Best emergency food supply kits, compared by what a day really costs (2026)
FEMA's Ready.gov says to keep at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food, and the Red Cross suggests 3 days for evacuation and 2 weeks at home. These are the long-life kits from the best-known US brands, compared on the thing labels blur: how many days of food each really holds at 2,000 calories, and what one of those days costs.
By PreparedStates editors · Updated October 22, 2026 · 9 products, all price-tracked
Our picks by size
Emergency Essentials 1-Month Kit
The lowest cost per adult-day here, in one bucket
ReadyWise 72-Hour Kit
The cheapest proper 72 hours
Ready Hour 2-Week Supply
The Red Cross's two weeks at home, in one bucket
All 9 compared
| Food kit | Shelf life | Servings | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
25 yrs · 257 servings · 56,650 kcal The lowest cost per adult-day here, in one bucket | 25 yrs | 257 servings | 56,650 kcal | $189.99 at Emergency Essentials Checked Oct 22In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched One bucket holding 56,650 kcal: about 28 adult-days at 2,000 kcal, and the cheapest day of food on this page at its store price. Emergency Essentials states the protein (45 g a day) as well as the calories, which few kits do. The meals are mostly rice, pasta, oats and beans, so they fill you up rather than excite. Best for The lowest cost per adult-day here, in one bucket Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want ready-to-eat food with no stove: these meals need heat. | ||||
25 yrs · 250 servings · 56,460 kcal A month of food at a full 2,000 kcal a day | 25 yrs | 250 servings | 56,460 kcal | $219.95 at My Patriot Supply Checked Oct 22 |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Two buckets with 56,460 kcal, which really is 28 days at 2,000 kcal for one adult: the rare month kit whose label survives the calorie maths. Good value per day at the store price. Like most kits it leans on rice, pasta and breakfasts, so add protein if you can. Best for A month of food at a full 2,000 kcal a day Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you only want a few days' cover: the 2-week supply or a 72-hour kit costs less. | ||||
25 yrs · 114 servings · 27,780 kcal The Red Cross's two weeks at home, in one bucket | 25 yrs | 114 servings | 27,780 kcal | $119.95 at My Patriot Supply Checked Oct 22 |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched One 15 lb bucket with 27,780 kcal: about 14 adult-days, which lines up with the Red Cross's 2-week supply for sheltering at home. Same menu style as the 4-week kit, at a slightly higher cost per day. Best for The Red Cross's two weeks at home, in one bucket Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you'd rather build two weeks from canned food you already eat: that's cheaper. | ||||
 25 yrs · 120 servings · 48,640 kcal Bigger servings, so the meals feel like meals | 25 yrs | 120 servings | 48,640 kcal | $390 at Legacy Food Storage Checked Oct 22 |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched 48,640 kcal across 120 servings: about 395 kcal a serving, roughly double many buckets, so the serving count isn't padded. That's about 24 adult-days. It costs more per day than the Ready Hour and Emergency Essentials kits, but the meals are more substantial. Best for Bigger servings, so the meals feel like meals Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if cost per day is all that matters to you: the Emergency Essentials kit is cheaper. | ||||
25 yrs · 36 servings · 6,780 kcal The cheapest proper 72 hours | 25 yrs | 36 servings | 6,780 kcal | $49.99 at ReadyWise Checked Oct 22In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched A 3 lb box with 6,780 kcal: about 3.4 adult-days, so it covers the 72 hours FEMA and the Red Cross plan around, for one person, at a low price. It's the easy first step before a bigger store. Best for The cheapest proper 72 hours Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you need food that eats cold with no water: try ration bars instead. | ||||
194 servings · 38,700 kcal Cheap per day, if you know '30 days' means 1,290 kcal a day | — | 194 servings | 38,700 kcal | $182.99 at Augason Farms Checked Oct 22In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Augason is upfront that this kit gives 1,290 kcal a day, which is well below the 2,000 a day the FDA uses as a general guide. At 2,000 kcal it is about 19 adult-days, not 30. Priced on that basis it's still good value; just don't plan a month on it for a grown adult. Best for Cheap per day, if you know '30 days' means 1,290 kcal a day Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if it has to feed an adult for a full month: at 2,000 kcal a day it lasts about 19 days. | ||||
25 yrs · 350 servings · 54,000 kcal Simple ingredients and resealable bags | 25 yrs | 350 servings | 54,000 kcal | $448 at Valley Food Storage Checked Oct 22In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Two buckets averaging 54,000 kcal: about 27 adult-days. Valley leads on short, plain ingredient lists and lists allergens for every meal. It costs about twice as much per day as the cheapest kits here at its store price. Best for Simple ingredients and resealable bags Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if price per day is your main test. | ||||
60 servings · 12,720 kcal A week of entrées from the best-known bucket brand | — | 60 servings | 12,720 kcal | $169.99 at ReadyWise Checked Oct 22 |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched 12,720 kcal across 60 servings, about 212 kcal each, so it's 6 adult-days rather than a 60-meal month. ReadyWise says it needs about 60 cups of water. At its store price it is one of the dearer days of food here; Amazon's price is often different, so check both. Best for A week of entrées from the best-known bucket brand Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're counting on '60 servings' meaning 60 meals: it's about 6 days for one adult. | ||||
18 servings · 5,118 kcal Real entrées that cook in the pouch | — | 18 servings | 5,118 kcal | $99.99 at Mountain House Checked Oct 22In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Nine Mountain House pouches: add hot water to the pouch, wait, eat from it, so there's no pan to wash when water is short. The food is closer to a proper meal than most buckets. But it's about 1,706 kcal a day for three days, and the dearest day of food on this page. Best for Real entrées that cook in the pouch Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if budget is the priority: the ReadyWise 72-Hour Kit gives more calories for half the price. | ||||
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Before you buy
Count calories, not servings.
