Hot or Cold

[IB1]

When I first put together a GHB for the car and at work I struggled with what food to put in. At first I went down the few tins of beans and similar, later I went to Rice and boil n the bag type meals, then later again I changed it to some of the meals out of the current 24hr ration pack, Now I have changed it again to using the biscuits out of the ration packs along with the tubes of jam and marmite type stuff.

The main reason for me keeping reviewing and changing the food is the never ending task of making the bag as light as possible. After a few years of trial and error, yes i'm a slow learner, I realised that If I didnt use food that needed heating up I could also dispose of the stove as well which is why I went down the biscuit and various spreads route.

Apart from lightening the load, it also means that you can eat on the go without having to stop and heat up food and running the risk of being discovered.

I'm now thinking of doing the same with my BOB for much the same reasons as above, I'm currently using various bits of the 24hr ration packs with a Trangia type stove, but i have this nagging feeling that I am missing something and that there is a very good reason that a lot of BOB contents you see listed on the internet include stoves and MRE's or similar.

Anyone got any thought on why stoves and foods that need heating should be part of my BOB ? Like I said earlier, I just have this nagging feeling that I'm missing something

[Skean Dhude]

I use a lot of these energy bars and flapjack type bars. They take up little space, it is only temp so you don't have any nutritional issues and it is only for up to 72 hours.

[NorthernRaider]

I go along the lines of fast energy nutrition in GHB's because when TSHTF you are going to be stressed, uncertain or whats going on and relying on instinct until you get your act together, So in my EDC bag and GHB kit its all granola type bars, chocolate, packets of nuts n raisins, Compo items that dont need cooking or heating. However when winter comes and a hot meal could be just what is needed to get me through a crisis I tend to add a Hexy cooker, 58 pattern steel mug and some packet soups / noodles.

[IB1]

Thats a good point about the winter, not only or necessarily for food but maybe even just for heating some water for a hot drink that could get a bit of heat inside you without risking an open fire

I knew I was missing something

[NorthernRaider]

Yeah as a squaddie in the 80s sometime after a shit patrol in Ulster, or being scared shitless on exercise there was nowt better than a steaming mug of hot Nato Standard TEA. White Two sugars and normally Carnation instead of milk. Again as a prepper if your stuck some place waiting for intel, or trouble to pass, or planning your next move THAT is the ideal time to get something hot inside you be it TEA, SOUP, STEW or Pot Noodle.

[Tigs]

try adding a couple of self heating tins they can be pricey but only take a few minutes to heat up and you dont require a heat source

[Hrusai]

Personally i'd go for dried high calorie food, the more calories per oz the food has the moer reason i should carry it in my GHB or EDC
i should be buying some of theses soon for this exact reason
https://forgesurvivalsupply.com/my-cart/...directed=1
not to mention they'd make for a good food to store for these emergencies.

otherwise i'd be looking at getting some us military MRE's and some first strike ration packs...they always come with a flameless heater to warm your food up with is awesome, as well as a bunch of extras....and the flavours are usually pretty varied which helps keep your morale up, which i think is one of the main reasons its good to eat hot meals, apart from being easier to digest usually and warm you up from the inside, a good hot meal will put a nice smile on your face, which is definately worth the effort, being a happy survivalist will keep you an alive survivalist!

[IB1]

I can appreciate the morale boost a hot meal can provide but I guess where I'm coming from is that I am trying to treat my food like I do all the other parts of my BOB, what is the most efficient and effective tool to do the job and is it's weight worth carrying. I'm trying to to regard food simply as fuel to get from a to b.

Maybe I will have to compromise and add a stove and MRE's for the winter months and remove them for the rest of the year

Thanks for the responses, plenty to think about.

[Hrusai]

(10 August 2012, 08:48)IB1 Wrote: I can appreciate the morale boost a hot meal can provide but I guess where I'm coming from is that I am trying to treat my food like I do all the other parts of my BOB, what is the most efficient and effective tool to do the job and is it's weight worth carrying. I'm trying to to regard food simply as fuel to get from a to b.

Maybe I will have to compromise and add a stove and MRE's for the winter months and remove them for the rest of the year

Thanks for the responses, plenty to think about.

no worries dude, its the point of the site after all, and it does create a few good points...

..you may want to make a few different configurations for your GHB or BOB...and then rotate all year round, so cold seasons you pack a lightweight meth stove, and a small container of meths. something like this http://www.instructables.com/id/Aluminum...hol-Stove/

and in hotter months you go for just an mre, with a few flameless heating packs and mainly dried food and energy bars....may be worth adding a little slingshot in too, that way you can keep gathering food, pick up some stones, shoot a few birds, that way you have a choice between eating what you pre packed and also the ability to hunt for some small game

another good thread to refer to is this one posted by morgan
http://forum.survivaluk.net/showthread.php?tid=2248

has some very good tips on packing food to be as compact as possible, certainly worth looking at

[bigpaul]

i bought a box of MRE's at the WG last year...not impressed with the contents, in my GHB i've got several meal packs i got from the camping shop will add a few trail mix bars( dont like Granola bars-my teeth arent up to it).