Mountain House 72-Hour Emergency Meal Kit

Ok, the product is fine as advertised. It's an emergency supply of food for 1 adult for 3 days (remember to have enough water). I like to bring Mountain House packs with me when I go motorcycle camping or backpacking. They're light, easy to pack, and I enjoy them. Sometimes they take the role of "just in case" food, and sometimes they serve as a planned meal. The chili mac with beef is a personal favorite, as is the beef stroganoff. I'm not particularly fond of beef stroganoff usually, but there's something about a savory meal when camping. Mountain House meals typically taste better than many of the freeze-dried alternatives.

So why did I say "almost perfect?" Well, I'd prefer it if they sold this kit with the 2-serving packets. I'm usually moto-camping or backpacking with someone. It's super-convenient to have one package for two people. Less waste. On the plus side, it's not 5-serving packages like some other emergency kits. Since it's advertised for one person, this is expected.

Second, the vegetable packs (which are 2-serving packs, though I'm guessing are intended for a single person) are a waste for a home emergency kit. Get canned vegetables instead. The vegetable packs are great for backpacking, as they will help keep your digestive system happy. They don't come out quite as good as canned vegetables, but they're much lighter.

If you are debating between this and MREs, there's a few things to consider:
1) Personally, I think MREs don't taste as good as Mountain House meals
2) MREs don't require a stove and fuel (MRE heating packs)
3) MREs don't require additional water (true of canned foods, too)

I do have MREs occasionally for moto-camping, but not for backpacking, as I prefer the Mountain House meals.

Read the hiking magazines or visit the outdoors stores and you will see that Mountain House is the premier maker of hiking meals. I bought this item because we were going hiking for several days and it's easier to just buy this collection than individual packets. The kids like the meals, and my kids are picky as heck. If you wanted meals for an emergency this would be perfect as well since it has a shelf life of something like 10 yrs.

this kit is an outstanding value, with a good variaty of meals. i used the free shipping option and shipping was still quick and ahead of schedule. i am very pleased.

I got this on a Friday sale and it's nice to know that it is there in case something happens!!!

Although the food quality is decent - and the packages should last for a while, it's a bit deceptive to say that a TOTAL of about 2500 calories is adequate for a person for three days. Unless you're on a really tight diet. For a short term like 72 hours simply keep some canned food around (or some MRE's) and you'd do much better. If you insist on camping (dehydrated) food - simply buy a few of the real meals from this company. At least you'll be eating enough to keep the stomach rumbles down.