How to plan enough food for an expedition

[Tom_Ivan]

We have an upcoming expedition. 6 large men helicopter into the bush and dive for 9 days, maybe a spot of hunting but mostly just there for the diving. We all have different jobs to prepare for this.

I've been asked to arrange the food that we'll need.

Does anyone have any tips/advise on going about this? I figure I'll make a list of each meal for the trip, tally the total ingredient amounts and have a big shop. Is there any software that can help with this?

Summertime over here.

Thanks

 

[Boarderguy]

Location, activities planned beyond diving, makeup of crew (men, women, general size) because different bodies have different needs... lots of unknowns here. Plan at least a few extra days of food for each crew. Bring treats to break up the monotony of the meals.

 

[rx7diver]

If you're not limited by what you only can carry on your backs (like you would be if you were backpacking in), then simply plan your menu, and go shopping!

Will you be taking potable water with you? Or will you be filtering/sterilizing lake/stream water?

Will you be taking ice chests/coolers?

Will you be able to fish?

Campfires? Or camping stoves?

Does NZ have animals that you need to protect your food stores from?

Medical care in remote locations is critical. How quickly can aid arrive if you should make an emergency cell/sat call?

This outing seems like it will be a blast!

ETA: Air/gas fills?

rx7diver

 

[Cio]

Excel, do it by calories. Use 3,000 per person per day. (it's fine to fall short a bit)

Bring some treats like a chicken salad made from those chicken packets (chicken packet, mayonnaise and cranberry trail mix on a wrap) , but assuming weight is a consideration, primarily use dehydrated meals put into those lightweight vegetable bags from the food store (doubled up). put the dry food in the bags with instructions on a small piece of paper, get the air out as best you can, and fill small barrels with them, this will fill all the space up and pack tight so nothing moves. Put something compressible at the top to keep pressure on it (like a down jacket)

Put the menu on the side and top of the barrel with the days and meals called out. cover in a few layers of packing tape.


Use a liquid fuel stove to ease the hassle of finding fuel.

 

[MikeHoncho]

I do 2+ week sailing trips with my wife and premade meals are the way to go, even if you have a full galley like I do. Assuming you will be doing it during the cool time of the year, a new age cooler and block ice will keep everything cold for greater than 9 days. Premake/cook all main meals and vacuum pack them and then ziplock bag them. Always over estimate each meal so cover a couple lunches and breakfast (protein) with left overs and use the ziplock bags for the left overs. Pre-making decreases the total mass by a ton because you don't have to bring all of the incidentals and individual packaging. I BBQ/smoke most of the proteins/meats and they last for two weeks in a low performing refrigerator. I could do the same with my Blue cooler (like a Yeti). Our weak point is beverage ice and shower/cooking/dishes water but at 9 days that wouldn't be a issue be a bunch of guys.

 

[johndiver999]

I have no experience in this specifically, but did help plan for some pretty long boat trips. If large men are actively diving and especially if the water is cool, I would be planning on a lot more than 3000 calories per day. If it were me, I would plan on bringing some very calorie dense food that hopefully people will like, if they start going hungry. Peanut butter and canned peanuts come to mind as an example. A 5lb tub of PB and 10 or 15 lbs of canned peanuts can go a long way. Biggest weight issue is water and beverages and capacity to store and transport. If water is available on site, then gatorade powder, tea bags, ice tea mix etc. might b a good choice.

 

[Russjstewart]

Want do you have in the way of refrigeration, cooking equipment, and preparation tables.? Those will be limiting factors. It is no good bringing cryovac roasts if all you have is a 2 burner stove.

If you are looking at fresh cooked meals the best bet is to slip the cook at the local restaurant a few dollars to put a menu and quantities together. But you are looking at a lot of weight and volume for fresh food.

Does anyone have food allergies? That is a level of complexity by itself.

This web page has a link to an excel spreadsheet that may be helpful. I have never used it so no guarantees

Camping Trip Meal Plan (Touring) | 4WD ADVENTURER

Camping Trip Meal Plan - In this post we show you our camping trip meal plan. We go through the meal plan we used for our Simpson Desert trip.

4wdadventurer.com

 

[Edward3c]

On most expeditions I’ve been on porridge is a good breakfast, interspersed with a fry up once a week. Think about KLIM (or equivalent), powdered milk - just add water, but don’t go for the cheap stuff.

Are there any allergies you need to cater for?

 

[lexvil]

I’m curious as to how many tanks one would bring to such an event?

 

[Doc]

“”6 large men helicopter into the bush and dive for 9 days, maybe a spot of hunting but mostly just there for the diving.””

You Kiwi’s have Chinooks?