DryCamping~Boondocking~Emergency What food to keep for NO POWER times

[Wendy]

Our fridge went out once and after throwing away all the jars of ketchup, mayo and other condiments that got warm, we now carry the travel size packets of everything including jelly packets, they don't need to be kept cold.  Saves tons of room too.  We only order what we need for each camping trip.

Call me "cheap" but I don't buy the little individual packets, I just keep the dozens they give you at the fast food drive-thru. Plus the red pepper flakes and parmesan you get with pizza orders. I have a plastic container in a drawer that I put them all in.

Wendy

 

[borntocruise53]

the wonder food that you are looking for  is ramen noodles. you can but a 24 pack (in packets not in cups) that will take up a 6" X 5" X 12" and all you need is water, a pot, and heat.  ta daaa  instant food. and best of all it will only cost 2 or 3 dollars. also dried fruit wouldn't be a bad bet.

 

[brens]

Stater Bro. has there London Broil on sale all the time. I buy it when it is on sale and I dehydrate it for when my husband and son go hunting.  It is light and fills them up. You can  dehydrate alot of fresh things like friuts and meats . My sister in law makes homemade soup then dehydrates it for  when they go backpacking.

 

[John From Detroit]

R E I has a wide variaty of dehydrated foods as well.. I'm sure Gander Mountain and likelly BASS Pro shops do as well.

Regarding Ramen Noodles and other "Shelf Store" foods in supermarkets... Many of them are not all that good for you.

However... For emergency use.. I think I'd over look the fact that they are not great food.. I mean. Any food when you are starving is better than no food at all.

And the old joke is "Red meat is not bad for you.. blue Green Fuzzy meat is bad for you"

 

[DesertDew]

I have to agree that for that many months of emergency food stock with the stated limitations for weight and space, dehydrated is the way to go, with a solar oven or 2.  More so than the weight of canned goods, water reserves would be my greatest concern (how to store enough water for several months if the canned goods weight is an issue), next would be cooling/heating unless one lives in HI or similar.  Wood for fires may not be available for cooking so solar is a good bet. 

I didn't see it but I believe many may have said, "...same as at home..." since a true home emergency would probably mean the same as boondocking in its purest sense....no power or standard souce of energy and not really a source for fresh water.  Dehydrated foods is really all that fits the limited bill, along with fresh water, of course.           

 

[PancakeBill]

Instant water, just carry some oxygen in 1 bottle, 2 bottles of hydrogen.  They are gases, so weigh nothing.  Mix in a leak proof glass. 

 

[DesertDew]

;D

 

[PancakeBill]

This is a good thread, not so much for the original intyent, but the larger view, the preparedness for shortages, or storm or other natural disaster evacuations.  How well are we prepared to get up and go. 

In my Ham Radio world we have a Go Bag.  Military personnel have them, the bag you grab when you HAVE to go.  Our RV's are somewhat like a giant Go Bag. 

Living in Yellowstone, within the ancient caldera, and surrounded by forest, we need to be ready to go as well.  Alst years Arnika Fire had us double checking preparedness.  In case of fire we need to be ready to head out with less than an hours nootice, and to be able to take care of oursleves. 

So, with that overlaying the boondocking question, how well are you prepared?

 

[geodrake]

Instant water, just carry some oxygen in 1 bottle, 2 bottles of hydrogen.  They are gases, so weigh nothing.  Mix in a leak proof glass.

So Bill; How long will the raw contents keep without spoiling?  Should they be kept refrigerated?  Is it OK to freeze them?

 

[Tony_Alberta]

This is a good thread, not so much for the original intyent, but the larger view, the preparedness for shortages, or storm or other natural disaster evacuations.  How well are we prepared to get up and go. 
....
So, with that overlaying the boondocking question, how well are you prepared?

Or if you are in earthquake country?  Assume that you won't be able to purchase anything at a store for ten days.  No power.    And that you might not be able to get water, propane, diesel or gasoline for that same ten days.    Etc, etc.

 

[Jammer]

This being a thread specifically about FOOD I will leave aside the important questions about fuel, electricity, heat, water, for another thread.

Assuming a supply of drinking water and cooking facilities, the basics matter most:

Flour
Rice
Dried beans
Shortening or oil
Sugar
Salt
Yeast
Baking powder
Dried milk
Hot cereal

All standard grocery store items or can be purchased from waltonfeed.com prepacked in barrier laminate bags, cans, or 6 gallon pails.  If you have that and you know what you're doing you can make various kinds of breads, cakes, and rice and bean dishes to accompany whatever else you have.  Shelf life without refrigeration of 1-10 years depending on packaging for most items.  Augment that with some canned meat products and you can go for a week without going nuts.

Beyond that you can get dehydrated fruits and vegetables that are light and take up little space.  Again I recommend Walton Feed although you can shop around and maybe find a better deal.

