How Long Do You Provision For?

[dwedeking2]

After the initial binge buy, I purchase smaller quantities to replenish as I use but on items that are seasonal or go on special semi-frequently I'll wait to make a larger purchase. I buy in bulk but I tend to buy in smaller packages (like 12 ea of 2oz package vs 24oz package) or repackage with a food vacuum sealer into smaller quantities. As a single person (or at most 2 on the boat) it makes it easier to track usage and rotate for freshness. For example if I take a 20lb bag of rice and break it up into 1lb parcels, I'll notice using up a parcel vs "oh, we're at the bottom of the barrel".

[GaleWinds]

Originally Posted by Meanderthal

I totally want a picture! Or measurements. How much space? What brand comes without the inner? Female here. TP goes fast with me aboard, howsoever I try to conserve.

If you're willing to install different TP holders, Georgia Pacific sells double-ply non-quilted (so compact) tubeless toilet paper and 2-roll holders. They are dense rolls, but the paper is soft (it's what we have at work, so I use it often and approve). You won't find it in a local store probably, but if you go home once a year or so, you can order on Amazon and just provision that once a year, like you do other "can't live without" items (like maybe coffee with chicory).

The only other tubeless I've seen is Scott which IMO is too thin (it's single-ply and I haven't seen double-ply tubeless from them so far, and have looked) and it is scratchy, also.

[JanetGroene]

Food is insurance. Food is an investment. Engines fail. Winds shift. Refrigeration craps out. Credit cards don't always work. Checks may not arrive in time. And I'm finding that the almighty dollar isn't as almightly worldwide as it once was. Stuff happens. If you overstock you can always give it away to people who will be grateful to get it. My advice is to go whole hog.
http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

[Mike OReilly]

Interesting thread… I’m in the process of drying food to restock our supplies on board. We cruise full time for about 1/2 the year because we live in Canada. In our “off season” I try and dry veggies and some fruit when I can get a good price on it. Then I vacuum bag and store it on board for use in later years. We probably have about three months of dried food on board at any one time.

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Interesting thread… I’m in the process of drying food to restock our supplies on board. We cruise full time for about 1/2 the year because we live in Canada. In our “off season” I try and dry veggies and some fruit when I can get a good price on it. Then I vacuum bag and store it on board for use in later years. We probably have about three months of dried food on board at any one time.

We also keep about three months food on board at any one time; between dried and tinned. If we add in frozen food we could add another one month. Our refrigeration is reliant on three separate and independent units so we are unlikely to lose all three simultaneously (& can probably fix 99% of potential faults myself). From seeing other people’s stores. I am always surprised that people buy long term provisioning of items that do not have a place in their standard fare.

[Tampabayfireman]

Had to chime in for the far outside range of things. Yes we have a large old boat but we seriously looked at what we wanted to stock prior to moving the boat first to key west. Then 4 months in Bahamas and then keys again and back somewhere out again. So not a simple 2!or 3 month time frame.

We could likely survive a zombie apocalypse. Maybe 150-200 lb rice, beans. Canned chicken, tuna, and yes hamburger. So 1.5–2 yr if needed. And no everything mim 2-4 yr shelf life. Spent a lot of time shopping storing. Recording. Was it worth it. Hell yes. Key west isn’t Miami. Still pricey. So everything will get used.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Tampabayfireman

Maybe 150-200 lb rice, beans. Canned chicken, tuna, and yes hamburger. So 1.5–2 yr if needed. And no everything mim 2-4 yr shelf life.

How does it taste?

[Tampabayfireman]

As we started looking into different types of packaging as well as taste, we did taste testing as we bought different items. For shelf stable items like flour, rice, beans we repacked into Mylar bags with the o2 remover paks. Extend like to over 10 years with no loss of flavor. Only item we found that we had to modify was bisquick as the yeast in the flour doesn’t rise as well so we use instant yeast to add to it. We also packed tortillas in Mylar to see how they did. Dated and split in different packages. 3mo, 6 mo, 12 mo. We opened a package a week ago that was 15 mo old and no issues.

