How much food do you pack in your BOB?

Riot · Dec 30, 2013

FYI, I ditched the MRE for Freeze-dried Mountainhouse food...it's good, it weighs almost nothing and stores for years.

Riot said:
I have a 3-day emergency ration bar ( <broken link removed> ) and an MRE I made myself...the homemade MRE consists of a can of:

*(1) Can of Spam
*(1) Bottle of Water
*(1) Pack of Tuna
*(1) Pack of Salmon
*(1) Cliff Bar
*(1) Bag of Peanuts
*(1) Pack of Tissue
*(1) Set of Plasticware
*(3) Instant Coffee Packs
*(2) Packs of Sugar
*(2) Drink Packs
*(1) Small Toothbrush
*(3) Packs of Toothpaste
*(6) Iodine Tablets
*(2) Vitamins
*(1) Book of Matches
*(1) Lighter

I know there is more, but that is all I can think of for now...it fits in a bag that is about as big as an MRE, but heavier. It has all the stuff you need to keep you going for days versus an MRE which is basically designed to keep you going for a little over a day. You can reuse a lot of the stuff (like the can of spam) for other things like cooking- and the bottle of water can be refilled and used to clean water (throw in a couple iodine tablets and voila!).

Mind you I've thought about these things for years...you just have to get geared up for what you plan to do. Like I said before, anyone here can tell you what is in their bug-out-bag...but what you need may differ because of what you plan to do and where you plan to go.

maxisback · Dec 30, 2013

Did you field strip your MRE's?

Riot · Dec 31, 2013

maxisback said:
Did you field strip your MRE's?

I made my own... mres are fine for what they are. Soldiers can't just stop, make a fire, boil water and cook. They need simple & ready food that they can even eat cold.

erudne · Dec 31, 2013

I would run freeze dried stroganoff through a blender and pack it into a 24 oz Nagalene bottle; about 4 day's worth. Of course the stuff goes bad but you can freeze it in the bottle eover time.
I'd heat water with 3 Esbit tabs (no smoke, smell, noise). have enough hot water for tea and wash my bowl out.
The foil packets of instant mashed potatoes are a real bargain, taste good and keep a long time.

Hook686 · Dec 31, 2013

hmmmmm 15 days ... at 2500 calories per day that is about 140 Clif bars and about 20 pounds of weight. Water at 1.5 quarts per days would be another 30 pounds. Even traveling light you will have a hard time trimming that weight unless you have other sources along the way. How reliable will those other sources be. You will not be the only one looking for food, water, shelter and a source of energy. I suspect most will skimp on food and water and end up looking to hijack others for their goods. The strong will take from the weak, the many will take from the strong. Such is the history of man.