NRG-5 rations or freeze dried rations?

[ForgeCorvus]

So, my NRG are going out of code soon....ish (like that matters) and I was stuck at work and hungry so I grabbed some pics and I can give you lot a reviewlet.

Inside the box you have a big foil package, two packs of tea extract (which I haven't tried yet) and four 1 ltr puritabs
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As you can see, they're got a long shelf life
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Inside the package (which has a 'tear here' nick.... Which didn't work very well) are four individually wrapped biscuits with a handy groove in the middle to break them in halfish
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As you can see, they're quite crumbly
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The flavour is somewhere between malted milk biscuits and Grannie's shortbead, not unpleasant but I probably wouldn't want to eat nothing but these things if there was an option.
Be warned, you will need the tea packs. World record Cracker-eaters probably train using these things.
They don't make you thirsty but they do turn to powder that dries your mouth up if (like me) you're an idiot who tries to eat a whole half in one mouthful.
Mixed with hot water you get a slightly malty readybrek like mixture.

[pseudonym]

Why do you want 20 year shelf life? This only makes sense if you have 20 years food stashed. If you only stash enough for 2 months, you only need 2 months shelf life.

There is the fact that in a bug-in you would eat more cupboard food than normal after the first week. So it might take you a year to eat your stock when rotating. So a year or two shelf life is preferable for most stuff. But you get this on most cupboard food anyway.

I do have a few freeze dried meals and ration bars in my BOB/EGB, these have about 5-7 years shelf life. The freeze dried meals need boiled water.

Just found a British Army freeze dried spaghetti bolognese ration pouch BBE 2011 much heartier than the new ones in taste, consistency, flavour and packaging.

Shame it was my last