The League Against Ration Packs

[w00dsmoke]

Woodsmoke can you really get through that lot in one day

.

That's a menu not my order but hey there's no denying it i like my grub!

 

[Lewis18seven]

I use a lot of Look What We Found, pre-packed but yet very tasty food, albeit a little pricey. Otherwise it's mainly dried foods, pasta mixed with tomato paste and salami, or tinned foods.

I don't try and get all gourmet when I'm out and about. I'd love a dehydrator then I'd be able to take along all manner of dried foods but can't justify the cost really.

I can second what Mick has said r.e the 'Look What We Found' range. Very tasty indeed and i managed to pick up a few from the good food show a few months back for around £2 each.

They work well as a boil-in-a-bag which makes them ideal for me as i can then use the water for a brew once heated through!

 

[Shambling Shaman]

They work well as a boil-in-a-bag which makes them ideal for me as i can then use the water for a brew once heated through!

That is a major advantage, Hot food and drink with one burn and next to no washing up

 

[tommy the cat]

Mmmnnn Rat Packs!
Personally for quickness I think they can take some beating food always tastes better outdoors.Can't remember ever having them at home though?!
D

 

[Steve M]

I use "look what we found", on most trips. Like "look we found nettles, bulrushes, cleavers, rosehips..........." . I use light dried foods, but what makes bushcraft fun to me to is using what I can find in the way of wild food. I love the challenge of cooking strange new foods. i have never used a rat pack in my life, and considering I normally bring three other mouths to feed I proberly never will.

Do you take any supplements at all? Even seasoning?

 

[xylaria]

I use light dried foods like pasta, couscous, jerky, stock cubes, packet soup, the normal camping fair, and even the odd pot noodle. I get most of my camping food from lidls. I add fresh wild foods to improve the vitamin content and make the food more interesting. Rat packs always seem a very expensive way of eating, and kind of defeat the point of why i am out there in the first place. Each to their own like.

 

[Hammock_man]

Sorry folks but I have to come to the defense of Rat Packs

One Box, all sorted inc tea coffee
Good size portion
Add a source of hot water ( meths wood gas? ) and your ready to dine
lastly find me a shop / supermarket that can bundle the wholes days need for the same price and I might be open to ideas's

P.S take the packing home, leave no trace, sorted

 

[Steve M]

I'd hardly call that dining

 

[Shewie]

You can make your own boil in the bag meals with these

Chuck just about anything in and boil em up, one of my faves is Stag chilli

You get water for a brew and the bag can just be folded up and carried home.

 

[Hammock_man]

Square edged wooden stick wider than the bag
Place a double thickness aluminum foil layer over the wood
Lay bag opening over foil ( stick also stops contents from coming out)
Second double layer of foil
Iron using a normal steam iron but with no steam
Qty one sealed bag

 

[gregorach]

Also, for bannock, don't waste time adding both plain flour AND baking powder - use self-raising instead!

Ah, but if you keep the baking powder separate from the flour, you have plain flour to use for other things.

Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bullion is essential - very handy for all sorts of things. As is some kind of indestructible sausage - chorizo or something - and smoked cheese. For staple carbs, I prefer rice, noodles, and bannock, because they pack more efficiently than pasta. A bag of oatmeal and few packs of oatcakes, milk powder, a few spices, some dried onion flakes and some dried mushrooms and you're sorted.

I never take canned or boil-in-the-bag food, far too bloody heavy. If I want no-effort rations, I take those dehydrated 24hr ration packs. They're more-or-less OK, but they are quite expensive. Very light and easy to prepare though.

 

[Arth]

Cook flap jacks then bring them for breakfast

 

[Steve M]

packet soup

Wish I could me my own of those!

 

[Lewis18seven]

You can make your own boil in the bag meals with these

Chuck just about anything in and boil em up, one of my faves is Stag chilli

You get water for a brew and the bag can just be folded up and carried home.

Great link Shewie cheers! Been buying the ones in tesco which are 8 for £1. They sell them as 'Soup Bags'....no idea what the difference is as the ones in the link do exactly the same!

 

[Lewis18seven]

Wish I could me my own of those!

smarvell, i've got a food dehydrater book by Mary Bell here and it has a section on soups. One of the more simple recipes includes;

- Water (to rehydrate!)

- 1 Bag of mixed veg (dehydrated at home, can be done straight from freezer as already blanched)

- Chicken, Beef or Veg stock

- Mixed herbs

you could add dried mushrooms to this, which taste absolutely fine when rehydrated, i can vouch for these!

Not sure if you could make the soup at home a dehydrate though....although i guess this is no different to making a fruit/sauce leather?! Hummm....

I have also made a stew in the outdoors in a skillet using pre dehydrated ingredients, carrot, mushroom, potatoes, gravy granules, also a homemade kidney bean spice mix which i made following a video by a kid on youtube!!

Lewis

 

[Steve M]

Not sure if you could make the soup at home a dehydrate though....although i guess this is no different to making a fruit/sauce leather?! Hummm...

A soup leather

 

[gunslinger]

Well I like ratpacks with maybe the exception of that lump of congealed goo, that attempts to pass itself off as treacle pudding or something dissimilar.

I am even quite fond of screech

It would cost more than a fiver to put together such a range of high quality nutrition.

The nurse says I have got to go to bed now

GS

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

I like rat packs

Full days food for about £6, works for me, and i like screetch

 

[traderran]

The food list for the 6 week horse back hunting camping trip that my wife and I did last November. December
1 2 sides of smoked bacon
2 20 lb of potatoes
3 10lb of rice
4 12 cans of roast beef
5 5lb of coffee
6 5lb of dried white beans
7 5lb of pinto beans
8 15lb of smoked sausage
9 15lb of flower
10 15lb of corn meal
11 4 pints of Canadian club whisky
12 4 pints peach brandy
14 1/2 gallon of Cruzan dark Rum
Also add in some of the game we killed
This was for 2 people for 6 weeks.
we made it fine on this amount of food cooking 3 meals a day.
About 147 pounds for 2 people

 

[Steve M]

How did you preserve your meat en route?