rations

[mick]

what foodstuffs does everyone take with them whilst out whilst outdoors.
for a day walk i usually take chocolate, mint cake and boiled sweets.
for longer than a day i normally use the GP ration packs.
items i tend to ditch though are the:
biscuits (rank)
instant white tea
spread
fruit drink

another pack i used to use when doing D of E was one of the commercial light weight packs called pack n go. These were ok if you were using a site with access to a water tap but were fairly basic
does anyone know where i can buy these online or in west yorkshire, mitchells no longer stock them.

what does everyone else use?

 

[Paganwolf]

Ravens dehydrated meals are good (with tomato sauce ) used them in Borneo and Srilanka never had any problems never felt hungry, light weight, even if you pack a couple at least you can have a meal if you cant find the local Chippy :shock: ): ):

 

[Brynglas]

I have to say that I used to really love the biscuits out of rat packs, must be me I guess!

I never leave home without my special recipe dried fruit salami. Every couple of months or so I make a batch by chopping up a load of dried fruit and nuts figs, dates, candied citrus peel walnuts etc. compress them into a big sausage, wrap in rice paper and cling film befor leaving in the fridge for a couple of weeks to consolidate. The result is a really tasty and easily portable source of good fruit sugar for a snack on the hill. It's really substantial.

Otherwise I try and stick to basics, if I'm out for the day and weight isn't a big deal then a flask of tea always comes, if I'm fairly local I may take my volcano kettle with me, sandwiches and water.

On multi day trips, particularly where weight is an issue then I tend to try and stay away from the pre-packed dehydrated foods and go for powdered mash, rice, cous cous and pasta. I take a bulb of garlic with me because it weighs very little and makes a huge difference and stuff like sardines or mackerel fillets. Cup a soups and marigold bouillon are also favourites.

 

[RovingArcher]

For a day, I don't take any food with me, but do have the ability to gather food if it turns into more than a day. For 2-3 days afield I take parched corn ground into a coarse flour/meal and sometimes mixed with buffalo jerkey on longer outings (Indian trail mix), turkey jerkey, modern trail mix and raw honey which is a rich source of nutrients and fast burning carbs as well as doubling as a good wound dressing as bacteria can't live in honey. Along with the bits of food, I add salt, pepper, cayenne, onion powder and garlic, just in case I get lucky. Because if I am out for that long, I have my weapon of choice and am hunting small game or birds.

I have a variety of cases, bags and rucks that I use to carry my gear. It just depends on where I am going, my purpose for the outing and how long I'll be gone, as to which one I carry with me.

 

[TheViking]

Hi...

Biscuits, rice or pasta, porridge oats, some cans of different food, tea and sugar, etc.

 

[mick]

2 or 3 year ago i used to be able to get the old arctic rations.
despite there age they never gave me any problems.
the only thing i hated about them was all the different sachets you would get and the rolos were allways mashed up.

 

[Ahjno]

Mick,

Pack 'n Go rations are sold online by:
- Surplus and outdoors:
(http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr1682.html)

Also sold by an british outdoorshop ... but can't rememder the name at this moment :s

Or you can check their homepage: http://www.be-well.co.uk/products_pacandgo.html
If you send them an e-mail (info@be-well.co.uk) with your name and address, they will send you an order form.

More info about the rations: http://www.hawkmoor.com/24hour.htm

 

[Mikey P]

Spent 3 months last year using US MREs ('Meals - Ready to Eat'), which were very convenient and came in loads of flavours (including 4 vegetarian ones - cool!). You get a good mix of hot food, snacks, sweets, drink powders, chewing gum and, er, toilet paper. You can just go through and choose whatever you want for the day - depending on weather, etc - and save the rest. The hot meal comes in a self heat bag but can also be eaten cold.

On the downside, they're bulky, are expensive to buy (mine were free - thanks, Uncle Sam), and there are now 6 million brown MRE wrappers floating around Iraq making the place look dirty.

I'm quite keen to have a look at the new UK 24hr rat packs as they are supposed to be nutritionally excellent and also have vegetarian flavours too. The Defence Catering people have spent a long time trying to get them right and I have high hopes. I have no idea how much they will be to buy but hopefully there will be some near commercial copies soon. Anyone had a chance to try them yet?

 

[mick]

which ones do you mean, the gp or the patrol packs.
do you mean the gp ones.
i saw a piece on the news a few days ago talking about them evaluating the ration packs.
if you mean the patrol packs i've seen them selling at the same price.
the pack n go ones are similar to the patrol packs
do you have any more info.
cheers