Bulk survival food review

Starting an emergency food supply is one of the most important things you can do to prepare.

Yet trying to figure out the best emergency food can be a daunting task. There are several options for long-term emergency food:

• canned goods,
• Homemade freeze-dried foods
• A dry staple in sealed Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

In fact, your emergency food supply should consist of all of these types of food. But, for cost, convenience and reliability, it makes sense to buy some meals or kits from brands that specialize in emergency foods. While there is no one “best” brand of emergency food, there are some that I like more than others. I’m going to review the top 5 brands to help you make an informed decision.

(If you’re on a restricted diet, these posts on gluten-free survival food and organic emergency food are also helpful.)

• The perfect emergency food winner
• Best Overall: Valley Food Storage
• Best tasting: Mountain House
• Best Low Budget Option: Ogasan Farms
• Best Long Term Kits: ReadyWise Food Storage
• Best for maximum calories: Legacy Food Storage

How to Compare Brands

Before we get into emergency food brands, I want to talk about how I evaluated them.

I looked at the food offerings and took these factors into consideration:

1. Nutrition

Calories in emergency foods come mainly from carbohydrates and fat. Cheap, unhealthy brands of emergency foods don’t contain much: they’re usually just pasta or potatoes with a cheese sauce for flavor.

In contrast, healthy emergency foods (or at least as healthy a food as you can expect with a shelf life of 25 years) have a good balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They will also contain some freeze-dried fruits and vegetables – usually corn and peas. These ingredients do not contain many calories but contain essential nutrients.

Tip: To quickly judge the quality of an emergency food, look at the protein content. Anything about 10 grams per serving is usually pretty good. Then see if the meal has more than one vegetable.

2. Shelf life

Anything less than 5 years is unacceptable for long-term food storage. Most brands have a shelf life of 25 or 30 years.

3. Packaging material and size

Packaging should be strong enough to withstand damage from disasters like hurricanes and floods. Food/meals should be packaged in small portions, so that you don’t throw away the food after opening the package.

4. Sodium

Most emergency foods are loaded with sodium. This excess sodium can be disastrous for your health, especially during passive hunting.

5. Method of cooking

All the brands listed here have products that are easy to prepare. Just add hot or boiling water.

6. Convenience

Planning emergency meals can be confusing. Many brands make it easy by offering “kits.” For example, you can start with a 1-month food kit of freeze-dried foods and essentials. It’s much easier than mixing and blending freeze-dried vegetables, meats, and grains to make your meals.

7. Taste

Taste is important when choosing your survival food. Just be warned that many of the better tasting emergency foods taste good because they are loaded with sodium and chemical flavors.

8. Price/Price

Cost is important – but not at the expense of points already listed. I calculated the cost per serving of their food (taking into account calories and quality).

Don’t get carried away by….

• Weight: Some emergency food brands boast that they are the “cheapest per pound.” Kit weight is not that useful when comparing options. Many brands load up on heavy foods (like pasta) and work on foods like freeze-dried meats, fruits, and vegetables (which you need for micronutrients).
• Servings: When buying survival food kits, you can’t just look at the number of servings listed. You need to pay attention to calories. Read closely, and you’ll see that a “serving size” is usually around 200-300 calories. Do the math, and you’ll find that emergency kits provide about 1,000 calories per day.Valley Food Storage logo
• Learn more about Valley Food Storage.
• Valley Food Storage is a good balance between everything you want from an emergency food. They are affordable, have decent nutrition, and have a huge variety.
• There are currently 12 different entrees that are delicious despite the lack of protein. They also have fruit, vegetable and “carnivore” buckets. You can also buy all the foods and products individually to make your kit.

Important facts

• Great prices on freeze dried foods and meals.
• Affordable kits
• Proper nutrition
• Good taste and texture
• Gluten-free and dairy-free options
• No bakery products.
• Best for: People looking for value and variety.

• Valley Food Storage products are great value, although you may want to add some freeze-dried meats and vegetables to improve nutrition.

What they offer:

Valley Food Storage also sells meal kits, snack buckets, entree buckets, fruit and vegetable buckets, freeze-dried meats and individual products. You can buy individual meals or kits from Valley Food Storage. Their 525 serving buckets offer great variety for preppers just starting out.

Freeze-dried foods:

• Dairy, cheese and eggs: 25-year shelf life, about 100 calories per serving
• Meat: 25-year shelf life, about 130 calories per serving
• Fruits and vegetables: 14 different foods, 25-year shelf life, about 35-90 calories per serving
• Emergency food:
• Breakfast: 6 breakfast options such as oatmeal and pancakes; 25-year shelf life, about 140-290 calories per serving
• Entrees: 12 options such as chicken teriyaki and fettuccine alfredo; 25-year shelf life, about 210 calories per serving
• Emergency Food Kits:
• Kits from 175 to 4200 servings
• Breakfast kits
• Internal kits
• Fruit and vegetable bucket
• Carnivorous bucket

Packaging:

Like most emergency foods, Valley Food Storage packages its products in oxygen-absorbing Mylar bags. If you purchase one of their long-term kits, these bags will be stored in a sturdy bucket. After opening, the pack can be resealed.

