Forum Index > Food & Grub > MREs as trail food? (article)
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Snowbrushy
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PostSun Apr 08, 2007 6:18 am 
MREs aren't doing the job of properly feeding US troops. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20070408_Field_rations_are_falling_short_in_fueling_troops.html

Oh Pilot of the storm who leaves no trace Like thoughts inside a dream Heed the path that led me to that place Yellow desert stream.
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Spotly
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PostSun Apr 08, 2007 9:00 am 
That new super calorie "first strike" meal sounds alot like a Kid's Meal as far as calories. Silly that they'de make it heavier than an MRE even though they know that field stripping meals due to weight is an issue. We never called them "four fingers of death" but the term sure applied - those were the nastiest things in the world.

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banzaimf
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PostSun Apr 08, 2007 10:58 am 
The last I'd seen, approximate calorie burn for combatants was 4000 calories per day. This was not aimed at high-altitude/mountain combat. Stress alone was a major factor in that burn rate, IIRC. MRE's were designed with that burn rate in mind. The 4500 number in here means that on average, you're missing 600 calories a day. The problem with MRE's, imo, has been the necessity to eat everything in the package to get the full calorie count. I wonder if they could do something about adding caloric information to each packet. That could help with decision making when stripping the MRE's (like I do when I use them for hiking food). p.s. I liked the chicken a la king

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Hiker Boy
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PostSun Apr 08, 2007 11:20 am 
I'll often take the beef stew packet from a MRE and add it over instant mashed potatoes...not so bad! chow.gif When I was serving, there was no amount of food which could make up for the calory loss when we were out on exercises and we generally got to eat well and as much as we wanted.

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Snowbrushy
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 8:09 am 
I wonder what their backpacks weigh with ammo, etc.? These guys are apparently backpacking in the mountains with heavy gear and they would rather stock-up on ammo instead of food. Thats a sad choice that they have to make. The article states: " The military has higher-calorie rations available for long-range and cold-weather patrols, but they are significantly more expensive and are not widely distributed." We have better stuff to feed these guys. Mountain House? They are risking their lives in the mountains. But it's too expensive. hmmm.gif Photo: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
Medical supply drop.
Medical supply drop.

Oh Pilot of the storm who leaves no trace Like thoughts inside a dream Heed the path that led me to that place Yellow desert stream.
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Lamanite
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 9:36 am 
MREs vs other foods
Unfortunately, typical backpacking food does not meet the requirements the military needs for food rations. That's why the MRE's were developed-- there is no cooking or preparation (besides the drink mix) and thus they live up to the name Meal, Ready to Eat. We used to jokingly refer to them as Meals Refused by Ethiopians. Shelf life on an MRE (in typical temperatures) is 10 years. I wonder how Mountain House compares? On another note, I used to debate over which would be a lighter setup: MRE entree w. heater (11 oz.) or Mountain House entree with stove, fuel, pot/cup. For me, this setup plays like this: Mountain House Entree: 6oz Snow Peak Stove w. case: 4.5oz Fuel Canister: 7 oz Ti Evernew Pot w. lid: 4.8 So basically, for one meal, the MRE entree is lighter, but for multiple meals (and especially if you want a hot beverage!) the Mountain House configuration starts to edge ahead. The reality for me is that I have a favorite MRE entree that I always carry anyways just for a change up in meals.

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marzsit
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 4:01 pm 
Snowbrushy wrote:
I wonder what their backpacks weigh with ammo, etc.? These guys are apparently backpacking in the mountains with heavy gear and they would rather stock-up on ammo instead of food. Thats a sad choice that they have to make. The article states: " The military has higher-calorie rations available for long-range and cold-weather patrols, but they are significantly more expensive and are not widely distributed." We have better stuff to feed these guys. Mountain House? They are risking their lives in the mountains. But it's too expensive. hmmm.gif Photo: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
Medical supply drop.
Medical supply drop.
the mcw/lrp rations that the military uses are actually made by mountain house (oregon freeze dry actually...) well, at least the main entree is.. the reason they cost more than the mre is that the military doesn't order as many..

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Prince of Happiness
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 4:19 pm 
Damn, now I'm thinking about the ham MRE. That was really good! And the crackers + cheese. biggrin.gif

The Prince of Happiness "A man who does not care about the beer he drinks , may as well not care about the bread he eats." - M. Jackson, Beerhunter as seen by my friend Anita on a sign in Helsinki
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Opus
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 4:50 pm 
Where do you buy a military grade MRE? I'm kind of curious now... though I may regret any curiosity if I actually eat one. hmmm.gif

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Hiker Boy
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 5:45 pm 
Opus wrote:
Where do you buy a military grade MRE? I'm kind of curious now... though I may regret any curiosity if I actually eat one. hmmm.gif
Army Surplus.

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banzaimf
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PostMon Apr 09, 2007 5:49 pm 
Opus wrote:
Where do you buy a military grade MRE? I'm kind of curious now... though I may regret any curiosity if I actually eat one. hmmm.gif
There are a bunch of places on the web. I keep looking at vitacost for the Beef Stroganoff cans though. They have a few of the mountain house freeze dried cans of food.

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marzsit
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PostTue Apr 10, 2007 12:27 am 
Opus wrote:
Where do you buy a military grade MRE? I'm kind of curious now... though I may regret any curiosity if I actually eat one. hmmm.gif
there are genuine mre bags, and there are ones made for "civilian" use.. the real military ones (current production) contain matches, toilet paper, and flameless heaters. civilian ones usually lack those items and substitute other non-military items like candy, etc for genuine mre stuff.. always check the date codes, sometimes you'll find people selling "current production" mre's that are 15 years old..... expect to pay about $60 plus shipping for a case.

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Kat
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PostTue Apr 10, 2007 5:22 am 
I ordered mine from longlifefood.com Not sure if they're military grade, altho they have an impressive list of gov't type customers.

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marzsit
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PostTue Apr 10, 2007 2:40 pm 
the ones from long life foods are fakes. they are repackaged, genuine mre's don't have phone numbers on them....... technically, it's illegal to sell the genuine ones to the public. but, soldiers and their families can legally purchase them from military exchanges for personal use, and many of the cases end up on ebay real mre's on ebay

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banzaimf
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PostTue Apr 10, 2007 4:51 pm 
I used to snag them at DRMO sales. National Guards apparently gets their weekends worth, then get fed hot meals the whole time. I bought a couple cases from a friend who had that happen to him.

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