Mountain HouseClassic Meal Assortment Bucket Freeze Dried Backpacking & Camping Food 24 Servings

Mountain House has been doing this a long time, and the food has always been good. I remember getting their food from mail order catalogs long before the internet. Back then, your options were limited to two or three companies, MRES, or surplus C-rations from Vietnam.I like their buckets/packs because they are one of the few companies that offer a large variety of entrees that contain actual meat. Many others are mainly various permutations of flavored pasta and rice or other grain-based dry goods with no actual meat in it. I like pasta and rice too, but it's nice to have something that kind of "sticks to your ribs" sometimes. Tastes great too, like a regular meal.My meal bucket came carefully double-boxed and arrived in great shape. Once empty, the bucket can be used a variety of ways in an emergency too. They are lightweight so if necessary you can ditch the bucket and put a bunch of them in a pack if you have to bug-out.Recommend others interested in this type of product also check out their webstore here on Amazon, they have a pretty amazing collection of dishes. You can buy a single pouch to try out before committing to a whole box/pail of them. They also have the big #10 cans.As an aside, a "best by" date is NOT an expiration date. The food will remain perfectly edible past its "best by" date for years, it may just not have the same consistency or flavor that it did when new.With recent emergencies like Helene cutting off communities that are hundreds of miles from the ocean, strikes, long term power outages, people panic-buying leaving shelves empty etc. it pays to be prepared. Even a small stash of neccesities can make the difference until help can arrive or things return to somewhat normal, or you are displaced from your home. I trust this brand and recommend their products. All made in the USA too.I do wish they had 4 of each entree item in this bucket for my wife and I, as their idea or a "serving" and mine are pretty different. :) I can easily eat a whole pouch myself.

This item is essential for emergencies. If you ever need to use it, that’s great; and if you don’t need it, that’s fine too. At least you’ll have something prepared for a natural disaster. The shelf life is quite long, so if you don’t end up using it, you can always donate it to a charity or a homeless shelter. It’s never a waste of money. Cheers!

h, the Mountain House Classic Bucket - the culinary savior of backpackers, campers, and apocalypse preppers alike. Here's my take on this freeze-dried delight:Taste Test:I cracked open the bucket with the anticipation of a starving adventurer, only to find a colorful array of freeze-dried meals staring back at me like a technicolor dream. With flavors ranging from beef stroganoff to chicken teriyaki, it's like a culinary world tour in a bucket. Just add water, and voilà! Gourmet(ish) cuisine in the great outdoors.Portability:Who needs a five-star restaurant when you've got a bucket of freeze-dried goodness? This bucket is the ultimate in portability - just toss it in your backpack and you're ready for any adventure. It's like having a personal chef in a compact, lightweight package. Plus, the bucket doubles as a makeshift drum for those impromptu campfire jam sessions.

Some of these were good (stroganoff). Some weren’t - lacking flavor and bland (rice and chicken). Decent variety. They were easy to make, but we didn’t bring measuring cups for the water, so we guessed, and that made an impact on the quality, since it you don’t put enough water they stay crunchy and if you put too much they get soggy. They’re not quite enough food for a full grown man. Needs something on the side to fill you up. Stays hot long enough to eat. Best price on the market. Very convenient for camping

Good variety of meals. Texture and nutrient/calorie content are great. Sturdy container. Functional and tasty meals at a reasonable price.

I wish I could have bought more this stuff tastes great is very filling is very cheap for the money the shelf life is 25 years there's a lot of different types of food and variety of the foods in here you can resell the outer plastic canister and it's easy to prepare for that water

Well, its true. No major disasters that would prompt me to use it. But, I used to use Mountain House for backpacking food decades ago and they were always high quality. So, I trust these will be fine for that emergency we all hope will never come. I have opened some other dehydrated food I got elsewhere and samples it, and it is fine. So, if you want one for the house or cabin, etc. this brand is usually very high quality.

I tried two packages of the food so far just to test out the quality (beef stroganoff, and chicken with rice). I've had some stored for 2 years now. I was very impressed with the flavor and quality of the food. It tastes very fresh and close to a home-cooked quality and probably better than what most restaurants would serve you. The portion sizes are very generous. Enough for two people if needed. With a shelf life of 30 years, you can't go wrong having a few of these buckets on hand for an emergency situation.The packaging is high quality and seems very durable. Prep is very easy. Boiling water in the bag, mix it well, seal it up, leave for 10 minutes, and it's done. I have no complaints with this product. WILL UPDATE in 2051 if I still have one left, to confirm how well the flavor held up!