• Nutrition and Quality:
• Nutrition label
• Click to enlarge.

Valley Food Storage is one of the better emergency food options when it comes to sodium content. Each meal still contains a lot of sodium (about 600-800mg for most entrees). However, it is still much lower than other brands and will help you stay under the 2300mg daily limit.

Of course, these low sodium levels mean that Valley food products don’t taste as good as their unhealthy counterparts. Fortunately, their product composition is still good.

Be aware that entrees do not contain meat. Entrees like “chicken and rice pilaf” contain chicken broth and not actual pieces of chicken.

Price:

For freeze-dried meats, Valley Food Storage has some great deals. That comes out to $2.50 per serving for meat. Their other freeze-dried foods are also affordable.

You can purchase entrees individually from Valley Foods. Purchased by itself, the price is still reasonable at about $2.80 per serving. Once you buy the kits, the costs go down. Depending on the cut, the price is just $1.09 to $1.42 per serving.

• Read our in-depth review of Valley Food Storage
• Wise company
• Ready Wise logo
• Learn more about Ready Wise Food.
• Ready Wise (formerly Wise) is one of the most popular brands of emergency food and has been around for a long time.
• They have a wide selection of emergency kits ranging from 72-hour starter kits to long-term kits. Most entrees actually contain real meat and are high in protein. You can also buy individual meals to make your own meals. However, the prices are not so reasonable when buying the products separately.

Important facts

• Kits are very affordable.
• High protein
• Lots of variety in kits.
• Gluten-free and organic options
• Most entrees contain real meat.
• Too much sodium
• Individual meals and pouches are expensive.
• Not freeze-dried cheese.
• A few choices of fruits and vegetables
• Best for: Long-term food storage

Because of how reasonably priced their meal kits are, and because they offer so much variety in the kits, they’re perfect for preppers who want to quickly create a 30+ day supply of food.

What they offer:

Readywise has a huge selection of freeze-dried foods packaged in pouches. For the best deals, you can buy different buckets of freeze-dried foods.

• Freeze-dried foods:
• Meat: Multiple options, 15-year shelf life, 50-180 calories per serving
• Fruit: 4 options, 20-year shelf life, 15-45 calories per serving
• Vegetables: 4 options, 25-year shelf life, 15-40 calories per serving
• Dairy and eggs: 25-year shelf life, 80 calories per serving
• Shakes: 10-year shelf life, 260-280 calories per serving
• Emergency food:

• Breakfast: 4 options for granola and cereals; 25-year shelf life, about 278 calories per serving
• Entrees: 13 options such as chili mac and creamy pasta; 25-year shelf life, about 230 calories per serving
• Emergency Food Kits:

• Readywise is famous for its kits. That closed

1. Legacy Food Storage
2. Heritage Food Logo
3. Learn more about Legacy Food Storage.

• Legacy Food Storage has some impressive reasons to choose them over other emergency food brands.

• They have the lowest cost per pound, a 25-year shelf life, and the highest average calories per serving.

• I still prefer brands like Augason or ReadyWise over Legacy. These brands don’t have as many calories per serving, but the ingredients are better.

• However, if you don’t mind the added sodium and sugar, you’ll find that Legacy is one of the best-tasting emergency foods out there.

Important facts

• There is a good variety in kits.
• Lots of individual items to choose from
• Non-GMO
• High calorie count per serving
• High sodium
• Cannot buy food individually
• An old website is hard to use.
• Best for: People looking for the most calories.

• If you go by calories, Legacy Food Storage offers some great value for emergency food.

• Those calories come mainly from starches and sugars — but at least that means their food tastes great and is surprisingly high in protein.

What they offer:

Freeze-dried foods:

• Meat and protein: 10-15 years shelf life; About 130 calories per serving
• Fruits and vegetables: 12 options; 10-15 years shelf life; About 50 calories per serving
• Milk and eggs: 10-15 years shelf life; About 100 calories per serving
• Cereals: 10-15 years shelf life; About 200 calories per serving
• Emergency food:

• Breakfast: 4 options; 25-year shelf life; About 434 calories per serving
• Entrees: 19 options; 25-year shelf life; About 348 calories per serving
• Side Dishes: 6 sides; 25-year shelf life; About 80 calories per serving
• Emergency Kits:
• Starter kits
• Long-term kits (120 to 4,320 servings)
• Gluten-free buckets
• Admission buckets
• Breakfast buckets
• Meat bucket
• Fruit pack
• Veggie Pack
• Side Dish Pack
• Packaging:
• Legacy does a great job with its packaging when it comes to convenience.
• The products are packaged in reusable bags, each with a small serving size.
• If you don’t use the entire bag right away, many products will last up to a year after opening the bag. The bags are put into buckets, which are well made.

Nutrition and Quality:

• Legacy Food Storage Nutrition Label
• Click to enlarge.
• Legacy Food Storage’s main selling point is that their food contains more calories than other brands. However, I am a little concerned about where these extra calories are coming from.Read the ingredients list of foods, and you will see that they have added sugar (cane syrup). This is part of the reason Legacy Emergency Food tastes so good.

