|
Survival and Preparations Long and short term survival and 'prepping'. |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Emergency food
So I’m fairly new to suburban prepping, and I wanted to get your professional opinion on this:
Is it worth it? Is there something better I should look into? Thanks in advance
__________________
That’s what she said!!! Last edited by SomeGuy75; 02-20-2021 at 9:15 PM.. |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
That is, of course, the Costco ad - https://www.costco.com/mountain-hous...100642273.html
You need to discover total calories in the kit - ignore 'servings'. An adult man needs about 3000 Cal/day; a woman about 2500 Cal/day I just pulled out a can of Nalley's Turkey Chili with beans - 520 calories in the can, costs about $1.50. 10 cans, equivalent content, would feed 1 man, 1 woman, for 1 day, for about $15. Weighs 1 lb 0.4 oz. There might easily be reasons to carry lighter forms of food, but you pay extra for the pleasure, and still have to have the water to re-hydrate it. ETA here's an approximately equivalent collection from Mountain House - https://mountainhouse.com/collection...cy-food-supply Quote:
Last edited by Librarian; 02-20-2021 at 11:47 PM.. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
You can also order bulk in #10 cans from the Mormons. Their stock has been crazy since covid panic buying started and ship times are delayed.
The price listed is the price shipped, at least it was last time I ordered. And no, they won't put you on a recruitment list. https://store.churchofjesuschrist.or...t&beginIndex=0 |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
With the freeze dried long-term food some companies use fake meat/ highly processed soy protein or something similar.
If you need to go freeze-dried for lightweight benefits you're going to pay more for it per calorie than normally processed food/can food so I would recommend a company that has tasty meals where they use real meat ( unless you're a vegetarian or have dietary allergies) like the brand you've chosen, Mountain House. They've been in the freeze-dried camping / emergency / long-term food storage for a while and personally I think their meat lasagna is one of the best freeze-dried meals I've ever tasted. When it's prepared right it tastes just like supermarket store lasagna, but that's been through a blender. But like Librarian mentioned above you're probably better off just buying lots of long-term storage capable "normal food items" that you're going to eat in rotation, as you normally would. Like your favorite canned chili, soup, stew, tuna fish, salmon, sardines, big bags of rice or beans, boxes of dried pasta that hopefully you can repack into smaller vacuum sealed or Ziploc bags ...etc. Or whatever items you would eat normally that also have the capability of long-term storage. Last edited by sealocan; 02-20-2021 at 10:37 PM.. |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
I'm against the idea of storing foods long term that you don't normally eat but think you'll rely on in difficult times. Instead, stock more of what you normally eat and develop a rotation system. In an emergency you will have the necessary bulk items and you can focus your shopping on fresh meats and vegetables to supplement your diet.
|
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#10
|
||||
|
||||
Mountain house is the best of the brands for the freeze dried stuff. That said, order one pouch of each to see if you like it.
Beans, rice, dried meat, and canned veggies are cheapest, but require a working kitchen to make them ready to eat. If you plan on making dried beans, try at least once to prepare them without using your kitchen or anything in it. Freeze dried is more expensive per calorie, but is easier to prepare if your kitchen is not usable vs raw ingredients. It requires hot water, so make sure to store a bunch of extra water m. MREs are easiest to prepare in that no prep is needed and also the most expensive per calorie. I personally find every MRE I’ve tried to be disgusting. I went with a mix of regular ingredients and freeze dried stuff. Last edited by unusedusername; 02-20-2021 at 11:24 PM.. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Only about 7000 calories in that box, so enough food for 2-3 days per person, at $20-30 per day. These are a fair deal if you're buying them for a backpacking trip or plan to use a couple now and then.
This kit at Midway has 25000 calories for $120, so roughly 10 days of calories at $12 per day. I know the Mountain House meals are pretty good, but I've never tried this brand. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021687746 I also agree that the best approach is storing what you regularly eat either as canned goods or sealed in mylar bags. It's much cheaper and you already know what you like. One advantage of the freeze dried foods is that they have 25-30 year shelf life. You could put some away and if we ever see massive inflation or food shortages, $10 or $20 per person per day for food could be cheap. |
#12
|
||||
|
||||
Learn to fish. I just walk down to the beach and pull dinner out in like 10 minutes if I’m being picky.
