“That’s supposed to be mac and cheese?” I thought as I stared at the goop in the camp pot. The raccoons wouldn’t even eat it because it tasted no better than it looked. From that moment on, I’ve been searching for decent-tasting freeze-dried meals for my family on camping trips and in case of emergencies.
I finally found it when the Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kit showed up at my door. My hopes were high because it was originally developed with Chuck Norris, and I was a huge Walker, Texas Ranger fan as a kid. (I named my little brother “Walker Texas Ranger,” but my parents shortened it to Walker before they brought him home.)
I don’t know if I could bear my childhood hero letting me down after he let the Grim Reaper take him.
However, I wasn’t brave enough to rely solely on this kit for my camp meals, so before we visited a campground, I prepared three meals in the kitchen. I wanted to see how easy the food is to prepare, how much it makes, how long it takes, and most importantly, how it tastes.
In short: The Roundhouse Provisions 3-Day Emergency Meal Kit ($189) is still survival food, so it’s not like eating a gourmet dinner. However, it’s edible, and in fact, I didn’t get a single complaint from my family when I served them any of the three meals. I’ve had more expensive restaurant food taste much worse. The food is pretty easy to prepare, but you have to portion it yourself (26 servings distributed across three bags).
I won’t hesitate to purchase more when I need to stock up on tent/RV camping and emergency meal kits for my family, but there are better options for backpack and kayak camping food.
Specifications
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Long shelf life
- Tastes pretty good
- Easy to prepare
- Large quantities
Cons
- Expensive for oatmeal and rice meals (~$7.26/serving)
- Limited variety
Roundhouse Provisions 3-Day Emergency Meal Kit Review
My grandma was the family prepper. She stocked up on food for Y2K (there’s still a shelf full of it in their upstairs room) and always had emergency food kits on hand.
Some of her preparedness must have rubbed off on me because I see the value in having the Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kits readily available. After seeing everything that’s available from Roundhouse Provisions and the food kits firsthand, these emergency meal kits are at the top of my list to stock up on.
What’s Included?
Each 3-Day Emergency Meal Kit contains 26 servings, divided into breakfast (oatmeal) and lunch or dinner (cheesy broccoli rice or chicken-flavored rice). My family’s first meal was the cheesy broccoli and rice; this isn’t typically my first choice for dinner. I was a little skeptical and had a backup plan, just in case it turned out to be inedible.
Ease of Cooking
I’m not a chef, though I like to dabble on the grill and in the kitchen from time to time. However, it doesn’t take a chef to prepare these meals. As long as you can follow directions and boil water, you can make dinner. Cooking these meals was no more complicated than any other freeze-dried meals I’ve cooked in the past.
The oatmeal took about 10 minutes to cook. This includes prep and serving time. The longest wait is waiting for the water to boil.
The other two meals take a little longer because you have to cook the rice. However, neither took longer than 30 minutes. For all foods, remove the oxygen absorber, shake the contents to distribute them evenly, and stir or whisk the desired amount into boiling water. Then reduce the heat, let it simmer, and cook while stirring for the allotted time.
Tastiness
If you’re like me, you don’t care how simple food is to cook if it doesn’t taste good. My macaroni experience proves that food should still taste good. Now, I understand that in an emergency or survival situation, you likely will care less about how your food tastes because you’re hungry. But that doesn’t mean you have to eat disgusting food, especially when Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kits are available.
The maple brown sugar oatmeal tasted as good as any instant oatmeal I’ve ever made. I like my oatmeal a little sweeter than most, so I added a little more butter and sugar. However, I made the mistake of not making enough the first time because I was still hungry after sharing some with my son and wife.
I have a picky teenage daughter, and she asked for seconds when I made the chicken-flavored rice. I thought it was a touch plain, so I added pepper and Cajun seasoning, but I could have eaten it without.
As a child, I couldn’t stand cheesy broccoli anything. As an adult, I’ve grown to like it, and the cheesy broccoli rice was good, especially after I added more seasonings. If I didn’t have access to more seasonings, like while camping or in a survival situation, these meal kits would taste fine on their own.
Where the Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kit Excels
The Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kit is great for long-term storage, thanks to the 25-year shelf life. Now, I can’t say how it tastes after sitting on a shelf for a decade or several years, but I can’t imagine that the flavor deteriorates too much.
They’re also simple to prepare and cook. I didn’t have to dirty many dishes to have dinner ready in about 30 minutes. I’ll definitely start taking them on our camping trips when we’re tight on space and coolers.
Where I See Room for Improvement
The two main areas I see room for improvement in are the price ($189) and variety. Survival food is typically expensive, but this kit is still more expensive than other brands (though I don’t know how good all those other brands taste).
I know oatmeal and rice aren’t typically expensive foods, so that’s why I find it kind of frustrating.
The variety is also lacking. I’d get tired of them pretty quickly if I needed to survive on these meals long-term. I would definitely try to supplement a meal or change it up, whether by fishing or hunting.
A less concerning improvement would be to package the servings individually, instead of having to open the non-resealable pouch and cook small portions at a time. This would also make this kit ideal for backpack and kayak camping ,and make cooking even easier.
Last Bite: Roundhouse Provisions Emergency Meal Kit Review
While the price is a tad high for my taste, the meals themselves taste much better than I expected.
My childhood hero, Chuck Norris, didn’t let me down. (Maybe his endorsement is why they’re more expensive.) I already have more kits ready for the next adventure, emergency, or survival situation, whichever comes first.
