Pakaged rations, home-made

[BlueTrain]

This may not belong in this section because when you see the word rations, you don't think "lovely grub."

This is another tale of something I've thought of doing but never got around to following through on. It occurred to me that it might make sense to make up your own ration packs for overnight outings. That way, when you go, you just grab one and stuff it in your pack (with all the other things you take), fill up your water bottles and go. Naturally, as with many bright ideas I have, I never did anything.

The basic idea is to put together a selection of food items for one day's consumption, just like a 24-hour ration pack, which is where the idea came from.

Anyone ever do anything like this?

 

[oldtimer]

I've been doing this for forty years. It avoids wastage, carrying unused food and saves on weight.It also means you can follow personal preferences and use readily available supermarket food. You can buy large packs and re-package into day sized portions.

Paul Kirtley has written an excellent article on this in his blog that includes a follow up with a breakdown on nutrition. All you need to know is there. (paulkirtley.co.uk)

I package into a ziplock bag what I know I will need for three meals plus snacks. it goes something like this:

Breakfast: 2 coffee sachets, one portion of oatmeal in a pour and store bag with dried milk powder and brown sugar.
Lunch: Ready-wrapped cheese such as bon-bel (Tastes waxy and bland, but doesn't go off) OR dried sausage and pack of oatmeal biscuits.
Dinner: 2 tea bags, a freeze-dried ready meal+ padding such as noodles. OR pack of tuna with pasta OR dried sausage eg chorizo with portion of dried mashed potato in a pour and store bag. OR couscous with jerky. OR look what we found products with dried mash.
Extras: packet of make-in-a-mug soup. Packet of dried fruit, Cereal bars x2. Packet of GORP .One packet of tissues. Packet of salt and pepper pinched from motorway cafe.

In my food bag I always have a couple of extra tea bags and coffee sachets, and small containers of honey and marmite.

 

[BlueTrain]

Thanks for the reference.

Although I've not managed to achieve any such organization, I at least have always had instant oatmeal, instant coffee and sugar (also instant). The coffee and sugar I carry in bulk, how much depending on the stay, and the instant oatmeal comes in little packets ready to go. Those three items go along on all my trips and they get used more on ordinary travels than when camping. I use instant soups on cold-weather day trips, partly to have a warm beverage and partly to have an excuse to stop and sit for a while with something to do.

The theory behind all this is to plan things well enough ahead of time and get everything together so nothing is left out. I hate to admit that the biggest thing I do wrong is to forget things after I'm already on the road, when it's too late. Also in theory, it would seem a simple thing to keep a day sack packed and ready to go when the mood strikes you for a short walk in the woods but that probably verges on obsessive behavior. I remember the days when I was young and took long trips all over the place, taking nothing at all with me. Of course, I didn't have anything to take with me but that's beside the point.