No refrigeration?

[TxLady]

Has anyone been able to get by without using any type of refrigeration by using shelf stable foods, canned goods, etc.? Obviously in extreme heat this would be difficult unless everything was canned or dried and you never had leftovers to deal with.  Just wondering if anybody has been able to do it.

 

[DuneElliot]

As a prepper who is down-sizing so as to move into my camper I have been pretty much living on my stocked preps for about six months...this has been all canned and shelf-stable food; pasta, rice, cereal (I don't like milk so eat it with dried fruit), box dinners, canned veggies and meat, fruit etc. It might not be in the van context of mobile dwelling but it I have done it...it gets old after a while but I'm forcing myself to get through the food so nothing goes to waste.

 

[TxLady]

I will probably never be a total full-timer, but hopefully a seasonal traveler upon retirement.  One model of truck camper I like comes with no fridge, but plenty of storage so I was thinking it was possible to get by without one rather than toting a cooler and having to deal with ice, or a 12-V or propane fridge and having to deal with the energy needs.  I can drink bottled water without it being flavored or iced.  In fact I prefer room temperature water.  Substitute olive oil for butter for flavoring bread and for cooking.  Maybe dried egg powder for breakfast.  That kind of stuff.  I'm curious if others have managed to get along.  Sounds like you're well on your way to doing it.

 

[grandpacamper]

Can't give you a clear answer to your question. I have been experimenting with various ideas around that. I found that the canned meats (chicken, turkey, tuna, pulled pork & beef) & canned beans while a little high in sodium are quite acceptable. You can buy most of you vegetables canned also, but I find that fresher fully steamed is my way. Being diabetic I need the cooler for my insulin, it must be kept cool. The blue bags will last a few days & do the job but it helps to have them in a cooler.


The other item that all diabetics (anyway me) rely upon is cottage cheese, gives me my protein, calcium & low carb/calorie. It's my Alfredo sauce, omelet & stew main ingredient. Also must be kept somewhat cool, usually 4 days is sufficient. The is a discussion about eggs, I tried the powdered eggs but would rather eat sand. I have a bottle of pickled eggs on my shelf. Eggs are a reliable healthy meal, but watch the cholesterol (the jury's still out on that).

 

[DuneElliot]

Since I don't like milk and rarely use eggs (which can be stored out of refrigeration for a while) I use the powdered kind for any cooking. They last well and if using them as an ingredient in another meal the taste and consistency matter a lot less.

Even though I take a cooler on long road-trips (no camper, just the truck) it's only for the beer and soda (priorities right?) I rely on shelf-stable food in a plastic tote that sits in the back of my truck in full sunshine on mega-hot days in the middle of summer. Certain things work better than others...less tomato based canned goods (like Chef Boyardee or chili type stuff) and more soups, Pasta-Roni meals etc. I treat road-tripping like backpacking...got to be quick, simple and easy food to make.

 

[jimindenver]

You could try these and kill two birds with one stone.

http://heatermeals.com/

http://selfheatingmeals.org/

http://www.omeals.com/

http://www.emergencykits.com/emerge...inute-meals-self-heating-assorted-case-of-12/

 

[highdesertranger]

no refrigeration, yikes how are you going to keep your beer cold? LOL just kidding. while I eat canned food including meats and dried food including powdered eggs. I sure wouldn't live on that type of food only. canned and processed food is usually high in sodium and ingredients I can't pronounce. highdesertranger

 

[TxLady]

no refrigeration,  yikes how are you going to keep your beer cold?  LOL just kidding.  while I eat canned food including meats and dried food including powdered eggs.  I sure wouldn't live on that type of food only.  canned and processed food is usually high in sodium and ingredients I can't pronounce.  highdesertranger

No beer drinker here, so don't need refrigeration for that!  Short term only, perhaps a few weeks at a time.  Some fresh vegetables keep find without refrigeration, for several days at least.  I was thinking more in terms of doing without fresh meat, eggs, butter, milk etc.

