MRE

[cleric]

Any recommendations on where to get MREs?

Brands to look for or avoid?

 

[Code3GT]

Military surplus stores and/or online should have em and are packed by different companies but all contain virtually the same menus and items. The dehydration packages of camp/mountain food prices are comparable and taste better IMO.

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[hkusp1]

USA ammo has a decent deal like a week of food for $100 so does cheaper than dirt. Decent food to with a 25 year shelf life.

 

[308nato]

www.majorsurplus.com Has them and a lot of other brands by the case or pallet.

Also www.longlifefoods.com

 

[cleric]

apparently this is a good brand Meals Ready To Eat, Emergency Food Supplies, Military Rations, Survival Food, Emergency Prepardness Food, Emergency Meals, Civilian MRE and Disaster Preparedness Food by Sure-Pak

never had them. I have picked them up from mil surplus store before but the prices were getting out of control. I am looking to buy 1-2 cases to leave around.

 

[cleric]

www.majorsurplus.com Has them and a lot of other brands by the case or pallet.

Also www.longlifefoods.com

its longlifefood.com (no s)

and that looks to be a good website for them too

 

[shortround]

No matter where you buy them, be sure to buy some fiber supplement and drink copious amounts of water.

Without the additional fiber, they will stop you up so bad an enema will not work and you will have to dig the stool out with the long-handled plastic spoon included with the field ration (that is why the handle is so long).

 

[M. Sage]

Sopacko is the go-to brand for civilian market IMO. They generally have a bit higher calorie count than the other brands. A case of 12 should run you about $60.

 

[TheDan]

Where the hell are the maple nut cakes?!?! I've bought MREs a few times in the past couple of years and while the entrees are great, they never come with decent "extras". In addition to the entree I remember getting m&ms, biscuit or cornbread, coco & coffee, either peanut butter or cheese spread, and a desert of some kind. None of the MRE's I've seen recently have that stuff...

I really miss that maple nut cake.

 

[M. Sage]

Yeah, the civilian market ones don't come with things like bread... None are as complete as the real ones.

 

[Dreamliner787]

Depends on what you're wanting to use the MREs for. Unless you need all of the stuff that comes with standard packs, just get the stuff that you want or like only rather than buying the entire case; unless that's what you want.

 

[Texan2]

Do you need to have MREs or just long term storage food? There are other options besides MREs

 

[johnso21]

MREs aren't a good long term option, while you can keep them longer than recommended, 5 years is the shelf life for military issued MRE's. The freeze dried foods offer better options and the shelf life there is pushing 30 years. If you like MRE's and dont mind wolfing down your supply while you replenish, then go for it. Mountain house is pretty well known (think astronaut ice cream).

 

[TheDan]

Do you need to have MREs or just long term storage food? There are other options besides MREs

I use MREs for camping/backpacking. They are WAY too expensive to use for food storage.

Yeah, the civilian market ones don't come with things like bread... None are as complete as the real ones.

So no one sells the real thing? Might have to find a black market supplier... I want that cake!

 

[Texan2]

This is a better solution unless you need to carry everything in a backpack. Long shelf life and cheaper and you can use the bucket to carry water if needed.
I use these for camping.
Costco - Chef's Banquet ARK 1 Month Food Storage Supply

 

[TheDan]

This is a better solution unless you need to carry everything in a backpack. Long shelf life and cheaper and you can use the bucket to carry water if needed.
I use these for camping.
Costco - Chef's Banquet ARK 1 Month Food Storage Supply

I never really warmed up to dehydrated meals. They are definitely lighter to carry, but I like the convenience and taste of MREs better. Don't even need to warm them up. Just tear off the top and chow down.

 

[M. Sage]

I use MREs for camping/backpacking. They are WAY too expensive to use for food storage.


So no one sells the real thing? Might have to find a black market supplier... I want that cake!

Black market? It's "underground economy" these days, old chap. And yeah, that's the only way I know of to get the real MREs, since it's illegal to sell them...

This is a better solution unless you need to carry everything in a backpack. Long shelf life and cheaper and you can use the bucket to carry water if needed.
I use these for camping.
Costco - Chef's Banquet ARK 1 Month Food Storage Supply

Dehydrated is better in a lot of ways (there are even dehydrated soups in HEB that work well), but there are some big disadvantages. You need more water to prepare and eat them. Do NOT try eating them while you drink water to save time. Does not turn out well. You also need more prep time, and you need a fire. If nothing else, MREs make a good "just in case" meal to throw in your pack. It turned out well for me on my last camping trip when the wind wouldn't die down and let us safely build a fire one night. So we just settled into our bags and tore into MREs. Dehydrated meals don't work well without boiling water...

On through-hikes, I like to sit down for a fifteen minute break and wolf down an MRE pouch. Entree, side... doesn't matter. What matters is that after I chow down on that and have a few minutes to rest, I'm ready to take on the world again. You can't really do that on a short rest if you've got dehydrated food...

I never really warmed up to dehydrated meals. They are definitely lighter to carry, but I like the convenience and taste of MREs better. Don't even need to warm them up. Just tear off the top and chow down.

That's how I do it. Dehydrated can be nice, especially if you have easy access to clean water, but with MREs you don't even have to carry cooking utensils. If you DON'T have water access and have to carry extra in for your dehydrated meals, the water and cooking gear can add weight up real fast.

 

[M. Sage]

Oh, and don't overlook instant rice for camping food. It's light, easy to cook and can supplement other stuff.

I've taken some crazy food out in a backpack. Steaks are always good. Frozen home-made beef stew is always really good at the end of the first (physically worst!) day. For mostly-ready stuff, the boxes of soup at HEB work pretty well. They're easy to heat, and I grabbed 'em figuring I wouldn't HAVE to heat them if it came down to it. Not terribly filling, but calorie count isn't bad.

 

[Texan2]

For hiking and eating out of a backpack MREs are hard to beat, thats why I asked about the end use. We camp out of a Suburban and tents and the dried stuff works great and I dont have to worry about the date on them. they are also much cheaper....I also have MREs on hand as they both have a place in my inventory.

 

[cleric]

I am planning on purchasing some bulk food and some MREs.

The MREs would be for hiking, leaving in the car when I go to a hunting lease, etc.

The long term food would be if I have to hang around my place for a while.