Mountain House Prepper Question

[jm1607]

I know alot of preppers that store emergency food buy MH #10 cans.. Looking at the servings/calories/price I don't see any reason why you wouldn't just buy the buckets instead.. More servings/calories and cheaper.. Same approximate shelf life..

Anyone know?

 

[Becca]

There are a couple reasons we don't use the #10 cans. The shelf life only applies if you haven't opened the can...once opened and exposed to oxygen, you pretty much need to use the contents within a year or so. Not a problem, as long as you don't mind eating 30 servings of the same flavor in that time frame. Luke and I eat approx 180 dehydrated entrees a year, and we like having between 10-15 different flavors in our rotation, so the pouches work better for us. Since we eat right out of the pouches anyway, I can save the time I would otherwise have to spend measuring and bagging or vacuum sealing. Just grab the number of entrees we need and head out. It's the same food, so it's likely a good option for many especially the guys who are repackaging their meals anyway. For us and what we do, we will stick to the pouches.

 

[jm1607]

There are a couple reasons we don't use the #10 cans. The shelf life only applies if you haven't opened the can...once opened and exposed to oxygen, you pretty much need to use the contents within a year or so. Not a problem, as long as you don't mind eating 30 servings of the same flavor in that time frame. Luke and I eat approx 180 dehydrated entrees a year, and we like having between 10-15 different flavors in our rotation, so the pouches work better for us. Since we eat right out of the pouches anyway, I can save the time I would otherwise have to spend measuring and bagging or vacuum sealing. Just grab the number of entrees we need and head out. It's the same food, so it's likely a good option for many especially the guys who are repackaging their meals anyway. For us and what we do, we will stick to the pouches.

I don't hunt nearly as much as you two, but I'm just thinking I can stock up on buckets and kind of knock out 2 birds with one stone. I can have a nice cache of emergency food, then slowly use it as I go on hunts and backpack trips. When I start to get somewhat low just buy more buckets. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything with the cans I should know about from more of a preppers view than a backpackers view... I'm with you though, I don't want to eat the same meal that much lol

 

[colonel00]

I have entertained the idea of going with the 10# cans for certain flavors and then augmenting them with additional dehydrated meat and veggies and vacusucking them up into their own meals. Throw them in the freezer and they should last a good while. I probably wouldn't get a can of every flavor but some you can be creative with. Chili Mac for instance, is one that you can play with some different variations and additions.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I have a big family so we can go through a #10 can a lot quicker than most. It makes sense for our family to get the cans, but might not for others.

 

[unm1136]

Two thoughts...

The #10 cans offer significant cost per serving savings, and using quart sized freezer bags as you transport/rehydrate/eat bags makes a lot of sense. Measure out the serving of MH, and drop it in the quart sized freezer bag. Write w/sharpie how much water to add. I have a X-Mug that I normally use to make tea or coffee (hot chocolate gets funky if not washed out fully and quickly) and it is graduated on the inside to measure water for my meals. Currently cost is more important to me than convenience, so I am in the opposite boat as Becca.

pat