Real-world 'GO' Rigs, whatcha packin' in your pouch?

They don't last long at 100+ temperatures, and they weigh a lot more than a similar calorie amount in meal replacement bars or even MRE's

not a good bet
 
now that i'm home, i've had time to do a little more research

you can go to google, and search "High Energy Snack Bars"

look at the first option other than the sponsored sites... i can't post a link as that violates forum rules.

That site has the mainstay 3600 bars for under $7.00 each, and if you want something that tastes better, the millennium bars on the same page are only slightly more expensive by calorie (you need 9 to make 3600 cal) and they taste a LOT better

That is the optimal survival food. Highly compact, and storable for 5+ years with no problem
 
taiChiFighter said:
Has anyone ever tried/considered Ensure liquid replacement meals as an option for survival rations?
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When I am working nights, I sometimes pick up a few packs of Ensure as I sometimes have a tendancy to go an entire shift and forget or not have time to eat a real lunch...it turns out being a cup of joe and maybe a granola bar or something. When that starts happening too frequently, I will start picking up the Ensures (I like the vanilla and strawberry). Probably less than ideal, but better than other alternatives. Not really a long term situation...I don't think they have an overly long shelf life. And I don't have any sheath pouches large enough to carry the bottles.

As I say, a few Cliff or Luna bars in my pocket are probably as far as I'm looking at in this type of scenario. If I were going to be out longer (meaning more than a day hike), I'd take more. Truth be told, you can go a couple days without food as long as you have good water. The gist of this discuss is that whatever you have in your sheath pouch might have to get you though a night or two. Think 'day hike gone wrong' or 'oh crap, I left my big pack back at camp and its getting too dark to get back tonight' type scenarios. Does what you have in your sheath pouch make sense for getting through the next 24 hrs. or so in your area with your other resources?

If I were to get stuck out overnight, I'd like a shelter, fire, and if possible, an be able to prep somewhat for the next day for getting back home (meaning crude location and direction to travel, signal devices if necessary, etc). If I reasonably expected the possibility of it going longer than one night (meaning getting farther out), I'd take more--my versipak + more food/water, GPS, etc.

Carry on...

BOSS
 
I really need to put something together. I've been meaning to put together a BOB and some sort of Go bag for my truck for some time now but money is very tight and I had to go and buy myself a Busse. I've toyed with the idea of selling off my RMD and replacing it with some gear but I know I would regret it.

I need to just start watching for some deals.
 
i'll trade you a fully equipped BOB exactly like the one pictured for a busse knife :)

good for 1 week in the woods (much more if you know how to use snares and have basic survival skills
 
BePrepared said:
now that i'm home, i've had time to do a little more research

you can go to google, and search "High Energy Snack Bars"

look at the first option other than the sponsored sites... i can't post a link as that violates forum rules.

That site has the mainstay 3600 bars for under $7.00 each, and if you want something that tastes better, the millennium bars on the same page are only slightly more expensive by calorie (you need 9 to make 3600 cal) and they taste a LOT better

That is the optimal survival food. Highly compact, and storable for 5+ years with no problem
Click to expand...

I found out what our local search and rescue equipment shop (for firefighters, police etc) carries. They carry Datrex which is along the same lines as Mayday or Mainstay. I went on Amazon and they are highly rated by users so I ordered a couple weeks supply.
 
very good. I personally keep a very large stock of emergency food.... something like 4-5 months for one person, in my home...

all of it is dehydrated (beans, rice, ramen, MRE, ER bars, etc)

but in all likelihood, i won't need more than 3-4 days at any given time
 
BePrepared said:
i'll trade you a fully equipped BOB exactly like the one pictured for a busse knife :)

good for 1 week in the woods (much more if you know how to use snares and have basic survival skills
Click to expand...


Nah. The Busse is my "once in a lifetime" knife. It stays. :)
 
Oops, change of plans...
I just noticed some "survivalist" reviews on emergency food rations. While the Datrex, is probably the most popular and best tasting, it looks to me like the Mainstay is the most well balanced with a full complement of B vitamins (which are important when under stress). The Datrex has virtually no nutritional value other than calories and to me, in an emergency situation, taste is not relevant unless it's so bad it can't be choked down (not the case for the Mainstay). That said I switched to Mainstay. Just goes to show you MUST do your own research. Shortcuts almost always end in wrong decisions.