For premade meals that don't require as much planning and preparation time you can consider the Alpine Aire meal packages available from several sources; e.g. http://www.aa-foods.com/bulk.cfm - the problem is that this stuff is expensive but it is handy and tastes good.

 

[rolling condo]

Here are a couple of sources for emergency food.

http://theepicenter.com/index.html

http://www.mountainhouse.com/

I use the Mountain House foods for situations at work where I can't get away from a job site. I use a Jet Boil to heat my water and I have a good hot meal.


'90 GMC Suburban R2500
'90 Avion 34V
Reese Dual Cam HP
Cummings Onan P4300ie

 

[glfredrick]

If we are talking long-term survival, then the list changes considerably.  Add in firearms (an air rifle with about 10,000 pellets and some proper oil and a cleaning rod are invaluable), seeds for common (heritage, which propogate from seeds next year) vegatables, dry stock as listed above, and water filters, plus some hand tools for working with wood, dealing with butchering, etc.

We wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel if the lights went out for a long term -- houses, rv,s etc., are still there -- so all the woods lore about building your own home from trees and such is probably not well thought out -- but a lot of what we currently use would need to be radically re-purposed.  Our gutters, instead of dumping rain water to storm drains, would need to be diverted to water storage.  Furnaces that run on LP or oil would need to be converted to wood, plus tools are needed to process that wood.  Even our RVs would be of limited use if the power went out long term, as they presuppose an ability to move, and that would no longer be the case.

With a decent air rifle, a grill, and a couple of hand tools, a person can live, even in the city, for a long time without the grid.  All sorts of good-to-eat stuff flying and running around.

 

[PancakeBill]

Air rifle?  suppose you want to eat better than squirrels ans staarlings?  For self defence in this situation I would prefer some firepower.  Shotgun, deer rifle etc.  Plus reloading equipment, Ammo in this situation would be taxed way too high.

 

[glfredrick]

No disagreement at all...  The air rifle thing is for harvesting small game -- the most plentiful and useful natural food, though a modern air rifle with pointed pellets will bring down deer-sized game with a precise shot.  Large game requires one of two things, a way to cool or freeze the meat for longer term use or a way to smoke and dry for the same.  Good eating for about 2 days, then the meat is spoiled unless you are feeding a tribe.  Small game commonly available are doves, pigeons (cities are loaded with them!), squirrel, racoon, possum (last resort!), pheasant, grouse or partrige, rabbit (all yum!) and in some cases a few other varmints that work for the frying pan or campfire.

Protection?  Give me something big enough to work merely by showing it.  ;D  A .45 acp is a good start, a shotgun better.  Larger than that, they get cumbersome to truck around.  I'm a fan of loading your own and having an arsenal at one's disposal, but the question at hand was survival, hence my recommendation.  An air rifle like the Ruger Air Hawk and 10,000 pellets is within almost everyone's reach, and is easily stored, practiced, and utilized.  Also, no noise to alert others of your intentions.  Even a .22 will raise suspicion (though that is the best 2nd choice for survival needs) when fired.  The air rifle can be fired right next to a neighbor and no one is the wiser.

 

[Metallitera]

http://www.campingsurvival.com/mreskits.html

(No recommendation on the products for sale at the site above -- just an example of what is available.)

MREs.  About the only thing that will do what you are asking, apart from tins of rice, pasta, canned goods (yes, same as you use at home) and dried/smoked meats like jerky or all beef sausage (make sure that they are the type that do not need refrigeration).

Yuup, MREs. Buy a case or two. do NOT buy individuals from an army surplus store, ESPECIALLY actually military ones as unless you know how to read the date codes, they could be quite old. The military reproductions are just as good or better and are current production. They come with everything you need (plasticware, napkins, salt pepper, TP, tobasco, heaters, etc.) all you need is water for ranger pudding LoL

only downfall is the amount of calories, as since the more genuine reproductions will have around 3000 calories per meal, i believe some of the civilian counterparts that are more designed for camping have a lot less calories.

 

[Speeedracers]

MRE- Make sure you have some ex-lax handy they are meant to bind ya up a little.. Oh the days of being in the field..


Lora

 

[ZuniJayne]

I carry several varieties of Mountain House dried foods for long term emergencies, as well as plenty of well-sealed beans, rice and flour.

Because I have good weight carrying capacity in my trailer, I do keep canned veggies, fruits and meats on hand.  I can bring down whatever game is needed with either modern or ancient weapons.

I have a 50 gallon water tank and can make that stretch a loooong time.  I also collect rainwater in a barrel next to the TT, like I'm doing now in monsoon season.  I just use a 12v water pump to go from the barrel to the trailer tank.  I have solar for power, and will pick up or make a solar oven some day. 

In the event of solar flares significant enough to disrupt power, my pacemaker will quit and I won't have to worry about survival anymore. <bg>