Food for the go-bag/disaster kit

[Justin Bailey]

I'm (still) working on my go bag/disaster kit. I need food ideas to put in the bag. Canned tuna? MRE's? Do you avoid food that needs to be cooked?

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

I have a mix. Canned food. Soup. Pasta. Rice.
I found it helpful to have 2 parts to my 'go bag'.
Part one is mainly for 'Shelter in place'. So food and water. (At home I have a large BBQ, so I can cook/boil water for weeks - hence rice & pasta.)
Part 2 is a list of gear I would put in a car & leave. Tent. Sleeping bag. Back-pack. Solar power & battery. Portable Camp cooker. It has gas in cans the size of hair spray. (And I would bring part 1 which has food + water, first aid, whistle etc)
As I live in a city, I would most likely pack into a car and leave. (So I keep car fuelled.)
Having been through a Cyclone (hurricane) with no power or running water for 10 days, we learnt what is important to us:- Water, food and communication (cell phone & battery power).
We sheltered-in-place. The roads were cut, so there was no where to go.

Old (Downunder) Tone

[Pabo]

We had a sister whose husband is in the Australian Army in our congregation, and he assisted with some of the brothers regarding their go-bags, and he emphasised two main things:

 

1/ you cannot carry enough water that you need,

2/ always have plenty of thick socks.

 

He did also have some further tips.

 

Do not have your food products in tins or glass, as these will only add weight to your bag.

Carry dried or dehydrated products, as these generally weigh lighter.

Protein bars are another source of nourishment.

Things that do not require cooking are the best to have. However, Cuppa-soups are handy for colder regions, as even though you may need to heat the water, it will also heat you up and hydrate you at the same time.

Have a water purifier, so you can purify any additional water you may need at a later point (if there is damage to water delivery systems, you will not be able to get clean water for some time), as well those small silver blankets to capture any rainwater, or to protect yourself against the elements.

 

If you are wondering what do you do with those extra socks in your go-bag? They can be used to also house the food, wrap water bottles, in your go-bag. If possible, get your socks to be colour coded for the items that you are carrying, as dark blue for water, brown for food, black for other things, so you do not have to go searching in your bag as much. Also too, they will had some extra protection to the packaging.

[Lee49]

Cell phone power can be extremely helpful, get a solar charger, not that expensive, check the prices on the 

Spoiler

Amazon, of course! 

big A

[DarinS]

Cans add weight that i dont want

Tuna is good - and it can be found in flat packaging

so can some other meats/Spam/Chicken/Salmon

dired meats like Jerky are good and relatively light

Each of us have a water purifier - so I hope and plan to have water….that I can add to many ‘meals’

my wife also has a large selection of dried fruits and energy bars / granola bars

im not really a fan of Pemmican - dried meat/fruit mix

my kids love the travel packs of Peanut butter and Nutella

 

I too have a standard bag and a larger “family” go bag with more supplies..including stove etc

 

we have MRE’s and packs that only need to add water (these are usually soups or beans one-pot meals)

you can get them individually - in a case - or even in a 5 gallon bucket

 

most MRE’s have a heating element that you add water to and wait 15-20 minutes

[tekmantwo]

20 hours ago, DarinS said:

most MRE’s have a heating element that you add water to and wait 15-20 minutes

If you dont have a way to heat your water, use body heat.

Just tuck it under your shirt for a while... 

[.Ivan.]

Army packs are very useful..

https://www.amazon.com/BRITISH-Ration-Emergency-Supplies-Genuine/dp/B08Z8HW1QW

 

[Qapla]

[boodles]

My thinking with canned food is it has water in it, so that can help with preventing dehydration. It's good to have a variety since we don't know what the emergency will be. If it's an earthquake we might stay in the backyard and eat canned food, if it's a fire we'd probably need to evacuate and lighter food would be easier to transport.

[Pabo]

It all comes to how much time and what scenario you may have to contend with.

 

That sister's husband whom I was referring to lived up the northern parts of Queensland, and they have to deal with cyclones. So at least they have some warnings of preparing themselves. Even so, because of his training, he has more insight on what is more practical to have in your bag.

 

Many will have two versions of Go-Bags:

 

 1/ "unplanned" version - which is basically what you can carry physically, and should carry your most important documents.

 

2/ "planned" version - which you may carry more needs, also your family photos, animals etc, and you will still include "unplanned" bag.

 

As well as having these bags, it is worthy to note to be prepared for any other disaster that you have the potential to have to deal with. So if you live in a bushfire (wildfire) area, you may need to have firefighting equipment at the ready etc. For wild weather and storms - tarps, duct tape, ropes etc.

 

There are other items that you should have at the ready, as even though it may be out of the norm thinking, but are very practical.

 

Wellington boots (Gum boots), especially if steel capped, these are much better then regular boots, as it allows you to be in water/mud affected areas. Also handy are fishing waders if you are more prone to wild weather and floods and higher water levels.

 

Bivy bags - these are thinner and lighter than regular sleeping bags, and are generally used by Defence Forces. You can get these generally in camo coloured, but you can also get bright coloured ones as well. These can be attached to your unplanned go-bag, as most hare contained within their own bag and have attachable straps etc.

 

Mosquito head nets (and bed nets), which will keep aerial pests away, especially in flood and storm areas.

