Any good freezer bag cozy testing out there?

I never carry any specialized cozy. I just pour the water into the bag and put the bag into my inverted watch cap (beanie). Then I fold the cap around the bag.

If it is seriously cold weather and I need to wear the watch cap, then I will just eat the stuff immediately while it is hot and semi-soaked.

–B.G.–

I have used a homemade reflectix pouch as well as one of Sarah Kirconnell's cozies. In the past I've also done what Bob has done and just insulated my meal in a jacket, towel, or beanie.

The reflectix pouch works great – the only drawback is durability. I usually put it on the outside of my pack and inevitably the tape on the side catches on the mesh and begins to come off.

Sarah's cozies are light, durable, and are just as effective as the reflectix pouches.

Honestly though, just use a jacket or beanie if you carry them, much simpler;

I've dehydrated and rehydrated orzo, elbow, bowtie, and spaghetti in all three of the above methods and as long as you add enough water and give it enough time (20 minutes is my magic number) you'll be okay. And if it's a little crunchy still, chances are you'll eat it anyway. 20 minutes is a long time.

I just went to the dollar store and picked up a windsheild reflective sunshade and made a cozy in about 5 minutes. It weghs .6 oz due to wide sized duct tape to put the sides together, but it works just fine. It's soft and I can fold or roll it up and put it with the rest of my cooking gear. With the size of the sunshade, I can make at least 4 of these things when one just bites the dust. You can find directions on Youtube if you need them.

"… hoping someone out there has tested multiple items and rated hydration effectiveness."

"…Different pastas, rice, pasta sides,…"

We dry cooked brown rice as a base for meals, and we use off-the-shelf Barilla tortellini, among other things. The vegies we add are usually dehydrated beans, potatoes, carrots etc.

We rehydrate in 3 cup refrigerator bowls, with lids, that have been insulated in some fashion.

I have used my fleece hat, Reflectix, and 1/4" closed cell foam. We usually add boiling water, then let things soak for 15 minutes, unless it's "fast food" like instant potatoes, or "blendered" soups.

They all work. We've never timed things down to the minute to see which was better, and IMHO, environmental factors like elevation, temperature of the dry food, air temperature and wind are more of an issue than insulation effectiveness. And in any case, it just means waiting a few more minutes.

We've settled into the integrity and durability of CCF. We found that with Reflectix, the tape starts to peel, gaps fill with grunge, and water collects where you don't want it. YMMV.

I USED TO use my jacket, hat, whatever…until a meal leaked (in bear country, too, donch'a know!).

Now I have a DIY one made from my old car sunshade; I also just got a new one from Packit Gourmet, but I haven't taken it out yet.

Someone did a thread on the relative temp changes (specifically, temp loss) over time with different cozies. The outcome, as I recall, is that pretty much all types of cozy are within a few degrees of each other. The only one that lost a lot of heat was using nothing at all. I use my wool watch cap, and sometimes put that inside my down jacket. Works great, and nothing extra to fool with.