Can you recommend an emergency food kit for disaster preparedness?

[Anonymous]

I woukd suggest a camping store and buy things similar to MREs. Also compact real food like peanut butter. I assume you are trying to either store food in a small space or be able to easily move it.

If there is a big enough disaster that you are down to your emergency supply, water is likely scarce also.

[Anonymous]

Costco has them.

Personally I think they are a waste -- not because nothing bad could happen, but because they get old and have to be tossed eventually. IMO it's better to have a good supply of staples you actually eat, such as rice, flour, peanut butter, soup or bouillon, granola bars, etc. That way the supply turns over during normal use and doesn't get old.

With water and a heat source you can make rice or canned soup. If you are able to have a fire / camp stove you can cook whatever perishables are in your fridge or make flatbread. If you need to evacuate, you most likely aren't taking your buckets of MREs with you as they are bulky.

I'd focus on keeping water, pantry staples, first aid supplies, and go-bags.

[Anonymous]

Anyone reading DCUM could likely sustain themselves for a long time before starving to death on the stuff in their pantry- then add in the fat reserve most people have. OP, really. Just get some Xanax and keep some peanut butter, tuna, and dried fruit in the pantry

[Anonymous]

My husband works emergency management / disaster relief for FEMA. Plus we love camping and backpacking, and our boys are in scouts. Be Prepared!
So what do we have? Canned food - tuna fish, soups, canned veggies, canned beans, etc. I buy mostly low/no sodium. At any point in time, we probably have 2 dozen cans of food, if not more.
Pasta and rice. Dried fruits.
Bottled water.
Those flavor packets for water (like propel).
Bags of coffee grounds and a French press.
We have no less than 4 small / personal backpacking stoves, and 2 larger “campout” style gas stoves.
We also have multiple solar powered batter packs. Nothing to power the house, but enough to keep cell phones charged.
We do have a small generator. Never had to use it, my husband powers it up about once a year. Thought we would use it to run the refrigerator if we lost power for extended amount of time.
Before getting the generator, we have lost power during bad storms (Hurricane Sandy, and during the snowpocalypse in ~ 2010). Didn’t loose too much food, though, because power was only out like 12 hours and we kept the refrigerator closed so it stayed cold enough.
I remember one hurricane in ~ 2003 - Isabel I think. Lost power for about a day. Used gas stove to boil water for coffee and made pancakes using a griddle on the stove. Served about a dozen of our neighbors breakfast. They were very happy to have some coffee! A neighbor had a hurricane party the night before and most of us were a tad hungover.
I lived on a tropical island frequented by hurricanes for a while. Whenever a hurricane was forecasted, we would fill up all bottles we had with water, plus fill the bathtubs with water. Sometimes they would shut off the water in advance of a really bad storm. I was never really sure of the reason to fill the bathtub. I wasn’t sure it is was for washing, or providing water to put down the toilet when water was shut off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Costco has them.

Personally I think they are a waste -- not because nothing bad could happen, but because they get old and have to be tossed eventually. IMO it's better to have a good supply of staples you actually eat, such as rice, flour, peanut butter, soup or bouillon, granola bars, etc. That way the supply turns over during normal use and doesn't get old.

With water and a heat source you can make rice or canned soup. If you are able to have a fire / camp stove you can cook whatever perishables are in your fridge or make flatbread. If you need to evacuate, you most likely aren't taking your buckets of MREs with you as they are bulky.

I'd focus on keeping water, pantry staples, first aid supplies, and go-bags.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The freeze dried meals are really salty and I’ve heard they can constipate if you’re not used to them. I would just start buying extra canned goods, bags of rice and beans, jugs of water. Also a LifeStraw for each family member or some sort of filter if you don’t have access to clean water.

They are high sodium.
Extra Canned goods, pasta, rice is the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason to do these kinds of meals rather than stocking more normal food? By normal I mean jars of peanut butter, cans of tuna, things like that.

