Advice for living out of my car? Drying foods? Starting camp stove?

[spider1204]

I'm about to embark on a roadtrip and will be mostly living out of my car.  I've been sleeping in it most weekends so I've got the whole sleeping comfortably thing down but still seek some advice from the folks around here.

I'll mostly be cooking with a camp stove, and have been using a lighter to get it started, but it seems silly to keep buying those cheap disposable lighters all the time.  I really just need something that will create a spark once I turn the gas on, so it doesn't seem to make sense to buy a refillable lighter either.

My friend's going to let me borrow his food dehydrator this week so I'm looking to dry a bunch of foods before getting started.  I'm definitely going to start with some jalapenos, and dried fruit, but as a vegetarian jerky's out.  Any other suggestions for good foods that dry well?

Any suggestions in general for living well on a long road trip?

Edit:  As someone else mentioned a solar panel.  Any advice for shopping for a solar panel, or for how to mount on the car?

[Left]

This by choice? And what kind of car, namely how big is it?

For the fire, I'd get a survival knife with a fire sparker on it somewhere. The knife will be useful for random things, and you can get spark off it too. I'd get a mylar blanket to stay warm at night (if climate needs it). Depending on how much you plan on working out of the car and how much money you can sink into it, a solar panel attached to a car battery can power a laptop/lamp at night.

Canned items do well too. Canned beans and rice last a while and just need to be heated/hydrated. Also powder milk or that stuff that already liquid that last months, I forgot it's name though. And if you can fit it somewhere, a rain barrel? Might help with washing dishes and clothes, not to cook/drink though. But if you plan to go into town/have access to regular shower/laundry mat this isn't going to be as important.

I never lived out of a car, but those are things that I used when camping before for a week. Food/water/warmth are the most important. And a good emergency/weather radio or a shortwave/cb radio if your cell phone doesn't get signal out there.

[Half-Borg]

why don't you buy groceries as you go along?

For the spark, buy a fire starter: http://www.harborfreight.com/magnesium-fire-starter-66560.html

You can also preserve most foods without drying them, by putting them in a jar and backing them for a couple of minutes, they last up to a year, especially with no meat!

[Russ]

Depending on the type of camp stove, you might be able to keep using one of those long stick lighters after it's run out of gas. The spark from the piezo comes out at the tip, and that alone was enough to light our propane grill a few times last summer.

Have fun and keep us posted.

[jpo]

Ken Ilgunas had some recent posts on his site about preparing for long trips. http://www.kenilgunas.com/p/walking-keystone-xl.html

[spider1204]

This by choice? And what kind of car, namely how big is it?

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.  It's a Volvo V70 wagon, big enough to have my mattress in the back, and a small amount of storage.

Powdered and condensed milk?  Can those be used as an equivalent for milk in things like pancakes?

why don't you buy groceries as you go along?

I plan to do so pretty frequently, but also plan to stay in some location that may be up to 30 minutes away from a grocery store for months at time, and would just like to try and minimize driving if possible.

I do have a bunch of mason jars, so you put the food in first then bake them?

[spider1204]

Depending on the type of camp stove, you might be able to keep using one of those long stick lighters after it's run out of gas. The spark from the piezo comes out at the tip, and that alone was enough to light our propane grill a few times last summer.

Any idea what brand of lighter you had?  Whichever one I had wasn't doing the trick, but I like this idea, my stove is pretty similar to a propane grill.

[unpolloloco]

Could always use the trusty bunsen burner striker from chemistry class...
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Max-24172-Striker-Replacement/dp/B005TGNFE8/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379344725&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=bunsen+burner+striker

Also, the BBQ lighters (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Fireplaces-Lighters-Flame-Safety-Adjustable/dp/B0028Q06F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379344782&sr=8-1&keywords=stick+lighter) tend to last quite a while.  Buy those in store though.

[Russ]

Depending on the type of camp stove, you might be able to keep using one of those long stick lighters after it's run out of gas. The spark from the piezo comes out at the tip, and that alone was enough to light our propane grill a few times last summer.

