Survival kit food??

[zombie_killer]

what exactly is "trail mix"?

 

[hoopster]

what exactly is "trail mix"?

Any kind of mixture of nuts, raisins, m&m's, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. It's high energy and requires no refrigeration. You can make your own if you get creative and it's actually cheaper that way.

 

[zombie_killer]

ah , thanks for explaining

 

[dartanyon]

Barley sugar

 

[darkwaters]

GORP...good ol' rasins and peanuts! I have a jar of peanutbutter I snack out of while I'm driving around at work, I recently found a canned roastbeef that's not to bad either, mixed that with bbq sause eat right out of can.

 

[coote]

Rice, milk powder, sugar, raw peanuts, biscuits. I like boiling up a 'rice pudding' .... great comfort food. (Butter is a good addition for this, but it doesn't keep for long).

Metal container for cooking/boiling water. And maybe a bottle for water if it isn't plentiful.

 

[Iboschi]

ER bar. Quantity: one in the car, two in home, one in the $h1t kit.

 

[squishware]

peanuts, granola bars, beef jerky and pepperoni

 

[wildmike]

Mainstay or Datrex rations. If not those then homemade hardtack.

For a high calorie boost I mix up peanut butter, honey (or powdered sugar), and milk powder. This ration is patterned on a UNESCO emergency ration called "Plumpynut" that is distributed to malnourished children in famine areas. It packs weight on those kids in record time (like 2 weeks or less). The U.N. ration includes a vitamin powder mixed in as well.

Vitamin packets.

With these foods I can survive and function on a low weight food load for quite a while giving me time to set out trap lines etc. None of it requires cooking.

 

[wolfenhawk]

Mountain House Pro Paks. 500-700 cals apiece, small, light, and you can feed two, or feed yourself twice.

I haven't tried the pro paks that have all the air sucked out of the package and take up less room, but I have found the regular mountain house two meal pak at walmart for between $5 and $10 depending on the entree. I found them much better tasting than mres. Your can get them by the case here. http://www.nitro-pak.com/index.php?cPath=147_61 They are my prefered choice for flavor, calories, long shelf life and being lightweight. However, for good backpack food that I can just pick up at any grocery store i prefer teriyaki beef jerky, crackers, hard candy or the candy thats called orange slices, and any kind of dried fruit. Trial mix is ok, but I don't like nuts that much. Gimme that and my MSR water filter and i reckon I can make do for quite a while until I can get a good meal.

 

[hoopster]

Mainstay or Datrex rations. If not those then homemade hardtack.

For a high calorie boost I mix up peanut butter, honey (or powdered sugar), and milk powder. This ration is patterned on a UNESCO emergency ration called "Plumpynut" that is distributed to malnourished children in famine areas. It packs weight on those kids in record time (like 2 weeks or less). The U.N. ration includes a vitamin powder mixed in as well.

Vitamin packets.

With these foods I can survive and function on a low weight food load for quite a while giving me time to set out trap lines etc. None of it requires cooking.

Can you give a recipe and instructions for the peanut butter, honey and milk powder mixture? I have a hard time gaining weight and would love to try it.

 

[erik the red]

I have a hard time gaining weight and would love to try it.

Damn....wish I had THAT problem. (I tease, I tease). :barf:

 

[zombie_killer]

lol i`m 23 and only weigh 67 kilos

 

[baldtaco-II]

Kendal Mint Cake is a popular choice here. Essentially it's a bunch of sugar, water and mint oil wound together in a pan and then allowed to set. I can't stand it but there's no denying the energy boost. If I liked sickly I'd make it. Hillary hauled that up Everest in “53 and Shackleton had a bunch of it on his 1914/17 Arctic expedition. Whilst a sports scientist might waffle on about how you'd do better to take a sack of bananas [and I agree], there's no denying this simple compact energy hit.. If you think you'd like a massive hit of super sweet mint with the texture of a urinal cake it is one to consider.

Aside from the regular range of Tarzan bars, Snickers and so on that I need to buy in, I also make a bunch of stuff. One of my favorites is shortbread. I'll batch bake a load of that. My woman prefers flapjacks so I make a big heap of those too. Personally, I prefer just grabbing handfuls of some of the “cluster type” cereals from a bag as one would GORP to flapjacks, but both work. Both shortbread and flapjacks are easy to make – the kinds of things one gets kids doing at junior school. Pick a recipe or customize one.

