Costco Emergency Food?

[bigcranky]

A gear closet can equip a family fairly easily, sometimes an entire neighborhood - depending on the severity of gear addiction.

Hey, I resemble that remark!!

Seriously, though, this sort of thing isn't a bad idea. Most backpackers are pretty well set up for the more common emergencies -- we can sleep, prepare meals, and generally get by for a while without electricity or heat. (Around here, ice storms are fairly common, and we can be without power for a couple of days to a week or more. In winter.) The only thing we really need to add is some food and water. Cases of bottled water are cheap -- I add a case a month to my cart at Costco, and cycle it through, with 5-6 cases in the garage at any one time. The pantry has sone hiking food in it, but it's not organized, and the amount varies. I may buy this Costco bucket just to have on hand.

Oh, and 500 calories a day is plenty for *survival* mode, at home, doing limited work.

[Rain Man]

Oh, and 500 calories a day is plenty for *survival* mode, at home, doing limited work.

For THREE MONTHS???

(That's what Costco advertised.)

If we're just talking an ice storm power outage, which we commonly have here in Nashville, a normal kitchen cabinet already has enough food to get anyone through a few days. Especially if, like the Costco bucket, neither calories nor taste count.

I agree 100% that backpackers are already set up to survive on their own without grocery stores and utility companies, for some period of time.

RainMan

.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

The whole famn-damily and half the neighborhood shows up at our house when the power is off for an extended period. We have light (oil lamps); various cooking options (grill, gas stove, propane stoves, alcohol stoves); gas heat and fireplace; enough sleeping bags / quilts for 30 or so.....

[Vi+]

Frolicking Dinosaurs, Re Post #23, address please.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Come on over V1+.... your talking to a lady who once stripped and bathed a protesting neighborhood child before realizing it was not one of the grandkids. It would be weeks before we realized you weren't a kid or a neighbor.

[Vi+]

Frolicking Dinosaurs,

Jeez, you guys are tough (Post #25).

Once upon a time, being stripped naked by a strange woman and bathed had great appeal.

Sometime, between then and now, that desire diminished. Now, I’d probably be too embarrassed. Hmmm, how strange a woman are you?

No, on second thought, keep your damn oil lamps, grill, gas stove, propane stoves, alcohol stoves, gas heat, gas fireplace, sleeping bags, and quilts. I guess I’ll just have to be cold while I starve.

Your former friend,

Vi+

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

My dearest Vi+,

I hereby promise not to strip and bathe you if you come to my house. Even dinos aren't that strange .

Love,
Moma Dino

[Old Grouse]

Jeez, Vi+, what's the matter? An offer like that doesn't come along any too often. In your dotage you may look back and regret passing it up.

OG

[leeki pole]

For THREE MONTHS???

(That's what Costco advertised.)

If we're just talking an ice storm power outage, which we commonly have here in Nashville, a normal kitchen cabinet already has enough food to get anyone through a few days. Especially if, like the Costco bucket, neither calories nor taste count.

I agree 100% that backpackers are already set up to survive on their own without grocery stores and utility companies, for some period of time.

RainMan

.

Heck yeah, we had half the neighborhood over at our house during our big ice storms of 94, 98, and 02. Everybody cleaned out their freezer and pantry. Lemons out of lemonade. We could've survived for another couple weeks with what we had on hand. A little cold and dark at night, tho.

[leeki pole]

I meant lemonade out of lemons, my bad.

[Brrrb Oregon]

For $114.99, you can try it out. I think that anyone can order from the website. This includes shipping, but you probably have to pay state sales tax. Have to simmer for 20 min after adding to boiling water. Includes 45 servings of whey milk and 25 servings of blueberry pancakes.

Click Here to View

45 servings of whey milk? What on earth is whey milk? It sounds as if it is that which is left after you remove whatever it is in good cheese that makes it good. And 25 servings of blueberry pancakes? That's what, 12 cups of Krusteaz with some blue raisins added? That's 70 servings down....I don't see this heading towards $100 worth of food.

I may go back down to Costco and actually read the label more closely, but I think I'll go with getting serious about having emergency amounts of drinkable water and stove fuel around, in case an earthquake cuts off my gas and water, organize my gear so that I can find it in less than a day's time, and just keep my staples up to date.

As for the dried dinners, though, I think I'll go the Sarbar way and assemble them at home. We get enough turn-over to go that route.

[sarbar]

As for the dried dinners, though, I think I'll go the Sarbar way and assemble them at home. We get enough turn-over to go that route.

If you have a Food Vac you can seal up non-meat containing meals Get a year or so out of them that way (though we do a turn over, and use them in trips to cycle thru.).