Any idea what brand of lighter you had?  Whichever one I had wasn't doing the trick, but I like this idea, my stove is pretty similar to a propane grill.

No idea, probably some generic store brand. If you need more oomph you could buy an aftermarket pushbutton grill starter. Just a spark without the pretense of being a lighter, and you might be able to permanently attach it to your stove.

[Half-Borg]

I do have a bunch of mason jars, so you put the food in first then bake them?

Yep, the food is sterile after cooking anyway, so they baking is more about the jar and the air you brought in while opening it. You can also just put the jar in boiling water, might be handy along the way.
I preserve noodle sauces with lots of mushrooms, tomatoes and other vegetables, lots of vitamins. Get your calories from noodles/rice.
Also be aware that you either have to eat the whole jar in a day or two or re-preserve it every time you opened it.

Does your camp stove run on fuel? You can save money by not buying cartridges. Instead just fill a canister every time you stop at a gas station.
I own this little guy: http://www.mec.ca/product/4004-857/msr-whisperlite-stove/?f=10+50130+50491
Highly recommend it!

Are you going to buy water? You can also disinfect water by boiling it, but check with a local ranger, I hear there are some diseases around that might not be killed by boiling.

Boiling all that water is wasteful on gas, so it might be worth to set up a campfire every couple of days and concentrate your cooking and boiling there. Just reheat the other days. (check local rules on campfires and don't burn the whole forest down)

EDIT:
about the spark, if you have a lighter with a button like this one http://www.allmystery.de/dateien/uh60967,1284658989,Feuerzeug_4a4e58235f541.jpg, break it open and get the button thing, it has a small wire attached, at which end the spark comes out :P
EDIT2: It has to empty before you break it !!!

[Megatron]

I just want to say that I'm super envious of your car camping / climbing trip.
my only recommendation is to goto an asian ethnic store and get a bunch of dry seeweed. I've done a lot of backpacking myself. you can basically put them on anything. soups, sandwiches, goes with any legumes as a wrap. They weight virtually nothing and packs really small. They even have ones that are seasoned that you can eat as a snack.

[Left]

Powdered and condensed milk?  Can those be used as an equivalent for milk in things like pancakes?

should be fine, i cook with it but not pancakes

[Russ]

Powdered and condensed milk?  Can those be used as an equivalent for milk in things like pancakes?

Yeah, no problem. the milk doesn't actually do anything, just adds taste. You could use water and they'd even turn out alright, texture at least

[theSchmett]

Matches available free pretty much... everywhere. Another commenter mentioned the sparker on a long lighter, that should work too.

Have fun!

[bogart]

In your shoes, I think I'd buy a DC to AC power converter/inverter and buy (at least) a cheap electric teapot.  There's a lot you can do with boiling water, and having the option of plugging in the kettle is an (easier?) alternative to the stove.  Of course if you'll be somewhere that power is available, even intermittently (e.g. a bathhouse), you can skip the converter and just get the kettle.

Have fun!

[sandiahiker]

A couple of cheap lighters will last a very long time.  I'm thinking months and months.  Don't sweat the lighters. 

Whole foods sells dehydrated veggies in their bulk aisle.  At first the price of $12/pound seems like a lot, but when re-hydrated, they become ten times as heavy, so you are effectively paying $1.20/pound for fresh veggies that last for months.

Mark

[shadowmoss]

Get a gravity flow water filter like a Playtypus(sp?) or Sawyer to have safe water without boiling.  You can also get purification tablets.

[daverobev]

You can also get a refillable lighter. Matches are good - use an old paracetamol bottle + lighting strip, keeps everything dry. Magnesium is good.

Powdered milk - we're actually thinking about moving to that at home. 10:1 ratio of water to powder, make it up COLD (so don't make a cup of tea then add powdered milk, it won't dissolve!), and only as much as you need. Instead of 4l (4l = $4 here, 2l = $3, 1l = $2..) which sometimes goes off before we use it, we just make up 500ml or so.

Thinking about trading in my Crown Vic for a Dodge Grand Caravan so I can go for trips... Good luck!

