>>771819Well, it would be really stupid to pick 8 food rations and sacrifice all the other critically important items. Even with all those calories, you would be burning most of it just keeping warm if you can't get a decent shelter, which requires tools.
If it were me I would pick at least the following:
1. sleeping bag
2. axe
3. pot
4. ferro rod
5. knife
6. tarp
7. paracord
8. gill net
9. saw
So really that leaves me with one choice for food, _but_ I'm weighing that against fishing line+hooks, or as Justin did, a hammock that can double as a gill net(that sneaky fucker). Can also get a lot of cordage out of a hammock if you get the right type(or make your own using a weaving pattern maximizing the length of cordage required).
Another factor I didn't take into account last time is that it lists it as a "mix" of pulses/legumes/lentils, so I don't know if technically that means you are required to have at least 2 or 3 types. Technically pulses and lentils are both legumes anyway, so I'm guessing they didn't think too much about that.
Anyway, as it so turns out the second highest calories per weight item I can think of also happens to be a legume: soybeans at 446 cal/100g. If they require a third type then chickpeas come in at 364 cal/100g. But they say nothing about the ratio for mixing, to technically you can throw in one chickpea and one soybean per ration pick and it can be called a "mix". Also chickpeas and soybeans require cooking, but peanuts can still be "dry" and roasted beforehand.
Still, worst case that one pic can still provide you with about 10k calories, so at 1000 calories a day that can keep you going(I would fatten myself up as much as possible before hand) for 10 days without too much trouble while you get all your shit sorted out and still have plenty of useful gear.
I'm sure with more effort one can think of many more and better ways to abuse the rules, but you have to do it in such a way that the producers don't catch wind.
