Emergency Food

I have all the gear I need for shelter, sleeping, cooking, staying warm and dry, keeping clean, first aid, lights and radios with a supply of batteries and multiple ways of recharging. I even have an inflatable kayak with hand pump and an inflatable bed I could use as a towable supply barge in the event of Katrina like flooding. I should be good to ride out most disasters. What I seem to be lacking is food.

Yesterday I've decided to increase my emergency food supply from the recommended 3 days to what I think will last one person for 2 weeks. Basically I ordered a case load (approx 60 servings) of assorted Mountain House brand freeze dried food to go with my already existing 72 hour supply of the same. I've noticed the cans in the case load store for 25 years as compared to the pouches which have a 7 year shelf life. Of course water is needed, and I'm figuring for both drinking and for rehydrating the food I'll use about 2 gallons per day.

I plan for water in two ways: First off I have a rotating stock of a case or two of Costco bottled water. Secondly I keep a supply of ten 4 gallon collapsible water containers that remain empty and ready to be filled assuming clean water is available immediately after whatever disaster befalls us. I used to store water long term in plastic 5 gallon barrels/jerry cans, but now I think having smaller easily packed containers at the ready is preferable.

Of course before I start to consume the freeze dried food I'll eat what I have in the frig/freezer first followed by the canned food. In the event of evacuating my home it'll be down to canned food and freeze dried.

I want to compare notes with others, so about on average how much food and water do you think is needed per person per day?

The amount of food and water is a very tough question, water intake would depend on temperature and activity level, im thinking a gallon (US) per day would be enough in a moderate climate. You can go a long way with a little food.

Might also consider a few MRE's (lots of calories - one per day should be enough) and a Pur type water filter.

BIGIRON said:

Might also consider a few MRE's (lots of calories - one per day should be enough) and a Pur type water filter.

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I used to store an MRE case. After using MRE's on backpacking and camping trips I've decided I prefer freeze dried due to less weight and not needing all the accessories they put in those packets.

I do have a UV water purifier. I used to have a First Need (first generation) water filter and didn't care for the pumping. I later upgraded to a PUR model and than onto the AquaStar UV pumpless model. As I want to keep everyting AA powered (one battery standard for all) I switched over from the 2xCR123 AquaStar to the 4AA powered SteriPEN. I have lots of charge options for NiMH AA cells, including a really cool AA battery solar roll designed for the military.

TOOCOOL said:

The amount of food and water is a very tough question, water intake would depend on temperature and activity level, im thinking a gallon (US) per day would be enough in a moderate climate. You can go a long way with a little food.

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About a gallon of drinking water per day is what I figured too. As a bonus I have flavored mixes too.

Is it about a week we can go without food? Survivorman seems to eat almost nothing on his shows.

Sounds like you've given this some thought. I think that the 72 hour plans are woefully inadequate for real world emergencies. One to two weeks is far more realistic and will give you many more options and a psychological edge. Having extra food and water may make you feel more in control and allow you to wait a while longer inside and allow the situation to stabilize somewhat before you have to venture out. You'll be far better off that way than those who are forced to forage for food and water from helicopters with everyone else in the early days.

Be sure to try the food and make sure you like it. At least some of the food we put up are things that we really like and don't even normally eat much of, just so we may feel like we are treating ourselves. Always try to be good to yourself when you prepare dor disaster.

Rice has good survival food storage potential.

Survival food is expensive. A case, or perhaps a pallet, of Cup of noodles, a case of top ramen, some pickled eggs, and a case of beef/turkey jerky, and gallons of water and I'm set for a long haul.

About bottled water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkUbW15ty70

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J-01hkGOHo&mode=related&search=

knot said:

Rice has good survival food storage potential.

Survival food is expensive. A case, or perhaps a pallet, of Cup of noodles, a case of top ramen, some pickled eggs, and a case of beef/turkey jerky, and gallons of water and I'm set for a long haul.

About bottled water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkUbW15ty70

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J-01hkGOHo&mode=related&search=

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mmm... hose water :laughing:

Hmmm... this bottled water thing may need some more research.

Don't forget some tin openers !!!

Preferably the small camping / survival type.

And tie long lengths of string onto them as soon as you get them.

This might be an option for on the go: Survivaltabs. :thinking:

"The Best Possible Nutrition in the Smallest Possible Volume"

"15 Days' Food Supply Under 2 Lbs"

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abvidledUK said:

Don't forget some tin openers !!!

Preferably the small camping / survival type.

