View Full Version : Home Assembled 'Ration Pack'
Toadflax
14-08-2007, 18:12
I'm planning on going to the Wilderness Gathering and for simplicity, I was going to buy a couple of the 24-hour ration packs from Farside Marketing (http://www.farsm.com) just to save myself the hassle of assembling two days worth of food. These are based on the British Army 24-hour one man packs but are available commercially. At just under £10 a time, they seem a bit expensive at first glance, but if you look at what you might spend if you got 24 hours worth of food from a cafe or food stall or somewhere similar, the price doesn't seem too unreasonable (though it does grate a bit paying money for what used to be issued to me as a 1-man compo pack)...and I suppose anything left over can just go into my daysack for future use...
...but this led me on to think about assembling my own for future outings but I think that the main problem would be the economics of getting the sundry items (e.g. small packets of sugar, coffee, milk powder, etc. which I suspect can only be bought in bulk) and even the main meals themselves. I suppose I could buy lots of little Tupperware containers or something similar, but I wonder if anyone else has tried to do this before (i.e. assemble a ration pack) - and what success you had.
I just want to make it easy for myself as I reckon there will be loads to do and see at the Gathering, and I don't want to spend all my time queuing at food stalls, or cooking meals from scratch.
Geoff
john scrivy
14-08-2007, 18:37
I use for quickness TEA typoo instant -half a dozen spoon fulls in a small plastic bag carefully folded takes up little space Breakfast Oat so simple Lunch I would recon you take a cup with you -empty the contents of a pot noodal into again a plastic bag and well fold so far every thing mentioned is hot food only requiring hot water and a cup you could suppliment these with mars bars flap jacks my advice if you dont fancy cookin make freinds quick and ponse some food HOPE YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD TIME WISH I WERE THERE Best of all is making the time and doing things right from the start why are you doing this if you are not prepared to put in effort
Man cannot live by pot noodle alone!!!!
Canned all day breakfast, hot pot etc empty into zip lock bags then carry in tuppaware box. Lidl do a pot noodle ware the powder comes in a sachette in the pot, so these may pack better, they are as mingy as standard pot noodle but half the price, they also do good quatiy salami and a powered fruit tea that wieghs nothing and very nice hot or cold.
Or you could
make freinds quick and ponse some food
say you are a freegan:240: .
Gwhtbushcraft
14-08-2007, 20:13
Genuine army surplus sell army rat packs for £4.50. The postage is a bit pricey though given the nature of the product.
http://www.genuinearmysurplus.co.uk/pages/products/detail/name=british-army-24hr-ration-pack/rowid=419
altenitavely you could contact jasper a strike force supplies as he often has them in and sells them for £5 but he attends the wilderness gathering and has a stall there. Phone him and reserve some to pick up when you get there.
http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/
Good luck and see you there. (Im the thirteen year old in the swanndri)
clcuckow
14-08-2007, 21:54
salt, pepper, sugar, sweetener, vinegar, sauces etc = ASDA or Tesco's cafe :bandit:
Chinese grocers often do loose soy, chili sauces etc and cheap tasty flavored noodles I got some really good Ko-Lee instant chow mein with four flavor sachets for 28p I just with I could remember which one it was from there are so many good ones around here.
Thali also so do some good boil in the bag rice and curry boxed meal packs that are not to bad a price I get they from Tesco's.
Have you also tried those long life pasta in tomato and Basil, pasta and green pesto microwave meals? Well they also work as boil in the bag.
Eric_Methven
14-08-2007, 23:14
Next time you're in a motorway service station, pop into the restaurant and stock up on all the small packets of stuff. MacDonalds are OK about handing out 'dips'. I usually ask for a handful of assorted dips when I'm in getting a happy meal for the grandkids. A small tin of PEK chopped ham and pork makes a great substitute for bacon grill, small packets of individually wrapped biscuits can be had from cafes, it's just a matter of collecting odds and sods as you go. Even if you don't need them at that time. Lidl do saches of nescafe with whitner and sugar already added. Just open, pour into cup, add hot water and drink.
