Choosing the best food for your bug out bag can be challenging. There are several things to consider: shelf life, calories, taste, weight, bulk, fragility, and prep time. Here are several bug out bag food ideas that I have used in my emergency kits over the years that may help you determine the best option for you. The order is based on what I have found to last the longest in the trunk of my car.

1. Ration Bars

Shelf Life: 5+ years

Calories: 410 per bar

Protein: 6g

Cost: ~$8

Weight: 1.12 pounds

Dimensions: 4.5 x 2 x 5 inches

Prep Time: Ready to Eat

Taste: 3.5 out of 5 stars. The bars tastes like Danish Butter Cookies. For me, they are a little too sweet but I still have one in each bug-out bag.

Note: This is breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 days so it is a great cost efficient option. It also seems like these last the longest in the fluctuating temperatures.

2. Dehydrated Meal – Black Bart Chili – Gluten Free

Shelf Life: 5+ years

Calories: 580 per pouch

Protein: 50g

Cost: ~$9

Weight: 7 ounces

Dimensions: 8 x .5 x 10 inches

Prep Time: Boil 2 cups of water (3 mins) pour into the pouch with ingredients. Let stand 10-12 mins.

Taste: 3 out of 5 stars.

Note: There are lots of brands that provide dehydrated meals. Unlike the other examples listed, this would only realistically feed you for one (maybe two) meals. I use these in my husbands bug out bag because his pack is the heaviest. Out of all 4 options, these weigh the least and I don’t need to rotate them very often.

3. MRE – Pork Sausage with Gravy

Shelf Life: 5+ years

Calories: (gravy 290 + biscuit 250 + cheese 180 + bread 180 + granola 260 + raisins 140)= 1300

Protein: (gravy 9 + biscuit 3 + cheese 5 + bread 4 + granola 8 + raisins 1)= 30g

Cost: ~$9

Weight: 1.10 pounds

Dimensions: 8.5 x 4 x 13 inches

Prep Time: Ready to eat, unless you would like to wait 10 minutes for the flameless heater.

Taste: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Note: This one MRE could last me for breakfast (granola & raisins), lunch (bread & cheese), and dinner (biscuit & gravy). Of all four options MREs are my favorite. They taste the best, have a variety of items to eat, the weight is reasonable, and is priced well. However, they are not sold in sporting goods stores and are typically sold in a case of 12 so its a big purchase. Read more about MREs by clicking here.

4. Food in Pouches – Do It Yourself Meals – Gluten Free

Shelf Life: about 2 years

Calories: (chicken 70 + quinoa 240 + lentils 150 + tuna 80 + clif bar 240 + oatmeal 100 + fruit strip 50)= 930

Protein: (chicken 14 + quinoa 6 + lentils 7 + tuna 17 + bar 10 + oatmeal 4 + fruit strip 0)= 58

Cost: ~$15

Weight: 2.3 pounds

Dimensions: 8 x 3 x 8.5 inches

Prep Time: Ready to eat, except for the oatmeal. Oatmeal 3 mins.

Taste: 4 out of 5 stars.

Note: I use this option in my bug out bag. These items are closer to my everyday eating habits. I travel a lot and use items from my pack when food is not readily available. Even though I like the taste of the MRE better I could do without the extra calories. These items are a little healthier too.

There are some ingredients that I don’t prefer to have in my emergency bags like dairy & nuts. They tend to spoil in extreme trunk temperatures and have the potential to make a person sick. Another one to watch out for is too much sugar. Sweet smelling food has a tendency to make all your other food smell just like it. Foods with a high sugar content makes me hungrier after eating it. Sweet items also tend to attract animals and/or kids.





