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Has anyone used military mre's for food along the trail?
the flameless heating pouches in each mre sound interesting.
pros? cons?
Get the kosher ones if you can find them
MintakaCat
07-17-2009, 15:27
Weight would be the biggest concern to me.
Weight would be the biggest concern to me.
Compared to lead and brass, they are light, otherwise, way to to much weight.
maybeFritz
07-17-2009, 15:48
If you do use them, unpack them first. They get smaller and you can lose some of the extra packaging. Big calories, no major spoilage, but...well, lets just say some are better than others. Whatever you do, avoid the hot-dogs.
They also tend to be a bit pricey if you are getting them from a surplus store.
The Weasel
07-17-2009, 16:00
They are not light, they containg far greater amounts of packaging, and are not intended for backpacking. They are also expensive in terms of cost per calorie. Many taste anywhere from bad to execreble.
TW
LaurieAnn
07-17-2009, 16:41
My concern with these is the amount of packaging waste created.
Allen1901
07-17-2009, 18:02
I agree with the above posts, but will add:
Some come with heaters, some don't. Make sure when You order.
Don't pay more than 5.00 for a single MRE or 50.00 per case of 12
armygear.net usually has them 2 cases for 90.00
http://www.armygear.net/ag/store/00231.html
Cheers!
bigcranky
07-17-2009, 18:51
They are okay for a weekend hike. Easy to use. Otherwise the above objections apply.
Also, for some people they cause constipation so keep that in mind ;)
So it seems like there's far more cons than pros. I think I'll explore other food options. Thank you all for your input!
So it seems like there's far more cons than pros. I think I'll explore other food options. Thank you all for your input!
Hey, I see you are in Seattle! Come out to TrailsFest tomorrow in North Bend - at Noon is my presentation on "Frugal Gourmet" - we are long time supporters of WTA and come as a vendor every year! http://www.wta.org/trail-news/trailsfest:banana
Oopsie! My dancing banana got in the HTML for the link.
http://www.wta.org/trail-news/trailsfest
Dicentra
07-18-2009, 00:33
YES... I'll ask the hubby and post something more. :)
RedneckRye
07-18-2009, 00:34
They are okay for a weekend hike. Easy to use. Otherwise the above objections apply.
If I am going out for a weekend hike (at the most that would be dinner friday, B-L-D saturday, and B-L sunday) why would I want to carry any kind of food that was in ANY way objectionable?
Bring on the good and tasty stuff.
Why pay too much for convenience?
Why pay a premium for something that is made in bulk by the lowest bidder?
Wolf - 23000
07-18-2009, 07:32
As someone who is currently in the Army and a long distance backpacker, I would not suggesting them.
Weight: Each meal is about 2 pounds or 6 pounds a day for food - 30 pounds in food for a 5 day duration.
Cost: Expensive. Around $5.00 - $8.00 a meal.
Amount of calories: around 1,100 - 1,300 if you eat everything. Low considering the weight of an MRE.
Flameless heating pouches: Requires water to activate. Can only be used once.
Trash: After empting everything, you will have a mountain of trash at the end of the day.
The only pro they have is can be eaten fast, cold if needed.
Hopes this helps,
Wolf
Fiddleback
07-18-2009, 12:19
Also, for some people they cause constipation so keep that in mind ;)
Or, the opposite in some cases.:o
Years ago, I did a three-week base camp on-site while construction was starting on our house. I bought the MRE main entrees (only) and heated them my sitting 'em in a pot of simmering water. I got the entrees-only from SportsmansGuide but now they don't carry them often. A very good alternative which I prepared the same way is DintyMoore's American Classics entrees. It worked well...but then, I wasn't backpacking with 'em and had one of those honkin' big Coleman camp stoves to heat the water.
They're all heavy and kinda expensive...but convenient. They would work nicely for car camping but, if I'm car camping, I'm eating a whole lot better!:D
FB
Allen1901
07-19-2009, 04:45
Just to round out the thread, here's a link to a civilian version from the developers (they say) of the MRE heater.
http://heatermeals.com/cart/index.php
Cheers!
beakerman
07-19-2009, 05:34
I did this when I was a youngster. One of my buddies dad worked at the local army reserve unit supply and well lets just say many cases were lost in transit. They are heavy some are very tasty. My most recent experience with them was a result of Ike and I must say they seem to have reformulated them or something because they are not as good as I recall. In a nut shell I now have a few around the house and when I go out I take one with me as an emergency ration. I would not recommend them as a primary food stuff for all the reasons previously mentioned.
OldStormcrow
07-20-2009, 16:35
Be careful not to get old mre's from some crate at the army surplus store. Older packaging can get small holes in it, sometimes evident by the swollen shape. Get them to open a new case if they have one, 'cause they are usually really picked over, leaving the worst choices such as hotdogs or (green) eggs and ham. Also, NEVER, NEVER get any of the ones that have the term "barbeque" anywhere on them unless you pack a huge amount of toilet paper. I'm just sayin'.......
Plodderman
07-20-2009, 16:45
To heavy for me and by the way I ate way to many while in the service.