Prudent Prepping: Freeze Dried And Packaged Food Pails

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

My long, long-delayed plan to have food suitable for long-term storage is not ending. It is, perhaps, at the end of the beginning.

I must admit that I didn't buy the two buckets of assorted meals; that was the Master Chief. We've collaborated on several projects, and as his budget freed up some extra money, he bought two different assortments from the same company to show their basic meals. Besides, he liked what is in each bucket.

Wise Emergency Food Kits

Wise Food Kits

On the left is the Wise 56 Serving Emergency Food Kit, and the white bucket on the right is the 104-serving Wise Emergency Food Variety Pack. There's a small amount of overlap in each pail, but not enough to make a difference or make picking both a hard choice.

All information on contents and nutritional values are from the Wise Company.

The 56 Serving Kit contains:

• Creamy Pasta and Vegetable Rotini (4 Servings) 
• Savory Stroganoff (4 Servings) 
• Chili Macaroni (4 Servings) 
• Chicken Flavored Noodle Soup (4 Servings) 
• Cheesy Macaroni (4 Servings) 
• Pasta Alfredo (4 Servings) 
• Hearty Tortilla Soup (4 Servings) 
• Granola Strawberry Crunch (4 Servings) 
• Brown Sugar and Maple Multi-Grain (12 Servings) 
• Apple Cinnamon Cereal (12 Servings)

Additional Information:

• Includes 1 total bucket 
• Total calories: 13,600 
• Average calories per serving: 243 
• Food is safely sealed in Mylar pouches 
• To avoid waste, each pouch conveniently contains 4 servings 
• Lock-in stacking buckets for compact and secure storage without the need of shelving 
• Grab-and-go handles for easy transport in an emergency 
• 25 year shelf life
• Total Weight: 8 lbs (per bucket)

How this breaks down into servings per-package and calories-per-serving is a little on the skimpy side if you are doing manual labor, but if you are bugged in or trapped by bad weather, there is enough to keep you stomach from growling.

The Variety Pack contains:

• Pouch of creamy pasta and vegetable rotini (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of pasta alfredo (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of savory stroganoff (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of creamy tomato basil soup (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of freeze-dried peas and corn (8 servings each) 
• Pouch of apple cinnamon cereal (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of brown sugar and maple multi-grain (4 servings each) 
• Pouch of butter sauce (8 servings each) 
• Pouch of vanilla pudding (8 servings each) 
• Pouch of creamy yogurt (8 servings each) 
• 2 Pouches of whey milk (12 servings each)

Listed serving size and calories  per serving are similar enough to be not worth repeating.

The Chief did some of his own taste testing before ordering, and is confident that everything is suitable for people with standard taste buds and no restrictions on diet.

What About Restricted Diets?
I'm glad you asked! Wise Co. has a good selection of Gluten-Free foods available, along with organic foods.

I have to admit my personal favorite brand of freeze-dried food is Mountain House, but that purchase will have to wait until my budget opens up and their basic assortment arrives on the porch.

The Recap

• Wise Co. Freeze Dried 56 Serving Assortment: $97.47 & free shipping from Amazon, no Prime
• Wise Co. Freeze Dried 104 Serving Assortment: $119.99 from Amazon with Prime

The Takeaway

• Deals are around if you look and wait for them to arrive. 

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.