View Full Version : Anyone use MRE's
SGTdirtman
02-20-2006, 19:22
Does anyone else use MRE's, It's all i ever use and I always get looked at like I'm a moron by other hikers... I just cant wrap my mind around using anything else especially since bringing MRE's means I dont have to lug around any kind of stove or cooking equiptment.
Just wanna know If I really am stupid or if anyone has opinions on better alternatives I may not be aware of :banana
Lone Wolf
02-20-2006, 19:24
If you like em, then eat em. The heck with what others think.
If you are only going to be out a few days, they are fine. I use components of them at times. However, their weight is a big drawback if you are going to be out for more than a few days.
grrickar
02-20-2006, 21:30
I don't mind the taste of them, then again, most people have a natural distrust of me when i offer them something so maybe my tastebuds are off a bit;)
I think the two major complaints people have are the weight and the amount of garbage you have to carry after consuming one. Some of the garbage is plastic and should be packed out.
If they work for you, then go with it. If you want no cook meals, Uncle Ben's brand makes pre-cooked rice and jambalaya that just need to be warmed (but could be eaten cold). Less trash to pack out. Of course, hydrated meals will weigh more so you have to carry that weight in your pack...
AbeHikes
02-20-2006, 21:35
That look you're getting is JEALOUSY! Oh, I miss the Maple Nut Cakes. And Vegetable Crackers with Jalapeno Cheese Spread. I still have an unopened case of them in the back of my son's closet. I was going to bequeath them to my great grandchildren.
digger51
02-20-2006, 21:59
Hike your own hike, eat your own MREs. Don't worry what the rest of us say. I got enough of them in the army and they are too heavy for the long haul. I tested some of them last week and still dont like them.Besides, $7 for a meal is just too much. And that was the commissary price.
Just Jeff
02-20-2006, 22:21
And Vegetable Crackers with Jalapeno Cheese Spread.
HEAR HEAR!! In the desert, I'd trade a good entree (Thai chicken) for a crappy one just so they'd trade me for their veggie crackers and jalapeno spread. Good stuff.
I hike sometimes with MREs. It's not too much garbage if you take everything apart and leave the boxes at home. It's still heavy since it's not dehydrated, but for a few days at a time it isn't bad. I take the entrees and heater packs, then fill out the meal with lighter foods...i.e. leave the fruit and noodle packs at home. The little bottles of tabasco are awesome.
MREs really helped out when it was too cold for the stove to work. I put the entree and heater pack inside my jacket to get it warm enough to heat.
I think MREs got a bad name from the years of hockey puck pork patties and the really dehydrated food. Some of the new stuff is pretty good, and some of it is still disgusting...worth hiking with sometimes, IMO. I even had a thru yogi some from me just south of Buena Vista, VA, when I was section hiking.
AbeHikes
02-20-2006, 22:53
Felt like a WWII vet when my neighbor got back from Iraq in 2003. Broke out his stash and read some of the labels. "Where's the turkey a la king?"
Monterey? You out there messing with the Ft Ord folks or the ones up at DLI? I miss that place. Is the Dream Theater still open?
Just Jeff
02-21-2006, 01:02
No, Ft Ord is pretty much gone. Most of the buildings are abandoned and the houses are almost all boarded up. They gave a huge chunk of it to CSU Monterey Bay. There are some pretty good mountain bike trails up there, though...the other day a guy saw a mountain lion, fox, coyote and bobcat all in one bike ride.
I'm at the Naval Postgraduate School right now, but I'm trying to get them to send me to DLI next.
timhines
02-21-2006, 10:21
I don't mind MREs. In fact, I take them when i go with the guys to the beach just so I can be lazy and not cook.
On my extended hikes I'll probably carry 1 as a safety net. So if there is a day that I feel like crap and don't want to mess with "cooking" I can just open it up and eat.
AbeHikes
02-21-2006, 11:47
No, Ft Ord is pretty much gone. Most of the buildings are abandoned and the houses are almost all boarded up. They gave a huge chunk of it to CSU Monterey Bay. There are some pretty good mountain bike trails up there, though...the other day a guy saw a mountain lion, fox, coyote and bobcat all in one bike ride.
