By Kit Perez<\/a><\/p>\n F<\/span>ood preservation is a big deal in the overall disaster prep landscape. But, even if you have a room full of Mason jars filled with all manner of home-cooked food and produce, there\u2019s still the question of what to carry in your bug-out bag, vehicle or other source of mobility. Weight can be a significant concern, as well as ease of preparation. Even the amount of trash you\u2019ll generate can be an issue since you have to pack it out later.<\/p>\n Some folks like to carry a few protein bars and call it good; others like to have a pouch or two of freeze-dried food available while out in the woods. Personally, I like having hot food; there is just something about having a full, warm belly. Of course, my dad was right \u2014 if we\u2019re turning our nose up at food of any kind, we just aren\u2019t hungry enough. But given the choice, I suspect a lot of you would side with me: If you can get a hot meal that tastes good, you\u2019ll take it every time.<\/p>\n For these reasons and more, freeze-dried single meals are highly popular options. They\u2019re easy to make, and usually involve nothing more than dumping boiling water in a pouch and waiting a few minutes, making them ideal for most situations.<\/p>\n They\u2019re more expensive than a ham and cheese sandwich you throw in your pack before a hike, of course, but they also come with long shelf life, minimal prep and the ability to provide that hot meal when you are out in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n There are all kinds of meals available from a number of manufacturers: breakfast, entrees, even desserts and snacks. If you\u2019re familiar with freeze-dried food, however, you already know that some of them aren\u2019t so great \u2014 in fact, there are a few of them I wouldn\u2019t feed to my dog.<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Southern Survival Trail Chili, however, isn\u2019t one of those latter ones. It\u2019s definitely in the \u201cyou should have this in your bag\u201d category.<\/p>\n You may not have heard of this option yet, but that\u2019s because it\u2019s new. It\u2019s the brainchild of the guys at BattlBox, which is arguably the best monthly subscription box out there for survivalists, hunters and even disaster preppers. After trying all kinds of freeze-dried food for their monthly boxes, they decided to make their own, and released it in one of their boxes to let their subscribers test it out.<\/p>\n Their Trail Chili is a mix of spaghettini, beans, onions and cheese, but the seasoning is what takes it to the next level. It has a touch of cinnamon, clove and even dark chocolate, giving it a whole other dimension of taste. This is definitely not your standard freeze-dried food; this is good, tastes-like-homemade food that you happen to be able to take along with you anywhere.<\/p>\n It has a 10-year shelf life before opening, so it will store a long time in your pack, ready for when you need it. It\u2019s light, just as you\u2019d expect from a freeze-dried meal, and while it\u2019s touted as only one serving, it\u2019s filling and could be stretched to feed two people if necessary.<\/p>\n Sure, I could have just boiled some water in my kitchen and poured it into the pouch, but that\u2019s no fun; I wanted the full experience. We got out a little stove, cleared out a space in the snow and got to work.<\/p>\n Once the water was boiling \u2014 which only took about three minutes \u2014 I followed the directions on the back of the pouch, pouring in the water and sealing it up to wait. After the recommended time, I opened the pouch, stirred everything up and sealed it again for a few more minutes. Total time, including boiling the water, was about 17 minutes.<\/p>\n The consistency was not soupy like I expected; more like a hearty hot dish (Midwestern readers will know exactly what I\u2019m talking about!). It was perfectly seasoned all the way through, the small noodles were tender without being mushy, and there was just the right amount of cheese. Overall, it tasted fantastic. I passed some off to the former infantryman husband for the definitive test, and he pronounced it almost as good as Chili Mac MREs. I\u2019m usually only a fan of freeze-dried meals when I\u2019m already super hungry, but this was just plain good.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re not already a BattlBox subscriber (and you should be), you can still pick this Trail Chili up on their site. It retails for $12.99 a pouch, which is slightly more than a comparable meal at Mountain House. You won\u2019t be disappointed, however, and it appears that they may be looking at expanding their food offerings. I\u2019m interested to see what they make next.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"before](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/before-cooking-the-southern-survival-trail-chili.jpeg.webp)
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<\/p>\nHave You Heard of It?<\/h2>\n
![\"cooking](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cooking-the-trail-chili.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>How Does It Taste?<\/h2>\n
![\"taste](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/taste-testing-the-trail-chili.jpeg.webp)
\n<\/picture>Where Can You Get It?<\/h2>\n
Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"BattlBox](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/product-battlbox-souther-survival-trail-chili.jpg.webp\"\/)
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<\/p>\nBattlBox Southern Survival Trail Chili<\/span><\/h3>\n
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