Factor in the high amount of sodium per serving (600-1000mg per serving), and you’ve got a delicious but unhealthy meal.

For a short-term emergency, all the sugar and sodium won’t matter. For a long-term crisis, it can take a toll. Sodium will stress you out. Sugar will cause your energy levels to rise and fall, leaving you feeling tired and stressed.

Note that all Legacy Food Storage products are vegan. If you add freeze-dried meat to a meal, the cost per serving will increase dramatically.

Price:

When you buy one of their emergency meal kits, the cost per serving is about $2.36 per serving. It is on par with most other emergency food brands. The only difference is that legacy foods have a lot more calories per serving.

Those extra calories probably aren’t necessary if you’re hunting during an emergency. However, for those who consume many calories per day, the extra calories may make the old product a better value.

Agson Farms

• Editors’ Note: October 2021 Please note Augason Farms has suspended direct sales through its website due to a supply shortage. Their food is still available on Amazon.
• Agson Farms logo
• Check prices on Amazon.
• Ogasan Farms is not as popular as other emergency food brands. However, they are one of the best choices for those who want to build their own collection.
• They have a lot more variety than other emergency food brands. Their meals are sold individually or in bite-sized kits. Building your inventory this way will require a little more planning, but you’ll be able to find exactly what you want and save money in the process.

Important facts

• Long shelf life
• Low sodium
• Very good value
• Huge variety of freeze-dried foods, meals and kits
• Low protein
• No long-term deductions.
• Best for: People who want more choice.
• Ideal for those who want to save money by making their own kits using freeze-dried foods instead of meals.
• Check prices.

What they offer:

Note that there is a wide variety of freeze-dried products offered by Ogasan Farms. They have options you won’t find at other emergency food brands. Great for foodies!

I love that their meals are packaged in cans. 12-16 servings in each can

wrap up

Each brand featured offers a decent product, and their kits will provide a practical and convenient long-term food storage solution for most people.Below are the differences:

• Price
• Nutrition
• Calorie intake

Decide which of these combinations is important to you, and you should be able to make the right choice with the information provided in this article.

ReadyWise (formerly Wise Food Company) provides an incredible variety of emergency food. I’ll take you through each of their meals one by one, reviewing price, packaging, nutrition, and most importantly, taste.

Prepare Wise Emergency Food Supply

Wise Food Company (now ReadyWise) is actually the reason I started writing emergency food reviews several years ago. When they were a Wise Food company, I could not in good conscience recommend them, but times have changed and so have they.

They’ve completely redesigned their emergency food kits, and they now have plenty of calories, nutrition and variety. I’m happy to say they’ve changed their tune, and are now a really promising option for emergency food storage.

I’ll walk you through all of their offerings, including taste tests on over a dozen of their emergency foods from various emergency food supply kits.

ReadyWise Emergency Food Test

In 2018, a friend pointed me to your website and asked what I thought. I have seen everything and carefully analyzed their claims.

Back then, everything was done in terms of “service” and it took some real searching to determine what “service” actually was. Finally, I found the total calories and nutrition on the packaging, and I was incredibly disappointed. At the time, most of their kits offered 600 to 800 calories per person per day, and it was claimed that families could go longer because children only needed half a serving.

I started looking at other emergency food companies, and I found that many of them made similar claims and were really vague about what was in the kit. At the time, what I thought was an honest and transparent company, at least in terms of their online marketing, was Valley Food Storage.

Since then, with everyone suddenly stockpiling emergency food in 2020, emergency food providers have faced a lot of scrutiny. All of them have just reworked their product lines, some for better and some for worse.

Mountain House is one of those companies that has reduced the size and quality of its offerings in recent years, but Readywise has dramatically improved its offerings. They’re nothing like they used to be, and while I’d never recommend Wise Food Co., I happily recommend that they’ve become Ready Wise.

Ready-Wise Grab and Go Bag

I’m especially impressed with their emergency food calculator (front and center on the homepage), which allows you to specifically enter the number of people, calories per person, and duration.

It will then automatically populate your cart with a variety of foods that will serve that purpose. They start you off at a default of 1800 calories per person, expecting you to add in things like freeze-dried fruit, meat, vegetables or milk. This will save you total calories, but you’ll also get some much-needed snacks (and bonus nutrition).

Adjust daily calories as needed based on your family’s needs. It will still give you solid recommendations and help anticipate emergency food supply planning. For example, for my family of four, I ordered enough emergency food to provide 2,000 calories per day for 14 days.

The calculator recommends:

120 Serving Emergency Food Bucket (X 3)

120 Serving Breakfast Bucket (X1)

Then I added in a bucket of freeze-dried meat (for more protein and variety) and a bucket of freeze-dried fruit (because I have kids). I can also add freeze-dried milk or freeze-dried vegetables.

They are now completely transparent, even more so than many other companies. I couldn’t be happier, and I’m so glad they completely turned the company around.

