In a bugout scenario, you are likely to spend a lot of time in your vehicle as you travel from one destination to the next. This means a vehicle well-stocked with survival supplies is one of the most important components in a bugout plan – and food is the most essential supply that you can stockpile.
Before you start tossing groceries into the trunk of your car, it’s important to note that not all foods are great for storing in vehicles. For example, chocolate protein bars are great meal replacements, but the chocolate is likely to melt and get all over the place.
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A food that is good for vehicle storage needs to have a long shelf-life, have lots of nutrition, and be easy to prepare. With those qualifications in mind, here are 17 emergency foods that you should keep in your vehicle.
1. Beef Jerky
Beef jerky is a tasty snack that is high in protein and calories. It’s also a food that has a shelf-life of up to two years and can withstand the temperature extremes that occur in most vehicles.
• Calories per ounce: 88 calories
• Protein per ounce: 9.4 grams
2. Instant Oatmeal
As long as you have a way to boil water, instant oatmeal is a meal that is quick and easy to prepare. Instant oatmeal also has a shelf-life of up to two years, making it an ideal food item for long-term storage. Instant oatmeal isn’t very high in fats or protein, but it does offer a lot of filling carbs.
• Calories per ounce: 105 calories
• Carbs per ounce: 21 grams
3. Mixed Nuts
Mixed nuts make for a convenient snack that is high in calories and protein. They require no preparation to eat and can give you a quick boost of energy when you need it the most.
• Calories per ounce: 164
• Protein per ounce: 6 grams
4. Trail Mix
Like mixed nuts, but with more variety, trail mix is a tasty, calorie-rich snack that is easy to store and requires no preparation to eat. The dried fruits in trail mix offer plenty of energy-boosting sugars while the mixed nuts offer protein and healthy fats.
Just be sure to purchase trail mix that doesn’t contain chocolate or anything else that might melt in a hot car.
• Calories per ounce: 151 calories
• Protein per ounce: 3.9 grams
5. Ramen Noodles
Ramen noodles don’t offer much in way of nutrients, but they are a tasty snack that can be stored for years without spoiling. Ramen noodles are also high in sodium, enabling you to replace the sodium you lose through sweating.
While Ramen noodles can be eaten without any preparation, they will be much more enjoyable if you have a way to boil water.
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• Calories per ounce: 127 calories
• Sodium per ounce: 577 mg
6. MREs (Meals Ready to Eat)
If you’ve ever served in the military, chances are you’re familiar with MREs. These pre-packaged meals can easily be purchased in bulk by civilians. MREs are easy to store, have a long shelf-life, and require essentially no preparation, making them an ideal food item to store in your vehicle.
While the macronutrients of MREs will vary from meal to meal, they are typically filling and nutritious – even if they aren’t the best tasting cuisine in the world.
7. Powdered Gatorade
Storing powdered Gatorade in your vehicle will give you a tasty alternative to bottled water. It’s also full of energy-boosting sugars to get you through the day and has a two-year shelf-life if left unopened.
• Calories per ounce (when added to water): 7.9 calories
• Sugars per ounce (when added to water): 1.6 grams
8. Bottled Water
Bottled water isn’t a food per se, but it is one of the most important things you can store in your vehicle if you are preparing for a bugout scenario. While the human body can go weeks without food, it can only go a matter of days without water before dying from dehydration.
In addition, water is a necessary ingredient for preparing many of the other food items you might store in your vehicle. Whatever food items you decide on, make sure a large package of bottled water is on the list.
9. Multivitamins
Multivitamins may not count as a food, but they are still a beneficial thing to store in your vehicle along with food items if you want to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need. During a bugout scenario, your diet is going to be very restricted, and getting all of your important nutrients without being able to eat fresh meat and vegetables is going to be a challenge.
A good multivitamin can supplement a limited diet and ensure that you are still getting the nutrients you need to remain strong, energetic, and healthy.
• Calories per ounce: NA
10. Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are a prepper staple thanks to the fact that they are filling, easy to prepare, and have a shelf-life that is near indefinite. Pinto beans are also high in both calories and protein, and they are one of the healthier food items that can be stored in a vehicle for an extended period of time.
Of course, in order to prepare pinto beans, you will need water, a container, and the ability to start a fire.
