Don’t worry, keep reading—we’re not going to suggest you base your overland travel diet around salt pork and hardtack, as if you were a 17th century British seaman. (Although, on the bright side, they also got a ration of a gallon of beer. Daily.) Instead, we’re referring to modern long-distance sailors. Those who might be completely isolated for a month at a time or longer on extended offshore passages, but have nevertheless figured out how to stay much healthier and eat a lot better than their predecessors in His Majesty’s Navy. After all, gliding across the Pacific on the trade winds is much more pleasant if you’re not ridden with scurvy and picking lost teeth off the pillow each morning.
On long journeys away from re-supply options—whether powered by foresail or four-wheel drive—having fresh food available is the key to both healthy and satisfying meals. Like some sailboats, your vehicle might have a fridge/freezer; like others, it might have an ice chest—or you might have no cold storage at all. Even given a 60-quart dual-zone Engel, the more food you can bring that needs no refrigeration, the more space you’ll have for luxuries such as steak, ice cream, and that daily beer ration. You could accomplish, or augment, this using only canned and freeze-dried victuals, but there are better, tastier ways.
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