Oh yeah, I looked into a $100 cooler. Thermatron P96? Nope.. Koolatron P20, here we go: http://www.amazon.ca/Koolatron-P20-Compact-Cooler/dp/B00009PGNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379355223&sr=8-2&keywords=koolatron

[Half-Borg]

Get a gravity flow water filter like a Playtypus(sp?) or Sawyer to have safe water without boiling.  You can also get purification tablets.

Sure waterfilters are great! I think boiling is easier, than getting another thing, but YMMV.
I don't like the purification tablets, crazy chemical stuff, what kills germs kills people too.

I once tried powerded milk, the most disgusting stuff I ever ate :-! but I might have got the wrong brand. I just avoid milk altogether.

In your shoes, I think I'd buy a DC to AC power converter/inverter and buy (at least) a cheap electric teapot.

So you convert gas to heat, convert that to rotational energy, convert that to 12V, put in a battery, get it out of the battery and convert it to 230V and then convert it to heat? Sounds nice. ;)
Seriously it depends how much hot water you need. If you're firing up your stove for every cup of coffee, a electric tea pot might be better. If you do all cooking and boiling in one session, using the stove is much more effective.

While we're at it: Don't drain your cars battery, turn your car on at least once a week and let it run for at least 20 minutes. Best combined with some driving, better for the engine too.

I like planning for such a trip, guess I should go head out for myself!

[spider1204]

Get a gravity flow water filter like a Playtypus(sp?) or Sawyer to have safe water without boiling.  You can also get purification tablets.

Sure waterfilters are great! I think boiling is easier, than getting another thing, but YMMV.
I don't like the purification tablets, crazy chemical stuff, what kills germs kills people too.

I agree, but don't think it'll have to come to this, I think you're all envisioning me roughing it a bit more than reality.  Most places I'll be staying at should have running potable water.

So you convert gas to heat, convert that to rotational energy, convert that to 12V, put in a battery, get it out of the battery and convert it to 230V and then convert it to heat? Sounds nice. ;)

Sometimes electricity is free with the camping though so sometimes I'm tempted but I don't think I'll have access to electricity enough to make it worthwhile.  Although I've thought about and someone was mentioning a solar panel, and there's a good chance my trip will take me to the desert so that'd probably work pretty well.  Any suggestions on how to go about shopping a solar panel?  Mount to the roof?

[Russ]

PM Bakari and Nords. I'm pretty sure they've done big solar panel projects but they might not catch this.

[Jamesqf]

If (as it sounds like it is) you're going to be mostly away from population centers, I would forget sleeping in the car.  You will be much more comfortable in a tent.  (And you can take a small one backpacking, too.)  A lot of the less developed (that is, near good hiking/climbing places) National Forest/BLM camp sites are free to camp in, or you can generally camp most places away from main roads - check with the local Forest Service office/web site.  Was just out this past weekend in northeastern California: 5 humans, 6 horses, 8 dogs.

Look at backpacking stores for water filters.  Mine's about the size of a beer can.  For food, anything dried works fairly well.  Things like oatmeal, granola, trail mix, &c.  Also dried soup mixes, noodle dishes, and so on for variety.

[Left]

hm, I might be sounding redneck-ish, but if you are away from population centers, in wooded areas/or just farm land, where there's no one around. Get a pistol for wild animals too. But if you in a car you could drive off so it might not be a big deal for you. But for about a dime/bullet, having self defense is nice. And I'm not even a pro-gun person, but I do believe in safety if you will encounter wild animals. Duct tape is good for various things

solar panel, go to an RV store (where I am, we got a bass pro), they have them already made up, or you could buy one and build it. I'm not handy enough at electric work but the one I got cost me about $250 including battery cost a few years ago. It's made to be roof mounted, I just leave it inside my window and have it charge battery during the day. At night I have a lamp/laptop plugged into it and it can last hours, longer if it's just lamp. Depending on what you need to power, even small panel would work? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&searchTerm=solar+panel for examples/price

[Jamesqf]

hm, I might be sounding redneck-ish, but if you are away from population centers, in wooded areas/or just farm land, where there's no one around. Get a pistol for wild animals too.

