benEzra
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Actually, it is a known fact that there are only about 100 fruit cakes on the planet. Every December, people who got one last Christmas rewrap it and send it to someone else.
SHTF food (short term for evacuations)
- Thread starter Carl Brutaninadilewski
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As others have noted, water will be much more important than food over a several day emergency. A good filter is an excellent idea, but it sounds like it may not fit your budget right now so you are left with 3 options: (1) bring enough water with you to last for 3 or 4 days, which probably means at least 3 gallons--or about 6 used-but-cleaned 2-liter soda bottles, which will weigh around 24 pounds, (2) a small bottle (about the size of your thumb) of Porta-Aqua or similar iodine disinfectant tablets and a container (2-liter bottle or two, or Nalgenes) for disinfecting water you find along the way (and maybe a half-dozen Vitamin C tablets to kill the taste of the iodine), or (3) spend about 89 cents on a quart bottle of basic bleach (with no additives or active ingredients other than sodium hypochlorite, 5% to 6.5%) and add 8 drops of bleach to the water you find along the way--16 drops if the water is cloudy or questionable--and wait 20 minutes before drinking.
As for food that meets your criteria, c'mon, you're not using your imagination. PowerBars, Cliff Bars, small backpacking stoves, and many of the other things mentioned are great ideas, but you can meet your objectives for $5 if you want to. Just get a box of Cheerios (or whatever you like), remove the inner bag from the box, crush the Cheerios into little pieces, and transfer the crushed Cheerios into a 1-gallon Ziploc. Or buy a couple boxes of Pop Tarts, or granola bars or Kudos bars or breakfast bars. Or get a bag or two of trail mix. Honestly, there are a gazillion easy options. Throw in a couple multi-vitamins if you want.
Take another walk through all those grocery aisles, slow down and use your imagination.
P.S. I heard there were only 80 fruit cakes on the planet, but the source was not unimpeachable.
As for food that meets your criteria, c'mon, you're not using your imagination. PowerBars, Cliff Bars, small backpacking stoves, and many of the other things mentioned are great ideas, but you can meet your objectives for $5 if you want to. Just get a box of Cheerios (or whatever you like), remove the inner bag from the box, crush the Cheerios into little pieces, and transfer the crushed Cheerios into a 1-gallon Ziploc. Or buy a couple boxes of Pop Tarts, or granola bars or Kudos bars or breakfast bars. Or get a bag or two of trail mix. Honestly, there are a gazillion easy options. Throw in a couple multi-vitamins if you want.
Take another walk through all those grocery aisles, slow down and use your imagination.
P.S. I heard there were only 80 fruit cakes on the planet, but the source was not unimpeachable.
P-38 is smaller and thinner metal. P-51 is larger and thicker. I prefer the P-51 as it is still small but doenst bend as easily.
Carl, haven't cruised through the other posts, but it seems like jerky, energy bars and trail mix fit your criteria?
For running from a tsunami, I'd consider carrying this stuff in a 5 gallon plastic bucket (or two for balance) with tight fitting lids. They are completely waterproof, rugged, and if underfilled may act as a floatation device if you get swept up in the flood surge.
Also you may not have time to change shoes, so you might consider wearing appropriate boots as your every day footwear. Alternate between 2 or more pairs to prolong their useful life, and to avoid the "funk"
Good Luck
Also you may not have time to change shoes, so you might consider wearing appropriate boots as your every day footwear. Alternate between 2 or more pairs to prolong their useful life, and to avoid the "funk"
Good Luck
After a short hike the other day I realised I did not bring anywhere near the amount of drinking water I should have.
Instead of the one quart I took, two quarts might have been enough, maybe as many as four if I had not headed home and rehydrated there.
Gatorade or something similar should make up half of what you take with you for drinking. It really does help.
Keep in mind the weather, terrain, and your activity level when trying to figure out how much water to bring.
Instead of the one quart I took, two quarts might have been enough, maybe as many as four if I had not headed home and rehydrated there.
Gatorade or something similar should make up half of what you take with you for drinking. It really does help.
