Freeze Dried Foods Update

I've tried a couple of the other Mountain House freeze dried meals I had bought.  The first was a Beef Stew designed for one person in what they call their ProPak.  It was in a similar mylar-like pouch with all of the air removed which made it a smaller package, and therefore more transportable, ideal for backpackers.  The flavor was very good and it would be a very acceptable way to eat some veggies on the trail.  The texture of the beef was still a little chewy even though I gave it a few extra minutes to steep.

The second was their Scrambled Eggs and Bacon breakfast.  I love the taste and texture of freshly scrambled eggs, so I worried this would be a stretch.  The 8 oz. of boiling water the package told me to add is more than enough to rehydrate the eggs, which means that I had to pour off some of the excess, which was a little gross.  Like the time a sudden shower ruined the scambled eggs my dad was whipping up on a campstove when I was a kid.  The flavor, again, was pretty good (the bacon helped).  The texture, again, left something to be desired.  Not horrible, but eggs aren't meant to be chewy.  If you imagined that you were eating some sort of soft egg/bacon jerky, it wasn't too bad.  Just like the rained-on camp eggs, when you're camping and hungry for breakfast, it would be quite welcome.

I wanted to try these to make sure they are edible.  I am considering buying these in 10# cans to keep on hand for emergency food.  They have a 25+ year shelf life when stored in the unopened can, so it could be there when you needed it.  I'm not in a rush, so I'll wait for a sale as these can get pricey - the can of Chili Mac would be about $21 for about 10 servings, not too bad for shelf-stable emergency rations.

Emergency Food Review: Mountain House vs. MRE

While it is good to be prepared to gather food in the wilderness if you had to, it would be better to prepare some food ahead of time.  I had the opportunity to eat an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) ration when I went to serve with the U.S. Public Health Service after Hurricane Katrina.  They really are ready to eat, requiring no cooking or preparation.  The main entree tastes better if you heat it up using the included heater.  Their biggest disadvantage is their size and weight.  They would be good to have on hand at home for back up meals or to throw into your vehicle.  They would be difficult to throw into a pack to carry because of that weight (about 1.5 lbs.). Each meal provides 1200 calories and comes with an entree, a side dish, bread/crackers, dessert, powdered beverage mix and seasonings as well as utensils, and a flameless heater to warm the entree.  The packages are durable to puncture, heat and cold.  Because there is so much food in each one, an MRE could sustain one person at a survival level for a day if they were resting and not having to shiver for warmth.

Assuming you could get access to water and boil it, you can spare a lot of weight and space by packing freeze-dried meals.  Mountain House makes a collection of freeze dried meals for backpackers that would fit this bill. Tonight I tried their Chili Mac with Beef entree. It weighs 5 oz. but expands to 20 oz when you add 2 cups of boiling water.  The package says that it serves 2 people and contains 580 calories total.  The tatste was surprisingly good.  The texture of the beef improved with a few more minutes soaking up the water, but at first it was a little chewy.  After eating about a third of it straight out of the hot pouch, I put the rest in a bowl and added shredded cheese. 

They have lots of flavors and I plan to slowly try them.  They are expensive for an everyday meal, but I want to see what works in this form and what doesn't.  They make large cans of these meals that I may stock up on as well for emergency home use (i.e. stuck in a blizzard or other natural disaster). Though we tend to have a really well stocked pantry, the shelf life of these products makes them worth considering.  This was tasty enough that I could see buying two cans, slowly making meals from the 1st can over time and when we open the second can, buy a replacement so that there is always a relatively fresh unopened can in reserve.  I'd have to find a dish that at least 2 or 3 of us at home would eat to make that worthwhile.