I'm at the Naval Postgraduate School right now, but I'm trying to get them to send me to DLI next.
Was only on Ord once or twice. They weren't awfully welcoming to us new Marines as I remember. 'Course it could have been us.
Loved DLI. Spent 47 weeks there learning Russian. A familiar sentiment: Wish I'd known then what I know now. I don't know that I saw an MRE the whole time I was there.
the maple nut cake was awesome. i also really liked the dehydrated pork or beef patties! corned beef hash, omelet with ham, and beef stew were good too... don't like the newer ones (too much mexican food.) i don't think i ever opened one of those tabasco bottles... but it was a good trade item. the white cheese spread was good too (vs the orange/yellow kind). c-rats were good too, but heavy... ham and eggs was a favorite, and you got a big dessert item with it (fruit cocktail?).
i don't carry MREs now because i love the lipton noodles/ramen thing so much, and they are much lighter... an earlier poster mentioned carrying one as an emergency no-cook ration... i carry a mountain house beef stew as my 'spare' easy to cook meal, and would just eat one of my foil packets of chicken cold if i couldn't cook... i've eaten enough ice-cold beef stew c-rats and MREs (with the fat congealed on the top) to where it wouldn't bother me much...
i do wish you could get the army's fortified cocoa powder somewhere though... nestle's and swiss miss don't even come close... anyone know where to find something similar?
jackiebolen
02-21-2006, 11:51
I met a guy in 2004 who basically ate MREs the whole way. He got them cheap from a friend or something. While they did appear to be tasty and convenient, he carried substantially more weight in food than the average hiker did, so much so that I'm not really sure if it was worth it.
As a newbie, the MREs are my food of choice! It takes the guesswork out of planning a trip. They are heavy, but since they are totally sealed the dogs can carry some. As I get more comfortable with the stove I have and experiment more I may wean myself from the easy MREs. I love the chicken parmesan! As for the cost, I got a BIG box off ebay for $20. Its just the entrees, but thats good enough for me. I tried some lipton rice/sauce things and they tend to be way too salty. Time for more experimenting...
icemanat95
02-21-2006, 12:02
I also keep one MRE as emergency back up, but only the entre pack. The rest is just too bulky and heavy to bother with. Each of my vehicles has a small stash of MRE entres in it as backcountry crash survival food. It's about time to rotate it out though.
Just Jeff
02-21-2006, 12:10
Yep - every so often my backup MRE slides out from under the seat of my Jeep and the kids ask if we're going camping.
...i also really liked the dehydrated pork or beef patties...omelet with ham...
...i've eaten enough ice-cold beef stew c-rats and MREs (with the fat congealed on the top) to where it wouldn't bother me much...
Ick. You are truly a greater man than I...
Klezmorim
02-21-2006, 12:59
I might look into buying a few of the MRE components as a surprise treat for a longer section hike.
Adopting freezer-bag cooking has got me feeling like I'm making my own MAREs - Meals Almost Ready to Eat. Measure your ingredients into the baggie at home. On the trail, just add water (hot or cold, depending). Set up sleeping arrangement while waiting for your food to rehydrate. Eat. Pack out garbage. And no cleanup!
Oh, and they're waaaay cheaper than MREs.
i like them,but to heavy to carry to many,they are good though:cool: neo
Alligator
02-21-2006, 13:29
...
i do wish you could get the army's fortified cocoa powder somewhere though... nestle's and swiss miss don't even come close... anyone know where to find something similar?
How fortified is it? Would Ovaltine be similar?
How fortified is it? Would Ovaltine be similar?
i don't know... never had any... it's just really thick... i've picked up guys about half dead from cold and fatigue and fed them a cup of MRE hot cocoa, and they come right back to life... amazing... i'll find some ovaltine and try it...
jeff, not better. just different. i have a different 'taste' in foods than many people, and have been REALLY hungry before. the first time i had to eat a cold beef c-ration, it was indeed disgusting... but like i said, hunger is a really good sauce that goes with anything... and you remember it for the future, and it's not so bad when you have to do it again later... (i guess that's why they call it "training".) makes me easy to feed though... as long as it's not spicy...
when i lived up north, i used to keep a couple MREs in the car in the winter, along with the boots, shovel, tire chains, and sleeping bag most of us kept for emergency gear. good shelf life. just too heavy for everyday hiking.
the army uses them because you can drop them out of trucks, helicopters and planes without too much trouble. makes resupply easier.