Keep in mind the weather, terrain, and your activity level when trying to figure out how much water to bring.
chopinbloc
Member
water purifier before all. best you take up hiking and camping for the experience. a top way to find out what works for you. also, a tiny hiker tent, kinda like a squished down pup tent, is a comfort in the wind and/or rain. go at this like it is a for real SHTF trip and dont cheat, make do. and dont forget something to read. all in all this is great fun and educational. hands on is a quick way to learn about how much you can pack and how far. not to mention weight distribution and backpack suitability. oh, and a good knife is worth it's weight.
there are a number of internet sites devoted to camping and survival. some good and some so so, but they all contain a colonel of information. you can try dried fruit around the house. my favorite is dried aspples. with a source of heat and a ziplock of bisquick you can make a small apple pie, a real morale lifter. i learned my survival cooking with a tiny campfire in my backyard.
good luck in your endeavor and dont forget to enjoy. if you never need it, the knowledge is very satisfying. you know it can be done and you can do it.
there are a number of internet sites devoted to camping and survival. some good and some so so, but they all contain a colonel of information. you can try dried fruit around the house. my favorite is dried aspples. with a source of heat and a ziplock of bisquick you can make a small apple pie, a real morale lifter. i learned my survival cooking with a tiny campfire in my backyard.
good luck in your endeavor and dont forget to enjoy. if you never need it, the knowledge is very satisfying. you know it can be done and you can do it.
Hi All-
Packing food and water that "travels and stores well" isn't very difficult. Consider these options:
~ Blue Jays ~
Packing food and water that "travels and stores well" isn't very difficult. Consider these options:
- lots and lots of water -- a CamelBak with extra bladders is helpful
- energy food like PowerBars
- chunky peanut butter in airtight containers
- dried fruits like strawberries and mangos
- natural beef jerky
~ Blue Jays ~
Clif Bars and Power Bars. The plain, "old fashion" Power Bars are best, as they have no chocolatey coating that can melt. They have a long shelf life and have vitamins and minerals. Your #1 item should be a high quality water purifier.
Strange, i never had any problems, You just put the lip of the can inot the little notch and use the opener like a lever, move it forward a little, repeat. I keep a p-51 in my pocket, makes a useful screwdriver too.
hey, so do you guys KEEP water in your hydration packs?
I like to keep mine dry until i'm ready to use it, and then fill it with distilled water.
I'd really like to keep it full all the time and ready to go, but i'm concerned about things growing in there if i don't use the pack for a couple weeks. any ideas?
I like to keep mine dry until i'm ready to use it, and then fill it with distilled water.
I'd really like to keep it full all the time and ready to go, but i'm concerned about things growing in there if i don't use the pack for a couple weeks. any ideas?
I keep my canteens/CamelBaks etc. empty until I need to use them.
Bottled water is a good thing to keep around, just remember to rotate it (use it) on a regular basis.
Definitely have several ways of filtering and purifying water.
Bottled water is a good thing to keep around, just remember to rotate it (use it) on a regular basis.
Definitely have several ways of filtering and purifying water.
MREs aren't that bad, especially if you're seriously hungry. Nutrition, variety, compact, shelf life, edible on-the-go, self-heating, ... what more do you really want? With a case of them running about $5.50 each, that's about the same as a fast-food combo meal. Every other option takes more work and bulk, not giving much better taste.
I'm not happy with CamelBaks. Got a HAWG sack, seemingly a moderate-sized backpack with a separate area for the bladder. I keep running into the same problem: carefully filling the whole pack good and tight, then discovering that there's no way to actually fill the bladder afterwards (no space for water, can't shove a full bladder in). I'd have to load the water FIRST, THEN put everything else in - meaning I can't have the pack ready to go, needing only a quick stop-off at a faucet. When SHTF, I don't want to be unpacking everything just to get water in there.
Are any CamelBak-type packs actually designed to easily add water when the rest of the pack is full? If not, next time I'm getting a lighter, cheaper pack and a bunch of far more convenient canteens.
Are any CamelBak-type packs actually designed to easily add water when the rest of the pack is full? If not, next time I'm getting a lighter, cheaper pack and a bunch of far more convenient canteens.
Anyone know how to stabilize water for long-term storage? Don't care about taste (SHTF = survive, not pleasantries).
I heard its supposed to be one drop of bleach per gallon of water, then sealed airtight... is this the case?
chopinbloc
Member
well, in the phoenix area, there is so much chlorine in the tap water that i've had jugs in my car for months with no ill effects. i also don't believe there is a shelf life for bottled water. the water is pasteurized and then sealed. there is no opportunity for microbial growth. if you are concerned about growth in the camelback water, but want to keep the pack full, why not fill it with chlorinated tap water and put a bottle of iodine tabs in the pack. if the shtf, you grab your pack, drop in iodine tabs and take off. you should have several canteens full anyway so by the time you're drinking off the water bladder the iodine should have done its work, right? i'm not too concerned about natural disasters short of a collision with a celestial body where i live so i'm not focused on a get out quick plan. i do have to make it to my mom and grandparent's house, so all i'm concerned with is lots of water. remember, you can live for about two weeks with no food, two days with no water. two weeks might be enough to find/kill some food.
