ReadyWise emergency food in the UK, compared (2026)
ReadyWise sells long-life freeze-dried and dehydrated meals in the UK in buckets, dry bags and multi-bucket packages, and the serving counts on the labels make them hard to compare: a ReadyWise serving is about 200 kcal, so a '120-serving' bucket feeds one adult for about 12 days, not 120 meals. This page compares the 11 ReadyWise products we list, from a one-pouch sample to the 36-bucket package, on total calories, shelf life and adult-days, using ReadyWise's own figures from its UK store. We say which pack is the sensible first buy, which are add-ons rather than food supplies, and when you'd be better off with tins.
By Tom Calder · Updated 2 November 2026 · 11 products, all price-tracked
Our picks by size
Photo: ReadyWiseReadyWise 60-Serving Bucket
An up-to-25-year store: about six days for one adult
Photo: ReadyWiseReadyWise 120-Serving Bucket
A set-and-forget long-life food store you don't plan to rotate
Photo: ReadyWiseReadyWise 1,440-Serving Package
Months of storage, bought as one order
All 11 compared
| Bucket or pack | Shelf life | Servings | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
25 yrs · 60 · 12,440 kcal An up-to-25-year store: about six days for one adult | 25 yrs | 60 | 12,440 kcal | £169.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The same 13 recipes and up-to-25-year shelf life as ReadyWise's 120-serving bucket, in a bucket half the size: 12,440 kcal, roughly six adult-days. Every meal needs water, about 60 cups for the bucket, and the menu is mostly pasta, rice and potato. Best for An up-to-25-year store: about six days for one adult Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you'd rotate supermarket tins through normal meals: they cost far less and need no added water. Read the full review → | ||||
 25 yrs · 60 · 13,880 kcal About a week of mixed meals in a bag you can carry | 25 yrs | 60 | 13,880 kcal | £169.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Breakfasts and mains together in a 10-litre dry bag: 60 servings and 13,880 kcal, about 6.9 adult-days. That is some 1,400 kcal more than the 60-serving lunch and dinner bucket, and both were £169.99 at ReadyWise on 10 October 2026. A soft bag is easier to grab and carry than a bucket, but it doesn't stack or protect the pouches the way a rigid bucket does. Best for About a week of mixed meals in a bag you can carry Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're storing several packs on a shelf for years: rigid buckets stack more tidily and protect the pouches better. | ||||
25 yrs · 120 · 24,360 kcal A set-and-forget long-life food store you don't plan to rotate | 25 yrs | 120 | 24,360 kcal | £329.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched A 120-serving bucket of freeze-dried and dehydrated meals with an up-to-25-year shelf life: set-and-forget storage for about 12 adult-days of food (24,360 kcal at 2,000 kcal a day). Every meal needs water — about 120 cups for the whole bucket — so store water alongside it. Best for A set-and-forget long-life food store you don't plan to rotate Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you'd actually rotate normal tinned food — that's cheaper and you'll eat it anyway. Read the full review → | ||||
 25 yrs · 120 · 27,400 kcal Breakfasts to sit beside the lunch and dinner bucket | 25 yrs | 120 | 27,400 kcal | £279.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched ReadyWise's breakfast bucket: four granola and cereal recipes, 120 servings and 27,400 kcal, about 13.7 adult-days on its own. At ReadyWise's own prices on 10 October 2026 it was the cheapest food per adult-day of the ReadyWise range on this page. It is breakfast only, so it partners the lunch and dinner bucket rather than replacing it, and every serving needs water. Best for Breakfasts to sit beside the lunch and dinner bucket Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want one bucket that covers every meal: the 120-serving lunch and dinner bucket, or the 60-serving dry bag that mixes both, does that. | ||||
25 yrs · 1,440 · 310,560 kcal Months of storage, bought as one order | 25 yrs | 1,440 | 310,560 kcal | £3,220.67 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Six lunch and dinner buckets plus six breakfast buckets: 310,560 kcal, about 155 adult-days, so roughly five months for one adult or five weeks for four. At ReadyWise's prices on 10 October 2026 it cost £439 less than the same twelve buckets bought singly, and less per adult-day than ReadyWise's 2,160- and 4,320-serving packages. Official advice plans for an emergency lasting a few days, and this needs about 1,440 cups of water (roughly 350 litres) and room for twelve buckets, so buy it only if months of storage is the plan. Best for Months of storage, bought as one order Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're building the few-days kit official advice describes: one 60-serving bucket or a shelf of rotated tins covers that for a fraction of the price. Read the full review → | ||||