Eric
British Red
15-08-2007, 01:35
Tescos do packets of instant white Nescafe (if you must), crappachino, latte etc. I did track down a suplier of those individual UHT milk pots (since I use them in me bimbles) and they aren't too bad for a big box but the postage is pricey. However moo milk comes in small packs for kids lunches (UHT milk). Raven do okay freeze dried or as other said -dump a can in a boil in the bag plastic bag and buy a cheap vacuum sealer. Throw in the useful stuff - handy packet of tissues, box of waterproof matches, strip of puritabs etc. Screech is available at a silly price in camping stores (instant orange or lemon) but you can get a big tub of instant lucozade powder from supermarkets. Lyons coffee bags are great for a caffeine hit. Bannock can be pre mixed and serve for pancakes, bread etc. Mini marmalades and marmite are sold in stores. Salt, sugar etc are widely available in sachets. Oxo cubes and flavour sachets from all sorts come in handy. I use small ziplocks for herbs and spices..
Short answer is "yes" I do use a variety of content depending on purpose (light weight for backpacking, luxury for car camping). I keep a few made up too for those "nice weekend, lets just go" moments.
Heres a light weight one
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4045/rations2dp.jpg
Meals
1 Dehydrated Breakfast
1 Dehydrated Main Meal
1 Dehydrated Desert
Sundries
10 tissues (plastic wrapped)
1 box all weather matches sealed in ziplock
Snacks pack (sealed in ziplock)
1 muesli bar
2 chocolate bars
3 small fuit bars
1 small sugar free chewing gum
Drinks pack (sealed in ziplock)
1 isotonic sports drink powder
4 Sugar sachets
2 Drink whitener
1 vegetable stock drink
2 sachets instant white tea
2 sachets coffee
1 sachet latte
1 sachet cappuccino
2 sachets sauce
1 sachet salt
1 tea bag
10 puritabs
Net weight of ration pack 750g (as opposed to 1600g for MRE rat pack).
Hope that Helps
Red
clcuckow
15-08-2007, 11:14
One the drinks front while on holiday in FL I got a load of unsweetend sachets of Lemon Kool Aid they make up to 1/2 a US gallon and you can add as little or much sugar as you liked, in my case none. I had a swedish folding cup with me and it was so refreshing to add a little powder when ever I got a drink from a water fountain. I only used one sachet all holiday by use folding the top over and they were only 10 or 20 cents each! Walmarts own brand were even cheaper.
reddeath
18-08-2007, 12:43
If anyone is stuck for drinks sachets i have quite a few nestle cappachino sweetened one cup type, drop me a pm and i will try and get a few to you
john scrivy
18-08-2007, 13:17
British red > HI > what do you estimate the cost of your ration pack
British Red
18-08-2007, 13:23
John,
No idea sorry, a bunch of us bought a load of Raven in a group buy a while back and most of the other stuff is either scrounged from hotels (drink sachets, sauces etc.) or acquired from round the house. What it actually cost me - about a fiver I guess but if I had to buy all the bits then more.
Red
wingstoo
18-08-2007, 16:00
Catering packs of beverages including green coffee beans for Red to home roast can be found HERE (http://www.pennineteaandcoffee.co.uk/commercialcoffeeingredients/index.html)
Some good prices if you do a lot of outdoor stuff or a group buy perhaps.
LS
Toadflax
19-08-2007, 08:44
I have now got a couple of the 24 hour ration packs from Farside Marketing, as my local surplus store don't have any, and I did a bit of research on the cost of building up an equivalent myself. Some of the stuff would be easy /cheap to get hold of but I think the bulk of the cost would be getting the boil in the bag main meal, pudding and breakfast. Online shops seem to be selling these at £3 to £4 per bag (plus postage) so the cost of the Farside pack at £10 does seem a fair price. I'd probably look at replacing the boil in the bag meals with tinned meals if I try making up my own (a la Compo rations) but even these aren't what I'd call cheap. Surplus Army rat packs seem to be cheaper, but if you have to get these mail order, the postage can be prohibitive.
If I was going bushcrafting, then I'd probably take raw ingredients, as cooking from scratch is part of the point of 'playing' at buschrafting. However, for an event like the Wilderness Gathering where I want convenient food that is going to be quick and easy to prepare, these packs look good.
Geoff
I like xylaria's tip: "Man cannot live by pot noodle alone!"
Personally, I've got a corner of a cupboard where I've stocked up on long life, light weight foods ready for my next trip. when it's time to go I'll just take what I fancy.
My recent discovery is tuna with sauce in little sachets that are a lot lighter than tins and a great source of protein on the road.
