Gear For Food Preparation
Backpacker’s Pantry
Backpacker’s Pantry makes a wide range of freeze-dried food perfectly suited for hunters and anglers. Their range of choices makes for a varied and tasty menu. Freeze-dried meals are very light and most require only hot water to prepare, making them ideal for outdoorsmen, especially for those seeking to minimize the weight in their packs. Huevos Rancheros, Louisiana Red Beans and Rice, Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken, and Shepherd’s Potato Stew with Beef are among the flavors you can find at Alaska’s Fred Meyer stores.
Bradley Smart Smoker
The Bradley Smart Smoker is connected to your phone, or mobile device through the ISmoke app. This allows you to control and monitor your cooking/smoking experience with ease and convenience. Many features have been incorporated into the smoker that allow it to perform in harsh environments and make it built better and stronger. More insulation, a stronger door, as well as silicon gaskets and latches, are just some of the improved features you will find in the Bradley Smart Smoker.
Smokehouse Smoker Box
The Smokehouse Smoker Box is a fast and convenient way to add lots of smoke to your next barbecue. The stainless-steel box burns BBQ pellets from the inside out, which creates more smoke faster. The draft control allows you to get the pellets smoking fast by keeping it open to start, then closing it as the smoke starts bellowing to allow it to smolder and smoke for one- to two hours. The unit comes with 20 fire-starters, which will burn for about six minutes and simply need to be struck and inserted into the chamber on the smoker box.
Bradley Smart Smoker with iSmoke Technology
The Bradley Smart Smoker is the new automatic electric smoker from Bradley Smoker. It features innovative iSmoke Technology, allowing you to control the temperature and smoke from Bluetooth-enabled devices in real-time. It also has a touchscreen, large cooking capacity and two temperature probes. Bradley smokers all feature an automatic feed system, which extinguishes the wood when it turns to ash. This means the smoke burns cleaner, providing great smoked flavor and the best tasting food possible.
Weston Pro 2300 Vacuum Sealer
Preserve fish, meats, produce, bulk food purchases and leftovers 3- to 5 times longer than traditional methods. The extra-long, 5mm thick-seal bar will seal bags up to 15 inches and the unit produces a rapid vacuum- and seal time. The double piston pump draws an amazing max-vacuum strength and the fan-cooled motor prevents overheating for consistent sealing. The sealer incorporates a detachable power cord with storage, transparent lid for bag alignment, LED lights that indicate progress and an automatic mode for one-touch operation, as well as a manual mode for sharp, delicate or moist foods. The stainless steel unit comes with a 2-year warranty.
FoodSaver Gamesaver Titanium
MSRP: $449.99
The Titanium seals up to 15-inch bags, allowing an angler to seal very large chunks of halibut, salmon shark or king salmon, or a hunter could vacuum seal an entire quarter of a Sitka blacktail deer. The unit is equipped with a dual pump to help produce heavy-duty, repetitive seals. It is configured with built-in roll storage and a cutter, as well as a removable drip tray. The vacuum sealer comes with two 10-foot rolls, one 11 inches wide and the other 15 inches wide as well as three, one-gallon dam bags.
Smokehouse Big Chief Smoker
MSRP: $163.95
Your freezer is full, and there are many days to enjoy your 2014 bounty of Alaska salmon. It’s time to turn some of that fish into delectable morsels of smoked deliciousness. The Big Chief Smoker will allow you to do that. Remember our smoked salmon recipe contest from the winter of 2011/12? Thirty-two top-notch contestants competed for a big prize package. Two of the four finalists used a Big Chief Smoker. Contact us at info@fishalaskamagazine.com to get recipes from the contest so you can experiment this winter.
Rapala Folding Fillet Board
MSRP: $21.99 for 12” x 23”; $31.99 for 16” x 31”
These cutting boards are compact, allowing an ice angler to fit the board into the sled or pack and have a firm, flat surface to clean the day’s catch. The two cutting boards fold down to either 12 x 12 inches or 16 x 16 inches and will also fit nicely in the boat or backpack when walking down to the sockeye hole. I know we’ve filleted too many fish on the riverbank wishing that we had a cutting board, and this seems to be just the answer.
Bradley Smoker 
Cold Smoke Adaptor
MSRP: $119
This new device solves the problem of how to cold-smoke on hot days, which proved to be quite a challenge until now. The Bradley Cold Smoke Adaptor attaches between the smoke tower and the generator with a flexible aluminum tube that allows the smoke to cool down before it reaches your food, enabling you to do a true cold-smoke. This unit fits onto all Bradley 4- and 6-rack smokers.
