I was contacted two weeks ago by PrepareWise about their products. Maybe it’s because I live under a rock, and not in a bunker, that I had not heard of them before. They were kind enough to send me a sample for review. In a few short days, what I received was their 4 serving Pasta Primavera.

At first glance, what I did notice that this was not the normal freeze-dried meal I was used to (like Mountain House, Backpacker’s Pantry, and other freeze-dried foods marketed towards the backpacker) come in a bag that can take a decent beating, but also is made to heat and rehydrate the food within the bag, as well as be re-sealable. PrepareWise’s main market is to the “Prepper” community – long term food storage.

As I have stated before, I am not a full-on “Prepper”, I do have substantially more than a 72 hour emergency food supply, water, as well as bug-out bags and a plan in place in case we need to go, and quickly, but I do not have a bunker in the hills, a large arsenal, and cases upon cases of long term food storage.

First off – let me start with the quality of the food. I can sum it up in one word – delicious! I have not tested any of their other meals at this point, but their Pasta Primavera is damn good. The day it arrived I cooked it for the family for dinner, and was able to feed me, The Wife, and our two kids (2 and 6 years old), and we had enough leftovers to do it again. The serving sizes are hearty (each “serving” is 420 calories in 3.5oz/99g).

Not only is the food tasty, it also has the following highlights:

• GMO Free
• Vegetarian
• Contains no MSG, I+G or Autolyzed Yeast Extract (AYE)
• Contains no trans fats
• Low in cholesterol

So it’s pretty darn good for you too.

I stated above that this is not a cook-in-a-bag backpackers meal – however, if you are camping, or backpacking with a group of people, this is a fantastic alternative. On my last two backpacking trips, this could have fed the group of us. The directions do require simmering, so a larger pan and over a fire would be best for cooking in the out-of-doors.

So check them out, and give them a taste. Their meals are well priced, and also have a 25 year shelf life, so, if you do not get to cooking it right away, and it sits with your camping gear for a decade or two… it should be fine 🙂

Rating

I give this overall package 4/6 possible High Lifes. That is still a good rating, do not get me wrong. The requirement for simmering this specific meal for close to 20 minutes, as well as not being able to cook in the bag are what leaves two beers left in the sixer. The rating is based upon this being a backpacker’s meal, and not a prepper’s meal. If this were a prepping blog (and I do touch on that from time to time), I could see this as being a 5/6 or 6/6.

DISCLAIMER: This product was sent to me free-of-charge by PrepareWise, I did not receive any other compensation except for this free sample for doing this tasty review.