I just swapped out my MRE supply. It's a 7 day supply, not too bulky. I rotate them on 36 month basis and I've decided I want to up the cycle time to at least 48 months, if not 60 months. Cooler storage = more shelf life. I know that.

Here's the problem. I really don't have a "cool dry place" to store them. My woodstove is in the basement, which is wonderful, but the basement is 75+ degrees all winter long. My attic is cool and dry in the winter, but an inferno in the summer (130+ degrees). My garage is too hot and too cold no matter what time of year. I don't really want to spend the time hauling from place to place, I have a small house and allocating space is a big issue.

We are seriously thinking of digging a "root closet" directly out from my basement under the garage slab (garage is attached) - but I'm wondering if I'm missing some obvious ideas here. Can't involve electricity.

I don't have any bright ideas, but I have eaten MRE's from when my dad was in. We store them in the garage. They were all 10+ years old. I was fine. This was in Southern California, so you know they had some heat.

You should be fine in the basement, particularly with your conservative cycle time. To dampen the heat peaks, consider placing the MRS's in some kind of insulated container and keep them as low as possible. "Insulated container" could be nested cardboard boxes with stuffed newspaper for insulation, if you want to save money.

I am sure a good many MREs are kept in less optimum conditions than those which you describe.

That would cover the "cool" but how dry? Aside from the moisture in the soil, if the access to the "root closet" is from the basement, would warm moist air get into the "root closet" and condense in the cooler "closet?"

In my basement the floor is always quite cool even when the basement heat is on. Perhaps the floor would provide the "cool" and the insulated boxes provide protection from the heat. Just watch the moisture in there. I have continuing problems with dampness in the basement. . .and the consequent problems of mold.

use a cooler. It's waterproof, right? And theoretically should dampen the temperature swings somewhat.

Ah! A cooler-like box I can build and park in my workshop. It would be open to my basement floor(extremely dry because I spent a fortune on a french drain) - that would work well and keep the mice out...

IIRC you have a large deck out back, is that enclosed or open underneath ?

If it's enclosed you could probably build a little storage area under there, and it would stay nice and cold during winter, and during summer move the ice chest w/MRE to basement.

-Todd

Yeah, that's a PITA. Really a simple box, lined with some reflective insulation and plopped onto the floor will be just perfect. I even know where it will fit - back by the oil tank in this kind of almost-dead corner and furthest from the wood stove. I even have a way to vent in some cool air in winter when the stove is blasting (sounds odd, I know) and in summer, it's always cool in the basement anyway. Definitely can get a steady 60 degrees in there, maybe a little less.

If you're going to build a box, store a few gallons of water in there with it. Water is great thermal mass, not only will it help to moderate the temperature, you'll probably want some water when you're eating anyway.

Also a great place to store the wine!