2aHawaii
General Topics => Preparedness and Survival => Topic started by: Water on December 10, 2012, 09:29:25 PM
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To me MREs are a good survival food but what is a more practical food to store? Practical can mean a vast amount of things so bare with me. To me rice would be a good item to store as white rice can be stored for decades if done properly. It is also a very common type of food for everyday purposes so all you have to do is cycle your bags. The down side is that it does take a good amount of water to cook which may be scarce in the event of a disaster. Canned food also would be good but you would have to cycle them as well since they have an expiration of about 2 or 3 years. I dunno about you but I don't plan to take MREs to work and eat em for lunch when they are about to expire.
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i was planning on buying MREs and every 5-7 years have my friends and their kids over and have an MRE party
until i heard how salty they are and how they sometimes give you constipation
i bought a couple of pails of the wise food products from mojo tactical
have a longer shelf life and look/taste better
next on the plan is water, then start worrying about flour/rice/canned goods etc
first thing i started with is fire, still have to work on my supply of cassette feu tanks
i have lots of filter/purifying things, but i gotsta work on the water storage part
long term wish is to have propane or natural gas tanks and generators wired in to my house :)
aloha
steve
To me MREs are a good survival food but what is a more practical food to store? Practical can mean a vast amount of things so bare with me. To me rice would be a good item to store as white rice can be stored for decades if done properly. It is also a very common type of food for everyday purposes so all you have to do is cycle your bags. The down side is that it does take a good amount of water to cook which may be scarce in the event of a disaster. Canned food also would be good but you would have to cycle them as well since they have an expiration of about 2 or 3 years. I dunno about you but I don't plan to take MREs to work and eat em for lunch when they are about to expire.
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I'd suggest you search down... some good info downstairs! :thumbsup: ;D
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Back in my military days we had indestructible sea rats and some of the stuff we were eating was 20 years old but probably same taste as new sea rats for all we knew. We used the old metal military ash trays to heat the stuff up and it came with a few cigarettes. A lot of the military smoked back then. Those things would last forever if they are still around. A tank could run over one of those and it would probably be good to go.
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I'd suggest you search down... some good info downstairs! :thumbsup: ;D
Yea... I dont do that. I'm one of those guys that flood the forums with the same topic expecting answers to change from 3 months ago. ;) Nah but ill try check it out... Didnt even bother to search. Last forums ive ever been on was forumshawaii, years ago... A little rusty at this.
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i was planning on buying MREs and every 5-7 years have my friends and their kids over and have an MRE party
until i heard how salty they are and how they sometimes give you constipation
i bought a couple of pails of the wise food products from mojo tactical
have a longer shelf life and look/taste better
next on the plan is water, then start worrying about flour/rice/canned goods etc
first thing i started with is fire, still have to work on my supply of cassette feu tanks
i have lots of filter/purifying things, but i gotsta work on the water storage part
long term wish is to have propane or natural gas tanks and generators wired in to my house :)
aloha
steve
I know this sounds " hippy" but I've considered about becoming a serious tree hugger. They have pretty good survivalist instincts. Catching rain water instead of draining the aquifers or getting solar panels instead of storing gas. Just from solar power alone you can run your refrigerator, cook, heat water, run lights or any electronics, charge your electric car if you have one for your transportation, etc. I'm sure everyone knows the advantages of solar during a disaster by now. Sure beats storing gas as it has a storage life of about 3 months, propane a bit longer. Refrigeration alone would prolong all my food. Problem for me is that converting to being green is a bit expensive right now. At least if im able to convert, I won't look like I overreacted or lose out on anything if nothing happens in my life time. Just would look like I was very concerned with the environment... which I kinda am. Probably save me a lot of money in the long run as well.
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Check out raw ingredients from Thrive, Honeyville, Mountain House, etc.. Many times they will last longer, as in the 20-30 year range. Beans, grains, and as you said before, rice are all staples.
You will still need a source of water, but depending where you are in Hawaii, it may not be a problem with a rain cachement system.
The good thing about the raw ingredients is that you can eat most of it just like normal. Throw it in a soup and it tastes just like it should. You can also think of it as investing in food. Buying low now and preparing for inflation :)
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Yea... I dont do that. I'm one of those guys that flood the forums with the same topic expecting answers to change from 3 months ago. ;) Nah but ill try check it out... Didnt even bother to search. Last forums ive ever been on was forumshawaii, years ago... A little rusty at this.
LOL... Nah, I know how it goes... we got some pretty good info covered though... check it out! :shaka:
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Mres don't really have a great shelf life. The best thing would be to buy things you normally eat and rotate stock. For bobs I use mainstay emergency food rations. They're good for 10 years and you don't need extra water. They taste like very grainy lemon cakes. Also they're cheap:-)
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To me MREs are a good survival food but what is a more practical food to store? Practical can mean a vast amount of things so bare with me. To me rice would be a good item to store as white rice can be stored for decades if done properly. It is also a very common type of food for everyday purposes so all you have to do is cycle your bags. The down side is that it does take a good amount of water to cook which may be scarce in the event of a disaster. Canned food also would be good but you would have to cycle them as well since they have an expiration of about 2 or 3 years. I dunno about you but I don't plan to take MREs to work and eat em for lunch when they are about to expire.