Bradley Smoker 6-rack Digital Smoker
MSRP: $649
The 6-rack Digital Smoker includes all the features of Bradley’s electrical smokers and adds the benefits of digital technology. Temperature, time, and smoke are now completely controllable, giving the user pinpoint control over how much smoke is used, how long your food is going to be smoked for, and at what temperature. The 6 racks are each 11 inches x 13 inches, giving chefs plenty of space for smoking salmon or making jerky. We’ve long used a Bradley Smoker to smoke sockeye salmon and love the consistency and delicious product that it always outputs, and this new unit should only increase the quality of the final product, with even more space to efficiently smoke fish and game.
Scan Marine Equipment Wallas Nordic Dt Diesel Stove/Heater
MSRP: $2,768 with mounting kit
The Nordic Dt is a diesel-fired, forced-air stove that converts into a cabin heater by simply lowering the lid. Using a non-exposed internal flame, the system helps dry the cabin and allows for cooking at temperatures similar to home cooking appliances.
ARY VacMaster VP115 Chamber Machine
MSRP: $799
Enjoy fresh fish like it was caught yesterday with the new VP115 Chamber Machine, which was designed with the Alaska fisherman in mind. Its rugged stainless-steel exterior can hold up to nature’s extremes, while the seal bar with double seal wire ensures your catch is well preserved, scent-free and without risk of freezer burn. Innovative chamber technology allows air to be removed from the entire chamber, not just the pouch. Since air pressure on both the inside and outside of the pouch remains equal, liquids aren’t sucked out of the pouch. This system is ideal for successfully packaging fish or other liquid-rich food.
Alaska Spice Company Alaska Salmon Dip Kit
MSRP: $19.95
This new product from Alaska Spice Company is sure to be a hit. The kit includes 1/4-pound of smoked sockeye salmon in a shelf-stable pouch, as well as a pack of Alaska Salmon Dip Mix, which includes sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, parsley, bell peppers, carrots, leeks and spices. The shelf-stable pouch ensures that the smoked sockeye is fresh whenever you get the urge to eat it. It makes a great gift for any occasion.
Force Fish Products
MSRP: Contact factory for pricing
Fish bags are a popular solution for anglers wanting to keep their catch fresh. Force Fish Products makes a range of products under the brands Canyon and Force to accomplish this task. Their fish bags are leak-proof with welded seams and come in a wide range of sizes. Bags are constructed of heavy-duty, fiber-laced PVC skins combined with a double-layer of closed-cell foam insulation. Other products include custom insulated fish box bags, chum bags, lure bags, fish bag backpacks and equipment covers.
Cold Fold Fish Box CF-60
MSRP: $14.99
We’ve been using these boxes to transport fish for the last few years and the box is top-notch. The self-contained box has a glued-in foil bubble liner with double-sided tape to close it, this shipper is a snap to set-up. The CF-60, 50-pound airline approved shipping box will maintain your frozen vacuum packed fish or any frozen perishable products for 12 to 18-hours, or longer if additional refrigerant is included. The shipper can be purchased at many retailers throughout Alaska as an individual box or in case packs of 10. The CF-60, 50-pound airline shipping box is easy to transport and store for multiple uses.
Mountain House New Flavors 
MSRP: Apple Crisp – $7.49; Biscuits and Gravy – $5.99
Mountain House is a well-respected brand in the dried foods arena and continues to add flavors to a prolific product line. Among the new flavors are Biscuits and Gravy and Apple Crisp. One Apple Crisp packet weighs only 1/3-pound, and when combined with the designated amount of water, makes four 1/2-ounce servings. We’ve been living on Mountain House in the field for over a decade and prefer their product for its taste, diversity of flavors, lifespan, weight, speed in preparation and functionality.
Alaska Spice Company Seasonings 
MSRP: $4.25 – $4.95
If you want to step up the taste of your hard-earned Alaska fish and game, then get some of these fresh seasonings from Alaska Spice Co. From Copper River Salmon Basting Sauce Mix to Halibut Florentine Mix, their hand-crafted seasonings are delicious, salt-free (unless noted) and uniquely Alaskan. You could also try their spices, dip mixes and teas. Get gourmet spice blends at reasonable prices, plus take advantage of their buy three dip mixes or seafood seasonings get a fourth free.