Have to disagree.  My experience (years spent living out of car/motorcycle, plus much additional time spent camping/backpacking) is that you do not need any defense against wild animals (other than mosquitos, & blackflies in the northeast).  You're at far more risk from other humans.

[Half-Borg]

Guns are good for them too. :D
But I dont think a gun is necessary. If there is danger of bears, just store food away from you and your car.
As for people, I think cities are much more dangerous than campsites

[galliver]

I've used powdered milk in pancakes and it worked out great. This was when I realized that I can't make it through a half gallon or sometimes even a quart of milk before it went bad, so I started keeping the dry stuff around for cooking. Also keeping dried whole milk at work for my coffee. Works great (well, better than non-dairy creamer).

Given the season, get a good thermos. Maybe even two: big and little. Boil a bunch of water at once and fill 'er up. Should still be hot enough to brew tea or coffee, make ramen, soup, or mashed potatoes, etc. at least until lunchtime (maybe even dinner). You can also fill it up at a gas station, saving yourself the water-heating.

Sounds to me like you need to program in a meal of beans for every day.

[kimmarg]

This by choice? And what kind of car, namely how big is it?

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.  It's a Volvo V70 wagon, big enough to have my mattress in the back, and a small amount of storage.

Powdered and condensed milk?  Can those be used as an equivalent for milk in things like pancakes?

why don't you buy groceries as you go along?

I plan to do so pretty frequently, but also plan to stay in some location that may be up to 30 minutes away from a grocery store for months at time, and would just like to try and minimize driving if possible.

I do have a bunch of mason jars, so you put the food in first then bake them?

NO YOU CANNOT JUST BAKE FOOD IN MASON JARS! Sorry not to go Psycho on you but this is a great way to get food posioning. Food needs to be preserved in a boiling water bath (most fruit, jam, pickles) or pressure canner (meat fish veggies).  This is completely not worth the effort if your goal is to be a 'climbing bum'. If you want to just keep leftovers in mason jars in a cooler for tomorrow, have at it, but don't try to do stuff for long term storage.

Yes, powdered milk and water substitutes for regular milk in everything. Most folks don't like it for cereal unless it's chilled, although I personally don't mind it. 1/3c powder + 1c water = 1c milk. I use it at home. Note it is not always cheaper than just buying milk although it has an indefinite shelf life.  Condensed milk is typically sweetened and isn't good for much other than coffee.  Evaporated milk can also be mixed with water to sub for milk but it is usually more expensive than powdered.

Peanut butter and tortillas are your friends. Also large batch of rice and beans. Yes, dry beans are cheaper but they will take forever on a camp stove. You could do bean hole beans if you have a big fire pit. I completely recommend getting a two burner propane stove. They are about $30 at Walmart and I can cook everything I do at home  in it.

[Half-Borg]

NO YOU CANNOT JUST BAKE FOOD IN MASON JARS!

Why not? Baking is hotter than boiling.

I also think non-meat foods smell bad before they are dangerous. I never had food poising. But yes read up on it yourself and try it out at home, better to be sick in civilization.

[Mini-Mer]

NO YOU CANNOT JUST BAKE FOOD IN MASON JARS!

Why not? Baking is hotter than boiling.

I also think non-meat foods smell bad before they are dangerous. I never had food poising. But yes read up on it yourself and try it out at home, better to be sick in civilization.

I'm not an experienced canner, but the first thing that comes to my mind: baking is slower than boiling or pressure-cooking.

I have had garden-variety food poisoning from non-meat food that did not smell/taste off.  It was an extremely unpleasant couple of days, and I would not knowingly risk that again.

Botulism is not garden-variety food poisoning - it can paralyze or kill.  And it's a known hazard of canning food.  I second kimmarg's warning: BAKING FOOD IN MASON JARS IS NOT A SAFE PRESERVATION TECHNIQUE. 

