I like the camper on the back. Small and compact!
Yessir. Although we drive old vehicles for a different reason. Ease of maintenance and lower insurance. Besides I don't get so wound up if someone door dings an vehicle that already has character.
If I could get a reliable older truck then I would gladly drive it...
What kind of shelf life do the dehydrated foods have over MRE's? What about dry goods like beans and rice? Bugging in is pretty much my only option with wife and kids. Also I don't have anyplace to go unless we stay in a van down by the river, haha! If I start hording mre's and sacks of beans the wife is going to think I've lost it.
I'm no expert. There are others on the board who know much more about these things than I do. That being said, I understand shelf life depends a great deal on how the food is packaged and stored. Of the things you mentioned I'd say some items would be okay for anywhere from a year or two under poor storage conditions to almost indefinitely under optimum climate controlled conditions. I've read they've found seeds and grains hidden in pyramids that are still viable as food.
Introduce your wife to LDS planning and preparation and she'll understand that you're neither alone nor crazy. Talk to her about Katrina, the Japanese earthquakes and tsunami, the 1812 New Madrid earthquake, the flu epidemic of 1918 and the Great Depression. No one on the planet is immune to some kind of potential catastrophe. Planning for at least a short term disaster is the wise thing to do. Even the USofA gubment encourages disaster planning.
Good information can be found here.
Beans, Rice, Wheat berries, Honey, Sugar, Salt etc....will pretty much last longer than you ever will, when properly stored. MRE's do have a shelf life, granted it's a long one...but I incorporate MREs into our stash for short term flexibility.
Stock some of everything...not all of one thing. Regular pantry items, easy emergency rations, long term storage items.
Something I've always found fascinating is the shelf life, if cured and stored properly, of fruitcakes. I love fruitcakes. Quoted from various sources:
"On average, a fruitcake weighs 2 pounds and can serve 7 people. It has a high density of sugar, which allows it to stabilize moisture and resist mold, which increases its shelf life. If fruitcakes are stored in tightly closed tins they can last up to 25 years with the proper preservatives."
"If a fruitcake contains alcohol, it could remain edible for many years. For example, a fruitcake baked in 1878 is kept as an heirloom by a family in Tecumseh, Michigan. In 2003 it was sampled by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show."
"The process of adding alcohol to fruitcakes to preserve them for posterity is called curing or feeding. The alcohol adds moisture and flavor, minimizing the sweetness of the ingredients and bringing out an incredible flavor. Fruitcakes typically have an unlimited shelf life, staying moist and flavorful for years."
