What is the ideal emergency food - something that is reasonably nutritious, palatable, stores easily, and can be consumed with no cooking. While food is not required immediately during an emergency, my experience is that I function much better if I am fed. Hydration, of course, is another matter entirely, and is an absolute necessity.

In terms of chow, I have come to prefer various items packaged in a "candy bar" format -sealed packages that are water and air tight. These items can be tucked away at the bottom of a pack or in other odd spots until they are needed, sometimes years later.

Item one - Clif bars - various flavors, 250 (+/- depending on flavor), edible long after best by date but noticeably dry (solved by dipping in hot coffee if needed) - widely available in the US and reasonably cheap

Item two - Tanka Bars - my favorite - mostly buffalo meat (with cranberries) so essentially pemmican, a classic survival food, not widely available, but can be ordered from REI - expensive ($3/bar) -very long lasting (one was quite tasty, none years past its best buy date) - only 70 calories but nearly all protein

RXBar - something I just picked up at the local Trader Joe's -210 calories, reasonably tasty, healthy ingredients although fairly high sodium, no idea as to durability, but looks like a keeper...

There's lots of stuff out there, and I understand a lot of just plain candy is pretty decent (Snickers Bars). What are your faves? Restricted to items that can be consumed right out of the wrapper and that will keep a long time....

I've been stocking Millennium bars. They're not well-loved by my children so they don't disappear from kits, but everyone can eat them without negative gastrointestinal effects, and they last a long time in storage.

Have not eaten the prepared bars in quite a while.

Do they still make Power Bars? The chocolate kind was too sweet ... a little sickly. But the banana flavor was OK.

Really ... I think that crackers, canned tuna (small cans with pop tops), peanut butter, and some fruits is a good way to go. I don't like really sweet things, that much. It's a bit more bulky, but I prefer giving my stomach things that it actually likes. For me, it especially helps to have some protein. Beef jerky is also pretty good, I like the teriyaki. :-)

Pete

In my EDC bag, I keep an 8 oz bottle of water, two nutritional shakes, protein bars (actual number of bars change) and an 8 Count box of cracker sandwiches

Jeanette Isabelle

while I've used Cliff bars on hunting trips,they are not a stored staple... during hurricane season I get a large box of Nature Valley Almond Sweet and Salty Nut bars from Sam's Club...I don't really know the life expectancy after use by date, but I agree with Hikermore that having a familiar tasting snack can be very comforting in a period of stress....

Dry dog kibble. No one will eat it until they really need it.

I hate the Millenium bars but I love Datrex lifeboat rations.

I use a cereal bar (the actual brand is "Corny") in different flavours. The shelve life is reasonable and the bars need to be checked regularly for bugs anyway. I rotated them when I order new ones or when they are about to expire. I also have some chocolate. I decided to go for SCHO-KA-KOLA. It comes in a nice tin and is available in semi bitter and milk chocolate.

Hey, maybe you guys can help assess this. Is pemmican supposed to be greasy? In the reviews of the following product on Amazon, some buyers complain that the pemmican is "really gross," "nothing but lard," "from another friggin' century," etc. Is this what pemmican is supposed to taste like?

https://www.amazon.com/Lakeside-Gourmet-...s=beef+pemmican

Bing, per Wikipedia, traditional pemmican is 50/50 jerked meat (often bufalo) and animal fat, sometimes with dried berries added. The Tanka bar is dried buffalo meat (which I adore) and cranberries with some miscellaneous ingredients - no fat added, although 25 of its 70 calories are fat derived.

Epic makes a similar bar, but with added bacon fat. I don't think it is nearly as tasty.

Tanka bars were developed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota, where I have spent many memorable summers, so that is a plus for me. The name 'Tanka" is derived from the Lakota word for strong or powerful.