# B.O.B. Food



## Gearhead14 (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm making a B.O.B.,and I need enough food to last about 72 hours. I am going to be storing the bag, and need it to have a very long shelf life. I need it to be cheap, and possibly something I can buy at Wallmart or some other store. Does anyone have some ideas?


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Gearhead14 said:


> I'm making a B.O.B.,and I need enough food to last about 72 hours. I am going to be storing the bag, and need it to have a very long shelf life. I need it to be cheap, and possibly something I can buy at Wallmart or some other store. Does anyone have some ideas?


a good place to start

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/shelf-life-various-food-items-not-cans-2588/


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

How long is "very long" for shelf life? Many dehydrated foods have a very long shelf life. Mountain House has packages at WalMart (camping section). I also like individual packages of tuna (in the food section, next to the canned tuna). They're only good for a few years but they don't require cooking, water... so you can eat instant or mix in with something bland to give it a better taste.


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## Kellog (Mar 3, 2012)

Something I've wondered about is how it gets awfully hot in cars in the summer. (especially here in the south - plus high humidity). If you keep water, food and first aid stuff in a go-bag in your car, it's going to get very hot again and again over the season - even if it's in an insulated bag. Obviously you can bring the bag in sometimes, but there are going be plenty of occasions where cars and their contents going to be toasting in a parking lot all day. Any thoughts on how this will affect quality and longevity?


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## Gearhead14 (Mar 20, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> How long is "very long" for shelf life? Many dehydrated foods have a very long shelf life. Mountain House has packages at WalMart (camping section). I also like individual packages of tuna (in the food section, next to the canned tuna). They're only good for a few years but they don't require cooking, water... so you can eat instant or mix in with something bland to give it a better taste.


Well I was thinking around six or seven years for shelf life.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Kellog said:


> Something I've wondered about is how it gets awfully hot in cars in the summer. (especially here in the south - plus high humidity). If you keep water, food and first aid stuff in a go-bag in your car, it's going to get very hot again and again over the season - even if it's in an insulated bag. Obviously you can bring the bag in sometimes, but there are going be plenty of occasions where cars and their contents going to be toasting in a parking lot all day. Any thoughts on how this will affect quality and longevity?


Very true...cars are like a solar oven, regardless of paint color...though darker colors are of course much more efficient at transferring thermal energy.

Canned goods don't keep as well in higher storage temps. They won't necessarily spoil, but flavors and texture degrade rather quickly, compared to "best if used by" dates. Even flashlight batteries will self discharge faster at higher temps. I haven't had much experience with long-term storage of dehydrated food, but I would think temps would have much less effect on them, being they lack the bulk of the water content. Most first aid items in liquid/cream form are susceptable to damage from heat, as well as pain reliever tablets, and especially tablet/gummy forms of vitamin C. Extreme high temps can damage self-adhesive bandages, first aid tapes, duct tape, electrical tape, etc.

Winter obviously offers a bit more challenging storage of many items due to freezing temps (first aid, canned foods, water).

I guess the moral is to store at room temp when possible. My BHB stays with me most all the time, as I drive for a living, so it's a lot easier for me to manage the storage temp issues either using A/C or heat as needed for comfort. If I loose the vehicle climate control, I'm probably in trouble anyway, so the BHB is there and ready to go...storage temp problem solved at that point in time...LOL!!!


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## driscolldb (Jun 12, 2011)

I decided to go with vacuum packed in my BOB. I keep up with rotating my water and energy drinks as it is, and just don't want to have to worry about the food in that bag as well. 

I decided on the "Mainstay Emergency Food Rations - 3600 Calorie Bars (Single)" and "Datrex 360 Calorie Emergency Food Bar" which I bought on Amazon for about $8. I know you can get them MUCH cheaper elsewhere. The taste isn't too bad.

One thing to note though, once you open this package it is opened for good, as they are not individually packed inside. I also store the package itself inside a ziplock bag because after you break it open it becomes useless for holding the remaining product and you'd quickly have a crumbly mess in your BOB.

Do the calorie math yourself if you decide on these. As with most suppliers, they have a lot of leeway on required daily intake.

One thing I note with these kinds of bars is that they say you get 5 years of shelf life out of them. The thing is that you may get a package that is a couple of years old, already. I called on shipper and was able to ask for a "new" product.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

In addition to the bars mentioned above, you can get Millennium bars in various flavors, 5 year shelf life, not affected by heat. For kiddos and adults who like a puree type texture, Nurturme makes freeze dried pouches in various flavors, keep enough water and spoons on hand for mixing.


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