Looks like some pretty good advise here. Some of it should work for most anyone. About eating barf..... I'll take the MRE any day, but suit your self! 
cdtonath, my camelbak has a separate pocket for the 3-liter bladder. it can be inserted/removed w/o touching any of the area in the backpack. it is a medium-sized backpack.
my problem is a bit more nuanced. i use my backpack when i shoot HP matches. dates vary, but usually that's at least two per month. so i might not use the pack for 3 weeks, and don't want anything growing in it. but i use it way to often to be dropping pills in all the time.
when i do use it, i put distilled water in it, and i keep lots of purified bottled water (and gatorade).
hmmm
my problem is a bit more nuanced. i use my backpack when i shoot HP matches. dates vary, but usually that's at least two per month. so i might not use the pack for 3 weeks, and don't want anything growing in it. but i use it way to often to be dropping pills in all the time.
when i do use it, i put distilled water in it, and i keep lots of purified bottled water (and gatorade).
hmmm
Refill the water every week or so. Tis what i do woth my stored water.
Also, be warned, MRE's are good but they give you gas! At least the beef stew one did. Just got back from camping and i ate 5 MRE's total. (they taste WAY better if you get them nice and hot!)
Also, be warned, MRE's are good but they give you gas! At least the beef stew one did. Just got back from camping and i ate 5 MRE's total. (they taste WAY better if you get them nice and hot!)
Lot of good advice here. My 2 cents too...
Again and again, water is your big concern. My base home, has many sources for it to last for quite some time and for base I hold a lot of high-shelf life foods, and a lot of canned foods. Food could last a long time. Meat items can be stored, and even gotten if environs allow. Still, clean water will always be the problem.
Now if I were to have to find myself moving, I can lean on my hiking gear (or BOB?) pretty well, which has a serious stove (smokless and strong BTU) that is lightweight and fuel (which can actually be various sources). Also first aid, cooking wear, sleep gear, small tent, water filtration (ceramic .2 micron +virus stop), knife, tools. Now again the issue is water - I like the bladder systems you can find since they are flexible in space and when used basically fold to very low form. It's not difficult to stash 6 liters of water on you with it all. An empty flask/bottle sucks to stuff. I can easily mix some gatorade in a nalgene bottle, and get more bang for the buck.
Be sure you have packed this stuff and tried it out. It's not light when you add it all up. That's why food sources need to be light (since water isn't) since you do want to be able to walk some distance, right? Also you might want to be able to run a little as quietly as possible right? You are going to also want to carry a rifle and small arm, plus ammo - right?
So right now I am only into carrying high calorie freeze dried, dried carbs like noodles, power-bar type, and MRE. Canned foods, and anything heavy that has a lot of water in it already is redundant and weighs a lot. Most freeze dried stuff requires little water, and since I also carry a chem heat pack, I don't necessarily have to turn up a fire either.
Again and again, water is your big concern. My base home, has many sources for it to last for quite some time and for base I hold a lot of high-shelf life foods, and a lot of canned foods. Food could last a long time. Meat items can be stored, and even gotten if environs allow. Still, clean water will always be the problem.
Now if I were to have to find myself moving, I can lean on my hiking gear (or BOB?) pretty well, which has a serious stove (smokless and strong BTU) that is lightweight and fuel (which can actually be various sources). Also first aid, cooking wear, sleep gear, small tent, water filtration (ceramic .2 micron +virus stop), knife, tools. Now again the issue is water - I like the bladder systems you can find since they are flexible in space and when used basically fold to very low form. It's not difficult to stash 6 liters of water on you with it all. An empty flask/bottle sucks to stuff. I can easily mix some gatorade in a nalgene bottle, and get more bang for the buck.
Be sure you have packed this stuff and tried it out. It's not light when you add it all up. That's why food sources need to be light (since water isn't) since you do want to be able to walk some distance, right? Also you might want to be able to run a little as quietly as possible right? You are going to also want to carry a rifle and small arm, plus ammo - right?
So right now I am only into carrying high calorie freeze dried, dried carbs like noodles, power-bar type, and MRE. Canned foods, and anything heavy that has a lot of water in it already is redundant and weighs a lot. Most freeze dried stuff requires little water, and since I also carry a chem heat pack, I don't necessarily have to turn up a fire either.
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