So now the important questions…

• What does ReadyWise sell? And, does it offer enough variety and nutrition?
• How does ready-made food taste?
• Are prepared meals a good value?
• Ready Wise Emergency Food Supply Pack
• Ready Wise Emergency Food Supply Pack

What does ReadyWise sell?

ReadyWise has an incredible variety of emergency food options. They mostly focus on ready-to-eat kits where you just pour boiling water over the food and wait for it to rehydrate. (Original cooking instructions by food type are available here.)

They are one of the few providers that carry organic emergency food, and they also have gluten-free emergency kits. They also have vegan and vegetarian meal pouches that you can order individually by food type (instead of a bulk bucket).

Their Starter Kits have a good selection of short-term food storage kits with over a dozen different foods available. Their long-term food storage kits include options for different times of year to year-round food supply kits.

In addition to ready-made “just add water” emergency foods, they also sell freeze-dried pantry items to help you add variety to your regular shelf-stable food storage. This includes:

• Freeze-dried meat
• Freeze dried fruits

None of the food was overly salty, and in some cases, I even added salt. This is not common with emergency food, or freeze-dried prepared foods in general, which tend to be a little on the salty side.

Their offerings include a lot of pasta, and they’ve even added pasta to dishes that didn’t really need it. Things like tomato soup and chili turn into tomato soup with pasta and chili mac, respectively.

At first, I thought it was a little weird, but pasta gives the food more bite and texture, and it tastes better than it would without it (plus it has a lot of it). Adds essential calories, which will help fill you up. ).

Here are some of my favorites:

• Creamy Pasta and Vegetables ~ They describe it as “pasta and garden vegetables in a creamy béchamel sauce,” and that covers it. Incredibly flavorful, and not salty at all. Plenty of vegetables (tomatoes, carrots and peas) for flavor and colour, pasta cooked well and sauce well thickened.
• Mac and Cheese – A classic comfort food dish, it’s better than the watery mac and cheese options made by emergency food providers. My kids loved it.
• Creamy Stuffed Baked Potato – Chunky, rich and flavorful. Tastes like it has bacon and fresh herbs. Lots of “bite” to it, unlike others that are starchy. A little on the salty side, but potato dishes really need salt to come through. This is the only one of their meals that had a “salty” taste.
• Chili Mac – Hot and flavorful, very smoky but not spicy. It tastes like smoked paprika, not hot pepper. The mac is actually pretty good there, and gives it a lot of texture, filling out the dish so it’s not “soupy” and obviously very filling. It has a sweet taste due to smoky flavor notes.

Prepared food

Tomato Soup with Pasta – A delicious tomato soup with plenty of flavor. It really calls for a grilled cheese sandwich to sink in, but since it’s hard to pack into a survival meal. The pasta admirably completes the dish, which lacks the grilled cheese.

Mushroom Stroganoff – A rich and creamy pasta with plenty of mushrooms to add umami. The pasta has plenty of bite, and the sauce is incredibly creamy and satisfying.

Cheesy Lasagna – Hearty and hearty, with big chunks of tomato, it’s not just pasta and sauce. The cheese tastes a lot like someone took a piece of lasagna and cut it up (which helps with rehydration and cooking when you’re working with freeze-dried).

Chicken Flavor Soup – Rich chicken broth with celery, carrots and pasta. Simple but gets the job done. No real chicken, but the chicken tastes good. Freeze-dried meat can be added separately to increase nutrition.

• Prepared emergency food
• For breakfast options, I really liked:

• Crunchy Granola – Really crunchy and sweet, everything you could ask for in a granola. The kids loved it, and I served it with UHT milk from my shelf-stable food pantry, and freeze-dried strawberries from ReadyWise. You can have powdered milk, canned milk, or just plain. Their dessert will be really good.
• 6 Grain Hot Cereal – Not really fancy, “powdered oatmeal mix” but actually a hearty and cool hot cereal with large chunks of oats and other grains. Incredibly flavorful, not too sweet, and a nice maple flavor.
• They have many other options, including pancakes.

ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply Granola and Strawberries.

ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply Granola and Strawberries.

Is ready-made food a good value?

At this point, ReadyWise offers an incredible variety of emergency food items at reasonable prices. They’re not the least expensive option, that’s my Patriot Supply, but it’s a good mid-range choice.

What really sets them apart is the variety of food choices they offer, and that’s far more than any other emergency food supplier on the market right now. Add in the ease of preparation and yes, I think they are a good value.

If you’re looking for a less expensive option that still offers quality food, I’d recommend going with My Patriot Supply.

If you’re looking for the best nutrition possible and you’re less concerned about price, go with Survival Nutrients. They’re not cheap, but they’re by far the most nutritious option (and the tastiest).

The downside with nutrient survival is that they have about a dozen food options, which are far less varied. Still enough for most emergencies, but not as much as Readywise.

The ReadyWise is a great middle-of-the-road option, not as expensive as some of the premier options, but not cheap in the bargain basement either. High quality, good value, and a great option for most people.

• Ready Wise Emergency Food Supply
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Ready-Wise Emergency Food
• So in summary, what is good and what is not?

PROS

• Wide variety of food ~ They offer more food options than any other provider in the market. If you plan an extended emergency.’

