Survival rations

[Bobitis]

Yeah, I know we been over it before.

But I'd like ta narrow things down a bit.

I don't have 'mass storage' for bulk items. This leaves me with limited choices.
Canned, dehydrated, or freeze dried. All of which are expensive. Not so much the canned goods, but they are bulky/heavy.

Is this a good deal?
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...GI-Meal/Detail

I've never had MREs. I do have some Mtn House products, but have never tried them either. They seem to get good ratings tho. Again, spendy.

Your thoughts/suggestions...

[HunterAlpha1]

SouthernPrepper1's channel has alot of good sources for survival supplies and techniques

http://www.youtube.com/user/southernprepper1#p/u

[Juker]

It's a tough one, Bob. That's about $8 per MRE after shipping. If you were planning on a bunker hunker and could afford a few cases, it would probably be a good investment. For a bugout scenario, let's say you buy 3 cases, roughly $300, and you decide to subsist on one MRE per day. You're good to go for 36 days. But you can buy a LOT more chow than that for $300. Heck, a can of Vienna sausage, a granola bar, and a handful of rice will get you just as far for a day, and cost you less than $2.

MREs have certainly advanced since "my day". I never had an issue with 'em, but I'm not a picky eater. They have a lot of advantages, just not sure it's an $8 meal. My .02.

p.s. MREs are designed to burn in your bod and decrease body waste. If you plan on eating them for an extended period, you won't need to pack much two-ply!

[Alpo]

Compare the menu.

1.Can of chili – 1.50
Can of mexicorn – 1.00
2. rib – ?
can of soup – 0.75
sack of trail mix – 1.00
3. can of ravioli – 1.50
pop tart – 0.50
slim jims – 1.50
4. sausage – ?
individual box of cereal – 1.00
pop tart – 0.50
5/ Hormel shelf stable meal, chicken and dressing – 2.50
6. Hormel shelf stable meal, chicken and noodles – 2.50
7. beef brisket – ?
8. meatballs with sauce – ?
9. Hormel shelf stable meal, beef stew – 2.50
10. Hormel shelf stable meal, chili/mac – 2.50
11. Hormel vegetable lasagna meal – 2.50
12. veggie burger – ?

add to that a half dozen packs of hot chocolate, half dozen single-serve of kool aid, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of cheez whiz, some individual jellies you steal from the restaurant, 4 or 5 candy bars and a package of tortllas.

When you total it all up, it comes to less than 30 bucks. Seems like you’re paying a lot for that neat brown plastic bag and the spoons and accessory packets.

[CampingJosh]

I've never thought MREs were a good deal. They'd have to be about half that price before they'd be a serious option for me.

Mountain House stuff is what we have for dinner each night as we hike. It's good stuff, but it takes a lot of potable water. And it's definitely not inexpensive.

[HunterAlpha1]

you can get much better deals at gun shows, sometimes as low as $4 a piece, which is a pretty good deal, considering that the average supper you eat at home costs at least $5.

[millwright]

Start buying that stuff in sufficient quantity and you'll soon make the acquaintence of the local FBIs, DHSers, etc. Particularly if you're white and/or a veteran. So says
"Big Sis" !! >MW

[Brisk44]

what's better is to stock up on staples like beans, rice , sugar and some coffee. inexpensive, lasts a long time and provides the proteins and complex carbs you need.then add dried milk, potato flakes and cocoa.medical supplies, alcohol for medicinal purposes, fishing equipment and some canned vegetables. this should get you by when suplimented with fish and game, providing you can stay put. seeds for planting and the books to provide the knowledge for all these endevors.

[Juker]

Check and see if you have an ALDI in your area. To my shame, for years I thought this store was "low rent" and catered to the welfare crowd. We went in several months ago to check on food for the stash, and were stunned at their prices. Canned goods at half the cost or less than our regular stores, and we really pinch pennies on groceries. Everything we've purchased there has been delicious. And everything we've seen is labeled in English only.

Don't miss out on their brand of 'stovetop stuffing' and/or dehydrated potatoes for 40-50 cents. Boil some water and you've got a small mountain of food, and it weighs nothing.

[carver]

Store what you eat! Do you eat MRE's daily? If not then you might want to think about storing the food you eat every day. Look into a vacum sealing system, and food dehydrators. Both systems can be had for under $100, combined!!

Flour, sugar, rice at room temperature good for 6 months, vacum sealed, 1-2 years.
Coffee, and beans, in the Freezer 6-9 months, vacum sealed, 2-3 years. Nuts at room temperature 6 months, vacum sealed, 2 years.
Oils with no preservatives, like safflower, canola, corn oil at room temperature, 5-6 months, vacum sealed, 1-1.5 years.

Beef, venison, and buffalo all work out really well for dehydrating. You just have to be really careful to trim all of the fat off of it, because fat can become rancid and will spoil the meat. Special handling is required when it comes to preparing meat for the dehydrator. It's very easy for meat to become contaminated so make sure you follow the directions that come with your food dehydrator very carefully.

http://www.homefoodstorage.com/food-...ng-meats.shtml

[The Duke]

Carver must have been reading my mind....I have a dehydrator and one of the vacuum sealers. I buy frozen veggies on sale, dehydrate them, vacuum seal and stick in the deep freezer.....Meat I turn into jerky and do the same..Couple pear trees and blueberry bush for dehydrated fruit...I have about 40# of rice, 25# of store bought dry beans/peas, several large bags of assorted pasta, flour, cornmeal, powdered milk also in the freezer...10# of sugar and 10# salt, 3 cases of MREs and plan to add a few more. In fact, I have two freezers, one for ordinary food and another for my D-Day stock.

I dont plan on bugging out anywhere, but hunkering down for the duration.
Fortunately I have an old dug well here that still has good drinking water...but have a few water filters and can always put together a still...

No LP gas or No Electricity= No Problem..Got at least years supply of firewood already cut and a couple decades more on my property that is still growing..2 BBQ pits and a fireplace.

Keep a large can of gas for the chainsaw that I change out by pouring the old in the truck and refilling...Need to get 5gal of kerosene for lamps...and find out more about storing garden seeds.

A country boy can survive.

[hunter29180]

Duke..look at this site, may give you a few ideas.

http://www.seedforsecurity.com/article.php?articleid=27