Posted on 02/19/2014 5:29:11 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
For the survivalist, outdoor enthusiast, hiker or end of world planner, this is the perfect long life vacuum packed one day supply of food. Set up like the military MRE Meal-Ready-To-Eat, this is a vacuum packed daily ration of food. And it all weighs under a pound. The total cost of this DIY full day supply of food is just a fraction of the cost of commercial freeze dried food packs.
Anyone who has gone on an extended hike knows that every ounce of weight you carry adds up fast. It is important to get all of your gear down to the lowest possible total weight for a comfortable hiking experience. Food and water are some of the heaviest items we carry on a trip. We can trim down our weight on food with little cost and just a bit of work beforehand. Commercial freeze dried food packages are ideal, but very expensive. Most people cannot afford to take three meals per day of freeze dried food on an extended hiking trip. At about $7 per meal, it adds up fast. The solution is to dry your own food for the trail. It is very simple and does not involve much work to prepare your own do-it-yourself dried food packs. And, if you vacuum pack your food, it can be kept for a very long time on the shelf.
For those who do not have or cannot afford a vacuum sealer, zip lock bags can be found at the dollar store. These can be used to keep your food dry for a while. Tupperware containers can also be used to keep bulk dried foods safe.
If you dry your foods totally, it can be kept for years in most cases. Avoid fatty foods, oil and nuts for long term storage. Fatty and oily foods tend to go rancid with time.
It does not matter if you are preparing food for your bug out bag, planning for a potential future food shortage, or simply just going on a long hike, this article should be helpful. In most cases where long term shelf stable food is needed, light weight is also an issue. It does not help to have a year supply of food saved up, only to find that you cannot carry it all on your back in an emergency.
Campers, fishermen, hunters, survivalists and hikers can all benefit from affordable dried foods for the road. And it is just a good idea to have food put away for bad times. People loose their jobs, money gets tight or an emergency comes up. Having a good supply of long term storage food will help you through these times.
Easy and cheap. Found it while roaming the WWW this evening.
Ping-worthy?
My MIL seems to do that almost every night
Thanks, Diana.
I was blessed living in the high sierras as a younger man. I knew the mountains so well I literally could back-pack carrying no food or water. ALTHOUGH. I did carry my fly fishing gear and knew every edible plant in the area. It’s all about preparation. Now a’days, the only time I carry a tent is if I’ll be in mosquito country. Though, I’m getting older and spoiled myself with a fantastic Big Agnes insulated blow up ultra light mattress.
As for the topic of dehydrated foods. By all means it is SOOOOO easy and inexpensive to do yourself. Anyone who has had store bought freeze dried food knows only one thing. SALT. My goodness they are so salty. AND everything seems to be packed in some kind of cream sauce. I LOVE fresh veggies and fruit and they are two of the easiest things to dehydrate yourself. Spend a $100 on a good dehydrator and you’ll save a lot of money if you’re an avid outdoorsman. Don’t forget you’ll need water. Sawyer makes an awesome plastic filter that only weights a few ounces.
I don’t know about your area but my local Walmart now carries #10 cans of freeze dried fruits and vegetables. I particularly enjoy the TVP meat substitute stews I’ll make.
Enjoy, be safe, and get out doors. It might save your life.
We need to find a way to freeze-dry beer...
no no no we need to find a way to never have to worry about that
+1 Way cool. Top knotch information.
Nice read. Great tips.
Thanks Diana. I guess I’ll be getting my dehydrator and vacuum packer out and pack some food. Dried beef jerky is easy to make for outings.
Very cool!
ahhhh, yes, backpacking where nothing weighs nothing.
Great DIY info! Thanks.
Good article.
Would that be distilled liquor?
I have a dehydrator that I’ve not yet taken out of the box!! (Not good use of it, I know!) Which cut of beef do you use to make your jerky? Thanks.
How about dehydrated water?
Concentrated beer is known as "Whiskey".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.