[stinkindog]

this is too easy and nearly free.
http://mobilerik.com/1605/backpacking-diy-alcohol-stove-cat-food-can/

this guy has lots of good info.
have fun.

[MissStache]

I do have a bunch of mason jars, so you put the food in first then bake them?

Yep, the food is sterile after cooking anyway, so they baking is more about the jar and the air you brought in while opening it. You can also just put the jar in boiling water, might be handy along the way.
I preserve noodle sauces with lots of mushrooms, tomatoes and other vegetables, lots of vitamins. Get your calories from noodles/rice.
Also be aware that you either have to eat the whole jar in a day or two or re-preserve it every time you opened it.

I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE NOT DEAD!  This is seriously unsafe, please don't do this!  You may not have gotten botulism yet, but it is only a matter of time.  Please read these USDA guidelines on canning and throw out everything that you have done this way!

http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_canning.html

[Roland of Gilead]

Might be a bit large for you but Costco recently had a sale on #10 cans of dried fruits, veggies and cheese.  I have been munching on the dehydrated strawberries (opened just to see how they tasted) and they are pretty good.  The dehydrated cheddar cheese tastes like these cheese straw things my mom used to make.

Your local Mormon community center might have a good selection of dehydrated items and even ways to can them for your trip.  I have never been to one but have heard about them.

[Half-Borg]

Ok I guess you are right. Botulism sounds serious.

But I still don't get WHY boiling is better than baking.
If I didn't miss anything here there is no pressure cooker involved, so the contents can only be heated up to 100°C.
As stated here Botulism is killed at 121°C, which can easly be reached in an oven. Might take longer than 3 minutes though.
On the same page it says the toxin is destroyed by cooking. I usally heat everything to a boil anyway, so that might have saved me.

Stop the screaming I got your point, I just want to understand, what I should do and why.

To the OP: Don't listen to me, buy a freaking book and read up on yourself. I going to do that myself. I might be doing things right by accident, I also might have had a lot of luck, I'm not sure yet.

[Sparafusile]

I'll mostly be cooking with a camp stove, and have been using a lighter to get it started, but it seems silly to keep buying those cheap disposable lighters all the time.  I really just need something that will create a spark once I turn the gas on, so it doesn't seem to make sense to buy a refillable lighter either.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Outdoor-Picnic-Gas-Burner-Portable-Camping-Mini-Steel-Stove-Case-Hot-Silver-/310684122642?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4856377e12

I've seen a lot of reviews of these here and there. It has a button you can push to light the fire and is made out of stainless and aluminium. Packs really small and the best thing is the price tag of $9 shipped. I'm planning to bike across America next year so I'm going to get one a test it out.

[Hamster]

Ok I guess you are right. Botulism sounds serious.

But I still don't get WHY boiling is better than baking.
If I didn't miss anything here there is no pressure cooker involved, so the contents can only be heated up to 100°C.
As stated here Botulism is killed at 121°C, which can easly be reached in an oven. Might take longer than 3 minutes though.
On the same page it says the toxin is destroyed by cooking. I usally heat everything to a boil anyway, so that might have saved me.

Stop the screaming I got your point, I just want to understand, what I should do and why.

To the OP: Don't listen to me, buy a freaking book and read up on yourself. I going to do that myself. I might be doing things right by accident, I also might have had a lot of luck, I'm not sure yet.

Yes, the inside of the oven can be 450 degrees, but what is the internal temperature of the food?
If your food contains water, the internal temperature will max out at the boiling point i.e. ~100 celsius. After that, the temperature inside the food won't go up until all the water has boiled off and you will be left with a hockey puck - maybe a sterile hockey puck, but unfortunately inedible.

The only way to get teh temperature of your food to 121 degrees celsius is with a pressure cooker. Depending on acidity/sugar content, you might not need a pressure cooker, but follow published safety guidelines. Death by botulism in the back of a Volvo would be totally uncool.

[spider1204]

If (as it sounds like it is) you're going to be mostly away from population centers, I would forget sleeping in the car.  You will be much more comfortable in a tent.

