Came on time Great for emergency and camping

I’ve been wanting to get some dehydrated/freeze dried emergency food for some time now, but just found it to be expensive. Been using MRE’s for a few years but they are heavy and need to be used as optimal storage conditions (65 deg or less) aren’t realistic in most homes.Found these Prepper Pack’s at a very good price, $20-30 less than other sellers, and so I bought 4 units. Prime 2 day shipping also was a plus.They arrived on time, and was reading reviews, and although I will save these for “emergencies” and finish off my MRE store first, I won’t be tasting them for a spell but wanted to post a review on the other issues people post about.The buckets I recieved are marked as mfg 07/01/2014. So I was very pleased as some reviewers stated theirs were a couple years old. I wondered about the pouches, as one review warned about these “cheap” buckets were old style and very poor Mylar bags. Even stated white buckets were bad style and grey bucket good pouches. Well I was a bit apprehensive then, so although I really wanted to keep buckets sealed I opened one just to know. Well although my buckets were white, as stated they couldn’t be fresher than 24 days, but also came in “premium” pouches! Very relieved!I do agree that buckets waste a lot of space. Two buckets could easily fit in one and I will likely do that when the time comes to use them, to save space.Lastly, I want to address the very negative reviews concerning “servings” vs “caloric content”. Come on folks, really?If you’re using this food for hiking, or combat conditions, then I could understand.Caloric content when you’re involved in moderate hiking or combat situations is crucial, as the calories expended in those situations can be quite high.But THESE ARE SOLD AS EMERGENCY SURVIVAL RATIONS!! What those decrying the low caloric content per serving aren’t factoring is two fold.1- Americans eat too much food! Over 50% of us are overweight! and 35% are medically considered obese. We are obsessed with eating, and have conditioned our bodies to expect high caloric intake thus falsely triggering feelings of hunger when we’re nowhere near “starving”. I have spent a lifetime eating only what my body needed and at 54 still retained my lean body, and well defined/toned musculature. And without any gym time or daily sit-ups to maintain the same physique and happily, six-pack I had in high school.2- In “survival” situations, high caloric intake is not necessary. If you’re expending so much energy to need 1500-2000 cal/daily, you are not acting in survival mode!When I went through jungle training in S. America, we were lucky to avg 500-700 cal/day with occasional supplements of wild fruit, tubers, yes, bugs, and 2 monkeys in a two week period. Sure, we all lost some weight (a few needed to), but all were in great physical condition when we found our way back to our FOB. WATER was the vital component in “survival”. People in good health can go at least 2 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water.So, keep in mind what you’re buying these for. If you want to start using immediately, and simply looking for camping or backpacking food, then stick with Mountain House or equivalent. That’s what it’s designed for, and it’s great stuff. I’ve used it many times in the past. But it’s not cheap, and if you buy buckets of it for survival stores, very expensive and unnecessary in my opinion.But $46 and free shipping for 52 serving buckets of dehydrated/freeze dried food in the quality Mylar bag is a bargain I won’t pass on to add to my survival/emergency supplies.Lastly, my big complaint about the “old” food suppliers is this. They have been in the business for decades. They sell huge quantities of product using the same processes they’ve used nearly the entire time. So why, instead of whining about all the “me too” dehydrated/freeze dried companies popping up, maybe lower their high prices and increase sales, gaining more customers and increasing profit margins? They’ve been doing this a long time, and it’s just as expensive to buy as it was 20 years ago. I’m confident their profit margins have skyrocketed. One of the reasons I quit shopping at REI years ago when the name became the only reason for the high prices.Thanks for your time. It is, after all, only my opinion. But I’m happy with my purchase and hope I’m as pleased when I finally taste the product. Then, I’ll adjust review accordingly.

Is everything as advertised.