Does PB go well on gator?

Ditto. I didn't want to be the first guy to mention it (because I usually am :/) but I once read a summary of a study that indicated that even marathon runners and endurance athletes may be better off "fat loading" than "carb loading." Still, for survival rations I will admit that fat could turn rancid and might be harder to store. I like to keep things like Vienna Sausage, pouch tuna, Kipper snacks, Spam, nuts, mayo packets & jerky around. They're all foods that last and things that fit my normal eating style.

I also find that eating 300 calories of a food fairly high in fat satisfies my hunger a lot better than a similar amount of most high carb foods.

I have a question: Should I be thinking that protein is questionable for my long-term stores, or only start thinking that way if there isn't enough water available? I've always had a balanced diet as my LT food storage goal.

For short-term supplies, I usually take PB, jerky and/or nut and fruit trailmix for snacks, but I also pack Cliff bars or some other power or meal replacement bars for just-in case rations.

I can picture myself striding into the swamp with nothing but a jar of peanut butter, butter knife, and loaf of white bread to find out. LOL.

Some people use peanut butter in cooking and with meats, peanut butter pork and chicken get good reviews, but I've never liked it as a cooking ingredient. Peanut butter on crackers or bread, on celery or a banana, or in a PB&J, or course, is how I like it.

If anyone would like to come down here and see how slathering a gator's tail in peanut butter and taking a bite goes I think I can find a gator, there are a few locally. I'll provide the peanut butter, as long as you like creamy, and bread, as long as you like wheat. Bring your own butter knife.

I think people need to adapt the supplies and equipment to their own situation. I've a cousin who lives on the edge of a desert and he claims he would never go hungry in it. Roots, eatable plants, small game, and insects are, according to him, plentiful. Water is another thing altogether.

My post had become long enough without going into a detailed discussion of fat vs. carb for energy. Suffice to say, both will work but there is a difference between "workable" and "optimal". In a survival situation you have precious little control over many important factors, so it is a good move to optimize factors you can control, i.e. your emergency food stash. Look for some of Marc Twight's material on food strategies for high altitude alpinism, it is helpful.

From Golden & Tipton, p. 171:

"Historically, fat has been a favorite constituent of such rations because of its high energy density and flavor. To maintain blood glucose levels, however, a high carbohydrate diet rather than a high fat diet is the preferred way of providing energy..."

Read their book, it is extremely detailed and well researched. Golden is a MD and PhD with over 30 years in the British navy studying sea survival and survival physiology. Tipton is a PhD having over 20 years experience with Britain's Naval Medicine Institute.

Fat loading vs carb loading is not the issue here, nor is "optimal" (whatever choice of that term you mean) energy, or the low carb diet. All of these concepts assume that you are in a "normal" environment where water is readily available. Items like Datrix were designed for survival at sea. That requires some energy (potentially to keep warm or to maintain brain function) while essentially inactive. Water is assumed to be in short supply (since at sea it usually is). The amount of water required to DIGEST the carbs is significantly less than that required for fats or proteins. Even the type of carbs is an important choice for this use. It has nothing to do with how dry your mouth feels after you have eaten the food.

For most long term food storage problems, Datrix is not the best choice. For some short term problems like flying (where you might easily be stranded in a low water situation) or at sea, where you will certainly have a shortage of water the Datrix is far preferable. These survival foods are designed to use little water to digest, be easy on the gut, last for a long time in bad storage conditions (have you ever opened a lifeboat on a tropical cruise?), and with rough handling (like the seat pack of an ejection seat). They must also meet the needs of people with common food alergys (say peanuts) and religeous preferences. You may make your own selections there.

The Skippy or Datrix question cannot be answered without knowing what situation you are in. In my car in Florida (as Art pointed out) the Skippy is just great(although I prefer The Peanut Butter Company Bee's Knees). In my Cessna flying over Arizona (or even much of the great plains) I would be much better off with Datrix bars.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I went back and re-read this section in the Golden/Tipton book. My initial post was not quite accurate on this point. Both carbohydrates and fats release water into the body when metabolized, it is protein that is the water hog when digested. I didn't want my post to mislead anyone.

Protein digestion yields urea which is toxic and it takes a fair amount of water to clear urea from the body. Carbs provide easy energy faster and are recommended by Golden/Tipton over fats & protein.

Metabolizing carbs & fats can yield 300-500mL of available water per day. Combined with a survival water ration of 500mL, this additional metabolic water can be a significant factor in surviving dehydration.

Nobody's mentioned jelly. I need jelly too dangit! What's the shelf life on it? I don't need bread as I'll put it on crackers, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, etc., so I'll find something that stores longer than bread, but I got to have jelly!

All good points, and there are situational considerations as you and others point out. Dehydration for example; where I live, I am far more likely to drown than die of dehydration. Even rudimentary purification equipment would prevent dehydration in most of this state. Remember too that peanut butter is about 50% carbs and 50% protein. Two Tbls of PB spread on an ounce of hardtack or bannock, the carb content about triples to 75% carbs/25% protein.

I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist. The main point of my original post was that PB is portable, shelf-stabil, and provides a whole lot of food energy and flexibility at less than 20% of the cost of similar calories in those coconut food bars.

Jelly stores well until opened. Honey stored pretty much indefinitely but required extra care for kids and immune-compromised.