In a survival situation, you might not be all that picky about what you eat.
But if you’re preparing for the apocalypse, you’ve got options…so why not choose the best and tastiest?
Rather than leaving you to face endless mystery MRE menus on your own, we’ve gathered some popular emergency and camping foods and put them to the test — the taste test, that is!
THE QUICK LIST
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Budget MRE Pick
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Longest Lasting Supply
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Best A La Carte Option
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Best Tasting Camping Meals
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Best Food Storage Option
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Best Emergency Food Bar
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Kosher & Halal Option
Table of Contents
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How We Tested the Best Survival Foods
Because there are a lot of answers to this question, we tried to sample something from some of the most popular types of long-term shelf-stable foods, including freeze-dried meals, MREs, preparedness food kits, and ration bars.
We picked out the most popular brands in each category of survival food we sampled and taste-tested.
We’ve tried our hand at preparing and taste-testing some of the more popular survival and camping food selections out there, and we’ve formed a few opinions on the matter. Keep reading!
Best Survival Foods & Emergency Food Kits
1. Mil-Surp MREs – Budget MRE Pick
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Pros
- Assorted flavors
- Calorie dense
- Includes accessories
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Taste is bland
We tried Menu 1: Chili with Beans, which was our assorted mystery MRE that we ordered from Amazon.
Included in the packet was said chili, as well as cornbread, cheddar cheese spread, vegetable crackers, “Pepperoni Pizza Cheese Filled Crackers,” Lemon Lime beverage powder (carb fortified!), and Accessory Packet A, which contained wipes, cutlery, hot sauce, and the like.
Flavorwise, it wasn’t that inspiring. It was on par with Dinty Moore’s canned chili, in our opinion. Definitely edible, but probably not going to win any cook-offs.
What is important is that an MRE averages 1,250 calories per meal, so you get plenty of nutrition and calories to fuel your day, whether you’re hiking, surviving, or camping.
Each packet also includes an FRH, or flameless ration heater, so you’ll always have a way of cooking these.
What we didn’t like, especially for a camping or hiking situation where pack it in, pack it out applies (though it should always apply), is the number of individual wrappers an MRE contains.
It generates a lot of trash for a single meal.
2. Augason Farms 30-Day Emergency Food Supply — Longest Lasting Supply
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Pros
- 20-year shelf life
- 30-day supply
- 1,800 calories per day
Cons
- Bland flavor
- More involved prep
A similar concept to Wise Food Storage buckets, the Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply buckets pack a bunch of freeze-dried entrees into a bucket and seal the whole thing up.
It’s good for 20 years, which is a pretty long time.
Eric picked out the Creamy Potato Soup for our blind taste test. Again, it was on the bland, vaguely cheesy side of things but pretty basic. I’m pretty sure it would be a great ingredient for some apocalypse haute cuisine, but we weren’t a fan of the soup on its own.
These meals apparently were a pain to access and required our dedicated team of chefs to open multiple packages to access the soup pack.
Unlike most of the other foods on our list, which didn’t require more cooking than heating water to boiling, the potato soup needed to be simmered on low for 10-15 minutes before serving. It’s a little more labor-intensive, and the flavor wasn’t exactly a payoff.
The creamy potato soup comes in 8-serving packets, at 220 calories per serving. Augason Farms designs their 30-day kits to supply about 1,800 calories a day for one person, so be sure you have an appropriate amount of food for your household.
3. Nutrient Survival – Best A La Carte Option
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Great menu
- Good flavor
- No additives
Cons
- Need other products for a meal
Nutrient Survival has an approach that highlights the nutritional value of its products — boasting six times more nutrients than other survival food. They also claim no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.
That’s all well and good, but we had to try it out before we were willing to recommend them. As a veteran MRE consumer, my palette was as hardened as they come.
It’s worth noting that the Nutrient Survival foods we tested were freeze-dried food packaged in bulk containers. The lasagna was in a vacuum-sealed bag with a resealable closure. The powdered vitamin potato came in a large can.
Once these were opened, we removed the oxygen absorbers, scooped out the pre-determined amount, and then added hot or boiling water as the directions dictated. Stirring and sometimes covering followed while our hungry eyes watched the timer count down.
Diving into the lasagna, I was immediately impressed. The texture was spot on with a discernable, yielding noodle base and tomato sauce. Creamy cheeses helped bind everything together, giving the overall impression of a homemade lasagna that had been served up hot after a trip through a blender.
This meal came together very easily, and all I needed was the ability to boil water.
Nutrient Survival products’ shelf lives vary, but the canned options can last up to 25 years, and there is a huge menu to choose from.
4. Mountain House – Best Tasting Camping Meals
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Pros
- Wonderful flavor
- Quick and easy prep
- Many flavors
Cons
- Light on calories
Is there really any other? Mountain House has a cult following amongst the outdoorsy crowd, and for a good reason–they’re super easy to prepare and taste well… maybe not as good as Grandma’s, but definitely better than military surplus MREs.