Conference on Wilderness Medicine

The 22nd Annual Conference on Wilderness Medicine was held this year in Big Sky, Montana.  It was an excellent conference.  While it was geared to the medical/rescue professional, there was much to be learned by anyone wishing to learn more about the dangers posed by the wilderness.  There were lectures on avoiding lightning damage, wild animal attacks, sun safety, hypothermia avoidance, treatment of heat illness, mountain safety, white water safety, diving safety, and how to find and purify water.  The best lecture and workshop in this regard were taught by Gary Kibbe.  He is a former Navy SEAL who trained other SEALs how to survive in the wilderness.  His lecture about "Surviving the Unexpected Night Out" spent a lot of time talking about the items you can carry on your person that could increase your chances if you found yourself lost, away from your car or home.  We got to practice those skills in an optional "Wilderness Survival" workshop that he taught.  I learned how to build a couple of solar stills for collecting water, find food on the forest floor (ant larvae, yum!), find my way without a compass, start fires with a flint, and build a lean-to shelter.  He also supervised a similar class geared toward kids that my eight year-old took and enjoyed.

If you are looking to attend a wilderness survival course, you'll find better courses with more hands on practice time and geared more toward the layperson.  If you are a medical professional that is looking for a great way to earn medical education credit and learn about a branch of medicine that can assist you in your career and maybe save your life or the lives of your loved ones, this is one that you must consider.

Product Review: Pocket Survival Pak

I purchased a Pocket Survival Pak (PSP) from a display table at the Wilderness Medicine Conference.  This is a self-contained personal survival kit developed by Doug Ritter, author of the previously mentioned Equipped to Survive website. On that site he describes how to build your own kit, (and this other post reviews a book that can also guide you in this endeavor), but you may not want to go to all that trouble.  In that case, a pre-packaged kit may be better than nothing.

The PSP is packaged in a clear, zip-top, tough plastic case that is 4.5 x 5 inches and just over an inch thick. It fit easily into a cargo pocket on my pants with room to spare.  It is light enough that I could easily forget it was in there.  This means it would not be much of a burden to toss into a daybag, purse, briefcase, etc. The advantage, of course, is that you may be more likely to keep this on your person, and therefore, more likely to have it if you need it. As you will see, because of its size, there are some things that can't be included.

Shelter - OK, like this one.  You'd have to improvise your own shelter.  The kit does have survival tips printed in small type that include tips for building your own wilderness shelter. The package recommends bringing a garbage bag to enhance your shelter. The kit does contain nylon cord and thread as well as a spool of wire that could be used to lash posts together to build a more secure lean-to shelter.

Water - Again, there are tips for collecting water, both nothing to store it in (other than maybe a gulp or two in the plastic case).  There is a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil that could be shaped into a cup to boil water to purify it.  It looks like there is room for a non-lubricated condom and a couple of Micropur water purification tablets.

Food - There is a small fishing kit in a plastic tube that includes small hooks, swivels, and split shot sinkers.  Combined with the nylon thread, it can be used to fish (obviously) or bait birds.  The roll of wire could be used to make a snare to trap larger animals like squirrels, rabbits, etc.  There are some other tips for gathering food in the survival tips brochure.  There might be room to add a flat bullion packet to flavor your collected water.

Fire - This kit contains a Spark-Lite firestarter - think about the sparky end of a butane lighter without the butane.  The sparks can be used to light one of the four included Spark-Lite cotton tinder bundles.  There is room in the kit for cardboard matches and striker if you'd prefer a direct flame source.  There is a flat Fresnel magnifier in there which can be used to light a fire on a sunny day.  The survival tips include fire-building techniques and the tips brochure itself could be burned as tinder if needed.

First Aid - No obvious supplies in the kit, though you could improvise bandages and slings with the little roll of duct tape and the included safety pins.  There is room for a couple of Bandaids and a small packet of Neosporin.

Signalling - There is a signalling mirror with included instructions on how to signal passing boats and planes.  There is a flat Fox 40 micro whistle that can be heard miles away.  There is a small pencil and 2 pieces of paper that could be used to leave notes.

Misc - In addition to the multi-use items like nylon cord, duct tape and safety pins, the kit includes a small scalpel blade and a button compass.  You'd be better off with a full-sized knife or multi-tool and a larger compass, but these may be all you have. (Note: the compass looks like it is broken when you look at it in the packet, but it appears that the foil messes it up.  When I pull it out of the packet and hold it, it works just fine.)

I think that this is an excellent kit. I am going to enhance mine with a few items at try to keep it with me on days off and weekends.  It is too big for my workweek slacks, but I am planning on assembling another kit for my briefcase that I take to work everyday.  Likely some version of the Personal Emergency Kit I described previously.