I will probably try this once I get out to the desert, but at least for the first destination (Red River Gorge, KY) the campground gets really wet and doesn't drain very well so I'll probably stick to the car for a while.

For a stove, I've already got a coleman dual fuel stove from a yard sale, it's bulky but I don't really plan on backpacking yet.

To the OP: Don't listen to me, buy a freaking book and read up on yourself. I going to do that myself. I might be doing things right by accident, I also might have had a lot of luck, I'm not sure yet.

Don't worry, it surprised me when you first mentioned the baking as well since I'd never heard of it, but I am curious as well as to the reasons why it doesn't work when it seems like it might.

Overall, I plan on eating a lot of rice+lentils, peanut noodles, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit and pancakes.  However, it'd be nice to be able to avoid going to the grocery store every week for perishables like jalapenos, garlic, carrots, milk, eggs, and cheese.  I'll probably just use powdered milk for cooking and just reduce how much eggs and cheese I eat, but would like to figure out how to make the vegetables last.

[Russ]

Overall, I plan on eating a lot of rice+lentils, peanut noodles, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit and pancakes.  However, it'd be nice to be able to avoid going to the grocery store every week for perishables like jalapenos, garlic, carrots, milk, eggs, and cheese.  I'll probably just use powdered milk for cooking and just reduce how much eggs and cheese I eat, but would like to figure out how to make the vegetables last.

I thought part of the point of cheese was that it was in a more preserved state than the milk it's made from? Hard cheeses especially. Could be way wrong though.

[spider1204]

Overall, I plan on eating a lot of rice+lentils, peanut noodles, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit and pancakes.  However, it'd be nice to be able to avoid going to the grocery store every week for perishables like jalapenos, garlic, carrots, milk, eggs, and cheese.  I'll probably just use powdered milk for cooking and just reduce how much eggs and cheese I eat, but would like to figure out how to make the vegetables last.

I thought part of the point of cheese was that it was in a more preserved state than the milk it's made from? Hard cheeses especially. Could be way wrong though.

Ya, definitely true, I know cheddar will last at least a few days without refrigeration but am not sure what the real limits are.  Maybe, I'll have to start using a harder cheese like parmesan. 

[daverobev]

The drier the cheese, the longer it'll store. So parmesan is good. Cream cheese not :)

Botulism is tomatoes. Canning other stuff is less problematic. But still - just get dried food from the supermarket. I was watching a Youtube vid of a guy making couscous very simply - he'd made a heat-retaining envelope (like bubblewrap but with, ah what's that stuff called.. reflectix), so he'd boil water, pour hot water into a ziplock containing couscous + cup-a-soup, seal it up, put that bag into the heat-bag, wait 10 minutes or whatever, then eat - hot, tasty. Nutritious? Well, not amazing, but ok! He also had tuna he'd put in, and so on.

One cool thing is a Trangia alcohol stove. If you were to backpack, it will boil water or fry eggs or whatever. Very small. For day hikes more I guess.

Our stomachs are amazing. They are very tolerant. Yes, don't TRY to eat mouldy bad smelling stuff. But.. don't fret. Too much. Either. ("I don't know how you're not dead!111" lol... :))

[Hamster]

Botulism is tomatoes. Canning other stuff is less problematic.

Sorry, but that's simply wrong. Tomatoes are lower risk for botulism than most canned veggies (if you call tomatoes a vegetable) because of their acidity. But it is still recommended to acidify them when canning.

Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn and is caused by failure to follow proper canning methods. However, seemingly unlikely or unusual sources are found every decade, with the common problem of improper handling during manufacture, at retail, or by consumers; some examples are chopped garlic in oil, canned cheese sauce, chile peppers, tomatoes, carrot juice, and baked potatoes wrapped in foil. In Alaska, foodborne botulism is caused by fermented fish and other aquatic game foods.

[Mini-Mer]

Seconding Hamster:

Tomatoes are not the only canned food that causes botulism, or even the leading cause among home-canned vegetables.  (Source: Table 3 of this article, which I found via the CDC.)  I'm sorry for the continued canning derail, but safe food preservation techniques are part of the reason botulism is rare, and it is not a trivial illness.  People are shouting for a reason.

