The Unexpected Costco Find That's Great For Camping Emergencies

Whether you are at one of the best fall camping spots in America or simply at a campground in your local state park, sleeping in a tent outside is a great experience for the whole family. However, the one bad thing about camping is that it often requires a lot of gear like a tent, tarp, sleeping bags, and pillows, as well as cooking equipment like ingredients, pots, pans, utensils, and a cooler. But what happens when you are camping and experience an emergency (like a major storm or some flooding) that causes you to be stuck at your campsite longer than expected? In situations like these, it is important to have prepared beforehand and bring with you the essential emergency supplies for camping, which include extra provisions of nonperishable food.

Luckily, there is an easy way to do this and it involves purchasing one of Costco's emergency food kits. Having recently blown up on social media, these kits have a shelf life of 25 years and contain a variety of dehydrated meals (from cheesy macaroni to teriyaki rice) that can be easily cooked using water and a stove or fire. Although seemingly designed for preppers, these kits have started creating a buzz in the camping and hiking community, especially because Costco's ReadyWise Emergency Food Bucket contains 150 servings and rings in at just under $100. While the container is large, each meal packet is small, light, and easy to carry with you for some extra reassurance in case of emergencies, or just in case your planned meals simply don't work out.

Because of their convenience (needing only the packet, a stove, and water) and good price compared to typical dehydrated backpacking meals, some hikers and campers have begun wondering if these Costco emergency food bucket meals may even be able to replace their regular camp meals. However, this may depend on your personal taste and group size.

According to one Redditor in the r/ultralight forum, "the [ReadyWise] meals are packaged for making meals for a family of 3-4. So if you wanted to buy it for backpacking you would definitely need to repackage it." However, while not useful for solo camping trips, the ReadyWise version may work well for families. On the other hand, while ReadyWise has the best prices, some reviewers on Costco had complaints about the flavor of the meals, mentioning, "This type of food, like cafeteria food, is made to taste bland since there are so many people who will eat it."

Luckily, if you do like food with a little more flavor and want to fully replace your campsite meals, Costco does have other emergency food buckets available. One option, in particular, that has good reviews is Mountain House, which, as one Costco customer said, "is always very, very good." They also added, "A key point is to adjust the amount of hot water you add to your particular taste." The Mountain House Emergency Meal Kit is also marketed as a backpacking and camping brand and is a little more expensive, ringing in at around $100 for only 28 servings.