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All these years as a prepper it has become clear that if you are bugging out for survival, things have gotten worse than they ever have before. To execute a bug out plan is no easy feat. I think that is the primary reason why so many of us prefer the strategy of bugging in.
However, we are entering a time in our history where things might get so bad that leaving our homes could become a matter of life and death.
If you are forced to pack your future into a bug out bag or a bug out vehicle, the food options you can choose from to fuel yourself and your family start to dwindle dramatically. At least until you arrive at your bugout location.
We have chosen 10 incredible options for adding flavor and nutrition to what will likely be the worst day of your entire life.
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1. Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes are the dirt-cheap food storage and camping food that every prepper should be storing. These potatoes are a just add water solution and the Idahoan brand brings all kinds of variety.
Everything from the original which are powdered mashed potatoes to creamy butter and herb flavor, and even loaded baked potato. All they take is some hot water to rehydrate. There are few bug out foods that can compare with the price, flavor, size, and weight of these potatoes.
2. Peanut Butter
Not many people think about tossing a jar of peanut butter into the bug out bag. However, peanut butter is a high calorie, high fat, nutritious food that is perfect for bugging out. The average 16-ounce jar of peanut butter is going to contain around 2000 calories. That’s a full days’ worth of calories!
Toss a box of Ritz into the bag and now you have a bug out meal fit for a post-apocalyptic marauder. Maybe the best thing about peanut butter is that it comes ready to eat. There is no need to make fire, warm anything up, this stuff is just waiting behind a foil lid with all its creamy, or crunchy, goodness.
3. Mayday Hi Calorie Bars
If you are strictly going for packing in the most calories, then something like a Mayday bar is going to be a great option. They come in 1200 calories and 3600 calorie options. These dense food rations go a long way, and each block runs400 calories. The 3600-calorie pack is designed to sustain a person for 3 days!
They claim to be high in 13 vitamins and minerals, but I think these cinnamon flavored survival bars are best for packing on calories. They are not a long-term food option but certainly afford you the calories and energy necessary to execute your bug out plan.
4. Say Grace Bits
This is a new product I have only recently added to my food storage. Say Grace makes a delicious dried TVP that can be eaten right out of the bag or rehydrated and used in meals. I love their Bits of Grace product as it is bite sized, crispy, and great at taking on flavors.
One ounce of Bits serves up 19 grams of protein and a healthy dose of dietary fiber, iron, and potassium. Bits of Grace can be eaten straight out of the bag but for a bug out mission I would mix up my own high protein trail mix as the Bits will take on whatever kind of flavor you prefer.
If you shudder at the idea of TVP and soy protein, Say Grace washes their concentrated protein with water to remove the water soluble isoflavones which mimic phytoestrogen.
5. Canned Fish
This next bug out food option might not sit well with everyone but for those of us who love fish and understand the benefits of things like Omega 3s, canned fish can be incredible in the bugout bag. This is another food that is ready to eat right out of the can, but canned fish provides DEEP nutrition compared to something like a Mayday bar.
Look for canned fish like Mackerel that is packed in olive oil or wild salmon. These can be surprisingly delicious right out of the can or pouch. Canned fish is light in calories so you may want to include a higher calorie food along with your canned fish. A flatbread, cracker, or something along those lines.
6. Canned Meats
Not to be outdone, canned meats have been touted as a survival food for a century. In fact, SPAM was the primary source of meat protein in Hawaii during World War II and the recipes survive to this day. Other canned meats stock the shelves of many a survival pantry from Vienna sausages to canned ground beef and chicken.
7. Trail Mix
A staple of any on foot operation through woods or highlands is trail mix. It’s often a high calorie, high protein mixture that most people buy premixed off a store shelf. This has always been funny to me because inadvertently you are going to wind up with things in that mix that you are not particularly fond of.
Create your own by mixing your favorite dried fruits and nuts, maybe some shaved coconut. This mix should be whatever you like!
8. Pouch Meals
There is certainly something to be said about a warm meal. Meals that can be cooked within a pouch require only that you stop and boil water for a moment. If you have a jet boil stove, then you can achieve this in a matter of minutes.
Add your boiling water to the pouch, MIX WELL, and you are on your way to a delicious time and a nice warm meal on top of it.
9. Foraged Foods
The best bug out food is the one that you don’t even have to carry! Foraged foods are those that you have learned to eat in the wild. They grow in the woods based on the seasons and some can be an absolute treat.
Of course, this requires a better understanding of wild foods and how to prepare them. That said, things like raspberries, blackberries, and mulberries can be eaten right off thebush.
10. Jerky
You can’t talk about bugout foods without mentioning jerky. This is a lightweight delicious snack and when it’s done right there are few shelf stable foods that can stand up to it. A nice chewy jerky can provide you with both sustenance and a job to do along the way!
Final Thoughts on the Best Bugout Foods
If there is one thing, we underestimate most in the prepping community it is the full extent of conducting a bugout plan. It is the Rubix cube of the preparedness game. The real struggles of the bugout will occur at the intersection of minimal planning and maximum variables. The very creation of a plan to run from the unknown is always going to be a challenge.
You don’t know what the threat is. You don’t know what direction it’s coming. You don’t know to what direction travel is even going to be available.
One of the things you can control with 100% assurance is the types of foods you pack and eat along the way. Even if it all goes wrong, you can at least rest your head on the fact that your family will eat well on their way to safety.
Now go check out the food in your own bugout bags and see how it stacks up to our recommendations.
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