What kind of food do you put in your BOB?

ivan51

ivan51

Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Messages
3,130
I was thinking of adding Mountain house or MRE. what do you guy's suggest? what taste's better?
 
Well, I can honestly attest to having craploads (pun fully intended after reading that!) of experience with IMPs: 5 years in the CF and the same as an 'army cadidiot' before that, much like the author. The CF actually required (caveat: I've been out for a long time ~ 20 years or so) that one meal had to be fresh 'rats' out of every three in the field unless on long patrols. The 'hayboxes' actually became a welcome sight: REAL scrambled eggs, actual hash browns - fresh brekkies were the best, even if they were mixed with Wainright (Alberta) silt as everything was...but I digress.

The operational value of bunged-upedness is not to be taken lightly - I highly doubt it's an accident. A listening post at 3am is not a time for 'gastric preoccupation' !

I'd still go with IMPs personally unless one is on a diet. Something like 4000 calories per meal - no wonder one can eat only two meals a day !
I've had no experience whatsoever with MRE's, but we used to make some amazing trades with both Brits and 'Murricans' for IMPs...we'd get rid of the cherry cake that way...

Sorry, back on topic:
I used to carry a little Nalgene bottle (1/2 litre maybe?) of whole wheat flour in my buttpack. It adds enough fiber to 'do the job' and helps with the soupy nature of the meals.
BTW, if you get an IMP with a toothpaste tube of butter, toss it right away. Nuff said. And the crackers are amazing...

Do you think they'd take someone with more nostalgia than fitness to serve ?!? lol
 
They sell toothpaste tubes of peanut butter at supermarkets now, with that, pack some
honey, flour with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tsp of b. powder for every 2 cups or so, mix with a bit of water to make ash cakes (look for the thread with that title)
Also some rice and oatmeal with dried fruits of your choice to add to it. (I like blueberries.)
These foods are natural and fresh, no freeze drying needed to get the water out.
If you just want to buy it, mountain house are very tasty.
 
their was a good thread here last month about using Honey/ like the small packs of it that they sell at fast food places and such and other kinds, I liked the idea.
 
ivan51 said:
I was thinking of adding Mountain house or MRE. what do you guy's suggest? what taste's better?
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MRE's taste better no question. Freeze dried backpacker foods taste somwhere between cardboard and sawdust:barf:. Horrible stuff. Besides that they offer little nutrient value and you will be hungry especially in winter.

While MRE;s arent perfect they are fine for a few days. If getting stopped up is a problem for you (never did it to me) take a few fibre tabs with you.

People that complain about MRE's are still momas boys and used to home cooking as they still live there. They really arent that bad tasting.

Skam
 
skammer said:
People that complain about MRE's are still momas boys and used to home cooking as they still live there. They really arent that bad tasting.

Skam
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Agreed they aren't bad all, however they are very heavy and bulky. I prefer to dehydrate my own food at home, much lighter, less bulky and tailored to what you like. Chris
 
runningboar said:
Agreed they aren't bad all, however they are very heavy and bulky. I prefer to dehydrate my own food at home, much lighter, less bulky and tailored to what you like. Chris
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Home dehydrated food is the bomb agreed. I do it myself now and then when I have time (not much). JERKY!!!. My fave is to make a rich beef or game meat stew with veg and dehydrate the lot. MMMMMM

Skam
 
skammer said:
Home dehydrated food is the bomb agreed. I do it myself now and then when I have time (not much). JERKY!!!. My fave is to make a rich beef or game meat stew with veg and dehydrate the lot. MMMMMM

Skam
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Exactly, stews actually dehydrate really well, I use the plastic trays used to make fruit leathers. The potatos don't dehydrate very well though so when I rehydrate my stew I add freeze dried hashbrowns available in any grocery store, which leads me to the next topic. Careful shopping at any local grocery will have lots and lots of dried, just add hot water, meals that are more nutritious and a fraction of the cost of specialized backpacking meals. Some of my favorites are zatarhans(sp) rice dishes, I add my own dehydrated ground beef, and lipton noodle dishes.