It’s a little hard to lump freeze-dried entrees into the same category as other survival foods, considering they’re not intended for survival, but we figured we’d cover all our bases with them. After all, they can be used for survival, just as MREs can be used for camping–they’re just not great at it.
We personally sampled the Biscuits and Gravy pack, but it seems that there are plenty of other flavors out there that are great, such as the fan-favorite Beef Stroganoff.
Preparing a Mountain House pouch is easy–simply remove the oxygen-absorbing packet, pour in the prescribed amount of boiling water, stir, seal, and wait. These meals rehydrate in less than 10 minutes and can be eaten straight from the bag, so clean up is pretty easy.
In a pouch, there are two servings of the meal. Biscuits and Gravy will run you about 310 calories for a meal or 620 for the pouch. They’re also good for 30 years, apparently.
Compared to the calorie-dense MREs, Mountain House meals are actually a little skimpy. They’re definitely better suited to occasional adventuring trips, not life-or-death survival. Mountain House also makes many of its most popular meals available in multiple-serving cans, which can be stocked up as an emergency food supply.
What’s your take on Mountain House? Rate it below.
5. Ready Wise Food Storage 60 Entree Bucket – Best Food Storage Option
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Pros
- Large menu
- 25-year shelf life
- Bulk storage
Cons
- Bland flavor
One of the bigger names in emergency preparedness foods, Ready Wise Food Storage makes a pretty big array of shelf-stable meals and ingredients. You can find bulk cans, individually packed entrees, and a variety of emergency food buckets, which are good for 25 years.
We liberated one of my buckets from the corner of my garage for this experiment, and I’m sad to report that this bucket will definitely have to wait for the next big California earthquake before I touch it again.
Neither of our tasters was a fan of the Creamy Pasta and Vegetable Rotini dish that Eric chose from the bucket. It might have been made with a little too much water since it was soupy, and it probably could have used a little more time to rehydrate before we got to it.
Still dehydrated peas aside, the flavor was bland. The texture was passable, but, as mentioned, some of the dehydrated ingredients weren’t fully softened.
One packet contains four servings, at 200 calories per serving. This dish is pretty carb and sodium-heavy, though, so if you’re aiming for a nutritious apocalypse dinner, this probably isn’t it.
It will feed you, though, and in the end, that’s all that counts.
Best Emergency Food Bars
6. S.O.S Emergency Ration Bars – Best Emergency Food Bar
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Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good flavor
- 5-year shelf life
Cons
- Messy
The stark white vacuum pack with the crisp blue lettering may look like something FEMA distributes, but we were pleasantly surprised that these cookie-like S.O.S. Emergency Ration Bars were kind of… cookie-like.
The flavor could be described as aggressively vanilla/graham cracker, but at least they were pleasantly sweet. We found them to be a lot on the dry and crumbly side, which doesn’t make for neat eating.
In the apocalypse, maybe it’s not a big deal. For munching on because my car broke down and AAA Roadside Assistance will be here in a day or so… it kinda is.
These packs are good for up to 5 years when they’re sealed, and each pack contains 3,600 calories worth of bars, which is intended to last for 72-hours.
7. Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Rations – Best Kosher & Halal Option
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Pros
- Halal and Kosher compliant
- Inexpensive
- 5-year shelf life
Cons
- Floury dry flavor
These are a similar concept to the S.O.S. bars above, but the Grizzly Gear Emergency Rations weren’t our favorite. They’re a lot less sweet, which might be a benefit, but they also taste very floury and dry.
They’re supposedly lemon-flavored, which is not at all what I would have guessed. The texture is a lot more crumbly than the S.O.S. bars, which means they’re likely to break up if you have them rattling around in your trunk for a few years.
Like other similar ration bars, the package is 3,600 calories in total and has a 5-year shelf life. Grizzly Gear bars are also Halal and Kosher compliant!
As with any sealed food–shelf life is dependent on the seal. If the packaging becomes torn or has a hole poked in it, your rations will be compromised.
Pack them carefully to prevent damage.
How to Choose the Best Survival Foods
Honestly, that depends on you.
If you’re on the move and need something light or something that doesn’t need preparation, your emergency rations are going to look a little different than someone who is sheltering in place with a supply of camp fuel and a stove.
MREs
Now, when you think prepping, do you think MRE…or “meals ready to eat?”
After all, these ready-to-eat meals are quintessential features of any well-stocked fallout shelter or zombie apocalypse bunker. They’re self-heating, sealed, and pretty portable, though, as you can imagine, military rations are a bit lacking in quality and flavor.
No offense, warfighters, but seeing my choice for a last-resort food branded as “Warfighter Recommended, Warfighter Tested, Warfighter Approved” doesn’t inspire confidence in its craveability.
However, MREs are pretty easy to find, pretty easy to use, and, if we’re being honest, have a pretty wide variety of high-calorie meals–not too bad when food is fuel to survive.
Emergency Food Supplies & Food Bars
Looking to stock up for an emergency?
Many preparedness companies sell handy sealed buckets of preserved meals, with shelf lives spanning 5, 10, and even up to 30 years.
You’ll get an assortment of individually packed meals in a handy bucket — perfect for stashing in the garage or basement.