• Calories per ounce: 89 calories
• Protein per ounce: 6.1 grams
11. Protein Bars
As the name suggests, protein bars are one of the best ways to quickly consume a large amount of protein on the go. Protein bars are also very filling, high in calories, and quite tasty as well.
If you are looking for a convenient food item that offers plenty of bang for your buck when it comes to protein and calories, protein bars are a great option.
• Calories per ounce: variable
12. SPAM
SPAM is neither the healthiest nor the best tasting meat product, but it is one of the only meat products that can be stored outside a refrigerator for up to five years without spoiling. If calories and protein are what you are after, SPAM isn’t that bad in terms of nutritional value either.
Like Ramen noodles, the high sodium count of SPAM can also help you replace the sodium that you lose through sweating during the strenuous process of bugging out.
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• Calories per ounce: 87 calories
• Protein per ounce: 3.5 grams
• Sodium per ounce: 544 mg
13. Macaroni and Cheese
If you’ve found this list devoid of your favorite foods thus far, you may be happy to learn that delicious macaroni and cheese is also a great food for storing in your vehicle. Mac and cheese is a tasty food item that can be quickly prepared.
It’s also a food item with a long shelf-life and one that is very filling and rich in calories. Of course, it’s also another food that requires boiled water to prepare.
• Calories per ounce: 108 calories
14. Instant Coffee
Given how much energy a bugout scenario requires, you are going to need all of the energy-boosters that you can get. Unlike ground coffee, which only has a shelf-life of a few months, instant coffee can be stored for up to twenty years without spoiling.
Best of all, instant coffee is also much easier to prepare. These two qualities make instant coffee an obvious choice for storing in your vehicle.
• Calories per ounce (when added to water): 1.5 calories
15. Breakfast Bars
Typically made out of oats and some kind of dried fruit, breakfast bars are a nutritious and filling snack that has a long shelf-life and is convenient to eat on the go.
• Calories: variable
16. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds require a little more effort to eat than most foods, meaning they aren’t exactly the best way to fill up quickly. With that said, sunflower seeds do offer a number of other benefits that make them a great food to store in your vehicle.
For one, sunflower seeds are a healthy snack that is high in sodium. Sunflower seeds are also enjoyable to eat and can be a stress reliever during long car rides.
• Calories per ounce: 162 calories
17. Peanut Butter Pouches
Peanut butter is a food that is rich in both protein and calories, and buying it in pouches is the most convenient way to store and eat it. If you are looking for an energy-boosting snack that packs plenty of calories and protein into a lightweight, easy to store package, then peanut butter pouches are an ideal choice.
• Calories per ounce: 186 calories
• Protein per ounce: 7 grams
Of course, there is more to bugging out than throwing food in the trunk. Here are some other articles to help you get started:
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Ramen becomes stale & rancid (oxidation) within a few months (as they are fried in oil) & you’ll taste the change. I don’t think packaging is super airtight.
As far as the flavor packets are concerned, I guess unopened will be fine but once opened, air/humidity will get to it.
I say find boiled/dehydrated ramen.
bottled water in the car in plastic bottles is poisoning yourself. make sure you have it in BPA free bottles that you bring with you and then take home to wash & refill. the standard bottled water you buy in the store MUST be kept cold. otherwise the heat makes chemicals from the plastic leach into the water. cars are always hot because they are out in the sun. in the trunk is almost a solar oven and inside the car is a green house. it get 15 degrees hotter every 10 minutes in side a car, windows open or not.
Yep
I liked the advice but as PRSmith said I would be taking my beans in cans, I would also keep the supplies in a cool place to be grabbed on the way out.
Camping stores should have a 12V jug for boiling water, I’m not sure of the cost. This can be kept in the car with other non perishable supplies eg; toilet paper, hand cleaner etc.
Great selection, but not really sure about the MRE’s. They don’t fair very well in the heat. I would only carry them during the winter months.
I’m not sure how long these would last in our temps, over 100 sometimes. I might keep some of these in a grocery tote near our garage entrance to take each time we leave the house. I wonder if there are inexpensive ways to heat water for coffee or ramen in the car.
Exhaust manifold.
Kelly kettle
12v drink warmer from a truck stop maybe
I think you should rethink keeping nuts and grains in your car longer term. They turn rancid rather easily and aside from tasting bad, become an anti-nutrient.
