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Thread: MREs as food?

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    Default MREs as food?

    Anyone have any thoughts on carrying MREs as food on the trail? Each one is 1200-1400 calories and weigh 2 lbs. In the Marines we only ate 2 a day because of the calorie count. Carrying six days of food would be 24 pounds, plus snacks. Any thoughts on this? They aren't cheap, about $80 for 12 meals, so I am wondering thoughts on weight and cost, or what is an alternative for food?

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    Way too heavy and way too expensive. Its a thru hike not a combat operation.

    Stick with grocery stores for your food supplies and get hiker staples like peanut butter, oatmeal, couscous, Knorr's Sides, Mac 'n cheese, pasta, dark chocolate, instant potatoes, powerbars, Snickers, summer sausage, etc.... Mix it up and get a Mountain House dehydrated meal ever so often.

    Cheers!

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    Registered User BlizzardChord's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Headcase View Post
    Anyone have any thoughts on carrying MREs as food on the trail? Each one is 1200-1400 calories and weigh 2 lbs. In the Marines we only ate 2 a day because of the calorie count. Carrying six days of food would be 24 pounds, plus snacks. Any thoughts on this? They aren't cheap, about $80 for 12 meals, so I am wondering thoughts on weight and cost, or what is an alternative for food?
    ​I say if your gonna take it, bring only one or two. 2lbs isn't too much and it'll be a nice luxury item dinner.
    "It is better to be violent if there is violence in our hearts than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence." -Gandhi

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    Too heavy and kinda messy. I do like the heating element. Remember back in the 70's hauling C-Rats those were even worse. My own feeling with Military rations is that they are made with the undelining thought that a helecopter can always be vectored over for a resupply.

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    section hiker sly dog's Avatar
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    Every other month someone brings this up, usually the same ones that mention using sternos. Lol
    "I drank what?" Socrates

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    I for one wondered the same thing, but since ive never thru hike I didn't know either. simple question, great answers untill the response above.

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    Registered User Moose2001's Avatar
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    If you use MREs, then you're tied to doing mail drops for all your meals. Not the best way to go.
    GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006

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    Plus you end up with way too much trash.
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    section hiker sly dog's Avatar
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    Sorry ATM, was just making light of the subject. And I have used them once or twice on a winter backpacking trip, MRE's that is. Haven't used a sterno since I was a cub scout. All my trail food comes from the supermarket, cheap, easy and light.
    "I drank what?" Socrates

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    Quote Originally Posted by sly dog View Post
    Sorry ATM, was just making light of the subject. And I have used them once or twice on a winter backpacking trip, MRE's that is. Haven't used a sterno since I was a cub scout. All my trail food comes from the supermarket, cheap, easy and light.

    LMAO sorry, i have a dead exchange server, it's going to be in the 80's and clear and worst off...im not on the trail!

    We used lots of Sterno in scouts, what else do you use to light fireworks?


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    I carried MRE's on the AT when I was a teenager, but only about 3 days worth, as that's all we were doing. I don't recommend it. They are too heavy and create a TON of trash. I do think they're delicious, and would be a nice treat every so often, perhaps your first meal after a mail pickup. Frankly I'm pretty sure dry is the way to go. it's lighter and less trash. remember you have to haul everything out as well, which we didn't have to do in the Desert (I'm also Marine). As for calorie content, unless they've changed it in the past few years, one full MRE provides 2000 calories down to the chicklets. I can only imagine that if you were humping those things though you wouldn't poop your entire hike.

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    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    MREs are heavy enough that the military uses their own version of backpacking type meals:

    http://www.mreinfo.com/us/older/lrp-...hive-page.html


    You may be better off making your own backpacking meal with cous cous, mac n' cheese, dehydrated beans and so on.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Headcase View Post
    Each one is 1200-1400 calories and weigh 2 lbs. In the Marines we only ate 2 a day because of the calorie count. Carrying six days of food would be 24 pounds, plus snacks.
    If you're only going on a six day hike, you can afford to be at a huge calorie deficit that would happen with eating only two of those a day. On longer hikes you'll need 3-4 of those a day, which means carrying 36-48 pounds of MREs. The cost would be $120-160.

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    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    for me, MRE's are just one more option. I'll take them on weekenders now and then, or on a really long dayhike, but I wouldn't count on them for much else, for all the reasons noted.

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    I usually have one MRE in my pack along with the lightweight food. There have been times when I have gotten to camp late, when it's dark, when it's raining cats & dogs, when I have run out of fuel, when I feel like !@#$, etc and an MRE is quick to eat. No cooking. And I can then put up the tent and get to sleep immediately afterwards.

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    I used them once when I was younger and kept 2 with me as a backup. I saved them for days it was raining and loved having a hot meal without using a stove. However as already mentioned they are way too heavy to be practical and there is all that packaging to be packed out.

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    As others have added, there exist so many better avenues to purchase quality hiking food then MREs. My dad often joked about the time I did buy MRE's at the Army/Navy store when I was in high school, he said the only time they ate them (or C rations as he called them) was when they ran out of eatable food! MRE's also pack funky as well, as you can't place them in a ziplock bag, you have to keep them in their own special package. Anyways, lots of better options for hiking food, as others have indicated.
    "I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue

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    I like to buy the entrees only They range from 200-400 calories. Bump them up with a bagel or ramens and its a filling meal. If I'm out for a week or so I alternate nights eating a wet pack one night and dehydrated the next. When I'm out for a long weekend I eat them exclusively. If you are dry camping or water is scarce a wet pack entree does you right. You can get them by the case or half case and most distributors will mix them up. It turns out you can get vegetarian and Kosher as well because they are used by disaster relief around the world. The stewed lentils rock.

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    Ohhh-Rraahhh!! Derek81pci's Avatar
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    Marines can carry way more than the average Joe, infantry Marines anyway... Field strip it the way they showed you in boot right before you went for BWT. That's half the trash and a fair amount of weight. I'm taking some on my SOBO and will use them as back up or "just too damn tired to cook" food. It's your hike, do what you want!
    Live your life and I'll live mine, perhaps one day they will intertwine. SEMPER FI! 2013 SOBO

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