Packable Food
This is the second part of a two-part post. Previously, I wrote about how to pack a backpack for a 14-day emergency, or simply a 14-day camping trip. In my 3-day Get Home Bag (GHB) I have a bunch of food bars and don’t worry too much about the lack of variety, or having a cooked meal. I can survive a poor diet for a couple days as long as I get home. For a 14-day emergency I want to have some decent meals along the way.
Grocery Store Food
One obvious alternative is the food you can get at your local grocery. Fresh foods and refrigerated foods won’t work, but you could use canned foods. Unfortunately, canned foods generally have a fair amount of liquid in the can, and when you add up 14-days worth of cans, you’ll find the result quite heavy. Personally, I do like a few cans, but not 14-days worth. Don’t forget the can opener! 😊
Long Term Storage Food
Long Term Storage food will be dry, avoiding the weight problem of canned foods, but generally, you purchase it in 5-gallon buckets or other large containers. This is hardly convenient if you want something packable. It is usually, but not always, freeze dried. In addition, depending on brands, some of the Long Term Storage food is edible, but taste may be lacking, and portions are sometimes inadequate. Long Term Storage Food has its place, because it is a cheap way to cover the food part of prepping for long term disasters, but it isn’t ideal for camping or 14-day kits.
Freeze Dried Camping Food
The difference between Long Term Storage Food and freeze-dried foods, such as you would find in a camping supply store, are that freeze-dried foods marketed for camping are generally better tasting than food that is marketed as Long Term Storage food, and it is definitely packaged more conveniently. It is also generally more expensive than Long Term Storage food, but don’t expect it to remain unused for 25 years and then taste great. Nonetheless, camping foods are the main choice in my 14 day kits.
Mountain House is an interesting company, as it started in the camping supply market, and has expanded into the Long Term Storage market. It already has a long shelf life. I suspect Mountain House competitors in the camping market will ultimately do the same thing, expanding the variety of Long Term Storage foods available.
It is not my intention to promote a particular brand, but if you walk into a camping supply store, Mountain House will be one of the brands you will usually find.
Food Bars
I like Millennium Food Bars in short term bags, such as my Get Home Bag (GHB), but for a 14-day kit, I need more variety in my diet. However, packing a few of these as snacks is still a good idea. Food bars are extremely compact, which is an obvious advantage in any backpack. In a 14-day kit, I will use these as snacks.
Food Summary
When I pack for a long camping trip, I take primarily freeze-dried foods, with a couple cans of meat and/or fruit. It will fit in a large pack, but it will not fit in a small pack, such as most people currently use for 3-day kits.
Water
In addition to food, water presents a storage problem for a 14-day kit. If your 14 days are spent in a shelter in place environment, then you can store the necessary water outside your pack. However, a minimum amount of water for an individual is 1 gallon per day, meaning you need 14 gallons per person. The weight and bulk associated with that much water is more than you want to carry.
While water is all around us in our environment, clean water that will be safe to drink is another matter entirely. As a result, you should include some form of water purification in your 14-day kit. There are many ways to purify water, but in this modern era, the most efficient would be a modern water filter. There are many different filters on the market, but in this role, you want something small and packable.
I personally own Sport Berkey filters and have one in each family member’s kit, but there are a variety of brands and models on the market, and you may prefer a different brand. I like the combination of water bottle and filter in a single package.
Years ago, water purification tablets were the norm and these are still available. A small bottle of these cannot be beaten for taking up minimal space in your pack. If you lack confidence in either filters or water purification tablets, you can filter the water first, then use a water purification tablet. These are available in any camping supply store or online.
For an expedient water purification method, you can try alcohol. One part of 86 proof alcohol to 24 parts water will not get your drunk, but will kill bugs that might be in the water. Our colonial ancestors, used rum in this fashion. Coffee filters will remove sediment.
Conclusion
You can have a packable 14-day kit, despite the space and weight associated with 2 weeks of food supplies. You need to choose the right products, or you will suffer from too much weight, but with the proper products and packaging, you can pack food for a 14-day period.
