Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack. (3600-cal-1pk)

I read some of the reviews of this product before writing my own. First of all I'd like to say that these bars aren't meant to be a nutritionally balanced, filling, enjoyable snack. They're designed to give someone in extreme conditions much needed calories so they can wait to be rescued or walk out of whatever emergency they are facing. Our own 72-hour bags contains Mainstay Emergency Food Bars, some mylar packets of drinking water, a small jar of peanut butter, some mylar packets of tuna, some beef jerky, a personal water purifier and other items. Since we may have to carry those packs on our backs for a long distance, how much it all weighs is important. Mainstay bars are the most calories you can pack into a little packet. The bars themselves aren't bad. They taste like a dense lemon shortcake breakfast type bar. They're a little pasty, but totally edible. And if I'm hungry enough, they'll taste great. They don't leave you feeling thirsty, which is also good in an emergency when water might be rationed. Each person's backpack should have one packet to see them through to their next hot meal. Because they're sealed in heavy mylar packaging, they will last for several years without spoiling, which adds to my peace of mind. Each 400 calorie portion (there are 9 in each packet) contains 400 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 46 grams of carbs, 69 grams of fat, vitamins A (16%), C (30%), D (16%), calcium (16%), and lesser amounts of niacin, iron, folic acid, magnesium and thiamine. If you really don't like these bars, try Datrex Emergency Food bars. They are coconut flavored, and have similar packaging and calories.

I bought them to into the car emergency kit after reading about a family trapped in their car on a forest road during the winter and a woman trapped in her car on an Arizona road during the summer. I like them for their long shelf life and that they wouldn't melt like chocolate bars and would have their shelf life drastically shorten due to heat like MREs. As other reviewers have noted, the rations are actually one large "brick" with "break" lines dividing the brick into 9 (400-calorie) cubes. I have mine in a 1-gallon ziploc bag. If you need to open the mylar packaging, the ziploc bag should keep it from drying out. I have sampled the rations. The cubes have a slightly oily texture and crumble in the mouth. They have a moist shortbread quality. They are not awful and they are not gourmet cookies. I have used them when I have been driving and missed a meal. There is also a possible secondary use for them. If you have a family member than needs caloric supplementation, these maybe crumbled and stirred into oatmeal or porridge. I'M NO DOCTOR THOUGH. Overall, the rations are convenient and calorie-dense.

While this is not gourmet eating, it is food. Purchased 8/2012 with an expiration date of 7/2017, so it's prettty "fresh". I tried a package on a recent backpacking trip to test bugout equipment and It got old really, really fast (the taste that is). However when faced with a survival situation I am sure eating one of these will not be an issue. My package came sealed neatly and when opened the 9 bars within broke apart easily into the proper portion size. Though a little but cumbly, they did not fall apart in crumbs when I took a bite and I was able to eat them without any trouble. They say non thirst-provoking however I found myself (like most other reviewers) wanting a drink after every couple small bites. Overall for $8 it's a great addition to ANY emergency kit as you will at least have some kind of food for 3 days for one person. I recommend these at this price.

I hope I never have to use this for any reason. But I have actually ate these. It’s like a hard shortbread cookie. It is messy to eat. I would eat these if needed.

the food bar itself was wonderful, it tasted great kind of like a cookie the only problem that i had with the food bar is that the seal had been broken when when I received it, this wasn't much of a problem for me because i was just ordering the food bars to taste them but if i had been wanting to store it for an actual emergency i would have contacted the seller to get a replacement

They're lightweight, good vitamins, tons of calories. Package can survive most mayhem (most things they wouldn't survive, you wouldn't either). But I heard a rumor about them when I was considering buying a couple cases, so I bought an extra 3600 pack to test it. The rumor was that if you eat too many at once, they'll make you sick. Turns out it's true. I'd recommend buying an extra pack and doing a taste test, to find out where your tolerance for the things is. In my own test, the first tasted like a slightly too crunchy lemon shortbread cookie. The second was almost as good as the first. The third, I noticed an odd, not unpleasant, but hard to define after taste. The fourth the after taste got stronger. And halfway through the fifth, it suddenly turned into the most revolting thing I had ever had in my mouth, and it was all I could do not to spit it out on the floor. The exact point varies from one individual to another. Some people never get sick from them, others (as described in their own reviews) hit that point on the first or second bite. So it's good, in my opinion, to try them out, so you know where your limit is, before you find yourself relying on them for survival (being unable to swallow the first bite of your 6+ months of food during a major disaster would not be good).

This is a life-saving product. 3600 calories in lemon-flavored blocks that seem to last forever. Every go-bag, every car, every emergency supply kit should have one. They provide the calories to keep going and added vitamins to hold off potential decline in metabolic function. I wouldn't want to eat this every day of my life but I'd certainly be happy to eat this for a few days if the alternative was being very hungry and, potentially, unable to expend the energy required to reach safety. Every one of my family has one of these units in their hiking backpacks, in their cars, and at home as backup. They last a long, long time and they are easily transported. All you need is plenty of water and this will keep you going for up to 3 days depending on your level of exertion. I use it to supplement the other food I carry in my pack, so that I have a full 72 hours of rations providing 2,200 calories per day.

I've read about several emergency rations and seen YouTube reviews about emergency rations. Then I taste-tested these and have had friends taste these and everyone and my family tried these and they're very filling and taste good. Eating these and a whole bar for a meal substitute you'll be very full and won't need much else to eat. Non-thirst-provoking and are thick but easily broken apart. Probably the best-tasting emergency rations.