And tie long lengths of string onto them as soon as you get them.

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I have one, a large P-38. Otherwise I've got can openers on my multi-tools.

B@rt said:

This might be an option for on the go: Survivaltabs. :thinking:

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I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a bottle of the tabs. I was however thinking of having something more substantial to ride out the situation.

Those cup o' noodles and dried Ramen packs may be cheap, convenient, and even tasty, but they are loaded in salt and MSG. It'll cause you to need more water in the long run.
Avoid the seasoning pack.

I think cans of tuna fish, boxes of dried pasta, bag of rice, dried cereal and oats, dry herbs and seasonings, vitamins, and LOT's of water, can get you through dire times.
But being in San Jose, I think the likeliest disaster is Fry's running out of CR123a's!

Of course the big one is supposed to hit your area. Earthquake preparedness is a must.
Expect to lose power, gas, water, sewage. You may have food, but still need a means to cook it. Portable cook stoves, portable BBQs are handy. At home, maybe an extra tank of propane for the BBQ grill.
And an amount of lawlessness. Security may be a concern when social fabric tears.

Finding water should be no problem, just have a ceramic pump filter on hand.

Ramen is not a bad choice, it is filling and very cheap. I like having dried beans, dried milk,salt, sugar, eggsubstitute,olive oil,spices,bags of rice and any preserved meat like country ham, jerky, tuna (individually packaged if possible). Obviously, lots of canned goods. The reality is you should be able to maintain a well stocked pantry and be fine. Rice and dried beans are the biggies for me.

You can easily have plenty of good tasting food in a survival situation with the right planning.

A heat source and fuel is the issue that most will have. There are survival stoves designed to burn anything that is flammable and these are not a bad secondary source to have either. Canned heat is nice as well. If you keep your gas tanks filled then you have a good gas supply for coleman stoves, you may have to remove the water if a flood situation. Even solar cookers are nice to have

BTW, even a chimney starter for a charcoal grill makes a good camp stove...

You can get by for quite a while on calorie-dense foods like peanut butter for example, which provides fat and protein and has a long shelf life.

I'm becoming a survivalist nutcase, or a prudent emergency planner, depending on who you ask, and am trying to cover all of my bases as well. I'm planning for a 6 month disruption in the food supply (bird flu, nuke attack, alien invasion). Better to be prepared and not need it than the converse. Blah blah.

cheers

I think the SOS bars are the best and best tasting bar-type survival food ; http://www.emprep.com/sos food labs.html

be sure to keep all your storage food in metal cans to save it from vermin..

LowBat said:

Hmmm... this bottled water thing may need some more research.

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I struggled for years in an effort to put together an emergency water plan that I could live with. I never liked the bottled water solution because:

• The weight, bulk and difficulty in getting it home. (we're bicycle people)
• The cost.
• It must be rotated.
• Water for long term storage is more expensive than ordinary bottled water which is in containers that often leak. Ordinary bottled water is packaged for consumption -- not storage.
• When the bottled water you've laid up is gone -- that's it. I didn't like the finite nature inherent in bottled water plans.
• When tested for bacterial contamination bottled water often fares no better than tap water.
• Taste.

In 1999 we opted for the Katadyn Drip Filter (Ceradyn version). We really like it. No carrying water. No rotation schedules. Always fresh. We use it every day for everything we would use bottled water for which has two distinct advantages: it's good for us AND it incorporates a vital piece of our emergency gear into our everyday lives, meaning that when any emergency strikes, learning to work the water filter will be one less thing on a long list of new skills that must be aquired all at once.

In the last +6 years we've filtered +2900 gallons of water at a cost of 7.5¢ per gallon -- compared to a cost of ~ $4400 for the same amount of bottled water purchased at local prices.

Another (or perhaps additional) option would be to lay away one or more ultralight Katadyn Bottle filters for the Bug-Out-Bag and/or car. If you have to go mobile in a crisis it's great to have the option to carry a light weight filter instead of trying to lug the water itself. Just a thought.

I'd probably be the first to admit that there are many correct approaches to a sound emergency water plan. We all have different situations and needs. Coming up with a water plan that works for you will have the secondary advantage of freeing you up to deal with some of the countless other details of your emergency plan(s).

Thanks everyone for all the good ideas for food and water.

LowBat said:

water

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A friend of mine, who is even nuttier than me about disaster planning, bought a pair of plastic 55 gallon water containers which she keeps filled. Replaces the water every 3-6 months. This won't work for apartment dwellers, but it is a viable option for some.

cheers