I would never spend the money for Mountain House type foods, with a little planning and practice you can do much better and much cheaper. Chris
 
skammer said:
MRE's taste better no question. Freeze dried backpacker foods taste somwhere between cardboard and sawdust:barf:. Horrible stuff. Besides that they offer little nutrient value and you will be hungry especially in winter.
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I disagree - I'll take high quality freeze-dried backpacker food over an MRE any day. MREs are kind of like fast food - enjoyable while you eat it but you regret it later. I suggest Backpacker's Pantry and AlpineAire for freeze-dried food. Some are loaded with fat which will keep you plenty warm. Like most things, some are better than others. And in the end, anything is good if you're hungry enough. I do find that they dump way too much salt into them - which makes them taste better I suppose. But if sodium is a concern you can easily max out a daily allowance of it. The light weight of freeze-dried is it's real benefit - try to pack enough food for a week of hauling a fully loaded backpack into the mountains and freeze-dried is the only realistic option. If you're bugging out on mechanized transports than weight isn't really a concern.

(the last time I ate an MRE I really enjoyed it - until a couple hours later trying to fall asleep while my guts felt like a angry bubbling witch's brew)

Personally I put one MRE in my BOB, a 3600 calorie datrex bar and fill out the rest with freeze-dried. I also toss in a few tins of sardines for the omega-3 fatty acids. But as skam and rb pointed out, the best option is DIY and make your own dehydrated food.

making some pemmican is still on my list of projects...
 
Honey, peanut butter, powdered raw cocoa, bisquick, cracked corn, salt and pepper, dry beans, all wait in my BoB.
 
runningboar said:
Exactly, stews actually dehydrate really well, I use the plastic trays used to make fruit leathers. The potatos don't dehydrate very well though so when I rehydrate my stew I add freeze dried hashbrowns available in any grocery store, which leads me to the next topic. Careful shopping at any local grocery will have lots and lots of dried, just add hot water, meals that are more nutritious and a fraction of the cost of specialized backpacking meals. Some of my favorites are zatarhans(sp) rice dishes, I add my own dehydrated ground beef, and lipton noodle dishes.

I would never spend the money for Mountain House type foods, with a little planning and practice you can do much better and much cheaper. Chris
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Great idea! :thumbup:
 
akennedy73 said:
I disagree - I'll take high quality freeze-dried backpacker food over an MRE any day. ...
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I have tried all the brands of freeze dried foods and none taste much better than cardboard. A couple cereals and deserts arent bad. But main meals are horrible and they do not have anywhere near the food calories an MRE has. they are heavy though agreed. A bob however only needs 2 or 3 MRe's along with some snack food and you are good for days. Little water and no fire needed to heat them up. They were handed out during Katrina for a reason.

That said there are a couple of dehydrated backpacker foods that arent bad like harvest foodworks.

Agree to disagree I guess.

Skam
 
It never occurred to me to dehydrate a stew. Do you have to make it any differently if you're going to be drying it? (cooking it more, or less, thicker consistency, etc)
 
DeadeyeLefty said:
It never occurred to me to dehydrate a stew. Do you have to make it any differently if you're going to be drying it? (cooking it more, or less, thicker consistency, etc)
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Nope just through it on a solid platform. Takes a bit longer but not bad at all.

Skam
 
I too love my dehydrator. When ever i got left over from dinner i would dehydrate it and there you go food that you actualy enjoy to eat anyway. Very light weight too. As RunningBoar said some shoping and you might find 100% of the food you need. Asian stores are a treasure trove for food. I know i mentioned it before but in the evening try some Miso soup and get some dry seaweed and add to the soup.. Very good for you and would keep you going longer. You can also add some precooked and dehydrated chicken for a very filling fast and easy dinner. There is so much that you can take with you. The only thing that would slow you down is your imagination. Im one of those people that think a good meal at the end of the day is as important as that fancy knife you carry.
Hey is Skam and RunningBoar on a honey moon or something??????? LOL

sasha
 
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