Relatively Ninja
Sharpshooter
I'm looking for some advice on different types of emergency rations. The situation I'm planning for is something along the lines of a natural disaster that involves the loss of one or more major utilities (water and/or power) and the inability to obtain food from my local grocery store for three days. I live by myself in a small apartment, so space is an issue, as is money.
Essentially, I want something that I can throw in my closet and more or less forget about until I need to use it.
Originally I was thinking of picking up some MRE's, but after researching them I've heard lots of mixed reviews. I like the idea of having a chemical heater included with every meal and having the meals come already hydrated. I'm not so crazy about the things that these will (allegedly) do to your digestive system. Then again, my plan only accounts for three days of eating this food.
I looked into some dehydrated meals (such as Mountain House), but I don't like the added complications of the extra water and external heat source needed to re-hydrate the meals. There are flameless heaters available (like this one) but I don't like the limited number of uses. On the other hand, they seem to get much higher reviews regarding taste and the whole not messing with your digestive system thing.
The final option I've considered would be to keep some non perishables and canned foods on hand (nothing special, just from the grocery store). However, heating them would require some kind of camping stove and it would be more difficult to create distinct meals. I'm just one guy, and I really don't care for my dinner to be an entire can of corn.
Again, the purpose of this food is to nourish me as I hunker down in my apartment and wait for utilities to be restored. I won't be out camping and exerting myself all day, just laying low at home. I won't be making a fire to cook food; using a small camp stove or something similar on top of my stove is about as flammable as I'm looking to go.
To boil it down, my questions are as follows:
Thanks
Essentially, I want something that I can throw in my closet and more or less forget about until I need to use it.
Originally I was thinking of picking up some MRE's, but after researching them I've heard lots of mixed reviews. I like the idea of having a chemical heater included with every meal and having the meals come already hydrated. I'm not so crazy about the things that these will (allegedly) do to your digestive system. Then again, my plan only accounts for three days of eating this food.
I looked into some dehydrated meals (such as Mountain House), but I don't like the added complications of the extra water and external heat source needed to re-hydrate the meals. There are flameless heaters available (like this one) but I don't like the limited number of uses. On the other hand, they seem to get much higher reviews regarding taste and the whole not messing with your digestive system thing.
The final option I've considered would be to keep some non perishables and canned foods on hand (nothing special, just from the grocery store). However, heating them would require some kind of camping stove and it would be more difficult to create distinct meals. I'm just one guy, and I really don't care for my dinner to be an entire can of corn.
Again, the purpose of this food is to nourish me as I hunker down in my apartment and wait for utilities to be restored. I won't be out camping and exerting myself all day, just laying low at home. I won't be making a fire to cook food; using a small camp stove or something similar on top of my stove is about as flammable as I'm looking to go.
To boil it down, my questions are as follows:
- Are MRE's really that bad for you to eat, even for just a couple days?
- Are dehydrated meals worth the extra hassle of storing the extra water and finding an external heat source?
- Are canned and non-perishable foods worth the reduced cost?
- Is there anything else I may have overlooked that you could recommend to me?
Thanks