Straw Poll on MREs

[mushroom]

Just wondering how many people on here have MREs as part of their food preps? (Not counting buying few for when you go camping)
I don't have any - but I'm wondering if they would be a good addition and if there is merit in the idea?
I build up my stores gradually, adding to my regular shopping and use the old adage of storing what I eat. As I don't eat MREs I haven't stored them! And they also seem very expensive - I'd get far more for my money at the supermarket!
But given their shelf life / compactness /ease of cooking / balance of nutrition etc perhaps it's worth having a box in store?

Be interested to hear if you store them?

[unsure]

i have them in stock along with the usual stuff .around 3 cases , i say around because every so often i`ll pull out a meal to check they are still ok . they`re coming up on the test by date . later on this year i`ll be getting some more to add or replace .depending on the condition of the older ones .
given the calorie count per 24hr box i think you`d need to store alot more supplies to get near it .
i can from recent experiance tell you the beans and sausage are the same as certain branded you get in cans . best avoid the omlette ,ive never heard of any one enjoying one .

[12mp82]

I have three types of ration packs, MRE's which are US rations, 24hr British military ration packs and I managed to get some 10 man ration packs which would do the three of us for 3 and a bit days.

I reckon the UK packs are good for a days worth of food for under a tenner

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FULL-BOX-OF-1 ... 5d3af5224b

US MREs are £10 per meal, not per day apparently

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/US-Army-Ratio ... rid=229508

Each MRE provides an average of 1,250 calories (13% protein, 36% fat, and 51% carbohydrates) and 1/3 of the Military Recommended Daily Allowance

The 10 man packs are not as good these days, back in 1982 the packs were excellent.

http://rations.vesteyfoods.com/ration_packs.asp



http://www.beyondthebeatentrack.co.uk/r ... ation.html

Box Contains:

Minced beef with gravy, pasta penne, rice , potato flakes, chopped tomatoes,baked beans, sweet corn x 2 strawberry jam, porridge oats, bacon grill,sausages in lard, dried onions, veg oil, mixed herbs, can opener, white flour, pepper, salt, sugar, yeast, coffee, drink powder lemon, drink powder tropical, drinking chocolate mint, semi skimmed milk powder, tea bags 40's Foil pack, custard x 2, sauce bolognese, rice seasoning sweet & sour flavour x 2, soup, canned cheese, blackcurrant sweets, fruit, nut & berry mix x 3, fruit x 3, fruit cocktail.

£86+

[Hermit]

I bought a pack of 10 x 24hr British packs, split up the individual packs and then divided the contents between various bags and the car. There are a hell of a lot of calories in them so you can make them go a fair bit further than 24 hours.

I think they are handy for your emergency bags and for short term emergencies at home but I wouldn't want to live off them for any length of time. The only issue i had was with the chocolate bars, they gave me real bad heartburn for some reason, tasted ok though

Mine are still within the bb date but I have seen clips on youtube of people using them when they are years out of date and dont seem to have come to any harm

[pigeonsniper]

Just wondering how many people on here have MREs as part of their food preps? (Not counting buying few for when you go camping)
I don't have any - but I'm wondering if they would be a good addition and if there is merit in the idea?
I build up my stores gradually, adding to my regular shopping and use the old adage of storing what I eat. As I don't eat MREs I haven't stored them! And they also seem very expensive - I'd get far more for my money at the supermarket!
But given their shelf life / compactness /ease of cooking / balance of nutrition etc perhaps it's worth having a box in store?

Be interested to hear if you store them?

MRE's are too bulky for what they are IMHO (Although the cooking bags are worth having for a flameless warm meal), you're much better off with British 24hr rat packs. You can make one last for a couple of days if you're careful. I could live off 24hr rat packs indefinitely if I needed to, though my plumbing might not thank me for it! That being said, not needing to use "the bathroom" in the field is not necessarily a bad thing

[ForgeCorvus]

Never seen the point myself
Sure they're 'ready to eat' but so's a can of beans
I can live on a dreadful diet for a couple of days without long term effects if I have to while still being physically active ( and in some cases wearing armour), but I'm sure my local supermarket could supply a balanced diet of 3k calories that need little or no cooking for less money.

However, you're paying for ease of use and shelf-life with MRE's of any stripe.

[12mp82]

Never seen the point myself
Sure they're 'ready to eat' but so's a can of beans
I can live on a dreadful diet for a couple of days without long term effects if I have to while still being physically active ( and in some cases wearing armour), but I'm sure my local supermarket could supply a balanced diet of 3k calories that need little or no cooking for less money.

However, you're paying for ease of use and shelf-life with MRE's of any stripe.

But why, prepping is more about smoothing the way rather than roughing it.

Yes, we can go to the supermarket and get stuff in, but as we often see on the news the next big flood will see supermarket shelves empty in a few hours, and may not get refilled for days afterwards when supplies can get through the flood waters.

A 24hr ration pack takes up little space tucked away for that rainy day, and will be ok for 15 to 20 years if kept in a cool dark place.

I liek roughing it smoothly.

[ForgeCorvus]

MRE's as mid to long term stores, yeah maybe.... Its that shelf-life thing that scores points there

I try to future proof myself, if I get to the point where I'm living on expensive calories (MRE's, Mountain House etc) then I've screwed up bigtime.


I never said that they never should be part of anyone's preps, I just said that they're unlikely to be part of mine.
On the flipside, anyone who just buys half a dozen cases of MRE's and thinks they're done is sorely mistaken.

[short circuit]

Rite remeber them small fray bentos steak & kidney puddings
serving size 213g calories 454, fat 23.9 carbs 30.4g protein 17.9g
100g of Spam gives you 289 calories and 24g of fat
and both very easy to put in ruck sack you need to be looking at
small tins at high calories tined peas carrots etc are are about 17 to 20 calories and are bulky these are the items you get dryed out i.e smash etc
choclate bars are also good power foods for on the move action if your on a intense yomp in the hills and covering a good few clicks you need power foods then your mains for when your at rest
A cammel hydration pack is also good for on the move
if you think about it you can get maylar bags and repack meals "dryed" to what each of you like and just add boiling water or used the old stainless steal flask cooking method i.e put some mixed rice in a wide necked flask add boiling water go back later and its cooked for you

[pigeonsniper]

Never seen the point myself
Sure they're 'ready to eat' but so's a can of beans
I can live on a dreadful diet for a couple of days without long term effects if I have to while still being physically active ( and in some cases wearing armour), but I'm sure my local supermarket could supply a balanced diet of 3k calories that need little or no cooking for less money.

However, you're paying for ease of use and shelf-life with MRE's of any stripe.

The main advantages of rat packs is that they do not need water to rehydrate them and they don't come in tins so they are light to carry. Finding something similar not in a tin is not as easy as some might think. Also, the time you are most likely to need them is the time when you have no other choice. If necessary you can just rip a packet and tuck in, quick and easy if you are in a difficult situation.