Some people like the idea of setting aside something like this for an emergency, and also being able to grab it in a “have to evacuate” scenario.
Most people would be better served by just ensuring they have extra of their usual staples around, and that way it is continually rotated. Plus it’s food you are used to eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

3. I remember that most food was in stock, just not a few things. Pasta and canned soups went quick. With my shopping lists, I was usually able to get 90% of the items. It might not have been my preferred brand, but it was the same product.
Mountain house meals are high sodium, and some kids may not like them.
Honestly, it’s best to just have extra of the food you actually like.

[Anonymous]

Even if you have it, how are you going to protect it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

3. I remember that most food was in stock, just not a few things. Pasta and canned soups went quick. With my shopping lists, I was usually able to get 90% of the items. It might not have been my preferred brand, but it was the same product.
Mountain house meals are high sodium, and some kids may not like them.
Honestly, it’s best to just have extra of the food you actually like.

Sure, but OP specifically asked about kits. Hence the 5 gallon bucket of dehydrated food. 80 cans of chunky soup is a hell of a lot more difficult to be mobile with than one 20 poiund bucket.

And no one gives a shit about salt when you're talking about survival. Ever look at the salt contenet in MREs given to frontline troops? You don't want to know. Theg oal is getting calories into bodies. Salt and sugar taste good, so they are loaded with that so they eat them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

You don’t need three giant meals per day to survive. Look- there isn’t a disaster that is going to happen that will make you eat through your
Entire pantry then starve to death. It just can’t happen. I had zero issues buying food through the pandemic. Zero. If you had a had time finding enough food survive during the past two years because of
Supply chain issues I don’t know what to tell you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

You don’t need three giant meals per day to survive. Look- there isn’t a disaster that is going to happen that will make you eat through your
Entire pantry then starve to death. It just can’t happen. I had zero issues buying food through the pandemic. Zero. If you had a had time finding enough food survive during the past two years because of
Supply chain issues I don’t know what to tell you

Wow. You truly are an idiot. My grandparents survived the holocaust on smuggled potatos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

You don’t need three giant meals per day to survive. Look- there isn’t a disaster that is going to happen that will make you eat through your
Entire pantry then starve to death. It just can’t happen. I had zero issues buying food through the pandemic. Zero. If you had a had time finding enough food survive during the past two years because of
Supply chain issues I don’t know what to tell you

Wow. You truly are an idiot. My grandparents survived the holocaust on smuggled potatos.

You think that is going to happen in the US? Sorry but it is impossible. And if by chance it does your 10 day food
Bucket isn’t going to move the needle much

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In case of what? Really. What do you think will happen that you will need 124 servings of freeze dried meals?

1- it isn't really 124 servings. It's more like 80.
2- if you have a family of 5 (with three teenage boys) its about 10 days of food.
3- remember what it was like getting food and domesstic goods at the beginning of the pandemic (as a UMC, privileged person in a wealthy well served neighborhood)?

Consider those and then understand how incredibly easily it could have been 10 times worse.

This isn't about fighting zombies or intubating your neighbors with Bic pens. This is about having calories to function if/when the supply chain gets shut down. Not disrupted or marginally interupted, but SHUT. DOWN.

A couple hundred bucks in Montain House meals is a life saver. Worst case scenario? Take a couple camping trips to use it up each yaer.

Serioulsy. Be prepared.

You don’t need three giant meals per day to survive. Look- there isn’t a disaster that is going to happen that will make you eat through your
Entire pantry then starve to death. It just can’t happen. I had zero issues buying food through the pandemic. Zero. If you had a had time finding enough food survive during the past two years because of
Supply chain issues I don’t know what to tell you

Wow. You truly are an idiot. My grandparents survived the holocaust on smuggled potatos.

You think that is going to happen in the US? Sorry but it is impossible. And if by chance it does your 10 day food
Bucket isn’t going to move the needle much

And yet it happened in Germany within my father's memory.

You'll be among the first to die.