If you’re prepping in a small space or want something that doesn’t require any preparation, emergency food bars are probably your best bet.
Final Thoughts
So, why do you need to know all this? Well, choosing food for your next adventure, your bug-out bag, or emergency supplies means that you need to know what’s out there — and how it tastes.
We covered a lot of different kinds of foods in our testing, which all shine for different purposes. To see some of these in action, check out our round-up video below!
That’s it for us! We’re going to go nap off this food coma, but let us know about your favorite food for survival and camping below. We have even more foods to recommend in our Best MRE Brands and even some recipes on how to make your own MREs.
Latest Updates
May 8, 2024: Added Nutrient Survival, removed Russian-branded MRE, added supplemental data, and extra information on how we tested the kits.
16 Leave a Reply
no mention of "peak refuel" it needs to be on here. the problem i always see in storage food reviews is the ones that get rated the highest are the woke type brands whos selling point is no salt no anything that tastes good. you have to dump a ton of salt and seasonings in them or they just taste like trash. we buy a lot for storage and campping and we will only get 3 brands ever mountain house, peak refuel, and augistin farms. all the others taste so freaking bland and are just plain nasty.
Any gluten free options?
If you're going with the MRE's and need to pack in and pack out, I recommend you field strip them before you pack them. It won't eliminate all of the packaging, but it will help minimize the packaging if you trash the boxes, the accessories bag, drop a few of the items you may not use. Always keep the hot sauce, it goes in everything to kill your taste buds so the quality of the taste is less of a concern. Some MRE's have shake pouches, which are decent if you're in a position to be able to relax and enjoy one.
Me to wife: "Honey, i'm going to order some MRE's. What would you like?"
Wife to me: "What are MRE's?"
Me to wife: "Basically a self-contained meal package."
Wife to me: "Well, instead of ordering delivery lets just go to the restaurant."
really enjoyed the article. Dont think I would try the Russian but have lived off MRE's quite a bit during my military time and they have definitely improved over the years. I know this wasnt a military article but I have tried French, German and Dutch MRE's and they as a whole are better than US. Not sure how one would acquire them outside a war zone and could never get the special ops guys to trade for one of theirs which I hear are really quite good but think I will try some of the suggestions
I have both Wise and Mountain House. Have never eaten either. I heard that Mountain House tasted better but got a good deal on the wise so got a couple of buckets. Also have some Patriot freeze-dried packs I got online super cheap. They have a lot of fruits and veggies. Also, coffee. Gotta have that.
this stuff has really improved over the years and our go-to favorites for long back country trips is Mountain House. None of them are bad, even the ice cream sandwich is good if you haven't eaten in 12 hours, but our favorites are anything Mexican, Italian or spicy Oriental. We always bring soy packets, dried hot pepper, garlic, etc. to add. Have to try Chef 5 minute based on what Paul wrote.
I have used “Chef 5 minute meals” food packs for the last several years. Great meal assortment and easy to heat up with its own heat generated system included in each pack. Used them several times hunting as well! Purchased many assorted meal packs for our employees to use during natural disasters.
What about peanut butter??? Coconut S.O.S. bars and Jiff are pretty good. Ramen noodles are cheap and tasty.
Do some research about plumpy nut,,,,,cheap, nutritious and actually tasty.
BAD THING WITH RAMEN NOODLES IS THE HEAVY SODIUM CONTENT, AND DOCTORS WARN THEY ARE NOT GOOD FOR PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE HAS KIDNEY ISSUES OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE...WE STOPPED EATING THEM...
Nice reviews folks, you're making me want to eat all of my food blindfolded now.
I've got a couple of MREs in my get-home bag at work (spicy dog food flavor ftw!), thinking that if I need to overnight on my trek home, a warm meal will be nice. But at home it's mountain house #10 cans all the way. Yes, they're more expensive than the Augason and Wise Food offerings, but they are so much better tasting. The Augason and Wise Food samples I've tried left a lot to be desired, both taste and texture-wise, so if I'm going to have to rely on my emergency food someday, I might as well get a food that I like.
Glad you liked it! Good looking out having a get-home bag too, we got an article about that coming soon ;)
The is so much for the taste-testing! You saved me money and time!
Glad the article helped!
Thanks for the overview and taste testing of these different kinds of rations. Super job!
Personally, I've tried most of them and ,when it comes to survival, any high calorie food is great. However, Mountain House entrees are supposedly for two servings but, if consumed by one person, has 600-750 calories per package. They are, definitely, among the tastiest freeze-dried products.
Thank for taking the time to try these survival foods.. I have several varieties in the basement. I hope I never have to crack them open.. I just look at it like insurance.. I have it on my car and home and have never used it, but will be happy I have it if something happens... I prefer the freeze dried for the 25 yr shelf life and not as sensitive to heat as MRE”s..I ate MREs through 2 combat tours as an Infantryman and didn’t hate them, but they are pretty heat sensitive 5 yrs or so if kept at 50-60 degrees.. 1-2 yrs at 90.. .. thanks again, Robert