Mountain House Classic Classification Bucket

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A versatile and convenient resource, this bucket is filled with an exciting variety of foods to enhance the flavor of ground tours and wasteland meals.

Pros

• Individual items are easily found in outdoor adventure stores.
• No artificial witchcraft.
• Wide variety of food including breakfast
• The shelf life spans half a generation.

Cons

• Not for long term preppers.
• Not for those looking to pack on the calories.
• Best price
• Murochan Ramen Noodle Soup Variety Pack

Murochan Ramen Noodle Soup Variety Pack

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Oh come on. It doesn’t get more convenient and value-oriented than this 24-pack of “College Student Specials.” Adding chopsticks means all you need is water and a bowl.

Pros

• 10 flavors
• cheap
• Every human being on earth knows how to prepare it.
• Easy to change while cooking.

Cons

• Not quite nutritious.
• Relatively poor shelf life compared to dedicated food supplies
• Can get old and boring very quickly.
• Editor’s Choice
• Genuine Military Surplus MRE 12 Pack

Genuine Military Surplus MRE 12 Pack

Check the latest price.

Check out the most liked and disliked items (depending on who you ask) on this list. Attractive, content-rich, and portable, it’s a reliable meal on or off the battlefield.

Pros

• Dense in calories
• The meal comes with snacks and drink mix.
• Includes heater element.
• Can be eaten hot or cold.

Cons

• Mystery bag of unknown snacks/drinks
• Not the strongest value proposition.
• Some of the entries are a bit unpleasant.
• We may earn revenue from products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Leftover food kits are essential to avoid the munchies so you can continue on your adventure. Whether you’re a doomsday prepper waiting to live out your Fallout: New Vegas visions or just want to keep your home ready for those occasional emergencies, it never hurts to stock up on kits like these. would have But there’s a lot to sift through, and it can be hard to decide which food kits are right for you. Craving a box of MREs for a picnic in the woods or a variety of home-cooked meals for the whole family? Allow us to help.

Enter our guide to the best survival food kits on the market today, with options for every palate. We’ve worked to combine rigorous research and real-life experiences to deliver this collection of almost every meal kit for every need. Scroll on and happy shopping.

Procedures

While all of these items can be purchased online through retail companies or company websites, few were available for me to sample in person. As current US service members, I’m no stranger to MREs, and I’m sure everyone here is no stranger to good old reliable instant noodles either. However, brands like PackRefuel and Mountain House were available for in-store purchase at my local REI. I bought four individual pouches featured in their larger kits, one entree and one snack from each brand, to sample the taste, texture and ease of preparation of each. Items that I couldn’t get hold of in time or didn’t personally try at all were reviewed using our usual research-based methods of digging through expert data and real-life consumer feedback.

As journalists and fellow adventurers it’s in our best interest to provide highly informative yet honest reviews on every buyer’s guide. Who knows if it might be close friends or even writers themselves who will have to consult one day. While it’s not always possible to sample every item imaginable in every survival food kit, that doesn’t stop us from providing the briefest supplies you need. We combine our real-world experiences with long, tedious research, deep dives into expert and peer opinion and, most importantly, consumer opinion. The best food kits will be the most readily available — meaning not currently sold — the easiest to prepare, and the best-tasting batches with real consumer confidence to boot.

Typically referring to a single, central source such as an encyclopedia, the wide range of products in this niche calls for a wide range of input from retailers such as Amazon, Valley Food Storage, and My Patriot Supply. I myself have purchased a handful of individual food packets available at stores like REI and added them to survival food kits to better understand the subtle differences between the brands. I’ll note which ones I’ve personally tried in the product blurbs. For more information on how T&P curates its Buyer’s Guides and more, see the link here.

Mountain House Classic Classification Bucket

• Excellent overall
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• Mountain House Classic Classification Bucket
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A solid value and excellent quality, the Mountain House Classic Assortment bucket is a great choice for outdoor adventurers and doomsday preppers. All-natural ingredients go into every bag of freeze-dried treats, from granola with berries to beef stroganoff to an admirable level. I’ve managed to try these exact flavors myself using the individually sold packets, and I’m happy to report that they’re genuinely delicious with quick preparation and the right texture that you’ll love. Want. All the entrees require is just 10 minutes in boiling water, while breakfast granola only needs a quick stir. It is also important to mention that this item has the longest shelf life on this list, spanning 30 years.

Coming in at around 600 calories per pouch, however, these aren’t energy-dense foods if you’re looking to pack on the calories for a tough rack. Maybe pack an energy drink or an extra snack. I could use one, unless it’s just me. Additionally, this particular package isn’t exactly for long-term preppers with only 12 pouches for a total of 24 servings. For those in it for the long haul, Mountain House offers great gear on its website.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 24 servings (12 pouches)
• Calories per serving:
• 200 to 300 calories
• Shelf life:
• 30 years

PROS

• Individual items are easily found in outdoor adventure stores.

• No artificial witchcraft.

• Wide variety of food including breakfast

• The shelf life spans half a generation.

CONS

• Not for long term preppers.

