Mountain House is doing a $50 rebate on 14 day packs of their food, which I took advantage of to add into the stockpile. My question is, in an emergency type situation what is the best way to heat these dehydrated foods? Please give two suggestions if you can. One for staying put and one for being mobile. Ive been out of the camping world for a long time and have no idea what all is out there besides a camp fire

Lots of options in the camp stove category - very portable. I have an MSR WhisperLite backpacker's camp stove that can burn white gas or unleaded. Also have a single burner butane stove, like what you would see at an omelet station, and several cans of fuel, as another option that is less portable (I.E. on your back, rather than car or shelter in place). Both would make short work of reheating dehydrated rations.

I've only used the single bag style meals. I boil the correct amount of water. Usually about 1.5-1.75 cups. Open the bag. Remove the oxygen tab thing(you don't want to eat it). Add water, stir and close the bag. I will squeeze the bag a few times while waiting the time needed for it to rehydrate.

Open the bag and eat out of the bag.

I haven't done it but I understand you can add cold water and eat it cold if you want. Just have to wait a little longer for it to rehydrate.

Most often we boil the water with a small backpacking stove that uses fuel canisters. I've also heated water over a fire in an alumina pot and used a homemade alcohol stove on the trail. At home, I once heated water in the microwave just for the heck of it when I wanted to try one.

Multi-fuel type - https://www.amazon.com/MSR-066...el+backpacking+stove


Wood type - https://www.amazon.com/Lixada-...eywords=rocket+stove

FWIW I've always found it best to use just a little less water than the meal recommends.

A brick or cinder block rocket stove will boil water for dehydrated food.

Thank you guys, I appreciate the advise. I have a container in the attic with our 15 year old camping gear in it. Since y’all mentioned a camping stove I remembered I use to have one...whether it works or not is another manner.

I only carry a campstove in my BOB. The original version of this one. I have nothing that requires fuel other than wood.

Otherwise, if I'm camping or hunting or whatever (don't have the BOB with me), I carry several different methods of getting a fire started (Blastmatch, flint/steel with charcloth, Bic lighters) and a small mess kit to boil water in.

I also make my own freeze-dried meals and store them in ziplock mylar like the commercially available ones. As others have said, add boiling water, zip up, wait 10 minutes and enjoy.

You actually don't HAVE to heat them at all. You can just pour cold water in the pouch. It takes longer to rehydrate but works fine.

Even if you do it hot, I'd just pour hot water into the pouch and avoid getting anything dirty. So you just need a way to heat water.

At home, a gas stove hooked into natural gas utility will work in most emergencies. You may need matches or a lighter to actually light it.

A 20 pound propane tank (the kind gas grills use) and a propane burner is a reasonable backup.

For on-the-go emergency use, I'd look at one of the small multifuel stoves that will burn white gas, car gas, avgas, kerosene, or diesel. Possibly one of the little metal fold-up wood stoves.

quote:

Originally posted by springnr:
A brick or cinder block rocket stove will boil water for dehydrated food.

Rocket stoves are cool. If you want something portable you can get something like a Kelly Kettle, which is like a rocket stove tea kettle.

They'll run on twigs and pine cones and the like.

I did mean to say I would be heating the water to re hydrate the food, not just heating the food. Eating out of the container is definitely the way to go. Thanks!

This Primus stove looks good...

https://primus.us/products/fir...?variant=17262684165

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
This Primus stove looks good...

https://primus.us/products/fir...?variant=17262684165

That would work fine at home or if you're going somewhere in a car. It would be just about impossible to carry it, propane, and other emergency supplies while walking any distance.

If you go that way, don't just use the disposable 1 pound propane cylinders, get a hose and adapter to use the 20 pound tanks.

^^. Sure, sure.. definitely would not be packing something like a camp stove. That would be for the “bunker down” cooking.

The easiest way is to Just b oil the water in a microwave! hehehehe

You really are a Funny guy!

For being mobile (bug out or get home bag) that is about the only application I like the MRE for. No water, no heating, can eat it on the move.

I have a simple single propane burner I screw onto 1lb cylinders. Take it camping as a backup and for heating the water for morning coffee. Would work great at home in an emergency to heat water for the freeze dried stuff.

I'll be smoking or grilling the meat that is going to thaw anyway from the freezer and eatin' good for awhile before I need to dip into any other rations...

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
For being mobile (bug out or get home bag) that is about the only application I like the MRE for. No water, no heating, can eat it on the move.

The downside to MREs is the weight. If you're in a vehicle or you only need one or two, no big deal. If you want to be able to carry a few days worth of food, MREs get impractical fast - two MREs per day is about 3 pounds per day. Freeze dried is around 1 pound per day.

The flip side is that if you're carrying freeze dried food you have to be able to find the water that is what makes the MREs heavy.

However, even if you're just sitting around, you need to drink 4+ pounds of water per day. If you're being active it could easily be twice that. So carrying a several day supply of drinking water isn't really practical either.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
So carrying a several day supply of drinking water isn't really practical either.

Just use freeze-dried water.

Now, why didn't I think of that?