Emergency Rations: Lessons From a 16-Hour Amtrak Ride

I agree with everything you say in this post, though I would have to add to your list of emergency rations-nuts. All kinds of nuts (but only natural and un- or lightly salted) -cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts. They come in small packs, you only need a few to fill up and they offer a great burst of energy. I have relied on handfuls of nuts on flights to Europe, 20-hour bus rides through Turkey and bouts of hitchhiking without a car for miles. Thanks for the post!

Hi Eva,
I had to chuckle when reading about your peanut butter contraband in Barbados.

We take the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland, California to Eugene, Oregon and it is NEVER on time.  We always pack plenty of snacks.

Speaking of snacks, you should have seen the line at the Subway Sandwich shop at the Las Vegas airport last week. That place was doing a business and it was only 10 a.m.

I had two huge bottles of water, a full box of granola bars, and a sandwich from the train station with me every time I boarded a train while backpacking in Europe (and often a bottle of wine too). Rarely did I have to venture into the food car.

As the veteran of many long travel delays, I could NOT agree with you more.  I advocate bringing twice what you think you’ll need.  As the mother of two small kids, I’d just add that packets of instant oatmeal are a good emergency ration as well.  Bring your own spoons.

I can vouch for Eva’s skills as a food packer.  Yum, hummus and carrots.  Time for me to run out for noodles.

Another great emergency ration is the Starkist Flavor Fresh Pouch of tuna in water or salmon. These last forever until opened, the pouch is very sturdy and the stuff isn’t bad. Added benefit is that it doesn’t require heating. Do rememer your own spoon.

I have a daily 3 hour commute and take plane trips frequently.  I always bring the type of food one can eat when feeling a little queasy (nuts, granola, cheese, jerky).  I purchase drinks which are too heavy for me to carry around, colas if my stomach is upset.  I might not bring fish in case of hot weather of my or another passengers’ stomach were upset or sandwiches which can be crushed.

Thanks for the food tips!  Reading this story made me think of my most recent train trip.  My daughter and I took Amtrak from Columbia, SC to Philly this summer, and, doing my best to ‘be prepared’, I packed a little cooler full of granola bars, raw veggies, sodas and sweets.  It worked out great - we had plenty of snacks for the 12 hour ride.  Then it happened - we journeyed six cars down to the ‘bar car’ and completely forgot about our handy snacks!  How could we resist the cup o’ soup, the microwave popcorn, the Corona (for me, that is)?  Needless to say, we had plenty of snacks to enjoy in our hotel room.
We are traveling to Philly again for the holidays, but this time we will be enjoying airline peanuts (do they still pass those out?)  Realizing that airport delays are inevitable, I will still store a few goodies in my bag, just in case.  Doesn’t really matter though, as long as we get our Cheesesteaks!
Happy Holidays fellow travelers!

Enjoyed reading the tips on food for travel. Lot’s of good idea’s. I live in Montana and it has always been a rule in our family to make sure even just going to town that you have a blanket, water,and snack foods in your car. We only live 10 miles from town but it is just a good habit to get into.
We also do hiking and hunting and have come up with a trail mix that is great. We buy a large package of a variety of dried fruits, add nuts, then don’t forget the m&m’s for that chocolate you will need. I try to take at least one or two bottles of my own well water as the city water will really make me sick. The wine sounded like a good deal. I am a travel agent and I also try to give tips like these to my customers.
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

I always travel with dried fruit and granola bars, but was happy for some of the additional suggestions from the article.  I do want to add to the person’s comment about the tuna pouches, though.  I frequently travel long distances by bus and Amtrak between Chicago and New York City.  In addition to the pouches of tuna, you can now buy complete tuna salad lunch kits, that come with everything to mix a meal’s worth of tuna salad yourself.  They are less than $2 each, and even come with a napkin and a spoon.  They are great because they have a long shelf life, and they don’t need to be heated to be eaten.  They are semi-bulky, but I can still fit several of them in my hand baggage, and I like them better than the tuna salad kits that are pre-mixed in cans.  I think these taste better because I add the mayo and relish to the tuna when I’m ready to eat it.  These have saved me a few times, but most recently on the Amtrak Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and NYC.  I’d been on a bus for 3 hours before I got to Milwaukee, which only had a vending machine.  Then I got on a train to Chicago, then boarded the Amtrak Capitol Limited without having time to eat at Union Station.  The Capitol Limited ran out of food, and when I got off in Pittsburgh, there was again only a vending machine in the station.  Then the Pennsylvanian ran out of food, and when we were stopped between Trenton and NYC because of a track issue, I finally pulled out my tuna salad lunch kit and granola bars.  I’m so glad I had them with me!

During my last skiing trip I was carrying bars of chocolate in my pockets. After six hours on the trail the bars froze into rock-like hardness and I almost broke my teeth trying to bite into the chocolate. The chocolate could be fractured into pieces and would dissolve in the mouth but otherwise it wasn’t a good eating experience.

Here’s a riddle for you.

What type of emergency ration bar or a similar product won’t freeze into a rock in cold weather?

While we are not able to predict emergencies, we need to ensure we are able to face them when it hits us. And generally, it can be anything from planning for 1 additional meal to 1 day’s supply of ration. Any leftovers from your running ration pack automatically becomes your “emergency rations”. They are good because they can be consumed immediately, without the need to cook.

Very often, it consists of mainly carbohydrates such as rice or other grains, enough to tide you through before help arrives. The importance of emergency rations usually increases with the difficulty level of the hikes we are to undertake and should never be underestimated. Do work this out in consultation with the expedition leader.

i enjoyed reading all of your comments and recently did a cross country trip & north east trip on amtrak . i used the juice packs, granola bars,those lil prepared tuna fish and cracker kits& 100 calorie snack packs. also i brought along all those saved utensil packets from the fast food jionts!
because of amtraks on- time policy!lol! i made sure i had wet wipes and a trash bag ! also i bought those lil cereal boxes and hot cocoa & instant oatmeal packs . i bought these non perishable prepared microwaveable meals by hormel called “compleats”{}}, the rice and beans were tasty!
if your traveling on amtrak and have diabetes ALWAYS pack your food/meter/ insulin with you! i found a nifty cooler that looks like a back pack that fit the food in the bottom zippered compartment and the insulin and the meter and supplies on the top !i even managed to wedge a coffee can in thier for my used syringes/lancets& strips ! on my last trip to norfolk i was asked to be seated near the lounge car due to my disability and they put me four cars away!  i walked through for a drink and the cafe worker rudely stated were closed wouldn.t accomadate me at all! the cross country trip level of service was much better!!!!!!!!!!