 25 yrs · 28 · 5,480 kcal A 72-hour kit with breakfasts, for one adult | 25 yrs | 28 | 5,480 kcal | £89.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched A 72-hour pack of breakfasts and mains in a 10-litre dry bag, with the same up-to-25-year shelf life as the buckets. At 5,480 kcal it is nearer 2.7 adult-days than three, and at ReadyWise's own prices on 24 September 2026 it cost more per adult-day than the 60-serving bucket. Best for A 72-hour kit with breakfasts, for one adult Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want three full days at 2,000 kcal: add snacks, or buy the 60-serving bucket. | ||||
 3.7 | — | 4 | — | £12.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched One four-serving pouch, breakfast or main course as you choose, though ReadyWise says the recipe that arrives may not be the one pictured, and it's one per household. At £12.99 on 10 October 2026 it isn't cheap food, but it's the cheapest way to find out whether your household will actually eat these meals before spending £170 or more on a bucket. Best for Tasting ReadyWise before you buy a bucket Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're buying food for a few days' emergency: it's a taster, not a supply. | ||||
 25 yrs · 4,320 · 913,440 kcal A year or more of food for one adult, bought at once | 25 yrs | 4,320 | 913,440 kcal | £9,926.01 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched ReadyWise's largest package: 36 buckets of breakfasts and mains, 913,440 kcal, about 457 adult-days, so roughly 15 months for one adult or nearly four months for four. ReadyWise lists it at 720 lb, about 327 kg. At ReadyWise's prices on 10 October 2026, three 1,440-serving packages held more calories for less money, so this only makes sense if one order matters more than the saving. Best for A year or more of food for one adult, bought at once Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you have space for three 1,440-serving packages instead: at ReadyWise's October 2026 prices they held more calories for less. | ||||
 15 yrs · 80 · 7,839 kcal Adding meat to a long-term store of ReadyWise meal buckets | 15 yrs | 80 | 7,839 kcal | £289.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Freeze-dried chicken and beef with rice, sold as an addition to the meal kits rather than a supply in itself: 7,839 kcal in all, about 3.9 adult-days, so at £289.99 at ReadyWise on 1 November 2026 it costs far more per day than the 60-serving buckets. What it adds is meat, which ReadyWise's mostly pasta, rice and potato meal buckets have little of. Its shelf life is up to 15 years, against up to 25 for the meal buckets. Best for Adding meat to a long-term store of ReadyWise meal buckets Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're buying your first emergency food: get the calories first, from a 60-serving bucket or a shelf of rotated tins, and add this later if at all. | ||||
 25 yrs · 120 Vegetables in a months-long store built on ReadyWise meal buckets | 25 yrs | 120 | — | £189.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Corn, peas, broccoli and green beans, freeze-dried: 120 servings in a 1kg bucket with up to 25 years' shelf life. It is a side, not a supply, and ReadyWise doesn't publish its calories. £189.99 at ReadyWise on 1 November 2026. Worth it only if you are storing months of food and want vegetables in it; for a few days' kit, tinned vegetables you already eat cost far less and are easy to rotate. Best for Vegetables in a months-long store built on ReadyWise meal buckets Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're building the few-days kit official advice describes: tinned vegetables do that for a fraction of the price. | ||||
 25 yrs · 120 Fruit in a months-long store built on ReadyWise meal buckets | 25 yrs | 120 | — | £189.99 at ReadyWise Checked 2 NovIn stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Bananas, strawberries, apples and blueberries or peaches, freeze-dried: 120 servings in a 1kg bucket with up to 25 years' shelf life. Like the vegetable bucket it is a side, not a supply, and ReadyWise doesn't publish its calories. £189.99 at ReadyWise on 1 November 2026. Buy it to add fruit to a long-term store; for a few days' kit, tinned fruit or dried fruit you already eat costs far less and rotates. Best for Fruit in a months-long store built on ReadyWise meal buckets Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're building the few-days kit official advice describes: tinned or dried fruit does that for a fraction of the price. | ||||
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Before you buy
Decode the range.