I’d buy a months worth of that freeze dried junk and stash it away. It does last and can supplement whatever you can scavenge up. It would be nice to have in event of a earthquake but we really don’t have gnarly prolonged food shortages in the coastal areas. |
#13
|
||||
|
||||
IMHO and I do have this stuff is that it's better to store can goods. Most can goods are higher in calorie content and don't need water to prepare & cost less, water will be the biggest factor in any SHTF event , again this is just my opinion.
I have a rotation of Mountain House , a few MRE's and can goods , rice/pasta/beans. I'm slacking on the oats though.
__________________
"Common sense is self defense" |
#14
|
||||
|
||||
Emergency food
MRE’s and cases of canned goods, meat, veggies, tuna, soups and potatoes. All have everything one needs to get by during a crisis. No need to add water or even cook if things get that bad?
Also remember any stored water in bottles, containers can go bad. So, be sure to have some unscented liquid bleach on hand to disinfect water. Water Purification: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf..._flyer_508.pdf Last edited by Flyron; 02-21-2021 at 3:07 PM.. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
I think Everyone here is right in their own way. There's a time and place for mountain House pouches. From a price standpoint for mountain House, that's a decent price. Note that premade freeze dried meals are the most expensive type of food storage out the, but the least work and most convenient.
I like them for backpacking and sharing increments with others, and with a 30yr shelf life, you can set it and forget it as a low risk asset. When starting off I bought them, but #10 cans and bulk grains are the way to go, but take up a lot of space, require lots of other nutritional variety to augment the monotony. Plus I understand if there's a concern of a little social stigma to non preparedness folks, whatever importance that is to you. Imo I like a some of these pouches and augmenting with lots of bulk grains/beans. If anything you can add rice or pasta to one pouch to make it stretch, since they run salty
__________________
For every $1 spent on a firearm, you should spend $2 training with it. Stay safe and stay legal. You can't protect your family from within a prison cell. NRA Certified Instructor. Feel free to ping me about ad-hoc instruction and coaching. |
#16
|
||||
|
||||
I have a couple buckets of Augussen Farms freeze dried food as well as one bucket of Mountain House. They will outlast my wife and I. I also have 110 gallons of water plus a bunch of other things stashed away.
However, for the regular pantry, I have lots of canned and dried food that I simply rotate into my regular meals. I've got enough to survive on for a few months. I also take calorie amounts with a grain of salt. No way would my wife or I require the 2000-3500 per day. We sit around on our butts most of the time and can survive on much less.
__________________
Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them. - Rabindranath Tagore A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it. - Rabindranath Tagore Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. - Arthur Schopenhaur |
#17
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Other folks seem to anticipate walking or laboring above the sedentary level. |
#18
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
__________________
Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them. - Rabindranath Tagore A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it. - Rabindranath Tagore Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. - Arthur Schopenhaur |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
You said you are fairly new to prepping so it sounds like you dont have a store of food. Mountian House is high quality, real meat and not as high in salt and synthetic sugar as Wise and some other brands. Wise and others also use fake meat.
It takes a while and a lot of reading and planning to get a plan and all the supplies for prepping. Like most things in life, getting started is the hardest part. If you have nothing yet, I would suggest getting this and some water storage, treatment and a filter. Then start building the best prep based on your budget and needs. Many people are harping on the price. I dont know you, maybee you have a lot of disposable income and want the best calories and vitamins available, maybee you are down on your luck and need to try to survive on rice and beans. The main thing everyone forgets about prepping. Of uou really need to use your stock, stress levels will be high and that is when you need proper nutrition and vitamins as well as minerals. Sugar in the form of rice, wheat, soy, corn etc are the cheapest calories but they are not healthy at all. You will have to find what works for you but my suggestion is to get started ASAP.