A 'serving' can be 200 kcal or 400, so a 60-serving bucket can be six days of food or twelve. The FDA uses 2,000 calories a day as a general guide for nutrition advice, so we divide each kit's total calories by 2,000 to get adult-days. Active adults and teenagers need more; the table below shows the maths for every kit.
Every kit here needs water, and most need hot water.
ReadyWise says its 60-serving bucket takes about 60 cups. Ready.gov's kit list says to store one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation, so plan water and a safe way to heat it alongside the food.
'Up to 25 years' is for sealed, unopened pouches kept cool and dry.
Emergency Essentials, for one, says a pouch is good for about a year once opened. Keep buckets off a hot garage floor or attic and out of direct sun.
Check the menu for allergies and diets.
Valley lists allergens meal by meal, and several Mountain House meals are certified gluten-free; most bucket meals contain milk or wheat.
How long each kit really lasts
Servings aren't a fair measure, so we divide each kit's total calories by 2,000 kcal, the daily figure the FDA uses as a general guide, to get adult-days: how long it would feed one adult. Cost per adult-day uses the brand store's own price and the date we checked it. An adult eating nearer 2,500 kcal a day gets 20% fewer days from each.
| Product | Total calories | Adult-days | Price | Cost per adult-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Essentials 1-Month (30-Day) Emergency Food Kit | 56,650 kcal | 28.3 | $189.99Checked Oct 22 | $6.71 |
| Ready Hour 4-Week Emergency Food Supply (250 Servings) | 56,460 kcal | 28.2 | $219.95Checked Oct 22 | $7.79 |
| Ready Hour 2-Week Emergency Food Supply (114 Servings) | 27,780 kcal | 13.9 | $119.95Checked Oct 22 | $8.64 |
| Legacy Food Storage 120-Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Bucket | 48,640 kcal | 24.3 | $390.00Checked Oct 22 | $16.04 |
| ReadyWise 72-Hour Emergency Food Kit (5 pouches) | 6,780 kcal | 3.4 | $49.99Checked Oct 22 | $14.75 |
| Augason Farms 30-Day 1-Person Emergency Food Supply Kit (194 Servings) | 38,700 kcal | 19.4 | $182.99Checked Oct 22 | $9.46 |
| Valley Food Storage 28-Day Food Supply (350 Servings) | 54,000 kcal | 27 | $448.00Checked Oct 22 | $16.59 |
| ReadyWise 60-Serving Entrée Bucket | 12,720 kcal | 6.4 | $169.99Checked Oct 22 | $26.73 |
| Mountain House Just in Case... 3-Day Emergency Food Supply | 5,118 kcal | 2.6 | $99.99Checked Oct 22 | $39.07 |
Totals are the makers' own figures. Augason Farms and Mountain House state calories per day instead, so we multiply by the days they claim and say so in each kit's details.
We verify every product's specifications against at least two independent sources, re-check its US price and stock on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and cross-check safety-relevant claims against official guidance. Every review is labelled Researched or Used and reviewed by us: where we've bought a product, or been sent it free, and used it ourselves, its review says which; where we haven't, our verdict is a considered spec-and-evidence comparison, not a hands-on test — and commissions never change a ranking either way. Read our full methodology →
Related kit comparisons
Common questions
How much emergency food should I store?
FEMA's Ready.gov says at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. The Red Cross suggests 3 days' worth for evacuation and 2 weeks' worth at home. For one adult, two weeks is about 28,000 kcal.
How many calories a day should an emergency food supply provide?
Plan on about 2,000 kcal per adult per day, the figure the FDA uses as a general guide. Men, active adults and teenagers often need more. Many kits are built on fewer calories a day, which is why we compare adult-days rather than the days on the label.
What is the cheapest emergency food kit per day?
At the store prices we checked, the Emergency Essentials 1-Month kit and the Ready Hour 4-Week supply give the lowest cost per adult-day here. The table on this page shows each kit's cost per day from the store's own price, with the date we checked it.
Do emergency food kits need cooking?
Almost all need water, and most need hot water or a few minutes' simmering. Mountain House pouches cook in the pouch with hot water. If you can't heat water, look at ration bars or canned food you can eat cold.
How long does emergency food last?
Most freeze-dried and dehydrated kits here claim up to 25 years if unopened and kept cool and dry. Once a pouch is opened, use it within about a year, or sooner if the maker says so.
Is canned food better than a freeze-dried kit?
For a few days to two weeks, canned food you already eat is usually cheaper and needs no water. Freeze-dried kits are lighter, last far longer and suit a store you won't rotate.