4 weeks of food for wilderness camping

[Deleted dude 7861]

Help!...... As rat packs have almost doubled in price on evilbay I'm kinda stuck for ideas on 4 weeks worth of food for my upcoming trip, any ideas you can throw at me to help my poor over-worked and stressed brain will help a lot

Matt.

(I have 11 rat packs already, just need to make up the rest)

 

[nigeltm]

What are your camp cooking skills like? If you're confident on the fire take some basic ingredients and work from scratch? You can look at;

flour
sugar
salt
dried fruits
tinned or dried meats
powdered milk
pepper
spices/herbs/curry powder
cooking oil
dried eggs (if you can find any!)
porridge oats (Oats So Simple individual packets are useful, especially with fruits already mixed in)
rice
cuppa soups
individual custard powder packs

Then some luxury bits on top (chocolate's my choice!). All in this'll give you a load of menu options (and won't leave you bunged up like a diet of rat packs can!). With careful packing (like squeezing down the flour before sealing the ziplockbag) you can fit a lot of food into a surprisingly small space. Also you're not carrying the weight of the water you have in the sauces in the rat packs. Which helps to keep the weight down.

If you can afford the weight an extra cooking pot and somethig to mix ingredients in would be useful.

Almost forgot the drinking chocolate! Not just for the mug as you can add it to porridge, make a choccy bannock or biscuit.

 

[andybysea]

The Ainslet harriot cous cous range are good, quick just add a bit of boiling water ready in about 2 mins i just add some drained tuna, mix in and youve got a nice lunch, 1 quid for 3 packs at asda.

 

[Daegurth]

i definitely agree with nigel- i take always take basic ingredients, whether an afternoon walk, a weekend away, or a 2-week trek. try to supplement with whatever wild foods you can find, to help save weight and preserve food in case of emergency.

generally it's easier to have a couple of types of starch- say rice and noodles, then come up with 2 or 3 different- but similar- sauces to go with it. that's 6 meals, with almost the same ingredients, that can be rotated so you don't get bored.

oh, and never underestimate the power of hot chocolate! it's nearly as good as tea in that regard, and the just-add-water sachets are much easier.

 

[Tadpole]

Help!...... As rat packs have almost doubled in price on evilbay I'm kinda stuck for ideas on 4 weeks worth of food for my upcoming trip, any ideas you can throw at me to help my poor over-worked and stressed brain will help a lot

Matt.

(I have 11 rat packs already, just need to make up the rest)

There must be a hundred different kinds of dried sausage and meat product you can take, few which need refrigeration. So a large hunk of some kind of spicy sausage sliced and added to a frying pan with some onions and some veg, or wild greens will make a more enjoyable meal of even the plainest fare, rice, noodles, pasta, and the like.
Salami, knockwarst, Spanish chorizo Sopressata, paprika sausage, polish sausage, keep for a long time and can be added to most dishes to spice things up. I’d also take two or more types of dried beans, onions, garlic. Lentils, added to a simple veg stock cooked until soft, and then a hand full of jerked meat crumbled in. makes a good meal.
If you have the space or energy to carry Aldi do 500ml boxes of passata, which are great as they can be used to make the base of hundreds of sauces.

 

[EarlyRiser]

How about a dehydrator and making up the ration packs yourself?

While I've not done this personally I've read some good reports from others.

I plan to do this at some point in the near future as my youngest son has severe allergies which means I cannot buy most pre-pared meals, ration packs included.

The cost of the dehydrator (£70-£100 ish) could pay for itself quite quickly at around £4 per meal and you'd be certain of the quality of the ingredients.

Tom

 

[Shewie]

How about a dehydrator and making up the ration packs yourself?

While I've not done this personally I've read some good reports from others.

I plan to do this at some point in the near future as my youngest son has severe allergies which means I cannot buy most pre-pared meals, ration packs included.

The cost of the dehydrator (£70-£100 ish) could pay for itself quite quickly at around £4 per meal and you'd be certain of the quality of the ingredients.

Tom

Rik bangs on about these being good value at £27, not taken the plunge myself yet but I will one day.

http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...htm?vbSESSID=73083b10855dc2ee7b98884768b456b5

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

Thanks everyone, I was thinking along the lines of noodles, pasta, rice etc and the idea of dried sausage or jerky to add in sounds ideal. I'll have access to razorshell, muscles and limpets etc so they'll add to the mix

And hot chocolate.....oh yes essential! Always good for cheering you up on a cold wet day.

