Do any of you have MREs in your storage? If so, what ones do you like the best? Do you have the heat packs and do they work very well?
My Army son says the Army has some pretty good MREs and he usually just eats them cold out in the field, but I've never had one and am afraid to try them. Dh has only had the backpacking type meals and they are just dehydrated. I've never even tried the dehydrated type. Now that our food storage is pretty well stocked we have been thinking about getting some MREs or backpacking type meals.
I've always thought that MREs would be valuable in food storage as a "comfort" food. Not that they're particularly tasty. They range from "not bad" to "vile". But if the fecal matter has hit the rotary oscillator, and you're still trying to deal with the aftermath of some disaster, it would be nice to have a few meals that would take minimal preparation. They are very filling and nutritious. But they are way too expensive to make an entire year's supply out of. I don't have any yet.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Thanks, and yes these would be in addition to our basic storage. We're at the point in our acquisition of storage items that MREs are now being considered.
We use MREs in our 72-hour kits. Much too expensive for year supply. I've eaten my share of them, and some are pretty good while some are tolerable. The tiny bottles of included Tabasco sauce make everything good, though.
The heater packs work very well, almost too well if you're not careful.
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
I've heard, although I don't know if it's true, that you can urinate in the water activated MRE heater if you don't have enough water.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
I suppose you could. The food packets that go in the heater remain sealed, so there's no risk of the "heater fluid" coming in contact with the food. Unless upon removing the food packet, you touched the "heater fluid" and then ate with your fingers without washing first with the included towelette.
BTW, the TP that comes with the MREs is not enough--pack extra.
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
The problem with the Military MREs is that you have to buy them from someone that is either selling the surplus or stole them and is selling them online. The expiration dates for MREs are based on the temperature they are stored at. MREs in the middle east have drastically shorter live expectancies than those stored in Salem, Oregon. A few of the companies that manufacture the military version also package the same thing for civilians and sell it legally on the market. I have purchased the Sopacko brand MREs that are the same as the military versions and then at least I know the expiration date is good. Here is a like for information on MREs and Civilian MREs. http://www.mreinfo.com/sopakco-mres.html I ordered mine through one of their distributors and the price was very reasonable. You can order them with and without the heaters. If you start out and add a box or two every year then in a few years you will have a nice supply of them on hand. I hope this information is useful.
We bought a couple 1 person 72 hr version MRE sets from Emergency Essentials. Haven't tried any yet. They are kind of pricey (compared to the bulk food items from the Bishop's Storehouse), but I think they would be good for emergency situations. I don't believe ours came with heater paks... I imagine I'll try some out on a Scout campout or something this spring or summer. My problem is that I like to eat and feel like I am full when done, and while they may have the caloric intake requirements needed, the lack of sheer bulk would leave me not feeling full. Will have to try it out though.
I remember many years ago when I was a Teacher, we went camping as Scouts... one of the guys (who went on to become an officer in the Marines) and his brothers brought a box of old military / civil defense ration. They were like 10 years old or so, they were in olive drab cans, and we thought it was pretty neat opening them up with the miniature can openers. Some of the boys were afraid that they weren't any good and if we ate we'd get botulism, so they didn't eat any. But the rest of us had a nice feast, and none of us got sick or died! Mmmmm... I still remember the canned ham and hard crackers...
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
crazymom, buy a small assortment of entrees and have an MRE dinner to test them out.
We did this, and to my dismay, they tasted good at first, but by the end of the meal I couldn't face them anymore. I don't know why, but the flavor seemed to change as I ate, almost like an aftertaste... I can't quite put my finger on it. All I know is that I felt slightly nauseous. I don't know how I would eat them for three days straight.
Obviously, servicemen eat them all the time so maybe it was just me. YMMV But find out before you sink a lot of money into them.
p.s. I really like some of the Mountain House dehydrated backpacking food. Yummy!
MREs that have been in the heat too long often can change in both color and taste which is why the military versions you can buy may not be good for food storage.
Army son actually likes the MREs he gets and sometimes that is what he eats when short of cash between paydays. No he doesn't go to the mess halls, says the food is lousy and he has to pay, something to do with his rank and COLA.
Dh actually likes Mountain House stuff, I on the other hand have never tried it, I don't camp. We will probably do a combination of MREs and freeze dried stuff. I just don't want all freeze dried because I don't want to have to worry about having enough water. Like i said, this is just to supplement our food storage with easy to fix meals or light weight take with you stuff. We will probably order some MREs from Emergency Essentials this month to try. And I'll look into the other company sales recommended.
MRE's are a good extra item in your storage. We have about 2 months worth in our storage for something that gives us a variety. I have not eaten them extensively, but what I have had were okay. Not great, but I've had much worse food then they turned out.
Personally, I don't think MREs are too bad for what they are. Also, bear in mind that two MRE meals in one day are generally more than enough calories for a man in one day.
I also purchased 200 of the MRE shakes when they were on sale at Emergency Essentials. Not too bad either.
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Lo, there I see my mother, my sisters, my brothers Lo, there I see the line of my people back to the beginning Lo, they call to me, they bid me take my place among them In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live...forever
Getting cans of beef chunks or chili from the church cannery is another way to have a quick comfort food on hand, and it's fairly inexpensive. But you have to live close to a cannery that does wet pack.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