I love MREs, especially the Black Bean Burrito. I carry them when I hike. The military also has a ration that is VERY hard to find called a LRP (Long Range Patrol) ration. It's a 10 day supply of food weighing less than 6 pounds and all enriched with extra calories.
The new LRP ration is the Cold Weather MRE. If you can find these you'll be a very happy hiker.
I have a list titled "Things to bring if family meets me on the trail" with stuff for them to bring me as a treet. One of the first things on that list is "MRE(s) any flavor."
Have thought about carrying an entree, at least for first day on trail, but have never done so.
LOVE the peanut butter!
So, carry what you want if it makes you happy!
Doctari.
SGTdirtman
02-22-2006, 22:34
The first time I hiked I brought the whole MRE packages, and there was indeed a problem with trash... I was carrying around a ton of plastic wrappers and used plastic silverware with me for days before I found a trash can, and there was so much stuff I never ate or used.
Now I just take the entree's (the single meal) none of the deserts, utensils, or other stuff. and I pretty much just "slurp" the meal right out of the bag uncooked most of the time. I think I've carried a total of 6 days worth of food in MRE's at one point. but I've been looking for other types of food that dont envolve boiling water or cooking. I'm always trying to figure out better ways to hike and get away from my obsession with lugging around military gear . :)
Like I said before, my attraction to MRE's is the simplicity, I dont have to carry a stove with me, or add water. but not sure of all the alternatives along the same lines. one other thing I found thats simple and quick is those packages of ready to eat tunafish but a man can only eat so much tunafish.
Twofifteen
02-25-2006, 21:41
Count me as an MRE fan.
What I like about the entres is that I can throw them (sealed in their package) into a pot, bring to a boil and remove. I then have both a hot entre and hot water for coffee/tea/washing,etc.
BTW, I was at DLI 95-97. Great place. The Dream Theater was still going then.
I git them cheap at the fleamarket, I'll hike em in and eat them on short excursions.To hell with what folks think.If they don"t like it tell them to camp at a shelter.
greentick
02-25-2006, 22:56
I love MREs, especially the Black Bean Burrito. I carry them when I hike. The military also has a ration that is VERY hard to find called a LRP (Long Range Patrol) ration. It's a 10 day supply of food weighing less than 6 pounds and all enriched with extra calories.
The new LRP ration is the Cold Weather MRE. If you can find these you'll be a very happy hiker.
The newer ones a huge improvement - no more cat and dog loaf:eek: . When we went to the field we would strip all extraneous BS from them including stuff you knew you wouldn't eat and repack them. You can fit 2-2and a half meals in one outer bag. Secure it with 100mph tape and you have somewhere for your trash too. I second the heater use. In your clothes it stays warm for 30min or more after pulling the meal out. They are weighty but calorie dense as in 1400-1700 per meal if I remember correctly.
The cold weather meal is not the same as the LRP. The CW just has extra stuff to add more calories: more drink mixes, more snacks. Comes in a white bag.
The new LRP (not VN-era) has no "wet" components. They weigh 1-1.2 pounds complete (just weighed a few to check). 6 pound will only feed you for 10 days if you want to be REALLY hungry. Also they were not intended for 20 mile days. I had read some specs somewhere saying you could fit 30 in a large alice pack (army rucksack) but I dont think you could fit anything else. They were meant for when you are sitting in a hide site for 2 weeks not moving in which case one per day would suffice calorically so long as you put on some weight prior to infil.
If you get some LRPs make sure you take some sort of clip (I like those black metal folding clips you use for a stack of paper) as they are not ziploc type.
Oh yeah. THe most significant addition to MREs - the milkshake. BUt only if you have cold water.
greentick out.
greentick
02-25-2006, 23:11
If you are eating mres exculsively and hiking you will only have to hit the privy 1-2 times per week. And don't worry about TP. Maybe one square.
They will product SBD gaseous emissions that will make a paper mill beg for mercy. Just think of your shelter mates. Tent mate? Think 1st degree murder or a destroyed tent.
