B.O.B. and stuff with a shelf life

[Guest mikedwood]

I have a B.O.B and sometimes wonder how often to go through it and check on stuff with a shelf life such as medicine, food, batteries and whatever else.

Should I go through and make a list?

Change the batteries out once a year? Stuff like that.

[Guest redbarron06]

As far as meds. Anything oral or that will interact with the blood stream should be replaced according to the date on the package. If you dont have a date replace it. Any medical item that have adheasive or elestic the military replaces every 3 years if it is just sitting on the shelve but they tend to go ever board on things like that. I would not mind going years for those items.

Batteries as far as regular alkiline I would replace every 3 years and if you are using lithium every 5.

All packaged food comes with a date on it. Dont got past that. If you are using MREs now way am I letting them sit in there for more than 2 years. Survival rations like the Datrex I will let go for 5 from the date of manufacture, not from the date I get them.

If you are stocking iodine tabs for water purifing they should have a date on them. If you are stocking bottled water I would rotate it every 6 months or faster.

[Guest Big C]

I have carried my bag for 20 years and i go thru it once a year and make sure every thing is in order. I change out the things that I update. Even put new line on my collapsible fishing pole.

[Mark@Sea]

I've heard that water bottled in clear plastic can be 'renewed' by 6 or 8 hours in sunlight.

As for the rest of it, how about making a little inventory, highlight and date perishables, put it in a luggage tag and attach it to the bag...

[BBill_TN]

I've heard that water bottled in clear plastic can be 'renewed' by 6 or 8 hours in sunlight.

Never heard of that Mark. I wonder how that works or why? I am going to have to look into that.

As far as dates on freeze dried things; this weekend I ate a pack of Mountain House Turkey Tetrazzini with a "best if used by date" of Jan 2005 and was fine. I think they have a 7 year expiration? So guess it was made back in 1998.

[Mark@Sea]

'bottled' water shouldn't be left in sunlight. No chlorine - the sunlight promotes bacterial growth. The IBWA also recommends that bottled water be refrigerated to inhibit growth. If you find any info on the subject, please post...

[analog_kidd]

My plan for food is to use the Mountain House freeze dried packs. I go backpacking several times a year, so I'm just going to buy a new pack before I go on my trip and replace it for the oldest one in my BOB. I'm writing my purchase date on the pack with a Sharpie marker so I know which one is the oldest.

I'm sure the Ibuprofin in my BOB won't last past the experation

[TNTitan]

'bottled' water shouldn't be left in sunlight. No chlorine - the sunlight promotes bacterial growth. The IBWA also recommends that bottled water be refrigerated to inhibit growth. If you find any info on the subject, please post...

Aquafina says their bottled water should be stored in a dry, room temperature environment away from chemicals such as household cleaning products and away from solvents. The bottled water in my BOB has a 2011 expiration date on it.

[Mark@Sea]

I'm looking for a good online source for the mountain house foods... any suggestions?

[TNTitan]

I'm looking for a good online source for the mountain house foods... any suggestions?

This is a good resource: http://www.campfood.com

[BBill_TN]

My plan for food is to use the Mountain House freeze dried packs. I go backpacking several times a year, so I'm just going to buy a new pack before I go on my trip and replace it for the oldest one in my BOB. I'm writing my purchase date on the pack with a Sharpie marker so I know which one is the oldest.

I'm sure the Ibuprofin in my BOB won't last past the experation

Sounds like a good plan, but I would go by the "best by" dates already on the packs, because sometimes when I pick them up online or on clearance at an outfitter they might already be a year or two from the best by date.

Also online you can go to the mountain house website and sometimes they run specials and also have the 7day food packs, etc. For a long term situation though the big cans of their food would be better. I would love to have about 50 big cans of their beef stroganoff...never get tired of that stuff.

[analog_kidd]

I'm looking for a good online source for the mountain house foods... any suggestions?

Our Walmart sells them for around $5 a pouch, which is cheaper than I've seen anywhere. Of course, they only have Lasagna, Beef stew, and Scrambled eggs.

[Guest redbarron06]

My plan for food is to use the Mountain House freeze dried packs. I go backpacking several times a year, so I'm just going to buy a new pack before I go on my trip and replace it for the oldest one in my BOB. I'm writing my purchase date on the pack with a Sharpie marker so I know which one is the oldest.

I'm sure the Ibuprofin in my BOB won't last past the experation

Do they need water to prepair?

[analog_kidd]

Do they need water to prepair?

Yes, two cups per pouch. I have a little Soda Can Stove and some alcohol fuel packed in there too, with a large metal cup to boil water in. Each pouch says "serves two", which may be true in an emergency situation, but after a full day of backpacking, I can easily down a whole one.

They are packaged in a metalic kind of material with a ziplok seal at the top. Just pour in boiling water, zip it up and let it sit a few minutes. Eat it right out of the pouch and throw it away when done. No clean-up!

[Guest SUNTZU]

Or save the pouch, clean it out, and fill it from a number ten can or your own dehydrated food.

[Moped]

Excellent point Suntzu! That sounds like a very valuable bag to clean and keep after the first use. I think in a survival situation, you'd want to save most everything if possible. With the exception of used TP or whatever it is that one might be using, like poison ivy or oak leaves.

[TNTitan]

I'm looking for a good online source for the mountain house foods... any suggestions?

Mark - check it out. 25% off Mountain House for the rest of the month.

[Guest 7mmMag]

I have carried my bag for 20 years and i go thru it once a year and make sure every thing is in order. I change out the things that I update. Even put new line on my collapsible fishing pole.

it says you are 32 ....are you telling me you have had a b.o.b. since you were 12....i guess when i was 12 it was bycycles and hunting and fishing and wasnt too worried about catastrophes LOL

[Mark@Sea]

TNTITAN, thanks for the heads up. I think.

That was expensive...

[JW3Percent]

Bitterly clinging to my guns, my bible, and my Constitution

Amen to that.