25 Food Ideas for Your Bug Out Bag

When it comes to your bug out bag (or BONCH (Bug Out Never Coming Home) as I like to call my bag), food is usually an after-thought. It can be heavy, bulky and who needs to eat when they’re bugging out?!

You do. Food is energy. Even if you plan on bugging out in a vehicle, that’s even more reason to pack food. You’re in an ideal situation (being in a car) and even if you have to sleep in your car, you have food!

During an immediate crisis, the first 72 hours are usually the most chaotic. The chances of you being able to go out and get food through hunting and fishing or wild edibles is slim to improbable. There’s so much that you’ll need to deal with and you shouldn’t have to worry about food, as well.

I would suggest having at least 72 hours worth of food in your bag. If you have small children or someone with disabilities that can’t carry their own food, you’ll also need to carry their food.

You won’t even necessarily have to carry it, especially if you have a vehicle. And if you have a vehicle you’ll want to throw some extra food (and water) in the vehicle as well.

Even if you do have to carry it, food is still pretty essential for overall morale and even more essential for giving us energy while we walk/bike/skateboard/huff it to our destination.

We can survive a while without food, but why should we? We’re preppers. Let’s prep the food that we know we’ll want/need!

Don’t forget to include water in your bug out bag. Here’s a video I did that talks about how to carry or procure water when bugging out:

When considering the types of food items you’ll want in your bug out bag, try to consider the fact that you may not have time to cook the food. So you’ll want foods that are ready to eat or can be eaten cold/room temperature. But some foods that require water to rehydrate could also be a good option.

Here are 25 food ideas for your bug out bag:

1. Homemade MRE
2. Tuna pouches
3. Chicken pouches
4. Salmon pouches
5. Spam pouches
6. MRE’s
7. Freeze dried meals
8. DIY dehydrated meals
9. Protein/snack bars
10. Cereal
11. Instant rice
12. Instant mashed potatoes
13. Hormel meals
14. Bridgford sandwiches and such
15. Ramen
16. Ration bars
17. Oatmeal
18. Food pouches (usually found in baby food section, great for adults, too!)
19. Gold fish and other crackers
20. Protein shake powder
21. Powdered soups
22. Peanut butter
23. Trail mix (nuts can go rancid, check on this option often)
24. Ready meals
25. Ready to eat bowls of dinty moore, chef boyaredee, etc.

Here are some additional tips:

• Stay away from canned items, as they are heavy and bulky.
• Keep extra, empty, ziploc bags for trash or water or anything else
• Inventory your food at least every 6 months and exchange old items for new items when necessary
• Make sure you carry or can procure enough water for any foods that require water to be consumed (dehydrated meals, freeze dried meals, protein shakes, etc.)
• Consider carrying coffee, electrolyte drink mixes and other drink mixes.
• You may want to carry spices
• Consider also carrying a long term food procurement solution.
• Chocolate melts, even M&Ms.

What are some other food ideas?

Conquer tomorrow, by preparing today!