You will see why the field troops refer to sleeping bags as "fart sacks"
Scots Guards
02-25-2006, 23:52
I like MRE's myself. They can really be DR.'ed up with some creative additives. They come with tobasco which I don't really care for and I carry soy sauce which I love. I have found while a bit on the heavy side I really only need two per day. I do most of one for breakfast and save the rest of that one plus any "leftovers" from the night before as a light lunch. By the end of day I'm ready for most of my second one. I like the heaters as I can let the entre get ready while I'm doing other camp stuff. The trash can be a problem in certain areas. I burn what I can ( Which is quite a bit actualy ) and usualy bury the rest way off the trail, very deep and conceled. As we generaly go in a group one of us is carrying a GI folding E-tool.
Just Jeff
02-26-2006, 02:51
If you are eating mres exculsively and hiking you will only have to hit the privy 1-2 times per week.
Haha...when I first got to the desert for OIF, I was walking with a two other guys. Guess I had a funny look on my face...one of them asked what I was thinking about.
"I'm trying to count the days since I pooped."
I think it was 8. But that next time was a doozy. :eek:
SGTdirtman
02-26-2006, 03:18
I have seriously never had a problem eating MRE's, I have litterally lived on them for more than 3 weeks and didnt have any problems "using the privy". But I've herd from quite a few soldiers that they back you up so to speak. I think this is entirely based on your diet prior to going to MRE's, they are not made to cause constipation but do for some people because they arent use to the type of diet. I dont know the nutritional reasons or anything... but I do know people who have problems with that sort of thing when they eat MRE's and plenty who dont .
Just Jeff
02-26-2006, 11:58
That may be true - after that initial...um..."adjustment period" I was back to normal. Probably had a lot to do with environmental stress, too - jet lag, psychological effects of being in a war-zone, significant increase in physical workload with much longer hours, etc. After a few weeks we had hot lunches to supplement the MREs so that helped, too.
The hardest part was cutting back on the food once we settled into a schedule. ~3800 calories a day is fine when you're building a base, but once we started mission planning (at a computer) it can put a hurtin on ya! Or at least a spare tire...
But even with that experience, I don't think using MRE entrees to supplement a hiking diet would cause constipation.
Klezmorim
02-26-2006, 12:56
A lot of times intestinal "sluggishness" is due to a decreased water intake. When our schedules are thrown off it seems the first casualty is water intake. Proper hydration can do a lot to get things "moving."
I like MRE's myself. They can really be DR.'ed up with some creative additives. They come with tobasco which I don't really care for and I carry soy sauce which I love. I have found while a bit on the heavy side I really only need two per day. I do most of one for breakfast and save the rest of that one plus any "leftovers" from the night before as a light lunch. By the end of day I'm ready for most of my second one. I like the heaters as I can let the entre get ready while I'm doing other camp stuff. The trash can be a problem in certain areas. I burn what I can ( Which is quite a bit actualy ) and usualy bury the rest way off the trail, very deep and conceled. As we generaly go in a group one of us is carrying a GI folding E-tool.
You admit to burying trash???? ***????
littlefoot
02-26-2006, 18:00
bad...very bad...I know some of the MRE stuff will burn, but dude pack it out if you can't burn it. Don't get me wrong I'm no 'trail nazi' I spit my sunflower seeds and toss coffee grounds but we don't need landfills on the trails.
Scots Guards
02-27-2006, 01:53
Opps I must clarify something. Never buried trash on ( or off ) the AT. Forgive the confusion and alarm. I didn't mean to offend. The places I have buried stuff is in the wild way off the trails and there is so little of it as to be negligable and that well conceled. Come to think of it, there aren't any trails. We free hike where we please, orienteering as we go. I certainly dislike litter as much as the next guy. I pack out where expected. I appologize for any misunderstanding. ( rereading my post I was a bit vauge about where I did this )
greentick
02-27-2006, 02:20
That may be true - after that initial...um..."adjustment period" I was back to normal. Probably had a lot to do with environmental stress, too - jet lag, psychological effects of being in a war-zone, significant increase in physical workload with much longer hours, etc. After a few weeks we had hot lunches to supplement the MREs so that helped, too.
