Next summer I am planning to go on a 15 day trip.  I'm thinking that's a lot of bread for  PB & J lunches.  Way back in the last 80's I remember having pilot crackers(biscuits).  Thought that might be an alternative to bread or boxes of saltines (less bulky  ? ).  Thinking of weight too.

Anyone had them lately?  Tasty?  What's been your experience?

Thanks

 When I was in the service (ARMY), we had what they called survival biscuits/hardtack or "pilot biscuits" in some field rations.
  I remember that they were shelf stable, but hard as rocks and tasteless.  That was in the late 60's, so maybe the newer versions are better?
 I found these by Rich-moor, at the Campmor web site. I guess you could order a few different brands and do a taste test before you go.

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These come 16 to a 7.5 oz bag, so depending on size of biscuit, I'm thinking you'd eat at least 2 of them with condiments?
 I'm into the healthy eating thing, so the list of ingredients is a red flag for me, but everyone has different ideas on this.
 I think Ranger was on to something with the flat bread idea? Or to be more specific, how about Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas?
 I have some in my fridge, there salad plate size, very healthy and being stone ground whole wheat, there loaded with COMPLEX carbs for long term energy.
 Figuring one tortilla per person, with condiments, They might be worth a look? Being flat, they will pack well, keep there shape and last for a couple of weeks, unless there in high heat.
 I take these for lunch, I bring Venison sticks, one per tortilla and 2 small rounds of those wax covered cheeses, cut in half.
 Le us know how your biscuit tests come out. Hopefully there better than I remember

I too have had pilot biscuits AKA hardtack in MRE's (solo, things apparently haven't changed much since the 60s) They are terrible. Original hardtack was designed to be soaked in grog (rum cut 50/50 w/water) to soften it up so keep that in mind while ingesting them. I'd suggest soft taco shells or pita bread. Keep in an air tight container and you should be good for 15 days, just make sure its the last item you buy and make sure it has an expiration date close to your 15th day (or beyond, I dont really know how far out they put expiration dates on bread).

Another thought is bringing bisquik type baking flour to make breadish food for pb&j....not sure what the weight to produced product is on that, but it might be worth looking into

Monjon,
Your very welcome!
I take 2 pkg of either the Tortillas/Whole Wheat Pita/Whole Wheat Wrap Bread ( very thin like tortilla) for 2 week trip, 1 piece per day.
They usually come about 8 per pkg. In Mid-May when I normally go, they stay good for 4-5 days once open and if kept as cool as possible.
After that they get a few green spots, which I tell myself is penicillin, and I eat them anyway
 So, I would take Drewfus's idea about the expiration date, PLUS I would repackage the bread in a vacuum seal bag, say 4-5 days worth for the two of you. I use plastic Sterilite boxes in my food pack, and so I made a protective cover for the round flat breads. I took 2 pieces of flat cardboard and duct tape 3 sides and put the bread in. I then stand the cardboard on end and on the outside of box. This keeps them from getting mashed.

Drefus:  Knowing the government, and the shelf life of Hardtack, I would be surprised if the stuff you had in your MRE's WAS from the 60's  In the 60's with the Vietnam war raging, they tried to keep cost's down.  2x a week we had WW2 era K rations made into cafeteria lunch!  They took the condiment packages and put them out on a table for anyone too take.  Everybody smoked in the WW2 era, so they had a 4 pack of cigarettes in the K rations.  I smoked for a couple of years while in the service, as most of the guys did. These 4 packs of cigarettes were Lucky Strike GREEN and were non -filtered ! Not only were they 20+ years old, they were so STRONG, we smoked them to get a nicotine BUZZ  If you were man enough to smoke them, you were man enough for just about anything!

That picture says it all
Maybe this is why the original hardtack was soaked in Grog, that made them at least palatable.

I started out using English Muffins but switched to flat bread. Flat bread works better for me, moister than E-M, especially with PBJ. Both pack well. Used them with summer sausage and cheese, or PBJ. Soft wraps work good to, couscous and some left over fried fish.

I've gone to skipping the lunch stuff while soling and just snack; GORP, Cliff bars, Jerky.

jjcanoeguide, thanks for the vacuum seal idea.  I'll have to test it out.

Thanks again everyone for your info.

You could always carry flour to make your own flat bread it takes up very little room in the pack, and it's always fresh. I'll usually make enough for the evening meal and for lunch the next day to go with PB&J, hummus, tuna fish or sausage and cheese.

Last year I saw these Swedish Wasa "crispbreads" at local Big Lots store (St. Louis, MO area) and decided to give them a try. They are very thick "crackers" which held up well in the food pack, tasted OK (a little bland by themselves) and we ate them with sliced summer sausage and sliced "waxed cheeses" that others have mentioned. Might want to find some and try out at home. (Don't know how widely they are sold.) Here is website with pictures of product & packaging.

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Those look real good !

A durable baked good is the bagel.  Thousands of years of proven performance.  I'm talking about real bagels, not the WonderBread-itized bagels which dominate the supermarket shelves.  I find the cheapest generic/store brand bagels are the most durable you can get at the supermarket.  (If you're lucky enough to be near a kosher bakery, get your bagels there.)

It is the only bread I do not have to worry about its location in the food pack.  Practically indestructible, maintains its integrity after numerous crush cycles, versatile enough for every meal, comes in plain and flavored.  Nothing comes close, IMO.

I always go with the WHOLE WHEAT whether in pita bread, flat breads,  wraps or the timeless bagel. The difference in taste and nutritional value over white bread is substantial and does make a difference in keeping your energy level from spiking as it would with simple carbs.

Wendy

do you pack the cracker in a hard sided container to keep them from crushing?