Mountain House 72-Hour Emergency Meal Kit

10 Comments

1. PR kitty says:

   November 3, 2006 at 12:56 am

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   I got this on a Friday sale and it’s nice to know that it is there in case something happens!!!
2. griff 02 says:

   February 22, 2008 at 1:14 am

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   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.
3. S. hanley says:

   June 27, 2008 at 7:22 pm

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   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.
4. Christopher Coakley says:

   August 13, 2008 at 9:39 pm

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   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.
5. S. T. says:

   November 7, 2008 at 4:24 pm

   Rating

   I’d give it five stars but they sent 3 granola with blueberries and milk instead of one granola, one eggs/bacon and one eggs/ham. As it turns out, the granola is really tasty so I wouldn’t mind three days of it. But they need to update the contents or inform that substitutions may be made.

   Each entree has been good to great, in my opinion. The advantage of 5-7 years shelf life and lighter weight vs canned foods has to be weighed by each individual. I opted for both to give me somewhat longer than 72 hours before getting into larger cans of freeze dried foods, and to give me a lot of variety over a short period.
6. J. Fraser says:

   March 29, 2009 at 4:53 pm

   Rating

   I took this kit, along with some additions (Clif Bars, trail mix, Top Ramen, oatmeal, etc.) on a 5 day backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada. These were the perfect hot meals that were easy to cook up, just put the right amount of hot water in the pouch and zip it up and wait. Cooking, then adding one of the veggie pouches filled our bellies nicely at the end of the day. Breakfasts were light, yet filling enough to get you started on the trail in the morning. Do pay attention to the calorie count though. This pack will feed you for 72 hours in an emergency, but not at the full amount of calories you need over time.
7. Kat says:

   May 9, 2009 at 9:44 am

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   The meals are great! Good tasting and essential… well balanced meals. I live in N.W. Florida, and we have had a number of hurricanes put the power out for days… 2 1/2 weeks when Ivan hit. This is much needed in times like those, and hurricane season begins June 1st this year. Be prepared!!!
8. M. O. Gomez says:

   June 3, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   Rating

   Mountain House 72-Hour Emergency Meal Kit
   
   This food is amazingly good. We purchased this to add to our earthquake preparedness kit, but we tasted the stroganoff before we filed the rest away. It was surprisingly yummy.
9. B. Yates says:

   December 2, 2009 at 3:31 am

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   Mountain House has been around a long, long time. They have put a lot of effort into improving their product over the years and the current food is really very tasty considering it is freeze-dried. All of the entrees we’ve tried have been very good. (Although of course we haven’t tried them all and there may be some that barely resemble food. Like anything else, personal taste will be the deciding factor. Adding some spices, hot sauce, etc. to your stash will make a world of difference. ) And the seven year shelf life is nice. The only caveat is that as with any pre-packaged “kit” you cannot simply take their word for how long something is supposed to last, or for how many people. You have to look at the number of calories and do the math and decide for yourself how much you will want or need. Will this keep you from starving? Sure. But if you have the foresight to “be prepared” surely you can plan to do better than just not “starving.” And consider that in many of the scenarios where you might really need this food, increased physical activity and the greatly increased calorie requirements that brings might be the order of the day. We have five day’s worth of MH food for three people, but we did it by doing the calculations and deciding how much we needed/wanted. And it’s a much bigger pile than what this package might lead you to believe is sufficient. Lastly, in addition to adequate drinking water, don’t forget the water needed to prepare the food (and although not strictly required, a way to heat the water is a huge plus.)
10. S. Place says:

    August 5, 2010 at 10:04 am

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    all i can say is that i was absolutely and completely amazed when i got the package – i thought it was the tiny little emergency crank up radio from red cross that i had ordered – but it was food! three days worth – tucked into little pouches into a little box that would so come in handy when disaster finally struck… thankfully, it hasn’t happened, yet, but we’re still early in this year’s hurricane season, so i’m not holding my breath – i’m just getting prepared! my dad, who works for the emergency communications in our county, says i’m doing the right thing and he’s glad that i’ve thought to prepare myself for whatever may come… living in charleston, sc, i’m no stranger to hurricanes so i know what it means to be prepared and what it means to be caught with your pants down… having spent several years in boston, i also know what it’s like when you get hit with a nor’easter… in both cases it can become pretty difficult to strike up a decent meal… i’m hoping that my little box of food becomes the best insurance policy i ever bought!