Good evening, all.

After some crummy weather in our area and some nasty traffic jams, there have been some discussions around the coffee pot on preparedness bags (go bags). One of the topics that came up was food -- what can you keep in a go bag that, left in a vehicle, that won't go terribly funky? The quick answer was granola bars, the non-chewy kind. Those seem an easy choice. Canned nuts? I don't think I see any harm in those getting extra cold in the winter.

What other non-perishables are good options for a winter go bag? Perhaps more than just snack-like things, too? Some thing you could actually make a meal of if you were held away from home for as much as a day or two?

As always, I look forward to SF's good advice.

I’ve always wondered if pop tarts would be good. Sealed in Mylar and they’ve got tons of calories.

I've had a spare MRE or analog about my possible box, along with a small variety of seemingly useful replaceable hearty soups that can be eaten out of the can. The usual snack stuff always somehow disappears, while the specialty spam variety was only called on once.

Water/fire tinder stuff/small 1st aid. Juice & glyco tabs for diabetic management. All my consumables can fit in a couple ammo cans.

Spare blankets/heavy rain gear. Etc.

I have a vehicle “Go Bag” I put in a vehicle I am driving for a long distance. I keep MRE meals, Mountain House dehydrated food, first aid, Fire starting materials, ammo, light sticks, and other items I can’t think of off the top of my head.

If thinking of food only, then I think MRE items are the best. You can have everything from full meals to all kinds of snacks like peanut butter, crackers, bread, snack bars, etc. You just need a little water and the heaters to heat up entrees. In an emergency the meals can be eaten cold just fine. So to me, MREs are the best food item to carry in a vehicle go bag.

Vacuum-wrapped beef jerky? Jar of peanut butter. Saltine crackers. (Eat them together.) Water, of course.

flashguy

A box or two of those Hot Hands heating packets.

A person can go hungry for a couple weeks but that whole freezing thing, well....

Stuff goes bad in summer heat. Being winter, your food will be just fine longer term, as the temps are low enough to keep things non funky.

Sunflower seeds (shucked) are an immense source of calories and easy to carry. I keep a bag of them in my go bag, as its about 2000 calories and only weighs perhaps 10 ounces or so. Plus some energy bars, plenty of water, and a worst case scenario water filter.

And yeah if its snow and ice cold where you live, I think you should keep a high quality sleeping bag, blankets, and warm weather gear in your trunk for emergencies.

Beef Jerky?

^ since starting intermittent fasting, it's put a whole new slant on things. I keep thinking about buying some freeze dried food to stash in the house for an emergency. (I got snowed in for 4 days a couple years ago with nothing to eat but pork and beans lol) But now I will go 3-4 days without eating for "fun", so do I really need to have the food? If it's a real bad situation, I'd be more likely to give the food away to local family members than to eat it myself. So I dunno.

I think some candy and something like a Cliff bar stashed in your car would be enough, more for moral support and a pyshcological boost that anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
I think some candy and something like a Cliff bar stashed in your car would be enough

Cliff bar is the first thing that came to mind. Since I use them occasionally for outdoor activity, I would rotate in fresh bars every six months.

SPAM - You need nothing else.

If you live anywhere that rodents could be an issue it would be wise to only keep items in cans (beanie weenie, etc) in the car for emergency supplies, or store non-canned items in an ammo can or something similar. A girl I knew at work had a box of granola bars in her glove box, mice got in the car through the firewall, ate the bars, ate some of the wires in the dashboard, and died in the ventilation system. It was a bad deal.
I know a guy who carries a couple cans of Veg-All in his ranch pickup for emergency rations. He hates it and so do his kids, so he’s relatively sure it will be there when needed.

While these are considered snacks, they will last a long time, heat or cold -

Circus peanuts - orange, sugar filled, harden with age. Like them or hate them, they last.

Oh yeah,

Twinkies,

A small bag of Hershey's or Dove chocolate and a bag of almonds would do. Not affected by freezing and pretty dense calories.

I have a blood sugar thing, so I keep a dozen or so protein bars, and 18 tins of sardines in oil in my get home bag. Probably massive overkill, but I'd rather be prepared if I need to walk or camp out a while.

Thanks, everyone. I'm making quite a nice list from the suggestions.

Voshterkoff: because I'm ignorant, sardines? What's their value?

StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 2.6-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 24) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003..._api_i_v9LfCbFW3P71P

Tuna packets. Sell by date is generally 2-3 years after purchase. Light weight good source of protein. I buy them when the grocery puts them on sale for .50 cents for the ghetto brand.

Rotate them each year. Thanks for the reminder Getting ready for our Christmas trip.

Chicken is also available.

Another vote for Clif bars. They take the heat and cold pretty well and don't change flavor. They are good for six months or so. Only down side is they look like they have already been eaten once.

They are protein and calorie dense. That combo seems to hold me longer, or fix me if I feel my blood sugar tanking.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
They are protein and calorie dense. That combo seems to hold me longer, or fix me if I feel my blood sugar tanking.

Thank you. I had only thought of them as salty, not heavy protein. Very good to know.