• Not for those looking to pack on the calories.
• Murochan Ramen Noodle Soup Variety Pack
• Best price
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Murochan Ramen Noodle Soup Variety Pack

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If you want value, there’s no better value than the College Kid Special: a big pack of Maruchon Ramen Noodle Soup. Emergency food kit? Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, it’s been the emergency meal of an entire generation. It’s a no-brainer to build, and easier to modify with a more sensible palette for cheap skates. I personally like to add garlic, a fried egg, and a wallop of black pepper to mine. This particular kit comes in 10 flavors — I didn’t even know there were 10 flavors — plus chopsticks. All you have to do is take some hot water and a bowl.

Just know what you’re getting into. Being the cheapest supply on this list doesn’t mean you’re skipping anything unhealthy. The long shelf life and distinct taste can be attributed to the high sodium content – ​​up to 70 percent per pouch – which is not good for heart health in the long run. There’s not much in the way of other nutrients, it’s low in calories, and let’s be real: even with 10 flavors, it’ll probably get old in no time. I should know, as my family used to stock them.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 48 servings (24 pouches)
• Calories per serving:
• 350 to 390 calories
• Shelf life:
• 14 to 18 months

PROS

• 10 flavors

• cheap

• Every human being on earth knows how to prepare it.

• Easy to change while cooking.

CONS

• Not quite nutritious.
• Relatively poor shelf life compared to dedicated food supplies
• Can get old and boring very quickly.
• Genuine Military Surplus MRE 12 Pack
• Editor’s Choice
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Genuine Military Surplus MRE 12 Pack

Check the latest price.Military MREs, as polarizing as they are, stand out as a rock-solid, calorie-dense choice for preppers and adventurers alike, offering a rainbow of meals complete with a variety of beverages and snacks. Other bagged goods may contain similar foods, but this is probably the only choice you can easily buy that is a complete meal. It can be eaten hot or cold with a water-activated heater bag if you don’t have battlefield food standards. Pots are thrown in with each bag with an assortment of extras that can include gum, Tabasco sauce, wet wipes and matches.

I will now insert a disclaimer that many flavors may not be for everyone. I enthusiastically put their pasta dishes like chili mac on a gold pedestal. It’s Chef Boyardee in a bag. On the other hand, most of their beef entrees are more akin to dog food, but taste is highly subjective and I have some friends who actually enjoy them – oddly enough. Also, note that shelf life is extremely sensitive to temperature, so store your bag items as cold as possible, preferably below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 12 servings
• Calories per serving:
• About 1,250 calories
• Shelf life:
• About 5 years

PROS

• Dense in calories

• The meal comes with snacks and drink mix.

• Includes heater element.

• Can be eaten hot or cold.

CONS

• Mystery bag of unknown snacks/drinks

• The heater element does not always heat the food evenly.

• Some entries can be a little unappealing.

Valley Food Storage 72 Hour Emergency Food Kit

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• Valley Food Storage 72 Hour Emergency Food Kit
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If freeze-dried goods are the food of the future, Valley Food Storage’s 72-Hour Emergency Food Kit doesn’t sound like a bad start. Marketed as a staple food supply option during the crisis, this box of wonders rewards the prepper with quality, non-GMO homemade recipes. Consumers who have tried theirs have reported a surprisingly pleasant taste and texture more akin to premium instant foods. Naysayers can request a sample pack to clear their doubts. This food supply also entices with a rich variety that includes two different breakfast cereals and freeze-dried apples for snacking. The small packaging and simplicity also means it’s a great choice to throw in the back of your camper and take on weekend trips into the woods.

Let’s just hope you’re not a big eater in the first place. While the package contains a generous 32 servings for three days, the calories are light and top out at 270 calories per serving. You can see how this could be a problem. In the hands of me and a few friends, that three-day supply looks like one or two.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 32 servings
• Calories per serving:
• 140 to 270 calories
• Shelf life:
• 25 years

PROS

• The company offers a $10 sample pack.

• Excellent variety including two breakfast items

• More shelf life than I’ve ever lived

• Portable for all your adventures

CONS

• Calories are low per serving.

My Patriot Supply Gluten Free Food Kit

• Best gluten free
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• My Patriot Supply Gluten Free Food Kit
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A comprehensive and premium choice for those who avoid those funky proteins, the My Patriot Supply Gluten Free Food Kit is packed full of foods. Try creamy chicken rice, mashed potatoes, and whey protein milk. There’s plenty of variety in this bucket, or at least as much variety as you can get without gluten. There’s a great deal of items that can feed a vegetarian family member or roommate for days. Consumer feedback on taste and quality is universally positive, with the world praising it for preserving the home-style cooking atmosphere after 25 years.

It’s only a tad more expensive than the Mountain House bucket at tens of dollars, but the value for its contents and generous servings is undeniable. I just hope you like a lot of rice because it’s the bulk of the entrees that go into the food supply. In fact, the only meat item I could find was the creamy chicken rice, so celiac meat lovers may be a bit put off. Just a little bit.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 120 servings
• Calories per serving:
• 90 to 490 calories
• Shelf life:
• 25 years

PROS

• Composite type

• A generous supply of food

• Shelf life for time capsules

• Premium home style cooking

CONS

• Lean towards the pricier end

• Hardly any meat dishes.

