revtothelimit - motorbike forum

As I know that you are all athletes is the peak of your careers, I thought ask you a question.

I volunteer for the RNLI - when we have call outs they are known as “shouts”. These can be between 1 hr and maybe 9 - 10 hours in the ALB. Obviously Lifeboats are not equipped with a Meghan Markle / Jamie Oliver kitchens. Basically there is a hot water urn. And that is it. Nutrition on long shouts is provided by pot noodles/ mini cheddars / Kit Kats.

This is far from ideal where folks may be being asked to perform in terrible conditions with some difficult issues and complex challenges to deal with - and perhaps over a long period of time.
People who are nutritionally in deficit don’t make decisions as well as they can.

One of our volunteers has been looking into this, and with my food industry head one we are pushing this more towards granola bars, flapjacks etc for slow energy release but with a quick energy hit.
I have also suggested that the boat carry’s glucose tablets and energy gels, as well as haribo and jelly babies!
I had a look at the hip and groovy cycling products - and the per use cost of the items is prohibitive.

For all of you performance athletes - I want something that is compact, water proof, lightish, high value nutrition/ energy and with long shelf life. And the ability to be undone with cold hands.

Any suggestions?

Porridge pots?

Expedition Foods / MRE's, mucho calories, some are pretty decent tasting, all you need is boiling water and they beat the snot out of pot noodles
https://expeditionfoods.com/collections/all-meals etc.

MrLongbeard wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:13 pm Expedition Foods / MRE's, mucho calories, some are pretty decent tasting, all you need is boiling water and they beat the snot out of pot noodles
https://expeditionfoods.com/collections/all-meals etc.

Unfortunately not at 10 GBP a pop !

weeksy wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:12 pmPorridge pots?

Possibility. Off to have a look

Nine hours, in gale force winds on towering waves?

I'd be more concerned about the toilet facilities ...

Horse wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:48 pm Nine hours, in gale force winds on towering waves?

I'd be more concerned about the toilet facilities ...

Just assume they are very basic,
And these folks volunteer to do it !

Serious answer, well question: has 'head office' not looked at this?

I know nurthing about cooking and nutrition, but could a combination of (as mentioned) pot noodles and porridge for hot food, along with home-made flapjacks* or similar do the job?

* Made in bulk, frozen in batches. Might be able to get a local cafe / restaurant / bakery to do the cooking for you (bigger ovens).

Flapjacks. Preferably homemade as the shop "bars" tend to be a UPF nightmare. Spoonful of peanut butter for savoury hit?

Horse wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:48 pm Nine hours, in gale force winds on towering waves?

I'd be more concerned about the toilet facilities ...

I think food would be the last thing on my mind after the first hour.

Any chance of getting a microwave on board. There are some that don't have the rotating platter*, so would be safer.

* Well, I had one, years ago

Then you could heat a range of stuff. Just need one crew member to grab a bag on the way onboard.

Horse wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 6:41 pm Any chance of getting a microwave on board. There are some that don't have the rotating platter*, so would be safer.

* Well, I had one, years ago

Then you could heat a range of stuff. Just need one crew member to grab a bag on the way onboard.

Not a chance - space/ safety/ environment etc

Horse wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:53 pm Serious answer, well question: has 'head office' not looked at this?

I know nurthing about cooking and nutrition, but could a combination of (as mentioned) pot noodles and porridge for hot food, along with home-made flapjacks* or similar do the job?

I need to double check but there is high chance that the crew are paying for the refreshments on board. We actually get nothing for free - we have a crew fund to pay for tea and coffee n stuff. Hence the cost issue

Home made flapjacks are a nice idea - but they wont last long enough / survive the battering they might get in the boat

Google 'mountaineering food ideas'. Requirements are very similar. (I remember getting enough water boiled for the instant porage and couldn't be bothered boiling more so I chucked the hot chocolate powder and some dried fruit and nuts in. Delish. ). You might even approach the British Mountaineering Council - they used to have articles on nutrition in the 'Summit' magazine.

This is just the highlight from the Google query.

'For mountaineering food, focus on calorie-dense, lightweight, non-perishable items that provide a mix of carbohydrates, fats, and protein, such as dried fruit, nuts, jerky, energy bars, and freeze-dried meals. Also, pack a variety of satisfying snacks like chocolate, crackers, and hard candies for quick energy and to prevent food boredom.'

Mr Moofo wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 9:02 pm

Horse wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:53 pm Serious answer, well question: has 'head office' not looked at this?

I know nurthing about cooking and nutrition, but could a combination of (as mentioned) pot noodles and porridge for hot food, along with home-made flapjacks* or similar do the job?

I need to double check but there is high chance that the crew are paying for the refreshments on board. We actually get nothing for free - we have a crew fund to pay for tea and coffee n stuff. Hence the cost issue

Home made flapjacks are a nice idea - but they wont last long enough / survive the battering they might get in the boat

They can be made more solid so they don't crumble. Adding different things makes them more manageable in poor conditions (a mate makes some that are impossible to eat without a plate held under them - gorgeous, but impractical for ski touring or driving !! )

I do plan to make something similar to what you describe for transfer weekends - we don't have the high seas etc, but after last winter's over night stay in the bus, I want to carry something that I can have that offers decent (or reasonable) nutrition when having to stop somewhere for unknown time and not have to pack a shit load of sarnies or other real food !!)

If I succeed I'll let you know !


On the other hand - for the rest of the winter after the road block day, I carried at least one protein shake and a couple of protein bars in my bag. Not fab as full of sugar as well as the good stuffs, but as a back up, protein bars are probably not a bad shout (some are easier to open than others) and can often be bought on special in Lidl

Mr Moofo wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:02 pm Basically there is a hot water urn. And that is it. Nutrition on long shouts is provided by pot noodles/ mini cheddars / Kit Kats.

Stock up on the Beef & Tomato and the Bombay Bad Boy's... Sounds like heaven!

Joking aside... I understand the dilemma...

I know Matt who owns Torq Performance quite well. The bloke is a legend, but also an incredibly informative guy when it comes to nutrition... I've been lucky enough to sample quite a few products in the pre-production stages before, and must say I was very impressed with these...

https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-c ... plore-food

Also there's the legendary Torq flapjacks, which are not only incredibly tasty, but also more healthy than you could possibly imagine anything so tasty could be!

https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-c ... -flapjacks

Give Matt and his guys @ Torq a shout... They will do pretty decent discounts for bulk orders to be fair... Tell him Mark (formerly of) Schwalbe sent you...

Sarnies, cold pasta and pesto, tinned fish, fruits, cheese and crackers, mixed nuts with chocolate chips mixed in, all can be washed down with a tot of rum.

mboy wrote: Tue Sep 16, 2025 12:36 am Joking aside... I understand the dilemma...

I know Matt who owns Torq Performance quite well. The bloke is a legend, but also an incredibly informative guy when it comes to nutrition... I've been lucky enough to sample quite a few products in the pre-production stages before, and must say I was very impressed with these...

https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-c ... plore-food

Also there's the legendary Torq flapjacks, which are not only incredibly tasty, but also more healthy than you could possibly imagine anything so tasty could be!

https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-c ... -flapjacks

Give Matt and his guys @ Torq a shout... They will do pretty decent discounts for bulk orders to be fair... Tell him Mark (formerly of) Schwalbe sent you...

Will do?
When did you leave Schwalbe?

Mr Nozzle wrote: Tue Sep 16, 2025 7:25 am Sarnies, cold pasta and pesto, tinned fish, fruits, cheese and crackers, mixed nuts with chocolate chips mixed in, all can be washed down with a tot of rum.

Unlikely in a Force 9