DIY MREs (sorta)

[rusty_tlc]

If I click on a link and get an error that is my definition of busticated. :elkgrin:

The link works now.

That guy has a Yorkie.

Nothing wrong with that in it self. We have a small dog.

But I have a hard time taking a survivalist seriously if they have a Yorkie.

If your into the whole SHTF ideology you want a dog that will be a warrior or food. The Yorkie is neither, I don't think a Yorkie would make a good appetizer course for more than two people and I sure as hell wouldn't count on it for anything more than than a alarm in a fight.

I question his commitment to the ideal of eminent apocalypse. :sombrero:

 

[Black Dog]

Yeah, there's quite a few people there that wear tin foil hats and think the world is going to end in 2012, but the site as a whole is good because there is a lot of information on different outdoor activities and general purpose wilderness survival (a hobby of mine) as well as hunting and gardening and self sufficient living and stuff. It isn't so bad if you ignore the whackos.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I find wilderness survival fascinating. I've read so many books on the topic I lost count. Back in the seventies I was into back packing, a couple of times I did minimalist trips with just basic survival gear. Not pleasurable but it was kind of fun to practice the skills I had read about.

 

[cruisertoy]

We do someting similar when we go to Alaska fishing for 10 days every year. Generally we pack 1 mountian house meal per person per day. There is a long list of other items that are "just add hot water" that we suplement fish with for other meals.

Stove Top Stuffing
Idaho mashed potato packets
Quaker oats packets
Instant pudding with powdered milk
Top Ramon
Angel Hair pasta-Just put boiling water in a bag and let sit like Ramon
Dehydrated #10 cans of soy based bacon, sausage...
Powdered eggs

I'm drawing a mind blank on the rest, but I'll post more later.

 

[rusty_tlc]

We do someting similar when we go to Alaska fishing for 10 days every year. Generally we pack 1 mountian house meal per person per day. There is a long list of other items that are "just add hot water" that we suplement fish with for other meals.

Stove Top Stuffing
Idaho mashed potato packets
Quaker oats packets
Instant pudding with powdered milk
Top Ramon
Angel Hair pasta-Just put boiling water in a bag and let sit like Ramon
Dehydrated #10 cans of soy based bacon, sausage...
Powdered eggs

I'm drawing a mind blank on the rest, but I'll post more later.

So how is that soy based stuff?

 

[Herbie]

When I saw this link title, I thought for sure it was going to be about "Freezer Bag Cooking".... but it wasn't.

That said, for anybody looking for easy-cook and easy-cleanup similar to MREs, checkout www.trailcooking.com or get the book "Freezer Bag Cooking".

I use this method when I do ultralight backpacking. I carry only a beer-can alcohol stove to boil water, and my prepared meal "kits" in freezer bags, plus a few spices and tabasco. Boil water, add to freezer bag, put bag into a "cozy", and while its doing its thing I boil another batch of water for a beverage and personal cleanup.

Eat from the bag, put any remaining trash (like a candy bar wrapper, etc.) into the dirty meal bag at the end, zip it up, and voila' - cleanup is done.

 

[Black Dog]

Those little beer can alcohol burning stoves are really cool. I made one last summer and weighed it on the postage scale at work and it was a mere quarter ounce in weight. I found a drink called San Pellegrino Limonata, it comes in the little 12oz soda can and is an unsweetened lemon drink. The aluminum on that can seems to be a little thicker and sturdier than a standard beer or pop can, so I'm wanting to make another stove with those cans because it won't really add any noticeable weight and will be a tad more heavy duty.

 

[SeaRubi]

if you get something that's already cooked and just want to warm it up, i like the catalyst heaters that come from the mil-spec MRE's. i usually get a small stack of extras when I'm into surplus.

the other thing I like is to keep the folding esbit stoves. one in my bug-out-bag/backpack, one in the truck, and then i have a bigger surplus one in my gear box. the tabs also make a great fire starter if you need it for heat in cold conditions.

fwiw

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

On my last big trip, I pre-cooked every meal, vaccume sealed and froze. It was awesome. Eggs (cooked exactly how I like 'em) + sausage & OJ every morning. Shrimp & rice for lunch, spaghetti & italian sausage for dinners. Mmmmm! It was great. The biggest problem was keeping them frozen, but even then, as long as they stayed cold in the cooler all was well since it was only an 8 day trip and they all stayed frozen for at least the first 2 days.

 

[Herbie]

Those little beer can alcohol burning stoves are really cool. I made one last summer and weighed it on the postage scale at work and it was a mere quarter ounce in weight. I found a drink called San Pellegrino Limonata, it comes in the little 12oz soda can and is an unsweetened lemon drink. The aluminum on that can seems to be a little thicker and sturdier than a standard beer or pop can, so I'm wanting to make another stove with those cans because it won't really add any noticeable weight and will be a tad more heavy duty.

I used the can from a Heineken "keg can", which was thicker and had a bit better shape. See these instructions for the style that I built:
http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/

I like the "penny" regulator to keep the jets functioning well.

 

[Black Dog]

I made a little cook pot out of the Heineken keg can, and made a wire bale for it with picture frame wire. that pot and the alcohol stove weighs barely over a half an ounce. The only thing with the stove I made though is that you do have to use a pot stand. I'd like to duplicate a stand that comes with the Trangia alcohol stoves called the Westwind pot stand. Its just 3 pieces of thin gauge aluminum that slips together and the stove sits inside.

The stove I made is like the pepsi can stove here: http://zenstoves.net/BasicTopBurner.htm That page has a pic of the pot stand too.