My Patriot 2 Week Emergency Food Supply

• Perfect for families
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• My Patriot 2 Week Emergency Food Supply
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My Patriot Supply 2-week emergency food supply is a lasting treat for entire families. This author is quite inspired by the range of dishes, from stroganoff to mac and cheese and even pancakes. Seriously, pancakes! Because no apocalypse should stop kids from enjoying some homemade flapjacks. Although the whey drink is missing from their gluten-free package, their orange drink mix is ​​still included. The taste and quality are reportedly top-notch, and many ingredients can be mixed together to create a genuinely appealing meal for most people.

Being a two-week supply of premium freeze-dried foods, it’s one of the pricier options on this list. But hey, it’s still cheaper than MREs. Your family size and calorie intake will also affect how long these meals actually last, so if you need more or less, check out the company’s site for monthly and weekly supplies. I can find the same foods. A quick look at nutrition labels also reveals that some dishes are low in fat, with up to 60 percent of the daily recommended amount of saturated fat per serving.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 118 servings
• Calories per serving:
• 150 to 490 calories
• Shelf life:
• 25 years

PROS

• A feast of weeks

• Pancakes for breakfast!

• Probably the best variety on this list

• Shelf life for waiting for that perfect day

CONS

• This is an expensive bucket.
• Some particularly fatty menu items

My Patriot Supply Fruit, Veggie, and Snack Mix

• Best vegetarian
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• My Patriot Supply Fruit, Veggie, and Snack Mix
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Need a vitamin boost? My Patriot Supply’s Fruit, Vegetable and Snack Mix is ​​a viable option for both vegetarians and vegans. As the name suggests, it’s a mixed bag of varieties ranging from freeze-dried blueberries and banana chips to broccoli and chocolate pudding.

Peak Refuel Base Camp Bucket

• Excellent high protein
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• Peak Refuel Base Camp Bucket
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Now that’s a rockstar lineup of foods that I genuinely enjoyed trying. Peak Refuel’s Basecamp Bucket is a calorie- and protein-rich premium freeze-dried meal assortment that sets itself apart with a bit more flavor and nutrition. Like other bucket-sized supplies of freeze-dried goods, this container is good for 12 pouches with a total of 24 servings. Most entrees provide 40 to 50 grams of protein per pouch. With an incredibly rich flavor in both the chicken alfredo and granola dishes, it’s flavor and texture is so much more than other options like Mountain House. Another highlight of Peak Refuel is their ability to cook with 30 to 60 percent less water, depending on the dish.

The big caveat to the Base Camp Bucket is its insistence as a camping and hiking food and not necessarily an emergency food kit. Shelf life isn’t listed directly on their site or on Amazon, but customer reviews say they’re reportedly good for up to two years. A decent amount, but 25 to 30 years is certainly more appealing. It’s definitely meant to stash away in a cabin or camper for long trips, but not too long.

Product details

• Servings Per Container:
• 24 servings (12 pouches)
• Calories per serving:
• 260 to 520 calories
• Shelf life:
• About 2 years

PROS

• Breakfast includes more than just granola.

• Highest protein content per pouch

• Less water is required per serving.

CONS

• Not for long term preppers.

• Relatively short shelf life

Our verdict on survival food kits

Mountain House’s Classic Assortment bucket ties the cake for best overall due to its excellent value and quality coupled with the longest shelf life. Maruchon’s Ramen Noodle Soup Variety Pack wins for being our best value as any bargain hunter can spot right off the bat. And good old military MREs make the cut for serving a complete, hearty prep meal. But what do you think? What are your picks for the best survival food kits money can buy? We would love to hear from you and grow our knowledge with you.

Things to consider when buying a survival food kit

Many survival food kits and emergency supplies will do exactly the same, but there are some that are available for sale with their own nuances and are worth mentioning. Is it your typical freeze-dried meal or is it a ready-to-eat bag? How are these special foods prepared? How long does this diet last? There are some important tidbits to know, so here are a few ways survival food kits can set themselves apart.

Types of Survival Food Kits

A personal favorite, military-style MREs are quick, grab-and-go meals that you can eat without any preparation. Emphasize each word in the acronym: ready-to-eat food. These are complete, multi-course meals bundled in airtight bags. Drink mix, a side or two, and some sort of dessert are the norm, and entrees are almost never frozen. For service members to use on the battlefield and on long trips, food can be served cold or hot using a water-powered heater bag.

These are not as common as simple survival food kits, and their prices reflect that ordering a dozen surplus MREs can cost around $200. On top of that, their preservation methods mean they are much more sensitive to conditions than some bags of freeze-dried goods. Store them somewhere dry and cool, preferably below 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit to maximize their relatively short shelf life.

Freeze-dried

This is the method by which most—but not all—survival food kits are made, and for good reason. It’s the easiest, most reliable way to store food while being easy to prepare and without losing all of its flavor and nutrients. This process attracts food from dehydration and spoilage microorganisms to retain moisture.