The best suggestion I can give is to store a diverse variety of foods...you just never know what situations may arise. Choose anything and everything that is practical and you can afford.
Mres don't really have a great shelf life. The best thing would be to buy things you normally eat and rotate stock. For bobs I use mainstay emergency food rations. They're good for 10 years and you don't need extra water. They taste like very grainy lemon cakes. Also they're cheap:-)
? Military MRE's have a 10+ year shelf life if stored properly. I have 16 cases put away with my other long term storage food items.
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MRE's or even the now popular foods like Thrive or Wise etc, might be a bit of a shock to the system if you go cold turkey eating them as stand alone meals. I would suggest storing other rice and protein items that you could mix with the MRE's etc. I might suggest getting into home canning or freeze drying your own items. You can more easily control the content especially in regards to salt. Also suggest getting on a set food rotation plan and not just counting on only items that are 10-20+ year storable.
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? Military MRE's have a 10+ year shelf life if stored properly. I have 16 cases put away with my other long term storage food items.
(http://www.mreinfo.com/images/mre-shelf-life-chart.jpg)
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http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20859980/LDS%20Preparedness%20Manual.pdf (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20859980/LDS%20Preparedness%20Manual.pdf)
One of the most comprehensive survival lists I've ever read. The mormons are pretty crazy in an awesome way. In fact, I think I might just make this into a thread of its own.
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http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20859980/LDS%20Preparedness%20Manual.pdf (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20859980/LDS%20Preparedness%20Manual.pdf)
One of the most comprehensive survival lists I've ever read. The mormons are pretty crazy in an awesome way. In fact, I think I might just make this into a thread of its own.
"Prepping" is part of their religion, it seems.
Anyone here thought about aquaponics?
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amazon has sale on mountain house buckets for $61.00 a pale has about 30 servings, get a couple of those. get a bag of rice per person in the house and rotate them. buy some canned chicken or tuna from costco and a jug of vegetable or olive oil. that will get you through the worse, prepping is about survival. if your starting out, prepping takes time and money and knowledge, get the basics covered first. get a small aqua pale to filter some water. have some cards and other games on hand. then start with more sophisticated and better stuff, but if your starting out, get the basics first it will get you way ahead quickly. I also recommend having a bible to. this is what I recommend starting with IMHO.
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Some cheap inexpensive things that don't take up much space and has a long shelf life are
coffee
salt
spices
pasta
dried beans
honey
If you personally don't use it you could trade it during SHTF situations. I keep this stuff in my hurricane kit. Once hurricane season is over I buy new lots of the stuff and start using the older stuff that way I always have the newer stuff stored and not was the older stuff. Don't go crazy and hoard stuff. Just get enough to last you and your family the non hurricane season. That way you don't waste space.
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I can't believe I ran out of vienna sausage. Costco run!
We store drink mixes, gravy, pancake mix, stuff that only needs water or minimum of other ingredients but makes nice eats like furikake seasoning because plain tuna just sucks.
Mainstay bars, you better have fiber tabs / jellies as well ;) Speaking of which chia and hemp seeds are pretty bad ass (ha).
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Check some you tube vids on the subject... How to's... that's how we learned.
Couple years ago the wifey and I bought some mylar bags and 02 sorbers from amazon... then spent then next couple months getting some dry goods... rice, pinto beans, black beans, flour, sugar, honey, powdered milk, pancake mix, etc, etc.... Plus some pre made buckets of freeze dried stuff.
Spread the purchases over a couple months, so it dosen't hurt the wallet...
Then spend a Saturday prepping and storing the goods the right way learning from the vids...
Combined with a rotation of canned goods, water storage and purifiying and you got a pretty good cache! :thumbsup:
Store in a cool, dry hidden place and a good peace of mind! :shaka:
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Canned fish and certain meats have many many years of storage life...
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I hate the Costco seal a meal thing. The first horizontal axis one bit the dust in short order. Then the later vertical axis one came out and it wastes a lot of bag by the machine's orientation. The seal sucks as well even if triple sealed. Did you guys get a commercial type sealer or just use an iron?
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Bought a dehydrator too but haven't touched it. So many things to do. And me lazy :D
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Keep stocking up. Little by little. You will be glad you did.
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Bought a dehydrator too but haven't touched it. So many things to do. And me lazy :D
Whats the difference between a dehydrator and a dry box? I mean one is electrical and i assume you can set the temp/humidity or whatever, but do they work the same?
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My approach is variety. I know myself, I get tired of foods if I have to eat them too often.
Mountain House is the best. It's the brand that every other tries to measure up to. Wise doesn't come close in taste or shelf life. They can claim it, but MH has been around for decades and has proof behind their claims. Go Sports Authority to sample a few, or like Min41 said, amazon has. I like to get my MH foil pouches from REI.com. I'm a lifetime member so I get free shipping after $30 or something. And their prices are fair. The #10 cans are good to get from Amazon though for the free shipping and prices.
