The Best Emergency Meals for Any Disaster
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Given that most of us live in the safest age in human history, "survivalist" culture can often seem like an expensive exercise in overhyping uncertainty. In our busy lives, emergency preparation generally takes a back seat to our usual day-to-day demands.
Yet “the new normal” of natural disasters has become a common refrain for a reason. From headlines of unseasonal hurricanes and wildfires that have quadrupled in size and tripled in frequency over the last two decades to policies now made around pandemic considerations, looming catastrophe seems ever present. Wherever you are, the key to remaining calm and carrying on, is preparation—including having a solid and reliable emergency food stash if and when you ever actually need it. If you had to just pick one to sustain you in a disaster or emergency, we like Backpacker's Pantry as our best overrall pick—it's tasty, will last at least 10 years, and has tons of flavorful options.
Why You Should Trust Me
I'm a writer for over two dozen publications across the Internet and newsstands. I'm also an outdoorsman, angler, bikepacker, and knife obsessive who's also usually the designated camp cook and bartender.
Related: 100 Healthiest Foods With the Highest Protein
Why You Should Get These Emergency Foods
Taking a few steps to be prepared doesn’t need to be an exercise in indulging global anxiety. It can simply be a matter of keeping a few extra dehydrated meals on the basement shelves for backpacking trips and passing storms alike. Here are our picks for the best, most nutritious, easiest-to-use, and tastiest shelf-stable food options to keep on hand.
The Best Shelf-Stable Emergency Meals
![<p>Courtesy Image</p><p>Prepackaged meals offer the easiest prep for emergency situations, but individual dried ingredients offer flexibility to incorporate other ingredients you have on hand. Packit Gourmet allows you to get a bit of both.</p><p>Like Right on Trek, many Packit Gourmet meals call for a more involved cooking process. The meals also range vastly in caloric content, from 60-calorie ramen to 800-calorie pasta Bolognese. What was consistent in our tests: quality. Packit boasted more consistently high marks for taste in this lineup. And while flavor may not be the most critical thing in an emergency, a good meal is always a boon for morale. That said, it comes at a premium, with these meals costing more for the calorie content provided.</p><p>What really sets Packit Gourmet apart is that, even as a small company, it maintains a digital grocery store of dozens of freeze-dried ingredients—from fruits, vegetables, and meats to sauces and seasonings. The individual ingredients offer nimbleness to mix and match, alongside the more perishable items in your pantry, to cook a multitude of potential meals. </p><ul><li><strong>Best Bulk Bet</strong><strong>:</strong> The <a href="https://packitgourmet.com/camp-kitchen-pack-deluxe/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Deluxe Camp Kitchen;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Deluxe Camp Kitchen</a> for flexibility, and the <a href="https://packitgourmet.com/car-camper-2-people-for-2-days/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Car Camper;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Car Camper</a> for prepared meals.</li><li><strong>Pro Prepper Tip</strong><strong>:</strong> Keep in mind that most Packit entrees are lighter on calories compared to other dehydrated and freeze-dried meals.</li></ul><p>[From $6; <a href="https://packitgourmet.com/trail-meals/view-all-meals/?sort=priceasc" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:packitgourmet.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">packitgourmet.com</a>]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/nB9urOM8Vb8w2wudLVG6Lw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc4OQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/men_s_journal_ecomm_550/eb85547a26368ba90118d45ca2eafe6d)
Courtesy Image
Prepackaged meals offer the easiest prep for emergency situations, but individual dried ingredients offer flexibility to incorporate other ingredients you have on hand. Packit Gourmet allows you to get a bit of both.
Like Right on Trek, many Packit Gourmet meals call for a more involved cooking process. The meals also range vastly in caloric content, from 60-calorie ramen to 800-calorie pasta Bolognese. What was consistent in our tests: quality. Packit boasted more consistently high marks for taste in this lineup. And while flavor may not be the most critical thing in an emergency, a good meal is always a boon for morale. That said, it comes at a premium, with these meals costing more for the calorie content provided.
What really sets Packit Gourmet apart is that, even as a small company, it maintains a digital grocery store of dozens of freeze-dried ingredients—from fruits, vegetables, and meats to sauces and seasonings. The individual ingredients offer nimbleness to mix and match, alongside the more perishable items in your pantry, to cook a multitude of potential meals.
- Best Bulk Bet: The Deluxe Camp Kitchen for flexibility, and the Car Camper for prepared meals.
- Pro Prepper Tip: Keep in mind that most Packit entrees are lighter on calories compared to other dehydrated and freeze-dried meals.
[From $6; packitgourmet.com]
![<p>Courtesy Image</p><p>For many, pemmican might be the most obscure food on this list. Still, it has stood the test of time. Pemmican is an ancient, shelf-stable food made of tallow, dried meat, and often dried berries, honey, and nuts.</p><p>Typically lasting one to five years, depending on composition, pemmican is generally much higher in fat and protein than more modern sports bars. And while it can be made at home as a fun project, there are numerous modern vendors. The best in our test was Frankie’s Free Range Foods, as it offered the most complete balance of carbs, fat, and protein, with lower sodium—great for offsetting all the salt typically found in dehydrated meals.</p><ul><li><strong>Best Bulk Bet</strong><strong>:</strong> <a href="https://frankiesfreerangefoods.com/products/pemmican?variant=43751738474744" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Free Range Foods Pemmican 12 ounce brick;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Free Range Foods Pemmican 12 ounce brick</a></li><li><strong>Pro Prepper Tip</strong><strong>:</strong> Keep a few bars in your car and everyday bag.</li></ul><p>[From $4; <a href="https://frankiesfreerangefoods.com/products/pemmican?variant=43751738474744" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:frankiesfreerangefoods.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">frankiesfreerangefoods.com</a>]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/4zz7Z4vaI07pBEx3y9G74A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/men_s_journal_ecomm_550/0fc4b6221de4c82ffd1ec31f2fb46312)
Courtesy Image
For many, pemmican might be the most obscure food on this list. Still, it has stood the test of time. Pemmican is an ancient, shelf-stable food made of tallow, dried meat, and often dried berries, honey, and nuts.
Typically lasting one to five years, depending on composition, pemmican is generally much higher in fat and protein than more modern sports bars. And while it can be made at home as a fun project, there are numerous modern vendors. The best in our test was Frankie’s Free Range Foods, as it offered the most complete balance of carbs, fat, and protein, with lower sodium—great for offsetting all the salt typically found in dehydrated meals.
- Best Bulk Bet: Free Range Foods Pemmican 12 ounce brick
- Pro Prepper Tip: Keep a few bars in your car and everyday bag.
[From $4; frankiesfreerangefoods.com]