Here's some food ideas:
jerky, burger rocks, noodles, dried fruit and nuts, chocolate, bacon, boiled eggs, flapjack, fresh fruit and veg, tea,coffee and milk, whey protein, parmesan, milk/ powdered milk, dried veg, tofu skin, peanut butter
John Fenna
21-08-2007, 15:10
All in one meal?
john scrivy
21-08-2007, 15:13
John if you made that lot up into a meal what could you call it
if you made that lot up into a meal what could you call it
Hi,
If you were to make all that lot up it would be called "pot mess" or "all in one stew", seems to be what i live off!! :yelrotflm
lou
wanderinstar
21-08-2007, 17:36
Has no one thought about doing a Group Buy for these Raven meals?
Instant tea is good with a small sealable bag of sugar (sweet tooth).
Have you thought about pre-cooked stuff? I (well... Mrs Pablo) makes up some stew or chilli. It's poured into a 'pour and store' bag and then frozen together with small bags of water. The whole lot is packed flat into one of those small cool bags the size of a lunch box (I think you get them from Tescoids - blue colour - fits okay into the top of a rucksack). I can get three main meals from that over three days. The cool bag and frozen bags keep the meals 'refridgerated'. For warmer temperatures it might only last two days. Add a bit of precooked rice or pasta shells.
Oatsosimple is also good for breakfast. Cereal bars and mini choc bars are good as are trail nuts.
I always make sure I take along some fresh fruit (despite the weight) as well and I take Vit C tablets).
Pablo.
Hi Folks,
I have to agree with dgcalvert, if you are going in to the boonies for a couple of days playing at bushcraft, bringing along an MRE / Ration Pack or what ever, means bringing an awful lot of packaging. You have to carry this stuff home, cus your surely not going to leave it out there, and burning it, well thats just a bit smelly. I would go for stuff in re-usable zip-lock bags. Rice, bannock ingredients, pasta with dried sauce, tinned meat, etc. etc. Why do you need to buy coffee in individual little paper sachets !. Stick your coffee in a ziplock bag refill from a bog standard industrial size container or jar. Can't get cheaper than that.
:naughty:
Frank
reddeath
21-08-2007, 20:36
Hi,
If you were to make all that lot up it would be called "pot mess" or "all in one stew", seems to be what i live off!! :yelrotflm
lou
ahhh pot mess, cant beat it - how about babies heads anyone?
tommy the cat
21-08-2007, 22:18
I like xylaria's tip: "Man cannot live by pot noodle alone!"
Personally, I've got a corner of a cupboard where I've stocked up on long life, light weight foods ready for my next trip. when it's time to go I'll just take what I fancy.
My recent discovery is tuna with sauce in little sachets that are a lot lighter than tins and a great source of protein on the road.
Here's some food ideas:
jerky, burger rocks, noodles, dried fruit and nuts, chocolate, bacon, boiled eggs, flapjack, fresh fruit and veg, tea,coffee and milk, whey protein, parmesan, milk/ powdered milk, dried veg, tofu skin, peanut butter
Dude you sure tuna with sauce in sachets isn't cat food!!!!!!:lmao:
Spose I will try anything when hungry!D
Dude you sure tuna with sauce in sachets isn't cat food!!!!!!:lmao:
Spose I will try anything when hungry!D
There's nothing wrong with cat food, it's full of protien and doesn't taste that bad at all:D.
beach bum
21-08-2007, 22:58
There's nothing wrong with cat food, it's full of protien and doesn't taste that bad at all:D.
Though it tends to be a bit salty:)
regards
beach bum
Porcupine
22-08-2007, 06:48
at least cat food has added vitamins ;P
john scrivy
22-08-2007, 08:33
Just a thought I dont have a cat but do have a dog just looked at a tin of pedigree C- - M not a mention of calories values on the tin suppose the same may apply to cat foods tins But each to there own I suppose it could be used in a ration pack
We are taking Rat Packs for the Meet But im hoping to avoid them
Eggs n Bacon for Brekkie ;)
Vesta Meals was always the Civiy one we used as Scouts
Dunc
Breakfast
2 sachets of Oats so simple/dried milk/sugar
Instant white tea
Digestive biscuits and jam ( these are great for packing butter/jam http://www.rei.com/online/store/Product ... d=47591411 )
Lunch
Mug (not cup) a soup extra (add butter or margarine in cold weather) and more biscuits
Tea
Fresh or dried fruit/chocolate
Evening meal
Cup a soup
Vesta beef curry
Instant custard and dried fruit
Tea and biscuits
Add little extra's like chewing gum, chocolate, small tin of pate or sardines for a little variety
Dude you sure tuna with sauce in sachets isn't cat food!!!!!!:lmao:
Spose I will try anything when hungry!D
Come to think of it, those sachets did have PICTURES of cats on them.
john scrivy
29-08-2007, 19:56
I supose if you wanted to keep the weight down for the cat rasion pact you could use GO CAT dried cat food Ihave not studied the calorie values or vitamins
peterfedric
13-03-2010, 04:14
There's nothing wrong with cat food, it's full of protien and doesn't taste that bad at all:D.
