In a survival situation, you might not be all that picky about what you eat.
But if you’re preparing for the apocalypse ahead of time, you’ve got options. Why not choose the most nutritious and delicious?
Rather than abandoning you to the intestinal horrors of long-term MRE consumption, we’ve gathered some of the best survival food kits (ready-made and DIY) out there put them to the test — the taste test, that is!
Bon appetit!
THE QUICK LIST
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Easiest Meal Prep
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Best Camping Meals
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Best Bulk Meals
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Best Emergency Bar
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Best Kosher & Halal
Table of Contents
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Survival Food Comparison Chart
| Claim to Fame | Days of Sustenance | Average Calories Per Day | Shelf Life | Water Required | Price | |
| Nutrient Survival | Quality, balanced diet | 30 | 1,350 calories | 25 years | Yes | $549 |
| MRE | Used by the U.S. military | 1 | 1,350 calories | Varies | No | $11 |
| Augason Farms | Low price per meal | 30 | 1,850 calories | 5 -30 years | Yes | $94 |
| Mountain House | Individually packed entrees | 3 | 1,700 calories | 30 years | Yes | $69 |
| Ready Wise | Bulk supply | 7 | 1,800 calories | 25 years | Yes | $112 |
| S.O.S. | Portable and calorie-dense | 3 | 1,200 calories | 5 years | No | $14 |
| Grizzly Gear | Kosher and Halal | 3 | 1,200 calories | 5 years | No | $18 |
How We Tested the Best Survival Food
To find the best (and most palatable) survival food, we sampled options from the most popular types of long-term shelf-stable foods. That included individual freeze-dried meals, military MREs, prepper food kits, and ration bars.
In addition to taste-testing some of the more popular survival and camping food selections out there, we considered why you might need survival food in the first place, and then made sure to include something for that kind of situation.
Eating on the run is very different from stockpiling supplies in your closet, after all.
In the end, we found some quality options that you can count on , wether you’re packing for a camping trip or preparing for the end of times.
Best Survival Food & Emergency Food Kits
1. Nutrient Survival – Best Overall
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Great menu options
- Good flavor
- No additives
Cons
- Very expensive
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Quality, balanced diet
- Days of Sustenance: 30
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,350
- Shelf Life: 25 years
- Water Required: Yes
Nutrient Survival earned our top spot with healthy meals that provide the macros and vitamins you need to thrive, boasting six times more nutrients than other survival food. They also claim no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.
The Nutrient Survival meals we tested were freeze-dried 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 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 discernible noodles and 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; 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.
We recommend the 30-day supply (buy once, cry once), but there are larger kits, individual meals, and even samples available, as well.
2. Military Surplus MRE – Easiest Meal Prep
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Pros
- Lots of menu items
- Extremely calorie-dense
- Utensils and condiments included
Cons
- Taste is, um, mil-spec
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Used by the U.S. military
- Days of Sustenance: 1
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,350
- Shelf Life: Varies
- Water Required: No
Ah, the nemesis of military digestive tracts the world over: the MRE. We tried Menu 1: Chili with Beans, a so-called classic.
Included with the chili was cornbread, cheddar cheese spread, vegetable crackers, “pepperoni pizza cheese-filled crackers,” and lemon lime beverage powder. As always, there was an accessory packet. This one featured wet wipes, plastic cutlery, hot sauce, and the like.
Each packet also includes an FRH, or flameless ration heater, so you’ll always have a way of cooking these.
Flavorwise, it wasn’t that inspiring. Imagine your grocery store’s cheapest canned chili. Edible, but not going to win any cook-offs.
Keep in mind that you can eat an MRE without adding any water because it’s not dehydrated. That’s really important when you’re on the move, have limited access to potable water, or just eat like an animal.
Each MRE averages 1,250 calories, so you get a huge amount of fuel for your day, whether you’re hiking, surviving, or camping.
