Food for Survival II

The two week supply of food that I recommend should be light, highly portable and kept in a container such as a backpack, plastic garbage can or other container. This is so when disaster strikes, you can grab your pack, throw it on your back or into your vehicle and head for someplace safe. How many people in New Orleans wish they had had something like that when the evacuation was called for before Katrina. Being light does not necessarily mean only MRE's or all freeze dried food, but this is one place where they do have a use. At least part of the two week supply can be freeze drieds. Back when I was living in my one room apartment I put together a two week supply of food for two people. This was split into two containers, one a boyscout backpack and the other a small, plastic waste basket to which I had added straps so that it could also be carried as as pack. The waste basket I kept in the apartment, the backpack in my camping van. Here is a complete inventory of what I put in for 2 people for 14 days. First breakfast: 10 pkts. instant oatmeal, 5 days; 10 indiv. pks. cold cereal, 5 days; 6 pkgs. toaster pops, 3 days; 1 pkg. pancake mix (add water only) 1 day. Lunch: 6 pkgs. oriental noodles, 6 days; 12 indv. pkts. cup-o-soup, 6 days. On other two days, eat lunch from snack foods. Dinners: 3 pkgs. mac and cheese, 3 days; 4 pkgs, rice-a-roni, 4 days; 2 cans luncheon meat (spam), 1 lb. velveeta cheese, 2 pkgs dried toast, 2 pkgs. dried beef, 1 small box instant potatoes. These items to be used on other 7 days. Snacks: 30 sticks jerky, 4 lb. dried fruit, 8 granola bars, 8 1 oz. pkgs. rasins. Drinks and misc. 48 tea bags, 10 1 qt. pkgs. instant milk, 1 jar bullion cubes, small jar instant coffee, small jar Tang, 1 lb. margering, 1 lb. sugar, container of salt. This was my entire supply for two weeks. I purchased everything at the store and the total cost was around $60. At the present I can do it cheaper as I dry my own fruit, make my own jerky, etc. I split the food evenly making each pack a self supporting pack for one person. The pound of cheese I split in half, wrapping each half in aluminum foil. The foil can be used to cook in once the cheese is used. Things like the potatoes, tang, coffee, sugar and salt were split up and put into zip-lock bags. Into each pack I added a one person mess kit, a metal cup, a nesting silverware set a small bottle of water purification tablets, two large cans of sterno and a small waterproof container of strike anywhere kitchen matches. This allows each person to be independent if you should get split up. The packs weighed about 16 lb. each, so were light enough to toss in some emergency supplies such as fishing line, a space blanket or whatever you think necessary. I no longer use zip-lock bags for my storage as I have since purchased a vacuum sealer. This is an item which has paid for itself many times over in the six years I have had it. This allows you to buy the larger packges which make the food cheaper by the serving and also allows you to keep it longer. Vacuum sealing also allows you to keep your food much longer without using it. Did I ever try to use my two week supply and live on nothing but that? You bet. I used a one week supply and lived on nothing but that for a week. The other week's supply I added to with fishing and wild plants and that supply lasted me just over two weeks. If you are in a location where you can hunt, fish or gather other wild food and you have your two week supply, you can make it last a long time.