I never thought any person in this country would ever need to even think about carrying a “bug out bag “. Maybe a winter survival kit for surviving being trapped in your car in a snow storm, or a survival bag for those who travel off the proverbial beaten track, but not to escape civil unrest and the breakdown of law and order. My biggest concern has always been the electric grid failing. Brownouts and local blackouts are already happening on the west coast. So much for electric cars and trucks. First, water, several small bottles per person per day . Next, fresh box snack crackers replaced each month. Dried fruit, MMs (melt in your mouth and not in your hands) and jerky. If you must keep these in your car think about a soft sided insulated bag kept in the trunk or floor of the backseat under a blanket to help keep temperature more stable.
Keep your vehicle serviced with at least half a tank of fuel. Keep some ready cash on hand. You don’t want to be standing in front of an ATM in the middle of a riot.
Know where you are going to go. Have a map and get familiar with the route to get there and how to avoid cities that might be having them own issues.
If you are getting away from a riot once you’re out of town food, fuel and shelter should be available. But a large scale disaster, hurricane, earthquake, electric grid failure, terrorist attack, large forest fires, major floods all can and most will happen. Be prepared.
One more thing, don’t forget your medical needs.
Dried beans can take a lot of water and time to prepare. In the UK I found something called ‘soup mix’ which has barley, pasta,peas, lentils and small beans. It doesn’t need soaking and cooks in.about 1/2 hour. Throw in a stock cube and anything you’ve foraged and you have some really tasty filling stew. It costs less than.£1 for a bag that makes 32 servings. Score!
Most people don’t need food for at least a week. Should only have something for long winter road trips that won’t freeze. All you really need is a way to boil and then filter water. So a tin can, a candle, and a coffee filter plus a cup to filter to. Happy prepping ?
All the food items are great. But you also need to have some way to boil water. So you should also need some way to boil some water. I’d pack a small alcohol fueled cooker plus fuel to fuel it.
COFFEE!
Exhaust manifold
As usual good info. But PLEASE folks use common sense, do not store food in your car for prolonged periods of time. Most states have laws regarding leaving children or pets in cars for a very good reason, cars get HOT. A food and water supply can be harmed the same way. Overheated cans can rupture and the food will spoil. Mylar bags can expand and get damaged seals. Keep a supply of the suggested items where you can grab them on the way out. It may surprise you that even a small suit case will hold enough of these type rations to last a week. Remember these are not buyout supplies, it is common sense prepping. Be safe ,be prepared for the unexpected.
Good advice! The food needs to be rotated every few months to make sure it doesn’t go bad.
Pinto Beans need to be soaked for six to eight hours and then boiled for 60 to 90 minutes…then they’re still pretty tasteless That’s a lot of time and energy. If I’m going by car, my beans will be canned. If I’m walking, I won’t carry beans at all.
Dried black beans can be cooked in as little as 60 minutes. Keep them covered & steadily boiling. I have cooked them this way for years. Soaking is for adherents of Old Wives’ Tales.
Also consider a rotation plan so you don’t get bored with the food you eat. Eating the same old, same old won’t work in the long run. Also consider time of the year in terms of what stores well. You may also consider multiple locations and not put all your food items in one spot.
Food boredom is not a consideration when you’re bugging out or getting home. Calories in the form of complex carbohydrates and in as compact and light a configuration as possible (fats and oils) should be your only considerations. If you know wild edibles like Plantain, Clover, Dandelion, Cat Tail, Burdock, etc., carry some bullion cubes, gather edibles along the path and make a vegetable soup for dinner (you might even pick up potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc. from farmer’s fields along the way but be careful and ask permission if possible – that will add micro-nutrients and fiber. A bit of coinage, especially in the form of junk silver, to pay for that might go a long way – don’t count on paper money.
OTOH, oils go rancid in heat so if nuts or trail mix that contains nuts is included in your get home/bug out supplies, make sure they get rotated out on a regular basis but you should choose foods that do well in heat as much as possible. Oatmeal with cinnamon and honey packets won’t go bad but packets of Coconut oil (which should be added) should be rotated out fairly often.
Do your research, plan your meals and keep your rotation calendar current eating what you rotate out to minimize costs.