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How to deal with MREs...

I haven't noticed a stench with the newer, no-residue, ones. But I forgot to mention I do seem to get about 1 in 4 duds, meaning they never activate and heat up.
 
Hey CW4, I remember them, we got the 40s in the eighties and they tasted like they always did. Army brat too so we ate them all through scouts, 40s too. And sometimes the unit sized rats, powdered egg napalm anyone?
 
Where do you guys buy your MREs at? I've always been interested, but never had any.
 
eomeo said:
Where do you guys buy your MREs at? I've always been interested, but never had any.
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Most army surplus stores have them. If you go local, you don’t have to pay shipping on heavy MREs and you can generally get a better chance to pick and choose what you want. Also, it’s nice to be able to check the date on the case to make sure you are getting new ones. I buy from the local retail store of a big online army surplus store and they have a lot of 2008 MREs (almost all of them are) but they also have a couple cases of 2006/2007. I like to get the freshest ones I can because I store some of them as emergency preps. They also have individual meals in a barrel that they sell for a little under $5 so you can try a couple if you don’t want to buy a case of 12. At the store I shop I can get 2 cases for $89, which isn’t a bad price for hand picked stuff.
 
steeljhp said:
we also used to make little cs bombs out of the heater and the hot sauce, works pretty well
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Those bombs became much more effective about the year 2000 when the good ole USMC went from shelter halves to dome tents with zippered doors. You never seen a PX sell out of zip ties so fast in your life. The trick was to have two people involved, one adds water and sets the bomb in the tent the other zip ties the sippers togehter. Then you both sit back and laugh till the staff NCOs arrive.


BTW: what's wrong with the spoon that comes in the MRE? Like everyone else says, cut along the long side and use the MRE spoon. As for that silvery coating, wipe it on your trouser leg before cutting it open. That's what we always did and never had no ill effects. By the time you're done eating it's dry and will just dust off.

David
 
The best tips have already been posted:

Cut meal packet lengthwise, use the Tabasco, carry a plastic bottle to make an MRE bomb and add the Tabasco to make the eyes burn. Steal the pound cake, trade the peanut butter for the cheese, eat the fruit punch wafer, suck on the coffee packet to stay awake, squirrel away all the TP, and last but not least, just throw away the omlet and the five fingers of death.
 
Echo4v said:
Those bombs became much more effective about the year 2000 when the good ole USMC went from shelter halves to dome tents with zippered doors. You never seen a PX sell out of zip ties so fast in your life. The trick was to have two people involved, one adds water and sets the bomb in the tent the other zip ties the sippers togehter. Then you both sit back and laugh till the staff NCOs arrive.


BTW: what's wrong with the spoon that comes in the MRE? Like everyone else says, cut along the long side and use the MRE spoon. As for that silvery coating, wipe it on your trouser leg before cutting it open. That's what we always did and never had no ill effects. By the time you're done eating it's dry and will just dust off.

David
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I used to combine several heaters and use a large soda bottle to make a huge bomb. Warning: A large MRE bomb can do bodily harm. The plastic shrapnel will cut the sh!t out of human skin and make a huge nasty bruise.:eek:
 
How long can you expect these things to stay edible? I have a case of them that my sister-in-law's ex gave me about four or five years ago. They are stashed in a cool, dry place.
 
Edible, as in it won't kill you?
Probably indefinitely.

The taste would probably deteriorate over time like canned goods.

I've had some really old ones. Generally, they gum turns to glue, the oil and peanut butter separate, but can be reconstituted. The oil and cheese separate and cannot be reconstituted. The candy turns to dessicated dust.

But that's about it.
 
I ate my last C rat in '84. They finally ran out in Germany and were forced to give us the MRE's or LURP's. If you're eating the dark brown bags, it's past time to get rid of them. They do have a shelf life, and those have been gone from the system since DS.

I can't remember the last time I heated an MRE.
 
JJ RONIN described the way some of our Marines heated their MREs in the field. They didn't place the entree in the heater they just placed it on top and stuck it back in the box or outer bag. :thumbup:
 
MREs and dehydrated ready made meals are too expensive and MREs are too heavy. Careful shopping and a dehydrator will make much better meals for pennys on the dollar. If stock piling for home, I like rice, beans and other dry goods sealed with a food saver, and of course lots of 22LRs for the addition of protein. ;) Chris
 
Just a heads up on the new MRE's. I was on them in the summer and was told to ditch the milk shakes.

LINK

Apart from that these rations are ok, a bit rich in fats and sugar but hey they get the job done.
 
Don't forget that the context in which MREs were made to be utilized are when you're in the field working so hard that you'll just about eat anything. :D
 
stanley_white said:
Don't forget that the context in which MREs were made to be utilized are when you're in the field working so hard that you'll just about eat anything. :D
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Not only that; they have like 3,500 calories. They're a one-meal-a-day food source.
 
wulfshrunting said:
Not only that; they have like 3,500 calories. They're a one-meal-a-day food source.
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??

Where are you getting this?

The MRE spec is a minimum of 1200 Calories per meal, or 3600 Calories for 3 meals.

Each MRE provides an average of 1,250 calories (13% protein, 36% fat, and 51% carbohydrates) and 1/3 of the Military Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals. A full day's worth of meals would consist of three MREs.
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http://www.mreinfo.com/us/mre/mres.html
 
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