Ps. Got got a case of the 1200 cal bars because they are greasy and, in the field where washing might be problematic, I want to be able to eat the whole bar from the package without having to handle it (otherwise one has to break of pieces from a larger 2400 cal or 3600 cal bar). Also I don't want to have to repackage the unused portion of a larger 2400 or 3600 bar and have pieces and crumbs potentially attracting insects and rodents or BARS. :eek:
 
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Approaching long term periods of "living off the land" or "survival situations post Earth Quake" etc ... the nutritional issues are more important than the "calories" ... I always carry a decent supply of multi vitamin and mineral tablets ... you can gather or hunt food which covers off calories but keeping a "balanced" diet is harder.

You only have to look at nature to understand how hard it is to find the right "balance" ... the need for minerals and vitamins means killing more than you can eat ... birds of prey and scavengers always eat the eyes first as they contain the most minerals and vitamins ... during times of "plenty" you often find carcasses with only the eyes missing ... bears often eat just the heads of fish for the same reason ... foxes the heads of chickens ...

I am not that keen on "raw eyeball" ... so I prefer a tablet ...:D
 
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I know this isn't what you were refering to for this thread, but this is my "go rig" for work. The SH-E normally just gets used as a prybar for making entry. There actually is a go bag underneath the vest with some Mainstay bars, more magazines, CR123 batteries, and a bunch of other things.

Busse1-L.jpg
 
dude, that's just COOL... i actually found things that i need and didn't know i needed

you win!
 
it you have city water it will work when the power is out. I'm by VA Beach and we lost power in the huge outage 2 nights in a row. That means no light, no AC, no water, no toilets. It was fun walking my 10yo through it all. we have plenty of gear, lights, and water but I did get nervous a few times about our newborn that was 9 days old.

My parents are about 20 minutes away on the same power grid as the jail and city hall so they never lose power very long. I decided it wasn't worth the risk driving up there so we stayed home and toughed it out. It was a nice confidence builder for the kids

My go-to work food is VPX zero impact bars, New Whey protein shots, and Musclemilk RTDs. I have them stashed all over the place.
 
the FIRST thing i do when my power goes out is wash both bathtubs out with dish soap thoroughly, then fill them with water.

The water won't go out immediately but once the water pumps in the water towers stop working, you're on a timer... as soon as the town drains the towers, that's it

2 bathtubs hold around 120 gallons of water when full. A person needs a little under 1 gallon a day, so 2 tubs of water is a substantial supply.

I've only had to do it 2 times, but it's part of my prep plan for an in home bunkering
 
our water is pumped straight out of a well so its gone within seconds of the outage. The last hurricane when it went out I filled up a few 5 gallon buckets of clear fast moving ditchwater to refill the toilets. It wasn't nearly as hot then so it wasn't as bad, but it lasted 4 days and we did end up at my parents house that time.

What I really want is a wind turbine
 
Cutwater said:
Some of you folks might find this pretty cool

http://www.apocalypsepak.com/

ScreenShot2012-07-06at23929PM-1.jpg
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There are a lot of good bits of kit in there ... I was suprised what I already have that is there ... and also what I have that is similar but not the same ... and also what I did'nt have but could see a use for.

The solar digital radio looks to be a good idea ... and I like the seed packs for longer term planning ... neither of those I have carried before ... the solar water purifier I will look at in more detail but the MSR pump is good value ... however on water pump purifiers I have done lot of research over the years and would suggest as a more expensive alternative the katadyn pumps ... you need to check what you want or need to remove from the water and what the pump protects you from and how you can clean the pump and how long it lasts in the field. The katadyn is the best on all counts. Used by just about everyone in Africa from the International Red Cross to UN Military.

The rucksack is too small though. As a general observation you get far more sophisticated weight loading systems on the larger packs and you can always use the compression straps to lighten the load. The larger packs also enable you to "bug out" far quicker. You want excess capacity to let you scoop up everything and go. I use simple knitting wool for tarp ties which is strong enough to hold off rain but will snap if you need to pull the tarp without going round to loosen the ties. The Hennessy hammocks are great but I went for a DD Hammock made over here for specific military use and when altered by use of karabiners they can be took down much quicker and avoids water creepage along the line.

But for one of those "advert" style web sites with links to buy stuff ... the quality of the items listed is way above what I expected ... :thumbup:
 
darkaether said:
our water is pumped straight out of a well so its gone within seconds of the outage. The last hurricane when it went out I filled up a few 5 gallon buckets of clear fast moving ditchwater to refill the toilets. It wasn't nearly as hot then so it wasn't as bad, but it lasted 4 days and we did end up at my parents house that time.

What I really want is a wind turbine
Click to expand...

I suffer electricity power loss a lot too because of where I live ... storms short out the cables ... and I am looking at the wind tubines used on yachts for a bit of back up ... portable and cheap compared to other bigger options ... I would suggest they are worth enquiring into.
 
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