On the main subject... At my normal household temperatures (~63 to 83F), potatoes and winter squashes keep for months, and onions last weeks.  Citrus fruits will keep for a while, too.  Dried jalapenos are readily available.  What about kale chips, which are basically kale with oil and salt, dried in the oven?  I've also heard of making spinach and kale flakes, to be used like parsley.

Edited to fix link - thanks, Daverobev!

[chardog]

Depending on the type of camp stove, you might be able to keep using one of those long stick lighters after it's run out of gas. The spark from the piezo comes out at the tip, and that alone was enough to light our propane grill a few times last summer.

Any idea what brand of lighter you had?  Whichever one I had wasn't doing the trick, but I like this idea, my stove is pretty similar to a propane grill.

No idea, probably some generic store brand.

Any stick lighter will keep lighting a gas stove even after the lighter is out of fuel.

For milk, I like the non refrigerated boxes (milk or soy milk) that you don't need to refrigerate until you open them.  I say some at the dollar store which is a good deal.  More convenient than powdered milk

[Gerard]

You might want to do a bunch of sprouting, which will turn easy-to-store but long-to-cook ingredients into something crunchier and faster-cooking.
wrt cheese, real parmesan will last a very long time without refrigeration, unless you're somewhere very very hot and humid.
I would purify water with bleach, then aerate it to evaporate the bleach before I drink. You need very tiny amounts:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/Factsheets/WaterPurification.aspx

[daverobev]

Seconding Hamster:

Tomatoes are not the only canned food that causes botulism, or even the leading cause among home-canned vegetables.  (Source: Table 3 of this article, which I found via the CDC.)  I'm sorry for the continued canning derail, but safe food preservation techniques are part of the reason botulism is rare, and it is not a trivial illness.  People are shouting for a reason.

Link doesn't work? Ah, http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320287

I have no idea why someone living in a car or van would try to preserve their own food. Ok, botulism isn't tomatoes, that was a bad line (with that table, its asparagus and corn, mostly! Interesting).

I was mostly trying to gently mock "I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" - look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_preventable_causes_of_death#Leading_causes_in_the_United_States it's all smoking, drinking, or eating too much.

[NWstubble]

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.

When you get to Smith Rock, let me know. I'll come climb with you.

[shadowmoss]

A lot of backpackers recommend Nido dried milk as the best kind.  I actually prefer the version for toddlers as it is a bit sweeter.

[spider1204]

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.

When you get to Smith Rock, let me know. I'll come climb with you.

Ya, for sure, when's the season for Smith Rock btw?

[GuitarStv]

You might want to do a bunch of sprouting, which will turn easy-to-store but long-to-cook ingredients into something crunchier and faster-cooking.

I'd be careful about eating sprouts.  Typically you have to keep stuff warm and damp for an extended period of time to get it to sprout.  Great growing environment for E. Coli and Salmonella, so there's risk if you don't thoroughly cook them.  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sprouts-germes-eng.php

[NWstubble]

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.

When you get to Smith Rock, let me know. I'll come climb with you.

Ya, for sure, when's the season for Smith Rock btw?

Year round.
http://smithrockclimbing.com/about-us/smith-rocks-climbing-seasons/
I figured an indefinite climb trip will eventually pass through Smith. If you aren't familiar, here is a decent link for info. http://www.smithrock.com/

[spider1204]

Ya, I'm headed on an indefinite climbing trip.

When you get to Smith Rock, let me know. I'll come climb with you.

Ya, for sure, when's the season for Smith Rock btw?

Year round.
http://smithrockclimbing.com/about-us/smith-rocks-climbing-seasons/
I figured an indefinite climb trip will eventually pass through Smith. If you aren't familiar, here is a decent link for info. http://www.smithrock.com/

Awesome!  Thanks for the info, that might have to happen this spring then!  Can't tear myself away from the Red for the fall.  I sent you a PM.