Has anyone tried to buy ration packs and found stocks are low/non-existent?

Ladies and Gents

Am here in the UK and have been building up our ability to operate in a potential crisis.

Have stockpiled candles, fuel, etc. Was looking for MREs online and everywhere seems to be sold out of the large boxes.

Is it the same everywhere over the globe? I see there are shortages reported on ammo in the states.

definate shortage of ammo in the states, also I was out shopping the other day there was not a mask or hand sanitizer to be found. I then went for the distilled water, I purchased the last 5 gallons. I was just saying the other day that there appears to be either a silent panic going around or stores have not been ordering supplies for some reason. In any event whenever I find things I'm stocking up, bc supplies for whatever reason are running low.

delete double post.

[edit on 4-5-2009 by searching4truth]

reply to post by searching4truth


Am growing a lot of fresh food, but feel I should stock up on basics like rice, pasta and tins of things. I think a lot of people are quietly worried. I know I am..bought a wind up radio yesterday!

you know I was seriously thinking about that as well yesterday. I am gonna go and start my very first garden, don't wanna be caught unprepared. It seems all things with either a long shelf life, or emergency supplies in general are gone. At first I had thought it was just the "crazies" buying swine flu prep, but then I noticed the water and honestly it gave me a little panic, like I'm late to the party or something. Its ok though, now that I've arrived I'll be the bell of the ball . The ammo shortage has been going on for a while, I know some that have begun searching by, um......... non conventional means, as the stores have been out for months now. One person I know had been looking for ammo for a hand gun for over 8 months, it is ridiculous.

wind up radio, thanks for the reminder.

[edit on 4-5-2009 by searching4truth]

www.surplusandoutdoors.com...

thats a link to some ration packs, i think theres some in stock but the fact that i know this is because i have slowly been stocking up and preparing for what ever comes my way, we all can feel that something will happen its just when.

quick question how would you eat a pigeon if you caught one in the wild, i know there dirty and stuff but if i was starving how would i cook it, boil ? of just pluck it and open firev cook it or uuse the hot coals.

Many thanks

hi...

thanks for the link..

I will buy a few and see how we go.

I have been building up a stock of logs and we have a stream close by, so fresh water should be easy

as to the pidgeon...have done this!

partner caught a few in the woods last summer...that's the beauty of living with an ex-marine...

catch it...kill humanely...

stick it in boiling water...pluck it, run knife into back passage...then gut it...wash it out...and stick on a stick and roast...

there's not a lot of meat on them

tasty!

reply to post by chillpill


ahh right thanks little meat is better than no meat i guess tho.

my place where i intend to go has some streams with a part time one when it rains. lazy lake thats what i call them. sad i know.

So your UK based do you feel if things hit the fan we would have enough natural land to hunt ? do we have enough for survival


many thanks

I buy from campingsurvival.com... They seem to have a reliable supply of fresh rations. I buy to keep the house stocked for emergencies and for backpacking trips. The only minor delay that I encountered was with my order for emergency water rations. They are a great company and have an excellent selection of MRE's, freeze dried and dehydrated foods. Not sure if they ship over seas though.

I think there's just not enough large mammals to feed the population from a hunting perspective in the UK.

Farmers rely on huge amounts of imported feed to support animal husbandry...better eat em while we can!



But if you like rabbit...fish...?

reply to post by jibeho

thanks jibeho..will check them out...hope all is well with you

i will eat anything for me to live.
also i bet it help on where abouts you live. i live pretty near the lake district so i feel i would be able to manage my self there. but i think i'd need a m8 to live with. being alone will turn us all crazy

There has been a huge run on these types of goods since last September. The problem is that you need to stock up before everyone else does, which usually makes you feel somewhat foolish. I bought several hundred rounds of ammo in November, my family asked me if I was planning on starting a war.

Now it's not so funny, because the prices have doubled and it is tough to find.

Same thing goes for food, canning supplies, heirloom seeds, gardening equipment, water purifiers, jugs, etc.

MRE's aren't always a great idea, you might consider just buying food with a long shelf life that you'll actually eat, and buying only a three day supply of MRE's.

I would recommend you start buying and storing your garden supplies now, that's going to be the next thing to go.

yeah i keep reading that ammo is over priced over in the USA now days. I dont know if i should go for tinned foods or rices does any one know the shelf life of rice.