Topically, as I am now in winter, I believe suet is an enormous ally in cold conditions. When it is very cold, and circumstances dictate that eating is mostly about fuel and not about fun, I'll wind suet into all sorts of things. That's topical because I'm sure it is no coincidence that mince pies, a fare traditionally brought on at the winter holiday, have suet in them. I make mince pies year round anyway. Essentially you've got a bunch of fruit, suet and sugar inside a sweet pastry. There's a boost. To make them portable, unlike the individual holiday pies, I'll roll out a big flat slab and cut it into portions.

Obviously these things aren't going to provide you with a balanced diet, but in the short term who cares, one can live on them for a bit. And they make a great top up to the savories that I by far prefer. I wouldn't hammer them because I am quietly proud of my current state and long ago I made a bet that I wouldn't touch a woman 30 or over 'till I was over 50. And if I started pounding on those foods that's a fail waiting to happen.

 

[Bumppo]

Raw cocoa, Peanut butter, cracked corn, beans, honey.

 

[koyote]

depends on the kit.

mt smallest bag only has about 4 ounces of beef jerky and a couple emergen-c style multivitamin powders.

oysters and mussles, spotted dick, marmite, powdered cheddar, various mixtures of gorp/trail mix, a few hard candies for the kids, hot chocolate packets, some koolaid packets, sugar, more vitamin c packets, ramen (for the kids), dried fruits (for the kids), and a few dozen granola bars (for the kids) make up most of the larger kit ingredients.

I don't eat much in the way of starches and since I'm still at 195 or so, my personal key factors are vitamins, fats, and protein. There's a lot of foragables out in this environment, all year long. (it IS the food basket of the West). For the kids, I've added to that with the heavier starches. they aren't still running 23% body fat (okay, that's less than it's been in 10 years).

The kids' personal bags (Astrid's is a butterfly backpack, Leif's is a real tactical shoulder bag thanks to a forum member) have a half dozen chewable vitamins and some candy sticks and honey straws in addition.

I'm a bit concerned about the van right now. As the kids get older and Jessica's nursing school comes closer to ending, we're looking at more trips out of our known foraging environment. I'm considering some MRE or lifeboat bars to replace the current stock (well, except for spotted dick. car camping's greatest invention!)

One thing, if you have kids or are a hardcore snacker- even in a survival situation, some lightweight, low density food is useful. I'm off the sugars and starches to the point where an ounce of extra super tough jerky in smallish pieces will do me for a day of snacking out in the field. The kids like....pirate booty.....

 

[mtwarden]

my 24 hour kit food list looks pretty much like my 72 hour kit, just the quantity changes

24 hour kit- 2 Cliff Mojo's for breakfast, 2 Cliff reg. bars for lunch, one half of a Backpacker Pantry two person (or other outfit) supper entry, 4 single instant coffee packs

72 hour kit is just multiplied by three

as I do a lot of backpacking I can constantly freshen up the stock in my kits, w/ nothing getting expired or going to waste

Both my 24 and 72 hour packs are very small (and light), I'm not packing anything heavy or bulky- nothing I'm probably going to be raving about meal wise, just enough to get me through 24-72 hours

When I backpack I get more creative w/ meals and will pack some "luxury" edibles, for my kits nothing too fancy and nothing that I have to worry about going bad

 

[OwenM]

Convenient short term stuff that I actually enjoy eating, and is relatively cheap off the shelf, are Clif bars. I've been using the "Mojo" Mountain Mix bars(~$1) and "Builder's" protein bars(~$1.50/ea.) a lot.
Not only good for fighting off hunger outdoors, but as I approach 40, my body has apparently decided to start storing anything I see, much less eat, as fat. I started keeping a couple of the trail mix bars and a protein bar in my bag, and grab one whenever I get the urge to hit a drive-thru. A $1 trail mix bar washed down by a bottle of water may not be the breakfast or supper of champions, but it beats a double Whopper combo, and is a lot cheaper, too.

 

[August West]

Koyote,

Spotted Dick? Marmite? Pirate Booty? Powdered Cheddar?

Could you please elaborate. Thanks, Chris

 

[quietmike]

Enertia Trail foods are the best premade meals I've eaten. As good as homecooked in many cases.

Jerky, pemmican, trail mix, moose goo, rice, pasta, and honey bread all sometimes find a space in my pack.