What we didn’t like, especially for a camping or hiking situation where pack it in, pack it out applies, is the number of wrappers an MRE contains. Do what the pros do and field-strip each MRE to just the essentials. It’ll pack down smaller, weigh less, and reduce the amount of trash you generate in the field.
And start bracing your bowels for the impending trauma now.
3. Augason Farms 30-Day Emergency Food Supply – Best Budget
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- 20-year shelf life
- 30-day supply
- 1,800 calories per day
Cons
- Bland flavor
- More involved meal prep
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Low price per meal
- Days of Sustenance: 30
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,850
- Shelf Life: 5 – 30 years
- Water Required: Yes
Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply kits pack a bunch of freeze-dried entrees into a bucket and seal the whole thing up.
It’s good for up to 25 years, depending on the specific food item you’re talking about.
We ate creamy potato soup for our blind taste test. It was on the bland, vaguely cheesy side of things, but pretty basic. Hey, it could be worse!
This particular menu item 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 find the soup pack. Not a big deal, unless you’re after something in particular.
Unlike most of the food 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 much of a payoff.
The creamy potato soup provides 220 calories per serving. Augason Farms designed the 30-day kit to supply about 1,800 calories a day for one person, which more than average.
Dollar for dollar, this is a major score.
4. Mountain House 3-Day Food Supply – Best Camping Meals
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Great flavor
- Quick and easy meal prep
- Lots of menu items
Cons
- Generates a fair bit of trash
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Individually packed entrees
- Days of Sustenance: 3
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,700
- Shelf Life: 30 years
- Water Required: Yes
Mountain House has a cult following in the outdoorsy crowd, and for a good reason. These meals are super easy to prepare, and they taste way better than military surplus MREs (a low bar, we know).
We sampled the biscuits and gravy, but it there are plenty of great meals out there, such as the fan-favorite beef stroganoff.
Preparing a Mountain House pouch is easy. 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 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.
Mountain House also offers many of its most popular meals in multiple-serving cans, which you can stock up as an emergency food supply.
What’s your take on Mountain House? Rate it below!
If you like this style of survival food and want some more options, check out Peak Refuel. It’s another brand we enjoy during trips into the backcountry. Buy meals individually or in bulk.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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5. Ready Wise Food Storage 60-Entree Bucket – Best Bulk Meals
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Large menu
- 25-year shelf life
- Bulk storage
Cons
- Bland flavor
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Available in bulk
- Days of Sustenance: 7
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,800
- Shelf Life: 25 years
- Water Required: Yes
One of the bigger names in emergency preparedness foods, Ready Wise makes a pretty wide 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 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. Some of that could be due to user error, though. It looks like we used too much water and dug in before the meal could fully rehydrate.
The flavor was inoffensive, but 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.
But remember, this isn’t for making a memories around the campfire. Ready Wise food is all about surviving long-term. You can even get a full year of food in one kit!
6. SOS Emergency Ration Bars – Best Emergency Bar
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Pros
- Affordable
- Good flavor
- Five-year shelf life
Cons
- Messy
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Portable and calorie-dense
- Number of Meals Included: 3
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,200
- Shelf Life: 5 years
- Water Required: No
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 SOS Emergency Ration Bars were kind of cookie-like.
The flavor could be described as aggressively vanilla graham cracker, but at least they were sweet. We found them dry and crumbly, which doesn’t make for neat eating.
In a survival scenario, that’s not a big deal. For munching on because my car broke down and AAA Roadside Assistance won’t arrive for a few hours, it kind of is.
These packs are good for up to five years when they’re sealed, and each pack contains 3,600 calories intended to last for 72-hours.
They’re light, fast and easy — perfect for staying fed on the go.
7. Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Rations – Best Kosher & Halal
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Pros
- Halal and Kosher
- Affordable
- Five-year shelf life
Cons
- Floury and dry
Specs
- Claim to Fame: Kosher and halal
- Number of Meals Included: 3
- Average Calories Pre Day: 1,200
- Shelf Life: 5 years
- Water Required: No
Grizzly Gear Emergency Rations are similar to the SOS bars, but they’re kosher and halal.