The lunch and dinner buckets (60 and 120 servings) are the core: 13 recipes, mostly pasta, rice and potato. The breakfast bucket is granola and cereal only, so it partners a meal bucket rather than replacing it. The dry bags (28 and 60 servings) mix breakfasts and mains in a 10-litre bag. The 1,440- and 4,320-serving packages are 12 and 36 buckets bought at once. The meat and rice, vegetable and fruit buckets are add-ons, and the sample is a single 4-serving pouch, one per household.
Compare on calories, not servings.
A ReadyWise serving is about 200 kcal, so we divide each pack's total calories, from ReadyWise's own pages, by 2,000 kcal, the UK reference intake for an adult, to get adult-days. On that measure the 60-serving bucket is about 6 days for one adult, the 120-serving bucket about 12, and the 3-day dry bag about 2.7. ReadyWise's own day counts assume 1,800 kcal a day, which is why they look longer. The vegetable and fruit buckets have no published calories, so we give them no adult-days.
Water and heat come with it.
ReadyWise says about one cup of water a serving: about 60 cups for a 60-serving bucket and roughly 350 litres for the 1,440-serving package. That's on top of the 3 litres a person a day for drinking the Be Ready checklist asks for. The meals are best with hot water; if you heat it on a camping stove, do it outdoors, never in a closed room.
Shelf life and storage.
The meal buckets, dry bags and the vegetable and fruit buckets are sold with an up-to-25-year shelf life; the meat and rice bucket says up to 15. Keep them somewhere cool and dry. A rigid bucket stacks and protects the pouches; a dry bag is easier to grab and carry but doesn't stack. The 4,320-serving package weighs about 327kg, so check you have the room before ordering it.
Where to start.
For a few days' kit, one 60-serving bucket or the 60-serving dry bag covers one adult for about a week; add tins and the water to go with it. If you're building months of storage, the 1,440-serving package cost less than the same twelve buckets bought singly at ReadyWise's October 2026 prices, and three 1,440-serving packages held more calories for less than one 4,320-serving package.
How long each ReadyWise pack lasts
Servings aren't a fair measure: a ReadyWise serving is about 200 kcal. So we divide each product's total calories, from ReadyWise's own pages, by 2,000 kcal, the UK reference intake for an adult (NHS: about 2,000 for women, 2,500 for men), to get adult-days: how long it would feed one adult. We work out the cost of feeding one adult for one day only where we show a store's own price. An adult eating nearer 2,500 kcal a day gets 20% fewer days from each.
| Product | Total calories | Adult-days | Price | Cost per adult-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadyWise 60-Serving Lunch & Dinner Bucket | 12,440 kcal | 6.2 | £169.99Checked 2 Nov | £27.33 |
| ReadyWise 60-Serving Breakfast & Entrée Dry Bag | 13,880 kcal | 6.9 | £169.99Checked 2 Nov | £24.49 |
| ReadyWise 120-Serving Lunch & Dinner Bucket | 24,360 kcal | 12.2 | £329.99Checked 2 Nov | £27.09 |
| ReadyWise 120-Serving Breakfast Bucket | 27,400 kcal | 13.7 | £279.99Checked 2 Nov | £20.44 |
| ReadyWise 1,440-Serving Long-Term Food Supply (12 buckets) | 310,560 kcal | 155.3 | £3,220.67Checked 2 Nov | £20.74 |
| ReadyWise 28-Serving 3-Day Dry-Bag | 5,480 kcal | 2.7 | £89.99Checked 2 Nov | £32.84 |
| ReadyWise Emergency Food Sample (one 4-serving pouch) | calories not published | — | £12.99Checked 2 Nov | — |
| ReadyWise 4,320-Serving Long-Term Food Supply (36 buckets) | 913,440 kcal | 456.7 | £9,926.01Checked 2 Nov | £21.73 |
| ReadyWise 80-Serving Freeze-Dried Meat & Rice Bucket | 7,839 kcal | 3.9 | £289.99Checked 2 Nov | £73.99 |
| ReadyWise 120-Serving Freeze-Dried Vegetable Bucket | calories not published | — | £189.99Checked 2 Nov | — |
| ReadyWise 120-Serving Freeze-Dried Fruit Bucket | calories not published | — | £189.99Checked 2 Nov | — |
Every ReadyWise product needs added water, ideally hot: ReadyWise says about one cup a serving. None can be eaten as it comes.
