Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Home made tomato soup tastes lovely too but in a real SHTF situation the cuppasoup is only going to cost me the fuel to boil 2 cups of water whereas making the home made version will give me a bigger pan of soup but will cost me the fuel to cook it and because there are only two of us the fuel to reheat it the next time we need soup. Being purely practical I'd rather have the fuel in reserve and a decent cup of Heinz. The Heinz cuppasoups are also in chicken, oxtail and I think minestrone versions (there may well be more too) and are all on at 59p in my local T*sco store.

If we had to leave home for any reason too the packets of soup would be much lighter to carry which is bound to be a consideration even if you're only leaving for a few days.

mardatha

I've got a shelf full of Aldi pkt soups, they are very handy as preps and dont take up much room.

[Deleted User]

I've got quite a few MAR and also instant potato (a good dollop of that in the middle of a plate of soup is a substantial meal) and the just add water packets of breakfast porridge, not readybrek which I hate but the Quaker make in a mug ones which are really very nice. I like the fact that all these things are light to transport in a real SHTF moment and would keep you going for days if needed because you could easily carry enough of them to do it!

AnimalTribe

Just popped in to say that I had need of my prepping supplies yesterday. A missing screw on a pair of glasses - solved by using a spectacle repair kit. I know I could have gone into town and they would have repaired them for free - but it's a fair journey for just one thing and I couldn't be bothered. In 2010 we were snowed in for 6 weeks, and it got me thinking about health matters. I reckon that if we were taken really ill they would send a rescue helicopter for us, but I try to cover for times we might just be uncomfortable. Other than standard stuff people have in their first aid kits - I also have a spectacle repair kit, temporary dental cement, gel toe caps (and I make sure my mum has sufficient batteries for her hearing aid). I was wondering what other people kept?

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I've got quite a few MAR and also instant potato (a good dollop of that in the middle of a plate of soup is a substantial meal) and the just add water packets of breakfast porridge, not readybrek which I hate but the Quaker make in a mug ones which are really very nice. I like the fact that all these things are light to transport in a real SHTF moment and would keep you going for days if needed because you could easily carry enough of them to do it!

The advantage of dried packet soups is portability in a pinch. Though I suspect that most will bug in initially for as long as possible and if water is not readily available then canned soups come into their own.

The other thing that is needed is heating of some sort. Now gas canisters and alcohol stoves are practical for a short emergency, if there is no power. Though keeping years supplies of gas for cooking creates additional problems.

Longer term I could use a solar kettle for heating 600 ml of water at a time but that is only good for one person at a time. Though it does allow me to stretch out any gas supplies I might have. Another solar cooker could also work for bigger groups quite well especially if the sun is out.

A Kelly Kettle with thermos flasks makes the most efficient use of your fuel. So thinking about not wasting heat elsewhere will also allow you to save gas. Ultralight campers use bag cozy's to allow food to rehydrated as efficiently as possible and without needing additional heating. Plus making them from reflectix is cheap and easy.

[Deleted User]

Kelly kettles are wonderous things and can be fuelled with anything you happen to come across that is dry enough to burn, we run ours almost entirely on the tiny little silver birch twigs that snap off my neighbours trees, even the tiniest ones catch and heat water very easily and you can cook something else on top of the fire if you have the pan support that fits the top of the fire hole and the cook set. Makes good scrambled eggs does ours!

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Kelly kettles are wonderous things and can be fuelled with anything you happen to come across that is dry enough to burn, we run ours almost entirely on the tiny little silver birch twigs that snap off my neighbours trees, even the tiniest ones catch and heat water very easily and you can cook something else on top of the fire if you have the pan support that fits the top of the fire hole and the cook set. Makes good scrambled eggs does ours!

I am debating what versions to get. A big Base Camp version will be a great emergency option but a smaller Scout or trekker version would be more useful for day trips etc.

[Deleted User]

yes, ours is a bit too big to think of carrying but I also have another wonderous gadget that is a mini firespout which is a foldable wood burning stove. Mine is one of the old fashioned ones and actually splits into four pieces to store/carry, it's made from stainless steel and I've also got the support bars to allow you to use a pan on top and the damper door to regulate the fire. It weighs around 1kg. The newer ones are hinged to fold flat and it doubles up as a heater which puts out more heat than you'd imagine. I've seen them on Fleabay might be worth checking it out as an alternative to a Kelly kettle?

Frugalsod

I have this folding firebox stove http://www.fireboxstove.com in mind for general cooking and it can be used with a Trangia stove so would allow me to use an ordinary pot without it coating the pan with soot. Plus that way I could use this as stronger pot support for heavier iron pans that could then be placed in a Wonderbag. This would again minimise fuel use.

[Deleted User]

Just looked at the FIREBOX and it's a look alike for the firespout except the bars on the firespout go right across from side to side rather than being in the corners, jolly useful bit of kit it is too!

Just checked and there are none on Fleabay but a search for MINI FIRESPOUT will take you to the manufacturers web site and the price is £30 with £3.10p postage also from their site.