Keeping a 30 day food supply on board

[SoulRaven]

I like to keep a 30 day food supply on board, and thought that what I do may be of interest to others.

Depending on where you shop, you can find all sorts of canned food stuffs, including meats, breads, fruits, veggies and more.

I try to keep a 30 day supply of canned foods that I eat regularly on board. As I use them, I replace them, so they are rarely more than a couple of months old.

Besides the obvious which everyone knows, you can get canned bacon, sausage, eggs, chinese food, breads, potatoes, ham, fish, seafood, hamburger, sweet & sour meatballs, & more. Add the more common Chilli, stews, hash, etc. and you should have a relatively tasty and varied diet.

Not every store carries everything, but they are typically pretty reasonably priced. I usually stock up when they're on sale.

You aren't going to be eating as fancy as normal, but you won't go to bed hungry either. I also keep 30 or so assorted packets of pre-sweetened kool-aid tucked away even though I rarely drink it. But if you need to boil questionable water, it can sure make it taste better, and give you a little bit of an extra energy boost as well.

You don't need to spend big bucks on survival food, when you can stick to the tasty foods you love and just rotate them through your every day meals.


Being prepared doesn't have to be that difficult, and it could save your life in the case of an emergency.

 

[decodancer]

You just reminded me how much I love Boston Brown bread in a can. With raisins of course, and cram cheese. Yummy

 

[SoulRaven]

You just reminded me how much I love Boston Brown bread in a can. With raisins of course, and cream cheese. Yummy

One of my favorites that I keep in stock at all times. Particularly tasty for the midnight munchies too.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Love that Boston Brown Bread.
I'll eat the whole thing if I open a can when I'm stoned

In the RV, we carried about 30 days of food for for 2, plus Bindi's extra bag.
Moving into the van it was simply toooo much stuff to carry all the time.
A couple days ago we donated a bunch of dried and canned goods.
4 totes of food in a van is more than we have room for.

I'm not the prepper type and 30 days of food ain't nothin' if the spit hits the fan anyway.

 

[my_vantasy]

Sounds like a great plan, and something I'd like to do...but doesn't that take up a lot of space? And doesn't that add a lot of weight?

 

[SoulRaven]

It does take up a little room, and weight too I suppose, but I really don't worry much about either. Under each front seat in my rig it's like a huge metal box, so that's where I store my canned goods. I use pieces of an old hammock for cargo net to keep them contained within.

My van is a 1 ton, 15 passenger. I doubt that fully loaded I am anywhere near the weight of 15 passengers, maybe not even as heavy at just the removed seats!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think it is a good idea to have as much foos as you can reasonably carry, rice, lentils, a variety of dried beans, dried fruit and veggies can cut down on the weight, flour keeps well if properly stored. Having things like mung beans for sprouting and a large jar of your own home made sauerkraut are good additions to your pantry and good habits to get into.

 

[LeeRevell]

Just be aware that most canned foods include a high concentration of sodium - my Doc wants me to keep that down. That said, I do occasionally eat such foods as the Hormel and Chef Boy Ardee from the can cold - I am NOT a 'food snob'.....
One can carry quite a bit of dried foods - rice, beans, peas, grains - in food grade 'paint' cans. Just need to cook it.
I also have been known to carry MRE entrees, the Hormel Completes, and the various flavors and brands of Ready To Eat rice meals. Just watch your sodium intake!

 

[highdesertranger]

I also carry a lot of food. but for emergencies I have 2 cases of mre's. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

Two cases of Ramin. Check...

I am hitting the road in five weeks, and one thing I will be bringing is my supply of dried spices. I will also have two cases of my pasta sauce. I was the only one in my generation that was shown the secret recipe that came into the US in 1904. I will have to do it in pint jars, as a quart makes a pound of pasta. Being diabetic that is way too much carbs in a row. It is made in 5 gallon batches.

I will have to take my canning supplies with me, and spend a day in various family and friends kitchens replenishing the reserves. It takes about 12 hours to prepare the sauce, but that will be a supply that will feed me (and others) for two months. Everyone is grateful for a gallon of homemade Ragu, that reminds them of the past generation's cooking.

Store plenty of water. If you break down, you might need a couple gallons to survive before you get to civilization. I have rectangular 35 lb cat litter buckets. They stack well with no wasted space.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm a bit of a survivalist-prepper so I carry a 6 months supply of food with me. I carry mostly #10 cans of freeze-dried or dehydrated foods by Mountain House, Provident Pantry and Augusan Farms (the brand WalMart carries).

I have more room than most vandwellers because I have an extended van and a 6x10 cargo trailer I live in. But with the #10 cans you can carry an amazing amount even in a van. Here is a link to a post on my pantry:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/poverty-prepping-food-pantry/

Here is a picture of 39 cans of #10 foods under half my bed. It takes up about 2 feet by 4 feet of space.

Why do I have so much food? I got a cash settlement for a workmans comp case and I think inflation is going to destroy the value of money, I want to keep the minimum. So I put the money into something that will always have value and will last: FOOD and AMMO.

Plus with the drought in California and much of the country, we are going to see BIG price increases in food.

Bob

 

[SternWake]

I used to goto Baja with enough food and Water for 30 days before having to resupply, but I'd catch and eat a lot of Fish. So much so that I'd occasionally get such cravings for red(ish) Meat that I'd down a can of dollar store Spam right from the can and would have to ration them. Hide them from myself for use later. Attempt to trade fish for RedMeat. Eat pasta boiled in seawater seasoned only with beef bullion

Ahh the good old days. Too bad Meth infiltrated the population down there. I used to go down there with 200$ cash and come back with a Hundred 2 months later.


I'm not so into canned food these days. The Sodium number one, and the BPA liner material second. I'd have to relearn some strategies if I did not live so close to civilization as I do now. Not really happy about being so dependent on grocery Stores.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I used to goto Baja with enough food and Water for 30 days before having to resupply, but I'd catch and eat a lot of Fish. So much so that I'd occasionally get such cravings for red(ish) Meat that I'd down a can of dollar store Spam right from the can and would have to ration them. Hide them from myself for use later. Attempt to trade fish for RedMeat. Eat pasta boiled in seawater seasoned only with beef bullion

Ahh the good old days. Too bad Meth infiltrated the population down there. I used to go down there with 200$ cash and come back with a Hundred 2 months later.


I'm not so into canned food these days. The Sodium number one, and the BPA liner material second. I'd have to relearn some strategies if I did not live so close to civilization as I do now. Not really happy about being so dependent on grocery Stores.

you can hunt for other things too, like rabbit, squirrel, birds....neighbors...lol

 

[SoulRaven]

As I am a seasonal van dweller, when I shut my cabin down in the north in the fall I have to take any food etc. with me that can freeze, for I shut off the heat in the winter months.

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

It's not for everyone everywhere but i think it's something interesting to consider. You can get pretty far on some weed. If you need.

http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html

       "Seeds of the plant cannabis sativa, hemp seed, contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. No other single plant source has the essential amino acids in such an easily digestible form, nor has the essential fatty acids in as perfect a ratio to meet human nutritional needs."