But even with that experience, I don't think using MRE entrees to supplement a hiking diet would cause constipation.
I didn't mean you would be constipated, rather that if you're eating mres exclusively and hiking high mileage your "intestinal output" would be decreased in frequency and volume.
If you are not doing high output activities, I agree that after adjustment things would normalize tho I found I was hitting the latrine every other day and using minimal TP. The only varience would be if we ate a meal with the locals (afghanis) there would be a "regularity disruption" after eating normal food.
If you are at a low activity level you will put on weight quickly if you eat 3 per day.
The spoons they put in the packages of MRE,s are the best. They are really strong and they dont melt either. I kept one in my pack that I got from one of my friend about 2 years ago. I have since retired it and got a titanium spoork.
and usualy bury the rest way off the trail, very deep and conceled.
You bury your garbage in the woods? Are you mad?
Scots Guards
03-01-2006, 02:26
Ok one final time: At those times it is appropriate. (not on a frequently traveled public trail. On those I carry my trash,if I have to. I usualy just camp at the established sites with water,wood, trash recepticals,etc.) When free hiking the wilds, I burn my trash to almost nothing. I then bury that along with any body elimination in a VERY deep hole. I then restore the ground and conceal said excavation so that there is little or no evidence of it. Unless you were REALLY seeking it, I seriously doubt you could find it. Since we usualy traval in small groups of 4-6 this is pretty easy as we spot check each other. We leave little or no trace as most of us are active or former military and come from a patroling background where to leave a trace might be fatal! Besides, it's lousy conservation practice.
As for the leaving no trace thing; by your very being in and using the wilds,trails, etc you DO leave traces however small. The best one can do is minimize the amount. The only way to leave NO evidence you were ever there is to NOT go! In fact the word trace (as in Nachez Trace, Runs N. to S.) itself is a somewhat obsolete term for a trail (as in Appalachian Trail) So, play safe and have fun. Oh and if you don't see us,that doesn't mean we aren't there.....
SGTdirtman
03-01-2006, 02:45
ever herd of carry in carry out? why not put your trash in a small plastic bag or something and take it out with you.... I'm not an enviromental freak or anything, I enjoy spitting on hippies as much as the next guy but its not like your carrying any "extra" by putting your leftover peices of plastic and foil in a bag or something and hiking out with them, I mean you managed to hike in with it. Just cause your in a remote area and no one will ever see it doesnt mean you should leave your trash, no matter how you "conceal" it. I've hiked in remote places as well and have plastic wrappers and trash left over. I put it all in a zip lock bag and stuff it in my pack untill I get back to where I can dump it. Again I'm not preaching... I really dont care much what you do, but aint all that big of a deal to dispose of your trash properly without burying it in the woods.
And yet you admit to burying trash.
Jeez.
There is no excue for that!
Scots Guards
03-01-2006, 21:15
What I bury and conceal is carbon molecules reduced to their basic biodegradable form and wood ash, and then only if absolutly nessisary. If you are under the impression I'm burying plastic, cans, glass, car batteries, pesticides, or nuclear waste, you are sorely mistaken. And if you are THAT worried about leaving any waste behind I suggest you carry a baggie for your personal eliminations. You can pack that out too!! Enough!!! Geez!
What I bury and conceal is carbon molecules reduced to their basic biodegradable form and wood ash, and then only if absolutly nessisary. If you are under the impression I'm burying plastic, cans, glass, car batteries, pesticides, or nuclear waste, you are sorely mistaken. And if you are THAT worried about leaving any waste behind I suggest you carry a baggie for your personal eliminations. You can pack that out too!! Enough!!! Geez!
I pack out all my used tp...yep, I am one of "those". In areas here in the PNW, we are required to use "blue bags", where yes, you pack your poo out. It isn't as gross as it sounds actually.
While I know I sound like a backcountry nazi about garbage, it is because I love the backcountry-I have done dumb things in my past, while backpacking and I learned from them-which is why I pack out as much junk as I can that I find laying around. It isn't pc to admit you bury garbage, be it burnt or unburnt. If you do do it...tis better to keep it to yourself-no matter where you hike!
And yes, I am one of those that lectures litters if I see it. I do it nicely, and coat it with sick sugar till they bend over and pick it up ;)