 

As for canned food, these are better for the planned evacuation, but maybe one or two cans if need be for the unplanned bag, as the can itself can become useful as per experience below.

 

On a witnessing/camping trip with a few of us young brothers in our congregation, it had pelted down rain for most of the day whilst we were witnessing, as we had planned to go camping after doing the witnessing at the far end of our territory in the National Park. However, no-one brought a gas or butane fired stove top with them, as we were thinking of having a campfire to cook our food.

It happened that one of the brothers had brought a big can of baked beans, which was he only food he brought for eat, and he said he was right to eat as he didn't need to cook his food and proceeded to eat in front of us laughing at our predicament.

When he had finished his meal, I asked for his empty can. He asked "Why?"

"Learn and see". He passed me his empty can, which I went to the river and washed it out.

As some of the brothers had brought their dirt bikes along, I got some of their fuel and filled the empty can about half way. Then I placed the can in the middle of the fire pit and proceeded to build a pile of rain soaked timber around the can and then over it. When I got out the matches, all of the brothers ran behind their vehicles thinking that the fuel will explode. I just smirked and ignited the fuel that was in the can, which a little poof was made from the fuel vapor, but the fuel was alight with the flames licking the wet timber, until it was dry enough for the timber to burn themselves.

After about 10 minutes, we had a decent size fire with enough dried out wood to start cooking our steaks and sausages.

The brother who ate the can of baked beans in front of us said he had nothing to hot to eat as he ate his cold.

I asked "Did you bring a pot to cook your baked beans?"

He replied "Yes."

I said, "You should have put the baked beans in the pot and waited till I had the fire ready for you to heat up your beans."

"But you didn't asked me for the can before I started eating my dinner, only when I was just about finishing it."

"Well, that is what happens when you don't stop and think about everyone else's plight, but instead of feeding your face and laughing at us whilst you are eating. Have you heard the saying? He who laughs last, laughs loudest. Who is laughing now?"

We did give him some hot food, but no-one dared to share a tent with him.

 

 

[Doug]

1 hour ago, Pabo said:

 

It happened that one of the brothers had brought a big can of baked beans, 

We did give him some hot food, but no-one dared to share a tent with him.

 

 

Love the dry humor       Now if someone would post a clip from the campfire scene from the film Blazing Saddles  .    .    ?    Or not  .  . haha

[Qapla]

For having to shelter in place, we try to make sure we have LP gas for the stove and fuel for the generator ... we have a well so, as long as we can run the generator, we have fresh water and can keep the fridge cold.

 

 

[pnutts]

If on a farm plug gas line into a cow. They actually have gas capturing devices for cows.🤢

[.Ivan.]

23 hours ago, Qapla said:

Here are more

 

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Military-Emergency-Ration-Survival-Camping/dp/B07RWQYWZ4/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=82411708072&gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkQLJjbPFehHC9fW6Loe674fYwRuMDLSb1yIetbXtLlHb1mymzFSVUBoCq00QAvD_BwE&hvadid=394709308547&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=1007612&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=12600132108636330377&hvtargid=kwd-10367881&hydadcr=19594_1947987&keywords=mre&qid=1655414039&sr=8-2

[Tortuga]

I have several packs of Mainstay food bars in each vehicle.

 

Mainstay Emergency Food Rations - 3600 Calorie Bars https://a.co/d/f0tDX8T

[DarinS]

On 6/16/2022 at 5:34 PM, Tortuga said:

I have several packs of Mainstay food bars in each vehicle.

 

Mainstay Emergency Food Rations - 3600 Calorie Bars https://a.co/d/f0tDX8T

Quick question…what’s inside them?

[Stormie]

I packed backpacking meals, a backpacking camp stove, and two different water filtration systems in my go bag. The biggest problem where I live will be water, as I live in the desert. Since I live in an urban area I carry a key to open water valves and fire hydrants in a worst case scenario. Most likely will have to drive, so I have large water bottles in the garage that I rotate out as well. 

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Stormie said:

Since I live in an urban area I carry a key to open water valves and fire hydrants in a worst case scenario.

Interesting idea. What key do you have?

[Lee49]

35 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

Interesting idea. What key do you have?

[Stormie]

I have a silcock key and a fire hydrant wrench. The wrench is rather heavy and lives in the car with my jack.

 

[Tortuga]

Here is an interesting article.

 

"How to Build the Ultimate Bug-Out Bag - Outside Online" https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/how-to-build-the-ultimate-bug-out-bag/

[tekmantwo]

On 6/19/2022 at 4:51 PM, DarinS said:

Quick question…what’s inside them?

If you check that link that Rich provided you can see a list of ingredients in the comment/review section after scrolling to the bottom of the page...

===============================

 

Enriched Flour With Vitamins A, B-1, B-2, D, E, B-6, B-12, Niacin, Iron, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Phosphorus
Vegetable Shortening, (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils)
Granulated Sugar
Corn Starch
Corn Syrup
Natural Lemon Flavor
Artificial Butter Flavor
Artificial Vanilla Flavor
(Tartrazine, FD&C Yellow#5, FD&C Red #40)*
Artificial Color
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Gamma/Delta Tocopherols as a "natural antioxidant

Edited June 24, 2022 by tekmantwo
Added ingredient list