They 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.
The package has 3,600 calories in total and lasts five years.
How to Choose the Best Survival Food
Survival food can take many forms, ranging from calorie-packed bars in a bug-out bag to rows of canned goods on the shelf.
MREs
When you think about prepping, do you picture an MRE?
Meals ready to eat are quintessential features of any well-stocked fallout shelter or zombie apocalypse bunker. They’re well-sealed, self-heating, portable, come with utensils and condiments, and don’t require water for rehydration.
As you can imagine, though, military rations are a bit lacking in quality and flavor.
No offense to our warfighters, but “Warfighter Recommended, Warfighter Tested, Warfighter Approved” doesn’t exactly make me hungry. Service members and veterans will agree.
Still, MREs are pretty easy to find, prepare, and (if we’re being honest) have a pretty wide variety of high-calorie meals. Not too bad when food is fuel to survive.
Bulk Emergency Food & Bars
Looking to stockpile resources for an emergency?
Many preparedness companies sell convenient buckets of preserved meals with shelf lives of up to 30 years.
You’ll get an assortment of individually packed meals that are perfect for stashing in your garage or basement. Just be aware that the food is dehydrated and will require clean water to cook it.
If you want something more portable that doesn’t require any preparation, emergency food bars are probably your best bet.
A Special Treat, Just for You
You can survive emergencies without eating astronaut ice cream, but you don’t get a trophy for doing it so chill out. Who knows, a sweet little snack might turn your whole day around.
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Meet the Experts
This article comes to you from Pew Pew Tactical Content Producer Sean Curtis.
Sean has been shooting since childhood but began to delve into guns more during his law enforcement career. He spent over two decades in law enforcement, where he became a POST-certified handgun instructor and NLEFIA Red Dot Instructor and received CLEFIA Advanced Firearms Instructor Training and AR-15 armorer training. He has since attended a variety of training, including Tactical Performance Center Handgun Mastery & Carbine Mastery, and earned USCCA rifle instructor certification. Aside from training and prior to joining the Pew Pew Tactical team full-time, Sean wrote for several gun publications evaluating and testing guns and gear and has written hundreds of articles.
Editing this article is Scott Murdock. Scott is a Marine Corps veteran who competed and qualified as a rifle and pistol expert while in service. In addition to shooting, Scott has written for a variety of publications, testing, researching, and evaluating guns and gear. He brings that knowledge and skillset to this article, editing and fact-checking for accuracy.
Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers. She is a National Rifle Association Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical.
Final Thoughts
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.
Now that we did the sampling for you, all you have to do is pick the best option for your needs and find a safe place to store it.
The next emergency doesn’t seem so scary now, does it?
What’s your favorite food for survival and camping? Let us know below. Want to try your hand at DIY survival meal prep? Check out our guide on How to Make Your Own MRE!
Latest Updates
- June 2025: Added a comparison chart and updated supporting content.
- May 2024: Added Nutrient Survival, removed Russian-branded MRE, added supplemental data, and extra information on how we tested the kits.
41 Leave a Reply
I purchased Ready Wise (Wise) first in June 2016. Hilldog was going to be president and destroy the US, don't ya know. Didn't happen but I have a 3-month supply that dates from then. I've purchased more from ReadyWise and Mountain Home since then but I decided to try some of the 2016 batch to test flavor and texture of the nine year old stuff. So far, the tomato basil soup pack was broth and some noodles, flavor a little off, edible but wouldn't buy extra. Like all ReadyWise, cooking time on the packages are too short. I have stroganoff to try next but I have some Keystone beef to add. I have a Mountain Home stroganoff to try as well for taste comparison. The breakfast apple-cinnamon multigrain and maple-brown sugar multigrain were both excellent. Wife would like to buy more. Going to experiment with the whey milk and make broccoli cream soup using the whey milk as a base with nacho cheese sauce. I find MREs acceptable for flavor (tried about 4 different ones) but I was old and retired before the long term exposure to them in the desert. Steve1989mreinfo is a fun youtube channel where he tries MREs from around the world.
