Customer Reviews

Mainstay 3600 Emergency Food Rations, 9 Bars

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As my title suggests, these are excellent for Backcountry Camping. You have the equivalent of 2-3 days worth of food. It weighs next to nothing (2 pounds if I remember correctly), and can be eaten on the go. It's not gourmet dining to be sure, but it's not meant to be, and they still taste pretty good. I bought a whole case of these when I drove from the East Coast to Alaska and they cut down on my travel time because I wasn't stopping all the time to get fast food or some other obese-inducing garbage. As I said, I wouldnt want to live on the stuff, but it does have some practical uses besides stocking up for the apocalypse or some other craziness.

Each package contains 9 bars each. I was hoping that they would be separated, but instead it's one giant block and if you want a serving then you break off a chunk. This means that once open you have to consume they entire package within a few weeks or it will most likely start to go bad.

These actually taste pretty good for survival rations. It's somewhat sweet, like the so-so cookies you get out of a vending machine. One thing to note, is that they do contain trans-fats (partially hydrogenated oils) even though trans fats do not appear in the nutrition facts. I was planning to eat one cookie every week so I could slowly rotate out the old ones and always have a fresh supply, but since you can't open 1 serving without opening 9 and because of the trans fat I will just keep these in storage until needed. It's not a problem though. They have an expiration date of 4-5 years from when you get them (mine expires in 2014) so they should be good for 2012.

I have mixed feelings about this (and similar) products that I categorize as "survival food." If you are looking to buy individual blocks of food that will last for 5+ years, then these are perfectly fine. Edible enough, but not something you'd normally break out for dinner - not even in most disasters.

I often point out to people that stockpiling survival food is usually wasteful and unnecessary. It is much better to simply increase your stockpile of "regular" food (e.g., canned veggies, rice, beans, boxed foods, shelf-stable milk, etc.). Nearly all store bought canned and boxed foods have a shelf life of many months to several years - detailed shelf life tables are online or in my handbook. I recommend establishing a 30-day minimum food stockpile - no tubs of beef jerky or crates of tuna. Just regular food that you keep rotated. With this level of supplies, you can feed your family a balanced diet through nearly any event, and that includes hurricanes, floods, pandemics, widespread blackouts, etc. It is true that you wouldn't be ready for truly world-changing events, such as if an asteroid hits the planet and destroys all civilization as we know it, but I would argue that being worried about highly unlikely events is not very helpful to living a productive life. It's much better to be prepared for likely threats.

You might think that 30 days of food is totally inadequate, and that's fine, stockpile more. But keep in mind that the average American eats 2,100 pounds of food per year. So keeping 30 days of food for a family of five might be about 1,000 pounds of food - definitely requiring a little creative thinking to store in most homes.

The bottom line is that the Mainstay emergency packs are perfectly acceptable food products, but unlikely to ever actually be eaten. Your money would probably be better spent on just shoring up your food supply. Just my opinion; decide for yourself.

Please be kind enough to indicate if reviews are helpful.

Written by Arthur Bradley, author of "Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family."

I actually conducted a taste test for my family of five, on a scale of one to five (five being the best tasting) Datrex lost out to Mainstay. Daytrex- avg. 2, Mainstay-Average 4. What good is an emergency ration if it is not palatable.
Rev. Dr. Roger Dodds

When I opened the box, the packages had little crawly things on them. Very disgusting. One of the bars had obviously lost the factory seal and was no longer vacuum packed. Since the package was sent 2-day Fedex, it is hard to imagine that the damage was done in transit. If the damage was done in transit, it is a bit difficult to believe that the package would have been infested so quickly, especially with the super low temperatures we have been experiencing. Check your bars quickly and be certain the packaging is tight against the bars!

These are survival bars, not a four course meal. They aren't meant to be tasty, they're meant to save your life (though they aren't bad at all). If i could afford to buy 30 cases of these, i would. Be smart, do yourself a favor, get prepared.

These are a good product, my first package arrived "open", that is they leaked air, and were not vacume packed but the packaging was loose.

It should be hard and tight like a package of coffee.

I ordered one pack of 9 bars. Not sealed is an understatement, it is extremely lose. This seems to be an issue with Mainstay, stay away from these things until they sort out their incompetents when it comes to sealing the bag.

I bought three packages. The seal was broken on two out of three packs. The first defective one I sent back. The second defective one, I opened it to see if it was spoiled. Then I re-packed w/ my seal-a-meal. We'll see if it lasts. The one package that did arrive with the seal intact I put an additional bag over it and vacuum sealed it for double protection. Product itself is okay, it just needs more reliable packaging.

Have ordered these and other brands in the past. Will now stick with Mainstay. I agree on the packaging therefore the 4 Stars. Seal is good but will not hold up to any rough handling. Are fine on the shelf. Overcame that problem by vacuum sealing each packet in foodsaver bags for traveling. Ups the cost a little but hey, its insurance! I keep 1 pack per person in emergency kits and since we ATV, in our ATV Survival Kits. Of the brands, to me, these are the best tasting and least thirst causing. Go great with coffee too.