DIY Ration Pack conundrum

[Bishop]

How many meals or days worth of food can you get into an average size shoe-box,
using only supplies that can be readily purchased from your local supermarket?

• An adult needs between 3000-4000 calories per day based upon enviromental conditions and activity levels.
• A UK 24hr/ 3 meal ration pack is only a little larger than an average size shoe box. (23 x 19.6 x 12 cm)
• Should ideally cost less than an equivelent Mil Spec rat pack

 

[rik_uk3]

3000 calories is quite a high starting point, 2400 is nearer the mark.

http://caloriecount.about.com/tag/food/cornedbeef A good site to look through and get a breakdown of many foods.

 

[Bishop]

There's some big lads about

 

[mrmike]

Several weeks worth if you just fill the box with rice...

Or just plenty of rice, some spam, tom puree, fajita seasoning, packets of nuts and raisins etc.

Plenty of stuff just to tart up the rice really plus snacks/treats is a ratpack in a pretty simple form

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[mountainm]

Flapjack and beef jerky.

 

[mrmike]

Flapjack and beef jerky.

Definitely!

Salami is good too

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[decorum]

How many meals or days worth of food can you get into an average size shoe-box,

• A UK 24hr/ 3 meal ration pack is only a little larger than an average size shoe box. (23 x 19.6 x 12 cm)

Unless I've missed something, haven't you answered your own question?

That's a genuine query, not a poke. You've not said what parameters you need it to work to / for, but with that calorie count I'm guessing quite high intensity with duration ~ bit low for proper cold . Do you want / need to store it / them for future use?

Want a basic brew kit in it? Want Sundries? Snacks?

Wet food or dry? Dry weighs less but, circumstances dependant, obtaining sufficient and decent enough quality water could be a potential issue

Not come across Mil Spec rat packs??? Care to give an idea of what you're willing to spend to make yourself a bespoke menu?

 

[sausage100uk]

fat will give you the highest calories to weight. with things like spam, corned beef etc you might have to watch the salt content if eating it for a while. chorizo, pepperoni, kabanos etc. are also good choices cos you can cut off what you want and the rest will last. oats pack down small and are quite light for a carb hit, powdered mash is good too.
i can't find powdered eggs anywhere but if you can wrap them a couple of eggs would be a good addition , everyone loves a fried egg

 

[Jared]

Ramen noodles have got to be pretty high.

[video=youtube;8ZX9o5mKRtU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZX9o5mKRtU[/video]

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Calorie density wise, chocolate is very high. M&M's have a shape that is very efficient, tho bars are going to be better still.

J

 

[AJB]

Hi Jared,

I thought the video was going to be pants at first, but it was really quite interesting, thanks for posting!

 

[Jared]

Hi Jared,

I thought the video was going to be pants at first, but it was really quite interesting, thanks for posting!

Yeah, bit of a long winded video, but the trick of crunching up Ramen noodles into a ziplock seems a good one.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Noods also cook more quickly if you scrunch them up first.

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[rik_uk3]

Noodles only about 190 calories a pack, you need to add fat to it somewhere along the line, butter is the easiest/palatable form.
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-maruchan-ramen-noodles-oriental-i113061

 

[bilmo-p5]

Tinned fish (mackerel or sardines in oil or sauces various) work well with noods.

 

[mrcharly]

Fill half of it with bagged nuts and dried fruit.
Fill 1/4 with oatcakes
Fill remainder with small tins of spread (whatever floats your boat; I don't like fish spreads, some people love them. Some of the 'vege pate' variants are nice).

Pretty boring meals but they will keep you going. I reckon a shoe-box would hold enough for 4-5days.

 

[Jared]

Rather than bagging nuts and dried fruit, wonder if making something like fudge with them, to absolutely maximize the volume of the box. Essentially filling the gaps with sugar, butter and milk.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Just about come back round to mountainm's, 'Flapjack and beef jerky.'.

 

[mrcharly]

I think overly sugary foods are not a good idea in ration packs. High-calorie, slower-release food keeps you going, I reckon.

If I were a hard-core meat eater, I'd probably put in some jerky. Isn't pemmican made from dried meat, nuts and dried fruit?

 

[rik_uk3]

I think overly sugary foods are not a good idea in ration packs. High-calorie, slower-release food keeps you going, I reckon.

If I were a hard-core meat eater, I'd probably put in some jerky. Isn't pemmican made from dried meat, nuts and dried fruit?

And about 50% fat. Sugar gives the fast energy boost and the fat a slower release of energy.


IIRC Chris Townsend when hiking would eat noodles and or cup o soup but add butter to up the energy content, people like Sir Ranulph Fiennes rely on a high fat diet for extreme conditions.