Wait a minute do you mean that you have tasted the ration for cat?? :lmao: I think you must be too hungry at that time so you ate the food of poor cat. :lmao: I am wondering how could you eat it when there is a label which indicates "food for cat".
andythecelt
13-03-2010, 11:34
I love those pouches of tuna in dressing. The Chicken, mayo and sweetcorn are great too. One of those with a packet soup makes a nice easy lunch. The Look What We Found meals can be tasty, I've picked up a load on special offer. The only problem with them is the paper label comes off as you boil it so you can't use the water for a brew. For drinks I use sachets of 3 in 1 coffee, hot choc and Lidl fruit tea mix. Small packs of biscuits, choc bars, marzipan bars, nuts, dried fruit and Olde Oak mini pepperoni make up the snack side of things. All very quick with minimum cleanup. A personal favourite of mine is Christmas pud for breakfast. It keeps well and doesn't get trashed in the pack. After Christmas you can pick up small ones very cheaply. I find it amazing the stuff you can find in pound shops/99p shops/poundstretcher etc that's good for camping. If I'm car camping of course I go to town on canned food.
Eric_Methven
13-03-2010, 14:21
A tin of Pedigree Chum and some curry powder makes a really good meal. Or even some of the really cheap dog foods if Chum is a bit up-market for you. Ok, so it's minced lips and ar$eholes, but it is still protein - and your stomach won't notice the difference.
Damascus
13-03-2010, 14:22
We've had all the goodies how about the humble T bag, so easy to use, great if you don't take milk (I think tastes better without) sugar in a zip lock if required. Bonus is the bag once used can be used as a scourer for your pots.
Double wammy
D:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
A tin of Pedigree Chum and some curry powder makes a really good meal. Or even some of the really cheap dog foods if Chum is a bit up-market for you. Ok, so it's minced lips and ar$eholes, but it is still protein - and your stomach won't notice the difference.
Same ingredients as a Big Mac, and they seem to be popular...
There's nothing wrong with cat food, it's full of protien and doesn't taste that bad at all:D.
Hi-life cat food pouches are really nice. It has more proper meat, and far less salt and additives than the human stuff in pouches. I can't get the kids to eat them though.
Revsharky
15-03-2010, 13:21
As far as drinks go any supermarket cafe has loads of sachets ready to go! They even do milk stix now which are milk in a plastic tubes (UHT and drinkable versions!!!). I stop in for a cuppa before heading off on a trip!
Tesco Cous Cous 2 packs for 80p! feeds 2 just add boiling water and leave for 5 mins easy as A B C! Nice with chorizo or any other cured meat added plus keeps for quite a while!
mattburgess
15-03-2010, 15:10
Absolutely "Man cannot live by pot noodle alone!" – any cured sausage (chorizo), some pasta, oil, tin of tuna, jar of pesto, some garlic, green beans etc. How long does a Wilderness Gathering go on for before fresh ingredients go off? Do you really have to hike in with minimal kit?!?
Your not in a survival situation – I say enjoy your food, eat well, and take couple of nice bottles of red with you! Respect your that paunch (speaking personally of course)!
tiger stacker
15-03-2010, 17:25
As great as army rations are, the instant coffee is designed to keep you awake not for enjoying a decent cup of joe. I like to carry camp coffee, as it tastes just right.
The new Knorr stockpot/ gel is a great alternative to powder sachets for soup, Custard powder is great when it comes to fruit cake or bananas. Lucozade powder is almost as good as screech but if anyone can find Kool Aid then it is worth carrying.
Can anyone suggest a easy way to make cheesy macaroni without using kraft.
spiritwalker
15-03-2010, 21:17
onion tin of corned beef and instant mash potato quick and easy corned beef hash you can baggy the beef before you go if its your first meal. I am soon to invest in a dehydrator so the world will be my oyster in terms of light good meals.
andythecelt
15-03-2010, 21:54
I use tubes of Primula, you can get it in cheap food shops, sometimes for a quid for 2 tubes and it doesn't need refrigeration. I prefer the ham variety. I sometimes use parmesan too just to 'posh up' the cheesy goodness. I've kept that a week in a very hot pack and it was still perfectly good. Lidl do it at a decent price.