__________________
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Union...70812799700206 Quote:
|
#20
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthma...-preparedness/ Quote:
Quote:
|
#21
|
||||
|
||||
I'd much rather get one with 1850 calories a day. I have seen them for under 100 bucks, currently 120 on Amazon shipped. (55,000 cal).
https://www.amazon.com/Augason-Farms.../dp/B00IW1NQDC I don't think one of these + a bag of rice to increase calories is a bad way to get started. Last edited by Norcalkid; 02-21-2021 at 9:39 PM.. |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
Focus on calories. You need calories in a survival situation. I find that a lot of these emergency food advertise servings but there can be a variance of up to 100% in calories.
|
#23
|
||||
|
||||
Survival prep is a complex subject that can't be summarized in a single post, much less one thread. Personally I think freeze dried (FD) can have a place, just like everything else. Note you do not need hot water to rehydrate FD; you can simply add water and let it sit for a while, then eat cold.
If they cost the same per calorie, I prefer FD pouches to #10 cans since the cans tend to have a lot of empty air which adds to storage bulk. Plus pouches are individual servings which makes food prep/consumption easier, you don't have to worry about partially open cans and carrying them is easier too. Dried beans and rice are really cheap and last a long time, but rehydrating them and cooking takes a fair bit of water and fuel. Both might be in short supply in an emergency. Canned goods are reasonably cheap. Canned goods and MREs suffer from remembering to cycle them every few years. The FDA considers bottled water to have an indefinite shelf life if it’s produced in accordance with regulations and remains unopened. So expiration dates on bottles are voluntary and may reflect concerns about taste and odor rather than safety. Bottled water should be stored in a cool location away from direct sunlight. |
#24
|
||||
|
||||
I found this girl on offer up who is enlisted with the national guard and she said they make them buy MRE's and she hates them so she sells them to me for like $40 for a box of 12. All are within a year of production. I bought all her 10 boxes and I told her whenever she has more to sell them hit me up. You never know you can meet if you just look/ask.
__________________
A guy told me one time "don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat from around the corner" Robert Deniro Last edited by Neil McCauley; 02-22-2021 at 1:37 PM.. |
#25
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
|
#29
|
||||
|
||||
Wise is pretty much all Textured Vegetable Protein - TVP - and while I have a couple buckets (they were cheap once, and got another as a gift) I expect soy will be pretty annoying in short order.
Better than going hungry, more tender than shoe leather ... |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
If you are already maxxed out on canned goods and staples, then why not. On the other hand, if your not then your $64 would be better invested in adding an extra jar of peanut-butter, a case of Mac & Cheese, a big bag of Kosher Salt, a big bag of sugar, rice, beans, oatmeal, a case of corn, a case of green beans, a case of peas, etc.
Alternatively you could invest that money towards a pressure canner that would do far more for you over the long run. |
#31
|
||||
|
||||
We recently ordered a Harvest Right medium freeze drier. Instead of buying some manufacturers ideas of food, we would freeze dry our own. While the machine was expensive, I imagine the food that we throw away each year and the long term food we have been buying will eventually offset the cost of buying the machine. Plus the food is food we eat. Nothing more comforting as home cooked food.
|
#32
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Union...70812799700206 Quote:
|
#33
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#34
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Union...70812799700206 Quote:
|
#35
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
For all of us that blanch when we see the price tag - it's not that or nothing, you can do great things with an excalibur style dehydrator, some oven canning of staples, and canning. |
#36
|
||||
|
||||
There are many choices for emergency food, they all have their places. Freeze-dried food (e.g. Mountain House) is just one of the many choices.
It doesn't hurt to keep some Mountain House meals around, just as an option. https://youtu.be/dNXat2MbN_M https://youtu.be/BOfbVW6gnVM |
#39
|
||||
|
||||
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1350_571713870
21,000 calories, 92 servings; I suspect in crisis this would give you enough energy for 10 days and if you were rationing and not worried about energy to work you could probably go beyond 2 weeks. Again in crisis mode you are at $6 a day. I'd imagine it'd suck but 3 of these you could probably go the whole month for $180. These should get sent to all on food stamps - instead of food stamps. |
#40
|
|||
|
|||
55 gallon sealed drum with 50lbs of jasmine rice, canned beans ,potatoes( low or no sodium) potato flakes , powdered eggs etc. I also keep the same items in the kitchen for regular meals. The cost of the freeze dried stuff doesn't sit well with considering I can make a fort out of top ramen for the price of one bucket of that ****.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|