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AKBill

AKBill

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AKBill
We lost power for a few hours last night. Temp was 0F, -7F this morning. I have a small generator 5000W. Pulled it outside, started it and ran extension cords to the Toyo heater and a few lights.

We have candles, flashlights, portable radio (to get emergency info), camp stove, first aid stuff. Canned food in pantry for at least 2 to 3 weeks.

I was thinking of getting a 30 day supply of freeze dried food just to be safe. Any ideas on this? What is a good brand/vale for freeze dried food supplies? It looks like a 5 gal bucket of freeze dried food is a grab and go sort of thing, if you have to leave your dwelling. 30 days of canned supplies not so much.
 
Why not a 30 day supply of non-perishables you normally eat. Rotate the stock and avoid spending money on expensive freeze dried stuff you don’t ever really want to eat?
 
I can’t really make recommendations for foodstuffs, but I put a generator interlock on my house panel so that I can plug the house directly into the generator. At only 3500W, I can’t power everything in the house and have to turn off several breakers, but I can keep my fridge, freezer, lights, and outlets running as normal.
 
AKBill said:
Any ideas on this?
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We go through this routine every hurricane season. Regardless, before you pick out a specific item like food in your case, you need to first look at the big picture. What's the first thing you'll run out of? Gas for the generator? Wood for the fireplace? Etc. No sense stockpiling 30 days of food if you run out of drinking water or wood for the stove in a week.
 
Five gallons each of rice and dried beans will feed a person for 50 days. You will still need something else to get some vitamin C, but otherwise rice and beans can sustain you for a long while.
 
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At the start of the 2020 craziness, I stockpiled 30 days worth of canned or packaged goods. I’ve slowly rotated it out while replacing it. Since I live out in the woods with third world electricity I have a 6500W generator that will run most of the house minus the A/C Units and oven. I keep meaning to install a interlock but I always forget. Which means I don’t have water when the power is out. So I have a well made Amish Well Bucket and 300’ of rope so I can bucket water.

I also have several ricks of wood out back to heat the den. Which will give me about a month of heat.

Now hit me up after a major power outage and see if Katie hasn’t murdered me after I tell her she can’t shower and use the toilet for a week.
 
Most of the freeze-dried food companies (Wise, Mountain House, Alpine Air, Backpackers Pantry, Patagonia, etc) offer small quantities, e.g. single or 2 servings. I suggest hitting the website of these places and ordering 2 or 3 of each, to see what you like. Silly to buy 30 day supply only to find out you hate the stuff.

Honestly, you can do better and cheaper (altho maybe not in AK) by doing it yourself. Canned food, packages of chips, lipton soup (altho high salt) and hot chocolate, dried fuits & veggies, etc.
 
Bill said:
Five gallons each of rice and dried beans will feed a person for 50 days. You will still need something else to get some vitamin C, but otherwise ride and beans can sustain you for a long while.
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Not sure that I would want to live after 50 days on rice and beans. I bought a cosco membership and spent $$$ on a wider variety of nonperishables. There is lots of youtube advice on this subject
 
If we're prepping for cold weather power interruptions I would just buy frozen dinners or items that can be tossed in a crock pot/insta pot since you have a small generator. You can also cook meals on propane/charcoal grills as well, pellet grill if you have the generator to power it. You don't have to worry much about frozen food spoilage when you've got a natural freezer outside.

Stockpile wood if you have a fireplace. A couple of five gallon jugs of gasoline should last you a long while for the generator.

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk
 
Just went through this. Wind storm came through and blew down trees everywhere including the state highway we traverse to get in and out of Coeur d’Alene. We were out of power for 5 days. We have a well so water is our issue. We now keep 5 gallons of water on hand for drinking and cooking, and of course we can get water from the lake if necessary. We have propane fireplaces in the house and a dual fuel stove for cooking. So we can heat and cook. We also have two 2kw gas generators for running refrigerators but no 30 day fuel supply. We’ve been through the survival/freeze dried food/MRE analysis and we just keep coming back to fuel and water being our two biggest limitations. Since the pandemic, we have kept a way better supply of staples on hand (flour, rice, beans, etc.) and frankly that’s probably enough.
 
kyleb said:
Why not a 30 day supply of non-perishables you normally eat. Rotate the stock and avoid spending money on expensive freeze dried stuff you don’t ever really want to eat?
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We pretty much do that, I was thinking the freeze dried stuff is more easily transported if we had to leave the house. I guess if we have to leave the house it's all a mood point. No were to go in Juneau

Bell206 said:
We go through this routine every hurricane season. Regardless, before you pick out a specific item like food in your case, you need to first look at the big picture. What's the first thing you'll run out of? Gas for the generator? Wood for the fireplace? Etc. No sense stockpiling 30 days of food if you run out of drinking water or wood for the stove in a week.
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Very good point

murphey said:
Honestly, you can do better and cheaper (altho maybe not in AK) by doing it yourself. Canned food, packages of chips, lipton soup (altho high salt) and hot chocolate, dried fuits & veggies, etc.
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Another good point, I can give the wife a project, that I will supervise....:rolleyes:
 
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Anything else.??
 
TCABM said:
Good choices with Stagg and Weller Antique. You should add O.F.C., though to be fully prepared.
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Not mine, just a stock photo from the internet. The hardest thing I drink now is sugar free, caffeine free and pretty much taste free water that my wife puts some sort of citrus peel into for flavoring. And an occasional glass of sugar free wine, when I can find it.

Not diabetic, for some reason after the heart attack I suddenly became aware of what I eat and drink.
 
Here in Earthquake Country they generally recommend you have enough food and supplies on hand to be 100% self sufficient for 72 hours at minimum with no food or grid utilities access.

I don't think I am self sufficient through dinner time...
 
murphey said:
Most of the freeze-dried food companies (Wise, Mountain House, Alpine Air, Backpackers Pantry, Patagonia, etc) offer small quantities, e.g. single or 2 servings. I suggest hitting the website of these places and ordering 2 or 3 of each, to see what you like. Silly to buy 30 day supply only to find out you hate the stuff.

Honestly, you can do better and cheaper (altho maybe not in AK) by doing it yourself. Canned food, packages of chips, lipton soup (altho high salt) and hot chocolate, dried fuits & veggies, etc.
Click to expand...

I've tried both Wise and Mountain House. To my taste Mountain House beats Wise hands down. I don't know about the others.
 
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