"Long-term exposure" to MREs is the perfect way to describe it Croy, thanks for the laugh!
I was in the first generation of MREs with Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. They sucked compared to C Rats.
I have never seen anyone address a couple of realities of civil war or socioeconomic collapse.
Packs of feral dogs are a horrible by product and we probably have more dogs than any other countries. Dogs will start eating you with the tenders from inside of your thighs to just below your ribcage. Everyone start supplementing your meals with stray dogs before they pack up.
When the distribution system collapses we will obviously run out of food, and hunting will play out very quickly. But maybe more importantly, everyone on psych meds will run out around the same time. The killing won't just be about rape and robbery. You can't subsist on cannibalism, a steady diet of long pork is poisonous. Supplementing your rations with the back straps of your would be assailants immediately before you get weak and sick. Hams also if you are in a large group.
A complete SHTF situation in the USA will be worse than anything ever in the history of human existence. More guns, ammo, stray dogs and crazy people than any country in the world, ever. Prepare your mind for the unimaginable horror or loose your mind.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
You've painted a vivid scenario. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Good to know, my apologies! I have a little of both but haven’t tasted any Resdy Wise branded foods.
Just a quick editing note- Ready Wise and Wise Foods are different (text and the link is for Ready Wise, y’all tasted and showed pics of Wise Foods).
It's actually the same company, just with new branding since we did the taste test. We did update the product picture though - thanks for the tip!
4 patriots survival food is fantastic... better than all of them....
Thanks for the recommendation, we'll give them a try next time!
It would be a real coup if you could get one of the TV chefs to taste and see what could be done to make them (particularly the MREs which seem the most logical to store) more palatable with stored condiments or things you might be able to pick from the environment. Gordon Ramsey would be cool choice as he has done programs on tasting some wild stuff.
I would love to see that, Ray!
One tip for MREs or any freeze dried food......Hot sauce. at a minimum lots of hot sauce.
I don't even know if Swiss Chalet is still in operation but we had the Denver omlette. So one night we had a bear raid...we watched as the bear knocked the package onto a stump, ripped it open....tasted it and knocked it on the ground.
A week later we had a resupply and tried the Omlette ...and agreed with the Bear.
A meal and bear deterrent all in one, so many uses!
Love the reference to Alan Jackson's song!
Thank you very much!
No mention of 4 Patriots or My Patriot Supply’s Ready Hour.
We haven't tried those out yet, that's why there's no mention.
When I saw this pop up in my email I knew I had to read it. Half of them I had never heard of. I have plenty of cans and also Aug Farms buckets. I bought them a while ago, basing it on calories per dollar. I dont care about flavor, quite frankly. Shovel it in your pie hole. We would steal every bottle of hot sauce in a chow hall when going to the field w/MREs('80s). Then they started adding them. I dont care about flavor, smear hot sauce, shovel it into your pie hole.
Thanks for reading!
What about good ole canned goods ?? I rotate out them in my shelter . taken out stuff that has best by 10 years old tastes fine . That and good home canning lasts about the same or longer . I do have MREs in the 6X6 too for emergencies and do not forget seeds !! vacuum pack them so when things calm down you can have a garden A plus living in the country is all kinds of wild game .
Canned food also works!
Seeds are a fantastic idea - minimal space/weight, huge impact. The key is to get heirloom seeds that can be replanted from what you grow year after year. Good call!
I would love to see them do a food review on 4patriots. Has anyone here tried it?
I have quite a bit of 4Patriots food. I have sampled a few items. Taste was okay but most of their items are packed in servings of four. Trying to make just one or two can be hard. Not all the freeze-dried items come out in the right portions.
We have not tried it yet, but hopefully in the future we can!
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