29 replies to this topic

[billharr]

I guess I just love the fridge too much to go without it. I put a 12v  Waeco in new Hawk. The fridge is one of the reasons I have a camper, love my yogurt in the morning. But to each his own, it is what makes the world go round.

[WAND3R3R]

Takeiteasy, thanks for the link!

billharr,  I have a fridge too, a National Luna, twin 50, part fridge, part freezer.  I agree it is really nice to have a cold drink when in the middle of nowhere!  I was just looking for other recommendations for non-refrigeration foods from other travelers, just to get ideas!  

-Thanks, AK

[iowahiker]

We carry 30 days of no refrigeration food and have camped over 20 consecutive days with three children without a store, cooler, or refrigeration routinely.  We carry:

dried milk

instant whole grain pancake mix

honey (sandwiches and on pancakes)

cool-aid or other instant drink mix

beer (stays cool under the couch, chill with tap water or local snow)

wheat germ (Hodgson Mill or Red Mill)

instant coffee

sugar

crystalline eggs (amazon)

canned tuna

pringles

jelly packets (amazon, for sandwiches and pancakes)

peanut butter

ketchup packets (amazon)

pudding in the ready to eat packs

bread

crackers

homemade brownies (shelf life exceeds 40 days)

homemade cookies (shelf life exceeds 40 days)

instant cocoa

canned turkey spam

velvetta cheese

peanuts

almonds

cashews

canned beef and gravy (Walmart near tuna)

Hormel Completes (open a little, steam stacked for 30 min instead of microwave, taste like TV dinner)

Progresso soup

canned chicken

no-refrigeration summer sausage (local brand Bakalars has less fat)

canned brown beans

pasta sauce in a jar

dried pasta

Kraft mac and cheese

Knorr pasta and rice "Sides" in a packet

pop tarts

canola oil

 

Carrying a cooler now since we do not have the kids luggage is a treat but we still drive past a lot of stores.  Some of these items come in many varieties which we try and carry our favorites.  We do a lot of mixing and so each line can be a meal or an additive.  Canned beef and gravy mixed into lentil soup is good.  Draining the water from canned chicken and mixing it into a rice side is good.  Dried milk and/or eggs can go into instant pancakes.  Summer sausage gets mixed into lots of dishes.  None of us liked the taste of dried milk so each kid had their own recipe of dried milk, sugar, and baking cocoa with hot water which was great on cold tent camping mornings in the mountains.  I mix dried milk, raw wheat germ, cold water and psyllium to taste for a shake instead of synthetic vitamin/mineral/fiber prepackaged drinks (very healthy but start with only a little to avoid an upset stomach).

Edited by iowahiker, 19 February 2014 - 02:55 PM.

[ski3pin]

Nestle Nido Milk Powder

 

If you are into no fridge, this stuff is expensive but great. Gone are the days of weak tasting carnation or milkman powdered dry milk. We mix up a bit for cream in the coffee in the morning. Also it is great for instant pudding in the evenings for dessert. Put the pudding mix and dry milk together in a zip lock, add water, and mix and serve right from the zip lock. Best yet is to bury in a snowbank to get good and cold. Is it okay to use a fridge when Ma Nature provides?  The Lady also makes up her own recipe for killer hot chocolate using nido for the  milk portion. Just add hot water. We always have a can of her mix in the camper.

[Smokecreek1]

I'm like billharr-one of the the main reasons I bought the pop-up was having a frig! I need it for my beer and ice cubes for my vodka-now that I am retired and more into being out in the middle of nowhere just sitting in my strong back chair, having a drink and looking out on a  nice  vista!  My old knee sort of dictates  that I take a more day/over night hikes/fishing trips  than doing those long backpacking ones! But again, I spent most of my vacations and allot of work time, out backpacking/camping with the dry stuff and eating  things you could catch in a creek. Those web sites and your plan looks great!  There are just so many more new things out there to use compared to the choices I had back when-even freeze dry beer!. Maybe there is at least one long BP trip left in me, need to think about this for a while! I do still carry several backpacker meals in the truck/fishing gear-no MRE's/C rats for me-in case I get in trouble out there. 

 

Anyway, I sort of envy you guys, enjoy your trip!

 

Smoke

Edited by Smokecreek1, 19 February 2014 - 07:12 PM.

[billharr]

I'm like billharr-one of the the main reasons I bought the pop-up was having a frig! I need it for my beer and ice cubes for my vodka-now that I am retired and more into being out in the middle of nowhere just sitting in my strong back chair, having a drink and looking out on a  nice  vista!  

 

Smoke

 

Thread hi-jack. How do you like the Strong back chair? I would like to set in one before spending the $$ they cost.

 

 

Bill

 

Thanks Smoke,  we now return this thread to dried beans and powdered milk.

Edited by billharr, 19 February 2014 - 08:31 PM.

[Smokecreek1]

Thread hi-jack. How do you like the Strong back chair? I would like to set in one before spending the $$ they cost.

 

 

Bill

Bill

Steal- love it. A couple of years ago we had a thread on it and I accessed the Strong back company from it and bought one-every model  is a little different, when I was up in the Steens with Mark BC and looked  each of our FBchairs were a little different! They are on Amazon too, but not sure it they were made by them or someone else, but they are worth the $! You will enjoy it when you drink your freeze dry beer!

 

Smoke

 

Smoke

[WAND3R3R]

IowaHiker, Thanks for the great list!  I have been meaning to get some powered milk to go in my coffee!

 

Thanks again to all travelers who made great recommendations!  I really appreciate the input!

 

-AK

[iowahiker]

wand3r3r,  I use dried milk in my coffee.  If the coffee is too hot then the combination of heat and normal coffee acid will curdle the dried milk.  Let the coffee sit long enough to warm a ceramic mug thoroughly before adding the dried milk and then curdling does not occur.  I use more dried milk than an equivalent amount of skim milk at home.  The non-dairy dried coffee creamers work better but they have lots of fat.  Keeping fat low in my diet reduced my cholesterol enough to keep me off prescription pills so far.

 

I looked at your blog and our homemade brownie recipe may be interesting which is field tested to last over 40 days:

2 cups soy flour, we use Red Mill

1 cup chopped walnuts

1+1/2 cup sugar (adjust for desired sweetness, 1+1/2 cup is not sweet)

1 cup baking cocoa

1 cup canola oil or olive oil

1/4 cup molasses 

5 eggs

 

Mix the dry ingredients.  Add oil and mix.  Add molasses and mix.  Add eggs and mix, not to much or the brownies will "rise".  Spread in a large "greased and floured" low glass baking pan.  Adjust ingredients in a fixed ratio to fill your pan to the desired thickness.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 deg F for 30 minutes.  Let cool and cut to desired size.  iowahiker

Edited by iowahiker, 20 February 2014 - 01:46 AM.

[WAND3R3R]

IowaHiker,  Thanks for the brownie recipe, I will definitely try it!

-AK