Try some other freeze dried brands, too. REI stocks some interesting one!
MRE's ain't the best, BUT I think they are ideal for a Bug Out Bag. If clean water is scarce, you may not be able to cook/rehydrate your freeze dried food.
You can get Thrive Foods out at Be Ready Hawaii now. They aren't cheap, but it's more variety. TRY THE STUFF though! For instance, I got their freeze dried mushrooms because I use them a lot in cooking.. they were pretty gross. Their milk isn't very good either. I prefer the LDS (mormon cannery) milk.
Don't forget your herbs and spices.
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Im putting store bought canned goods in the basement now, and canning with mason jars this summer and fall as I harvest the garden. Ive got 6 hens and a rooster this year for eggs and reproduction, next year going to start bees (giving the fruit trees and bushes a head start.) If I were still in Hawaii I would collect my own salt instead of buying it, salt has a infinite shelf life and is easy to store, if it gets wet you simply dry and crush it up again. Sugar will also last forever if stored properly, legumes and other small beans can be stored and used after a couple days in water as sprouts.
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Water, food, toilet paper...........and the means to defend them.
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Eh. I like borrow ur cock. My hen ready for pound.
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Oh y bad. Thought u was in hawaii
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Eh. I like borrow ur cock. My hen ready for pound.
Hahaha, how romantic.
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Bought a dehydrator too but haven't touched it. So many things to do. And me lazy :D
I was looking to get one of those package sealers..............you know for food. Was thinking about packaging loose ammo that way no worries at all about moisture.
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I wanted to get a can sealer and seal some ammo in tuna cans(22lr) maybe bigger one for bigger rounds.
Anyone know where can get a can sealer locally?
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i think it would be simpler to use one of those vacuum sealer bag things that are on coupon at costco every couple of months
plus you could use it for food too
usually every other coupon book has the sealer machine and the alternating book has the bags
I wanted to get a can sealer and seal some ammo in tuna cans(22lr) maybe bigger one for bigger rounds.
Anyone know where can get a can sealer locally?
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Hey guys, this is my first post, but did anyone ever think of just stocking up on Ammo instead?
If survival really is the problem, i'm pretty sure that ammo will be worth its weight in gold and will probably be the new form of currency.
If you have ammo, you can pretty much trade for everything else.
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You have stocked up on guns and ammo while others didn't, but the others might have something you do need? And the problem is? >:D
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i always joke about a friend i have that has 2 generators, but no guns
i have 2 guns, but no generators
guess who has 2 generators now?
You have stocked up on guns and ammo while others didn't, but the others might have something you do need? And the problem is? >:D
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I was looking to get one of those package sealers..............you know for food. Was thinking about packaging loose ammo that way no worries at all about moisture.
I vacuum seal all of my ammo, keeps moisture out and don't have to worry about my loose stuff falling out of bags and stuff...
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never thought about that
if i sealed all my ammo, i wouldn't have to be so obsessive about my dehumidifier
but then again, i got one of those faux goldenrod things to set up already from amazon, so i might as well use it
those plug in stay-dry things do ok, but are a pain in the ass because you always have to charge them
twice a week with 2 units in my case
I vacuum seal all of my ammo, keeps moisture out and don't have to worry about my loose stuff falling out of bags and stuff...
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never thought about that
if i sealed all my ammo, i wouldn't have to be so obsessive about my dehumidifier
but then again, i got one of those faux goldenrod things to set up already from amazon, so i might as well use it
those plug in stay-dry things do ok, but are a pain in the ass because you always have to charge them
twice a week with 2 units in my case
Yup, you own homemade battle packs. The only thing to worry about is if the 747s come over and chew through the bags.
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:thumbsup:
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Has anybody ate the wie food products? Want to buy some but am kinda picky and want it to taste at least decent.
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The Costco seal a meal gizmo kinda' sucked in a bad way. The horizontal first version crapped out on me. So got the next, vertical version but due to design it wastes a lot of baggie material to seal. And the seals/bags suck too - even ones I doubled and triple sealed sprung leaks. Although there are some that remain airtight today. Maybe 50-50 at best. No good.
I kinda' gave up before researching further into mylar and more commercial heat sealers.
The worse is when you buy long term storage grains or cereals and know what they can come with little bugs already. So if you don't freeze it and remove the O2 you get a bad surprise later :( Like a freaking miniature alien colony, the whole thing got to be destroyed. The worse offenders I've come across are in the bread crumb products, so I just don't buy those anymore. Oh yeah, and some rice bags too. I got some small plastic bags and when I opened one up it was totally infested inside. It was factory sealed too but I noticed each bag had one small vent hole poked in it so that might've been the entry point too. Bad situation to be in when food storages shot to hell like that.
oh yeah and dry dog food. I'll try to take a pic of the little buggers. But the rice had entirely different kind of bug inside.
Well, maybe try sealing again this summer. Might be the last chance at it before too late.