Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack.

by Mainstay

Product Features

• 5 year Shelf Life, Non-Thirst Provoking EXP DATE JAN 2012
• Withstands Temperatures of -40° F to 300°F (-40°C to 149°C)
• Ready to Eat: Each package contains 9 pre-measured 400 calorie meals.
• Allows for on-land emergency consumption in a high-stress active situation.
• Meets the US Coast Guard standards (160.046/23/0). It's new modern packaging even meets the stringent guidelines set by the Department of Defense (SOLAS 74/83).

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 6 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000B43JZS
• Item model number: SIF-1
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,336 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #75 in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Camp Kitchen > Freeze-Dried Food
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Product Description

One pack contains 9 cubes. MainstayTM has emerged as a food product unlike any other. Before it came into the picture, emergency food bars were only being made for short-term use. MainstayTM is specially formulated for land-based high stress situations. Each package contains 9 pre-measured 400 calorie meals, which allows a person to get their full nutrition in a challenging situation. 5 year Shelf Life, Non-Thirst Provoking, Withstands Temperatures of -40° F to 300°F (-40°C to 149°C) Ready to Eat: Each package contains 9 pre-measured 400 calorie meals. Individualized Portions eliminate the messy breaking-up that occurs with other bars Allows for on-land emergency consumption in a high-stress active situation. Contains no cholesterol or tropical oils. Meets the US Coast Guard standards (160.046/23/0). It's new modern packaging even meets the stringent guidelines set by the Department of Defense (SOLAS 74/83). Enriched with vitamins and minerals exceeding the RDA requirements. Pleasant lemon flavor which appeals to everyone. MainstayTM is Kosher and it meets the dictates for Halal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Survival Food, July 27, 2007

By 

Andrew Schnelly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack. (Misc.)

I'm sorry about the other reviewer... maybe he is unfamiliar with the concept of survival preparedness. These are some of the best survival bars you will ever come across. First off, it is survival food not gourmet cooking, these bars taste like a lemon-butter cookie, and are crammed full of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, and yes they have a high fat content, which you will need in an emergency situation, for energy. Ontop of all that, they are low protien, which means it takes far less water for your body to break them down into useful energy. They are pretty much impervious to heat and moisture and will last apx. 5 years, perhaps a little longer, they do not take up much room at all, and require no preparation...

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Emergency Rations, October 29, 2007

By 

Y. Tsuchida "ABearInTheWoods" (Sunnyvale, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack. (Misc.)

I'm a "survivalist" in the sense that I live in a earthquake zone and also spend a lot of time in the outdoors far from civilization and prefer to "be prepared". I've tried different types and different brands of highly concentrated survival foods and ounce for ounce Mainstay rations are the best (for shelf-life, compactness, nutritional value, shape, and, yes, even taste).

They were originally developed (and USCG approved) for lifeboat survival, so I used to pick them up by the case at marine and boat supply places. Because of this they do not cause thirst or intensify dehydration, like other foods can (remember digestion usually requires water).

Each rectangular, airtight, watertight mylar-backed laminate plastic package is a little bit bigger than a double CD album (like the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack.... LOL), and consists of 9 blocks of food. Each block is the caloric equivalent of about 1 meal. So if you pace yourself, you have about 3-4 days of rations for 1 person in one package. I recommend at least one package for each member of your family. I read in a catalogue once that they were approved for use by all religions, if that matters to you (when you're starving).

I particularly like the shape of this package because I have a pocket on my "Go" bag which perfectly fits one Mainstay. (For those not familiar, a Go Bag is an emergency supply/gear bag that you can quickly grab on the way out the door or when bailing from a vehicle). I still use MREs, freeze-dried foods, and canned foods also, but Mainstays are a great back-up and like I said the most compact food energy source of all of them.

As for taste, I kind of like them and believe me, when you're hungry, they taste great. It tastes neutral, slightly sweet, to me, like a shortening cookie. I think the instructions advise that if rescue is not imminent, don't eat for the first 24 hours.

LOL... I can't speak to the nutritional requirements of non-human consumers, but I will just mention... dogs seem to like them.

As soon as you get them, write the Expiration Date on the front (like, "01/09") with a Sharpie so you can know which ones to eat first. Every few years, when I rotate my stock, I enjoy them for a few days of snacking.

Oh, and TSA inspectors don't like them in carry-on... LOL.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent emergency rations, July 5, 2009

By 

Mr. Geezer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack. (Misc.)

Calorie dense and pleasant tasting, but more important is the 5 year shelf life. Can be made in to a porridge by crushing and adding water. You will need a knife or scissors to open these well sealed packages.