliance and begin dehydrating food to preserve it for future use.

3. Make a List of the Most Important Features You Want

Please start thinking about the features that you’d like your food dehydrator to have when you buy it. Not all dehydrators are created equally, and some will have better features than others.

Look for things like a convenient airflow system, an ideal thermostat, and neat trays that you can use to dehydrate multiple foods simultaneously. Have your list ready when shopping to search for that perfect dehydrator. For me, the unit’s capacity and watts used were important considerations.

4. Find Out If It’s a Noisy Dehydrator

Try to get an idea of how loud the food dehydrator is when you’re using it. Some can make a lot of noise. If noise isn’t an issue for you, it’s not something you need to worry about when you’re looking for the best dehydrator.

However, if you don’t want to hear loud fan noises coming from the kitchen each time you dehydrate something, check the specifications and reviews for details on the noise level.

5. Does It Come with Stacking Trays?

Stackable trays inside the dehydrator make it possible for you to dehydrate more food at a faster pace. If you’re planning to dehydrate lots of things, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats, you may want to find a dehydrator that comes equipped with these spacious stackable trays. Please plan the products you want to process, and don’t dehydrate different things like fruit and meat at the same time since different foods may need different temperatures and time settings.

My Excalibur comes with trays that slide into the slots/grooves on the sides inside the dehydrator. The Nesco is more of a stacking unit, and some models have additional trays you can add.

Some of the nicer units come with a stainless steel core and stainless steel trays. The number of trays and type of dehydrator trays can affect how the unit works and how well the dehydrated foods come off the trays.

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6. Does It Have a Thermometer/Temperature/Timer?

Always invest in a food dehydrator that comes with a thermometer/temperature gauge. You’re going to need the thermometer to keep track of the temperature inside the dehydrator because some foods dehydrate better at specific temperatures. If it doesn’t have a thermometer, it’s a real inconvenience.

Of course, the temperature settings will affect how long things like dehydrated fruit take to become dry foods to eat as snacks or to base a meal. Where you live and the altitude will also affect how fast the moisture is removed, thus the time spent to dehydrate.

7. Find Out If the Thermostat is Adjustable

Can you adjust the thermostat in the food dehydrator to your liking? It’s a question that you should ask before you spend money on this handy kitchen appliance. You may need to adjust the position of the thermostat at times while dehydrating certain foods.

8. Is It Compact and Lightweight?

You may not want another bulky appliance in your kitchen, especially if you already have many of them, including a microwave, toaster oven, and air fryer. So, look for a dehydrator that is compact, lightweight, and easy to store when it’s not in use. Some of the compact options are still spacious enough for you to dehydrate multiple trays at once.

9. How Much Can You Dehydrate at Once?

Find out how much food you can dehydrate at once when using different types of food dehydrators. Extensive options tend to have more space, but smaller options still offer enough interior space with stackable trays for you to place foods, such as fruit slices, sliced meat for beef jerky, and vegetable pieces. It’s nice to have some versatility so your unit doesn’t limit your efforts.

10. Make Sure It Contains the Nutritional Content

If you’re dehydrating food to preserve it and eat it at a later time, you want to make sure the foods are going to maintain their nutritional content during the dehydration process. You can find out this vital information by reviewing details about the product.

When the dehydrator doesn’t take away from the nutritional content, it’s common for the company to use that as a selling point, so it should be easy for you to find out if it’s true or not. You want to be sure the unit does a thorough job so you don’t get mold on the food and put the food at risk for bacteria growth. Since you don’t put preservatives on the food to be dried, properly monitoring the texture of the food and then storing it in air-tight containers makes a real difference.

I quote from The Excalibur Dehydrator website: “Cooking foods at a temperature no higher than 105-165 degrees in a dehydrator preserves nutrients and enzymes.”

11. Are the Shelves/Trays Easy to Clean?

Each time I dehydrate a food product, I place my trays with the netting in my kitchen sink filled with warm soapy water and use a scrubber to lightly scrub the netting. I rinse them and stand them on their ends to drain on a drying mat. Drying Mat and Kitchen Scrubber

Ease of use and clean-up are two important considerations as you do your research and before purchases are made.

12. Decide Where You’ll Put It Once You Buy It

Think about where you’re going to put the dehydrator once you buy it at the store or get it delivered to your front door. First, you need to make sure you have the right amount of space for the food dehydrator you’re buying. If not, you might not know where to put it or when you’ll get to use it due to a lack of space.

13. Is It Energy-Efficient?

Finding an energy-efficient dehydrator is essential. You want to dehydrate food to save it, but you don’t want to waste a lot of energy in the process. The good news is that several brands offer energy-efficient options based on the type and size of the heating elements and fans used.

14. Can It Dehydrate Foods at a Fast Pace?

Try to get an idea of how long it takes for some of these different dehydrators to dehydrate the foods that you’re planning to process. Some take longer than others. If you’d like to get the dehydration process done as quickly as possible, you’ll want to look for a highly efficient option.

15. Look at the Reviews

As mentioned above, always check the reviews of the different dehydrators while you’re looking at them online. You can read what people are saying about these appliances, along with what they like and don’t like about them.

Final Word 

If you’re thinking of buying your first dehydrator, consider these 15 tips beforehand. Try to get a feel for what you want and like before you start shopping. May God Bless this world, Linda

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