Some foods such as fruit can be eaten as is, and almost all freeze-dried foods can be rehydrated with some time in water. Hot meals need to be soaked in boiling water for about 9 to 10 minutes before being ready for consumption, and the texture of the meat and noodles is then compared to home-cooked versions of the same dishes.

Long-term emergency provision

These will be your supplies specifically designed to feed a family for months and even years. Shipped in large buckets, multiple buckets, or even entire boxes, these emergency food supplies won’t exactly be a choice for shoppers looking for camp grub or an “I’m too lazy to cook tonight” solution. These are for real producers and are preferred to be stockpiled for the next food shortage or global crisis. Containers can contain thousands of servings and tens of thousands of calories depending on the intended serving.

As expected, these will often be the most expensive and cumbersome to store.

Key Features of Survival Food Kits

Calorie count

Survival diets come in a wide range of calories to suit different goals and lifestyles. Many freeze-dried meals designed for casual camping and hiking can offer less than 600 calories per pouch, or around 300 calories per serving – enough to get you through an afternoon of leisurely hiking or lounging around the house. Enough for, but not so much if there is. have to work.

Military MREs and some premium survival foods are aimed at more active consumers who need an intense energy boost, so it makes sense that they would be higher than a thousand calories. Most MREs sit between 1,200 and 1,300 calories, and some specialty energy bars can be much higher. What’s best for you depends on your lifestyle and nutritional goals with this type of food. For anything you plan on taking on a serious adventure, we recommend leaning toward the heavier side.

How to save

Think about how this food is preserved and preserved. Is it just dehydration? Or does it undergo the more complex and quality-preserving process of freeze-drying? The food may just be soaking in a sodium-rich sauce and sealed in a vacuum-sealed bag. Almost all of these methods will prolong eating for some time, but some methods do it better than others.

Freeze drying brings the food to a lower temperature before removing the ice. It removes moisture without damaging the food and makes it easier to rehydrate than dehydration which uses heat to evaporate the moisture. Cheaper foods like instant ramen will rely on sodium and artificial preservatives, which can lead to cardiovascular problems if consumed in excess. MREs, although still moist in most cases, are stored in airtight, vacuum-sealed bags, but their shelf life is still pale compared to freeze-drying and optimal conditions to avoid spoilage. There is a need.

Method of preparation

How is this food prepared for consumption? As with almost everything else on this list and their related products, the most they ask for is to rehydrate in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Some breakfast items like granola require a splash of cold water to mix with powdered milk before it’s ready to stir. The fruit can be eaten as is or rehydrated in water if desired.

Being a versatile, anytime meal, MREs can be eaten hot or cold. The heater bag can be used to heat the interior and some sides and only needs a few minutes to reach the rising temperature. The common theme here is that almost everything is quick and easy. You just need to find water.

Pricing of survival food kits

Most survival food kits and emergency supplies will be between $100 and $150 for a dozen pouches of freeze-dried stuff for a Home Depot bucket-sized container. Mountain House undercuts many other high-quality options on its website for around $117. MREs, being rarer and more complex, will run upwards of $180 for the same amount of pouches, but you’re still getting more calories and variety. Our Best Value Maruchon Pack is priced at $26. If your needs are more or less, a weekend or week’s worth of supplies will run between $60 and $80, while monthly and year-round kits can easily exceed thousands.

Tips and tricks

As you do from decade to decade, you pick up a few tips and tricks along the way in choosing, and/or using, the right product. This is the case with our survival and emergency food kits. To help you bridge the information gap, here’s a selection of what we’ve learned along the way.

Feeling lazy or short on time? Fuji MREs can be eaten both hot and cold. A heater is not needed if you don’t want to use it. They just taste a little better warm.

The individual food packets of these kits can be stored in more than just a few basements, especially the freeze-dried and MRE-style grab-and-go varieties. Pack some in your car or at camp.

If you need to eat more or less, you are rarely limited to specific items on this list. Companies can offer the same food but in different sizes, from a two-day supply to years.

Frequently Asked Questions About Survival Food Kits

You have questions, work and purpose have answers.

Q: What food should I store to survive?

A: It is safest to always brace for the worst and store everything to meet your nutritional needs. Focus on essentials to provide carbohydrates, vitamins and protein, and look for high-quality packs that include rice, meat, vegetables and fruit. They will likely freeze dry for a longer shelf life.

Q: How do you store survival food?

A: Some companies advertise that their freeze-dried meals can be carried in cars, offices, and campers whenever you need them. A good rule of thumb for any variety is to only store them in a dry, cool place — at or below 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Question: Which foods have the longest shelf life?

A: Freeze-dry anything that will over-ripe with other preservation methods. Most survival food kits are sold in bulk that will freeze dry and last for up to three decades. Compare MREs with shelf lives of approximately several years depending on the situation.

Q: Are survival food kits worth it?

A: About $100 to $200 dollars buys you food for a variety of occasions, from emergency preparedness to outdoor adventures, that tastes as fresh in a few years as it did when new. So, yes. I would say the food supply is money well spent. You never know when you might need them.