ReadyWise doesn't publish calories for its vegetable and fruit buckets or the sample pouch, so they have no adult-days here.
Sources (16)
- UK reference intakes for adults (Regulation 1169/2011, Annex XIII Part B)
- NHS: Understanding calories
- Prepare: Get prepared for emergencies
- GOV.UK: Best before and use-by dates
- NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning
- ReadyWise: FAQ (water per serving, allergens, storage)
- ReadyWise: 60-serving bucket (total calories, water needed)
- Expedition Foods: FAQs (shelf life, cold water, nuts)
- Expedition Foods: 7 Day Ration Pack (total kcal by size)
- Expedition Foods: freeze-dried vs dehydrated
- REAL Turmat: help centre (shelf life)
- ReadyWise: 120-serving bucket (total calories)
- ReadyWise: 3-day dry bag (total calories, water needed)
- Expedition Foods: Survivor Foods macaroni and cheese tin (servings, calories, storage)
- REAL Turmat: Kebab Stew (calories, allergens)
- European Freeze Dry: Summit to Eat meals (calories per pack)
We verify every product's specifications against at least two independent sources, re-check its UK price and stock on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and cross-check safety-relevant claims against official guidance. Every review is labelled Researched or Used and reviewed by us: where we've bought a product, or been sent it free, and used it ourselves, its review says which; where we haven't, our verdict is a considered spec-and-evidence comparison, not a hands-on test. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Read our full methodology →
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Common questions
Which ReadyWise pack should I buy?
For most households wanting a long-life store, the 60-serving lunch and dinner bucket: about six days of food for one adult in a rigid bucket with an up-to-25-year shelf life. If you'd rather have breakfasts too and a bag you can carry, the 60-serving dry bag. If you're not sure you'll like the food, start with the sample pouch. The big packages only make sense if months of storage is the plan.
How long does a ReadyWise bucket last?
Divide its total calories by 2,000 kcal, the UK reference intake for an adult. On ReadyWise's own calorie figures, the 60-serving lunch and dinner bucket is about 6 adult-days, the 120-serving bucket about 12 and the 120-serving breakfast bucket about 13.7. ReadyWise quotes longer durations because it counts 1,800 kcal a day. An adult eating nearer 2,500 kcal a day gets 20% fewer days.
Is ReadyWise freeze-dried?
Partly. ReadyWise's FAQ says its meals combine freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients; the meat, vegetable and fruit buckets are sold as freeze-dried. Either way, every meal needs water put back in, about a cup a serving, and most are best with hot water.
Do I need the meat, vegetable and fruit buckets?
Not for a few days' kit. They're add-ons for a long-term store built on the meal buckets: the meat and rice bucket adds protein that the mostly pasta, rice and potato meals have little of, and the vegetable and fruit buckets add sides. For a short emergency, tinned meat, vegetables and fruit you already eat cost far less and rotate easily.
Is ReadyWise better than tinned food?
For a short emergency, no. Tins you rotate through normal meals cost less, can be eaten cold and need no added water. ReadyWise is lighter, keeps for much longer and needs no rotating, which suits a grab bag, camping, or a store you'll leave alone for years. Many households will be better served by a shelf of tins and a large water store.