 

[TxLady]

You could try these and kill two birds with one stone.

http://heatermeals.com/

http://selfheatingmeals.org/

http://www.omeals.com/

http://www.emergencykits.com/emerge...inute-meals-self-heating-assorted-case-of-12/

Interest concepts, but the prices!  Yikes!  Might look on Amazon and see if I can find reviews.

 

[bullfrog]

I stayed maybe 5 miles from an old time country store for about 6 months years ago. I went exploring most days and just got a homemade sandwich or had them cut me a steak on the way back to camp, bought fruit or orange juice for breakfast. Had a creek near by so made an evaporation cooler later on so I could keep cheese and Arby's roast beef sandwich over night sometimes cooked the steak late at night and ate leftover early next morning. This last year when traveling I ate Subway a lot but still needed a small six pack type cooler which I filled with large cups of from there. I didn't have much food to spoil but spent more money for less food usually $10 or $15 dollars a day.

 

[highdesertranger]

MRE's are cheaper than those. highdesertranger

 

[OutdoorFT]

While reading this thread, I thought about stuff I use my fridge for. Creamer ( can substitute for sugar/fake sugar and powdered creamer), milk (usually goes bad before I use it), butter (dont use it alot) and for fruirs/veggies. Come to think about it, id be okay without a fridge. It also keeps my pizza and wings cold. The wife might kill me if we had no fridge though.

When we camped at our permanent site, we didnt use the fridge much. Mainly leftovers, soda/beer and butter.

 

[Ballenxj]

no refrigeration,  yikes how are you going to keep your beer cold?  

The same way they do in England, Duh!

 

[bullfrog]

That is only because Lucas makes their refrigerators as well as automobile electrics which don't work well either!

 

[DesertDweller]

Being a prepper myself, I'd see no problem going just a few weeks with no refrigeration. We had a very rough period where we ate most of our meals out of our food storage for eight months! (no, I don't recommend it), lol. You could, however, start out with a cooler with ice, pack it with lunch meats, small condiments and salad bags until the ice melts, then move on to the freeze dried foods. Mountain House has a pretty dang good Chili Mac in a pouch that's really tasty. The spaghetti, however, is nasty. As for the eggs, if you coat them with mineral oil, they'd be good for about nine months, unrefrigerated. The powdered eggs are flat out horrible, and I only use them in baking. That all said, be sure you have a lot of water with you in order to rehydrate everything.

 

[Ballenxj]

That is only because Lucas makes their refrigerators as well as automobile electrics which don't work well either!

You mean the Prince of Darkness?

 

[highdesertranger]

when making breakfast burritos, I mix the powered eggs with regular eggs 50/50, can't tell the difference. stretches the fresh eggs out for twice as long. highdesertranger

 

[waldenbound]

I read the other cooler or fridge thread and I'm still on the fence about a refrigerator. Sure it would be nice, but so would a washer and dryer.
I'm going to do a lot of testing with my Yeti Tundra this summer and see how it performs. I'm just going to try and make it work.

 

[OutdoorFT]

Being a prepper myself, I'd see no problem going just a few weeks with no refrigeration. We had a very rough period where we ate most of our meals out of our food storage for eight months! (no, I don't recommend it), lol. You could, however, start out with a cooler with ice, pack it with lunch meats, small condiments and salad bags until the ice melts, then move on to the freeze dried foods. Mountain House has a pretty dang good Chili Mac in a pouch that's really tasty. The spaghetti, however, is nasty. As for the eggs, if you coat them with mineral oil, they'd be good for about nine months, unrefrigerated. The powdered eggs are flat out horrible, and I only use them in baking. That all said, be sure you have a lot of water with you in order to rehydrate everything.

I have chili mac, scrambled eggs and bacon, blueberries granola and milk in #10 cans. Also a few ice cream sammiches. They are good eatin!

 

[Wabbit]

We don't use a fridge. 5+ years camping 6 months of the year and this year going fulltime. We have a smaller cooler for my beer when im in the mood for that(read...have money). We cook so there's no leftovers. Otherwise, canned chicken, tuna, spam for"meat". Once a week or so we do hamburgers, but that's cooked the day we buy it. No refrigeration is super easy if beer isn't a thing for you.