On can goods we took labels off, marked date purchased, stored oldest on top to use first. Taste same. Found for our taste sans club brand can chicken and tuna the best. As far as hamburger was very surprised at flavor and taste. We use it in spaghetti, shepherds pie and several other things. The only thing we didn’t care for it in was sloppy joe.s. The hamburger is by clover valley.
Here is an idea just how much we did provisioned.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Tampabayfireman

Had to chime in for the far outside range of things. Yes we have a large old boat but we seriously looked at what we wanted to stock prior to moving the boat first to key west. Then 4 months in Bahamas and then keys again and back somewhere out again. So not a simple 2!or 3 month time frame.

We could likely survive a zombie apocalypse. Maybe 150-200 lb rice, beans. Canned chicken, tuna, and yes hamburger. So 1.5–2 yr if needed. And no everything mim 2-4 yr shelf life. Spent a lot of time shopping storing. Recording. Was it worth it. Hell yes. Key west isn’t Miami. Still pricey. So everything will get used.

Wow, yes as long as Zombies cant swim, you should be all set. Quite the opposite of our usual provisioning approach. We like to eat local and fresh so rarely have more than 2 weeks of anything except may some staple goods.

But, the Bahamas are spendy, so all those stores will pay dividends there.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Tampabayfireman

As we started looking into different types of packaging as well as taste, we did taste testing as we bought different items. For shelf stable items like flour, rice, beans we repacked into Mylar bags with the o2 remover paks. Extend like to over 10 years with no loss of flavor. Only item we found that we had to modify was bisquick as the yeast in the flour doesn’t rise as well so we use instant yeast to add to it. We also packed tortillas in Mylar to see how they did. Dated and split in different packages. 3mo, 6 mo, 12 mo. We opened a package a week ago that was 15 mo old and no issues. ...

Cool… I always thought I was being excessive with carrying maybe 3 months of dried food. Zombie apocalypse indeed. Maybe you should go to a place where food is rare and expensive, and open up shop

We do carry a lot of dried food. Nice thing about dried is that it keeps for years, and tastes almost as good as fresh once reconstituted. And we know exactly what’s in it. Just food.

[Olddan1943]

One can always buy MRE (meals ready to eat) or the dry stuff that comes in a bucket, I forgot the name.

The disadvantage of dry food it, you need water. The MRE are a bit expensive and one meal per package.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

We do carry a lot of dried food. Nice thing about dried is that it keeps for years, and tastes almost as good as fresh once reconstituted. And we know exactly what’s in it. Just food.

If you have a water problem you automatically have a food problem.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

If you have a water problem you automatically have a food problem.

If you have a water problem you have bigger problems than food.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

If you have a water problem you have bigger problems than food.

If you carry canned and frozen food you have supplemental water. If you carry dehydrated food you need water. If you carry 20-30 gallons of water in supplemental "emergency" storage (tanks, jugs, gallons) you are fine for quite a while with canned and/or frozen food. If you are dependent on dehydrated food your timeline is really short.



That isn't to say that there is no place for dehydrated food. If I want sauteed mushrooms with my steak I greatly prefer dried mushrooms to salt-ridden canned mushrooms. Sun-dried tomatoes are a tremendous contribution to many meals. Beef and venison jerky are great snacks for night watches (hint - small servings or it will be gone). Dried spices are hard to do without. 5-gallon buckets of dried foods are just setting yourself up for crisis and self-induced failure cascades.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

If you carry canned and frozen food you have supplemental water. If you carry dehydrated food you need water. If you carry 20-30 gallons of water in supplemental "emergency" storage (tanks, jugs, gallons) you are fine for quite a while with canned and/or frozen food. If you are dependent on dehydrated food your timeline is really short.



That isn't to say that there is no place for dehydrated food. If I want sauteed mushrooms with my steak I greatly prefer dried mushrooms to salt-ridden canned mushrooms. Sun-dried tomatoes are a tremendous contribution to many meals. Beef and venison jerky are great snacks for night watches (hint - small servings or it will be gone). Dried spices are hard to do without. 5-gallon buckets of dried foods are just setting yourself up for crisis and self-induced failure cascades.

Yes… I didn’t, and wouldn’t suggest anyone take exclusively dried food. I was simply pointing out that it is an option with some benefits, along with some pretty obvious drawbacks.