As great as army rations are, the instant coffee is designed to keep you awake not for enjoying a decent cup of joe. I like to carry camp coffee, as it tastes just right.
The new Knorr stockpot/ gel is a great alternative to powder sachets for soup, Custard powder is great when it comes to fruit cake or bananas. Lucozade powder is almost as good as screech but if anyone can find Kool Aid then it is worth carrying.
Can anyone suggest a easy way to make cheesy macaroni without using kraft.
i dont prepare rations packs as such, but i have a few meals that i prefer while bushcrafting or so.
some ready to cook rice chow fan and other called primavera (springtime) are my favourites
i also normally carry some dryed sausage and cheese
Cheers
Esteban
Jellytot
05-04-2010, 00:07
you can buy lots of crackers and wafers which have individual packs of 4 or 5 crackers in,
if you're taking an insulated bag then individual cheese portions and fromage frais in tubes make good additions. Morrisons have a massive individual portions section, drinks like crystal light can be bought from ebay and each drinks straw will do a 500ml water bottle.
Kenco 2 or 3 in one will do coffee & whitener nescafe capuccino in double choc is very nice. John west do tuna in light sauce in packets not tins, pek comes in lovely little tins for a nice change to pate on crackers.
Oxo cubes make a hearty hot drink and are tiny to carry.
tabasco is a good small bottle for spicing your meal up.
I no longer recommend curry to go, lots of tasty sauce but not much meaty goodness anymore.
I would recommend a small bottle of hand wipe, pocket pack of tissues and a box of tic tacs too! Tesco do tins of processed cheese too! Horlicks an ovaltine both come in small tube sachets too. humble cup a soup will add in at very little weight.
Condensed milk comes in a handy squeezy tube!!!!
Making your own rat packs can be very interesting and varied!
You've gone and made me all hungry now!!!!!
Ogri the trog
05-04-2010, 06:46
For stomach filling stodge I carry supermarket Christmas puddings.
They're sold off dirt cheap after the festive season and often have "use by" dates of around 18 months or more, so great for storing and throwing in your pack just in case.
Gotta comment on some other thoughts though - the pot noodle quote is wrong in my mind it should be "Man cannot live by Pot Noodle at all!" - if you want noodles and sauces, take something worthwhile and tasty.
Cat & dog foods are perfectly edible, I used to work for a large company who ran taste panels to critique new recipes and even the head of the company would famously "dig in" to taste the results.
ATB
Ogri the trog
I hope you guys are joshing about the dog and cat food for human consumption, email the pet food makers and see if they dare tell you about how safe that is!
andythecelt
05-04-2010, 16:41
There was a pet food factory near where I used to live producing feed for a major dog food manufacturer. I went for a job there once, absolutely disgusting. I just couldn't have worked there having seen it. Piles of rotting meat and bones being moved around by JCB to feed the industrial grinders, all of it declared as unfit for human consumption even before it went off. I had to have my suit dry cleaned because the smell just wouldn't fade. They took any meat that was offered and threw it in the grinder, including dead animals from the wildlife park. When I was there an emu and a horse were being chopped up for the grinder.
The same production line was used to dispose of a lot of contaminated animals during the foot and mouth epidemic. When I asked how long it put the line out of service while it was disinfected the bloke said "we don't bother, we just get the worst of it through the other end then switch to dog food again".
I'm the last person to tell anyone how to live their life but if it was a choice between hunger and pet food I'd tighten my belt. It'd have to be eat or starve before I put any of that in my mouth. I'd resort to cannibalism first.
There wasn't a bloke called 'cut-my-own-throat-dibbler' at the same time getting some stock was there?
There was a pet food factory near where I used to live producing feed for a major dog food manufacturer. I went for a job there once, absolutely disgusting. I just couldn't have worked there having seen it. Piles of rotting meat and bones being moved around by JCB to feed the industrial grinders, all of it declared as unfit for human consumption even before it went off. I had to have my suit dry cleaned because the smell just wouldn't fade. They took any meat that was offered and threw it in the grinder, including dead animals from the wildlife park. When I was there an emu and a horse were being chopped up for the grinder.
The same production line was used to dispose of a lot of contaminated animals during the foot and mouth epidemic. When I asked how long it put the line out of service while it was disinfected the bloke said "we don't bother, we just get the worst of it through the other end then switch to dog food again".
I'm the last person to tell anyone how to live their life but if it was a choice between hunger and pet food I'd tighten my belt. It'd have to be eat or starve before I put any of that in my mouth. I'd resort to cannibalism first.