I thought of getting a BOB together for awhile and this swine flu thing made me move my arse not that i need it for the swine flu but just how quickly things could of gone bad or how l8 we hear stuff. so i went out and got most of my stuff. just the food any ideas my friends, please keep them cheap as i was made redundent and moneys abit tight stupid stupid work

White rice has a much longer shelf life than brown rice, as does white flour as compared to whole wheat. The solution to this is to buy wheat berries and grind your own flour.

It's probably best to buy the foods you normally eat. If you buy a 25 lb bag of rice (which is about enough for 30 partial meals for three or four people), then be prepared to eat rice one or two meals a week. If you freeze rice, flour, sugar, oats, etc. for 24 hours, it will kill off any creepy crawlies which may be dormant. Vacuum packing the contents into smaller portions before freezing will double or even triple the shelf life.

Moisture is your biggest enemy.

Buying bulk foods -- rice, flour, sugar, etc. -- means you'll be cooking from scratch. This isn't a problem if you already make your own food, it will be a slight adjustment. Gardening will be much easier if you do your own cooking as well.

If you are NOT prepared to do this, you might consider focusing on canning food and trading for what you need. You can buy fresh food, prepare it and can it at home.

If you do not want to can food, you should just stock up on the items you normally use and keep a few month's extra supply on hand. A large chest freezer may be an option if you have a backup generator.

Originally posted by VelmaLu


If you do not want to can food, you should just stock up on the items you normally use and keep a few month's extra supply on hand. A large chest freezer may be an option if you have a backup generator.

i think i'll stock up thing i normally use which is rice anyway. with lots of tuna cans.

But saying all this it all depends on what happens for me to bug out becuase if its a illness epidemic or anything i think i will be out helping people before running away to live. sori think i wil have a BOB and then a advanced medical kit and thing to help people with aid and other things.

When it comes down to it i will help people before running off how ever if they screw with me i dont mind ditching them or taking care of them.

thanks for the info. i'll wriite this down in my handbook/note pad.

has any one used one of those fold away spades before, i wanna know if there any good. btw my bag is 95 ltrs. i am a fit lad. i can carry this stuff. so extra things like that i can add.

many thanks

my gramma is so bad sorry

[edit on 4-5-2009 by thecrow001]

Let me save you some hassles. Be sure to look where something is made, because I've had to replace a LOT of items, especially wind up radios and lights. Avoid it is it's made in China.

I have a three day bug out bag for each family member, then a stockpile of food. It's more likely you'll be trapped in your house, than having to evacuate.

Fantastic advice here. I will head out today and get some garden supplies and use the rice technique you mention

I have seen they have some long shelf life seeds.

One thing I am learning to do this year is to collect our own seeds from our own plants. At the moment am growing 7 varieties of tomato, carrots, potatoes...lots of good stuff..

Getting them through the summer and storage will be the next challenges. I am looking into vertical gardening to increase growing space as our garden is not huge.

Have been container growing potatoes to reduce burden in raised beds.

This weekend I will sow some lettuces in guttering that is cut in half lengthways. I saw it on a show which said it works as they dont have a big root structure.

Will lay this on one of the windowsills, so I can use as much space as possible. Let's see how the test goes.

Am growing tomatoes upside down in the house - just to give more space. It's been goof fun and we have amazed ourselves with the success so far.

Let's just hope they get to the point we can eat them! Am not having much luck in scotland with courgettes..but dont have a poly tunnel (no room) unfortunately.

Any of you guys gardening to reduce burden on infrastructure? Any tips?

Storage will be my next issue - would love a root cellar...but have no space...

Unless you're growing heirloom varieties, don't bother saving seeds. Most are hybrids, a genetic cross between two varieties. When you try to germinate the seeds, you usually end up with something vastly different, or they won't grow well at all.

This is why when you buy a watermelon in the store, the seeds usually won't grow a second generation. Most of our produce is irradiated and most of our seeds are hybrid.

Heirlooms are not as hardy. I grow some heirloom varieties in my garden and some hybrids. I only save seeds from the heirloom, but you have to be careful about cross-pollination.

A good place to get heirloom seeds is www.seedsavers.org

right...brilliant advice...so much so that i went straight onto a uk heirloom seed site and bought a load!

thank you, so much!