I've often done 2 weeks of so wilderness camping but this will be the longest for me as I can never usually get the time off work. I'll probably be very thankful for a comfortable bed when I get back!

 

[Huon]

Dried mushrooms are good - you can add the rehydrating liquid to sauces as well.

I also like purees in tubes - tomato, garlic, sundried tomato....

You can bulk out the puree with made-up stock from cubes or just water. Fresh garlic is light and really picks up a sauce.

All the comments about dried salami, chorizo, beef etc. are spot on.

Cheers,

Huon

 

[Firebringer]

I'd think about some taking some honey and decent olive oil.

Also some of the breakfast cereals can be pretty decent even taken dry.

 

[Goatboy]

I've supplied and cooked food for a couple of wee expiditions in a non proffesional way - IE I was going along and was told I was catering. I always hit the chinesse supermarket. Those chaps have been drying and preserving stuff for centuries. Some things you may not recognise, but chat to the staff. You'll get Dried mushrooms, meat, poultry, veg, fish and noodles. If you take rice make sure it's quick cook. Some food is best pre-hydrated at lunchtime with water left over from that meal in "nalgene" type bottles with wide neck to preserve fuel. Contact me if you'd like some ideas. (Though they may be basic). Some other ideas are like taking mung beans ( or similar) and using nalgene bottles as greenhouses on the top of your pack as a "greenhouse" to allow you to have fresh sprouted greens that are packed full of nutrients and vitamins - takes a few days though. Also Aldi do some great cheap salami chorzoi which are packed full of fat, energy and taste that don't need refridgeration.
Cheers
Goatboy.

 

[DavidJT]

Hi Mattk
Sounds like a great adventure! Have you done any rough calculations as to the weight you are going to be carrying for a months rations? Could workout quite hefty even with rat packs etc.
Not sure where you are going, but presume it must be somewhere really remote? Or is there some possibility of restocking along the way? Also a month of rat packs or dehydrated food could play havoc with your system. I'd try to mix in some fresh bought or gathered ingredients occasionally if at all possible. Maybe even a daily vitamin pill might be a good idea.
Anyway, have a great trip and lets us know how you get on.

 

[Goatboy]

Remember to do fuel calculations compared to the food your carrying. More fuel for food like tatties etc. Not trying to teach granny to suck eggs but it's often forgoten.
GB

 

[DavidJT]

Remember to do fuel calculations compared to the food your carrying. More fuel for food like tatties etc. Not trying to teach granny to suck eggs but it's often forgoten.
GB

Very good point

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

It's nowhere that remote only up in the Knoydart area. Just wanted to stay out rather than keep having to restock supplies, spent quite a lot of time out there before but only ever for about 15 days at a time. Weight is a major problem apart from the crusader rucksack I usually fill up the forces 33 with food and just carry that separately, it's hard going but gets lighter as you eat the food and most of the time I set up camp for a few days at a time and just relax and enjoy the solitude.

 

[Goatboy]

could work on the "Arctic / Antarctic" idea of loosing weight as you go!!! Or supplament by fishing / foraging as you go. If nothing else foraging makes it more interesting and tasty.
GB

 

[Goatboy]

Very good point

Cheers mate, always did fuel / food tests before we went... excuse to eat loads and build up fat ( not a problem these days) and to perfect recipies.

GB

 

[mace242]

Rik bangs on about these being good value at £27, not taken the plunge myself yet but I will one day.

http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...htm?vbSESSID=73083b10855dc2ee7b98884768b456b5

They are great. I've got one and have used it for meals, jerky, dried fruit, fruit leathers, etc. You won't regret it.

 

[Javapuntnl]

i agree, Chinese supermarkets are great! Just wondering what you guys use for containers to store it all in?
Thx,
Jacob V.

 

[Oblio13]

I like to keep things simple and light, so I plan on cold breakfasts and lunches (or hot drinks only). Saves on both fuel and time. I pack:

peanut butter
Nutela
hardtack
powdered milk
granola
parched corn

Here's my recipe for a healthy, modern version of hardtack:

2 cups fresh whole wheat flour (Best if you grind it yourself—wheat berries lose nutritional value rapidly once ground.)
2 cups fresh corn meal (Again, best if you grind it yourself right before baking.)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 3/4 cups water

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water. Knead until moistened but not sticky. Roll 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares or rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Score with a knife to facilitate breaking later. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Can be stored indefinitely in an airtight container.