info on MRE's

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Foilist

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Dec 20, 2004
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My sister-in-law's husband is in the Air Nat'l. Guard. Knowing that I like camping and the outdoors, he recently gave me a case of MREs. He says he's got a ton of them, since they give him more than he'll ever use each time he's on duty. I've tried one of these before and found it to be surprisingly good. I plan to use some of them while camping/hiking and to save the rest in case of an emergency.

Here are my questions:

I've heard that these are specifically made to, um, "back you up" a bit. Is that true? Is this to keep soldiers more efficient in the field or something?

Also, It is my understanding that one MRE is intended to sustain a person for one entire day, and NOT for merely one meal - is that right?


I'm enjoying this little windfall. I wonder what other goodies he can sent my way! :cool:
 
Whether they back you up or not is arguable based on what types of foods do. They contain a small amount of fiber, so I would think it's more person-to-person.

As for whether they can sustain you for a day... well, you wouldn't starve to death, but you wouldn't want to live that way.

MREs don't come close to providing the full amount of caloric intake you need per day. I've got the pork chop (chunked and formed) in Jamaican-style sauce with noodles in my hand right here (and how often do I get to say THAT to a total stranger?)... and there's only about 1,080 calories in the whole thing.

You'll need about 3,500 calories per day to maintain your weight under hard work... so 1,080 could let ya live, but you'd be pretty skinny real soon.
 
Lucky you. They go for about $50+ on ebay.

As far as stopping up, it depends on the person. I lived on them for 6 months and never had a problem. MRE's are not high in fiber so this could pose a problem for some. They are high in sodium however so you need lots of water.

One MRE "could" sustain and individual for a day under the worst scenario but they are designed to be eatin at least 2 per day. If you are not highly active you will put on weight eating 3 per day.

Remember the caloric count is based on eating EVERYTHING in the bag. If you omit things you loose calories.

Skam
 
I've heard taht the gum contains a sugar alcohol (Sorbitol, Malitol, or something in that genre) that will help maintain through passage.

Chew the gum to keep from getting clogged.
 
Thanks for the info. I don't plan on living on these things, but it's good to have an idea for how far they can be stretched during a hiking trip or something.

Another thing - I have a bunch of extra chemical heaters for them. Is there anything clever I can do with those?
 
Yes chew the gum,We get these alot when we spike out on wildland fires,We always give are gum to the new kids,We always say something like,bet you cant chew 10 or 15 pieces at a time,and if you do,we will do 25 push ups.Let me say some kids have no problem chewing that much and others never get much work done after that :D .There always shaking the tree. :D
 
I dont know, but i had the lousiana style beef and rice, holy crap. I suggest you get as many as those as you can.
 
anyone know a decent source for MRE's where I'm not gonna blow $50-70 on a case?

Other than re-enlisting, that is.
 
My tip?
buy just the entrees you like and pack the other accessories like cake and candy bars. All the other stuff in an MRE is notoriously bad tasting. (entrees come pretty damn cheap for about 1 to 3 dollars each) One breaks down the MRE's anyway before packing them out on "patrol". One more reason to break them down is that on rare occasions, you get an MRE where one the entree was not correctly sealed and when you crack open the outer package, you're hit with this nasty musty stink that was tuna with noodles fermenting for about two years...
 
I once lived on 1 stripped down MRE per day for 10 days of hard labor (canoe trip). I lost 17 lbs. A week after the trip I was still 10 lbs under pre-trip weight. Another time I went 8 days on 4 standard MRE's and forage (including a small deer). I lost 10 lbs that trip as well.

One MRE a day leaves you hungry but you can function just fine. That diet would only catch up to you in two weeks or so of hard living.

If you want to extend the caloric value of an MRE then suppliment it with carbs. Pack in a 5 min instant rice and pour the MRE entree over it for dinner. Carry instant oatmeal and eat the fruit, cocoa, etc, with it for breakfast. This will give you two solid meals from one MRE with very little penalty in weight.

Like Skam said, caloric value is based on the entire contents and most people can't abide with eating everything in the bag.

One MRE offering that I really like is the oatmeal cookie bar. These are a square pressed block of sugar/starch that taste somewhat like oats. The stuff is really pretty good and are worth packing in kits. I carry one in my belt-pack sized PSK. Mac
 
skammer said:
Remember the caloric count is based on eating EVERYTHING in the bag. If you omit things you loose calories.
Click to expand...
So eat the paper, the moist towelette, and the container, too! That's also a great way to put some fiber in ya. :p
 
MelancholyMutt said:
My tip?
buy just the entrees you like and pack the other accessories like cake and candy bars. All the other stuff in an MRE is notoriously bad tasting. (entrees come pretty damn cheap for about 1 to 3 dollars each) One breaks down the MRE's anyway before packing them out on "patrol". One more reason to break them down is that on rare occasions, you get an MRE where one the entree was not correctly sealed and when you crack open the outer package, you're hit with this nasty musty stink that was tuna with noodles fermenting for about two years...
Click to expand...


Ahh, that explains it. There are 13 complete MREs in the box he gave me, but about half are opened. Apaparently he likes to break them down and mix-n-match the items.
 
Watchful said:
So eat the paper, the moist towelette, and the container, too! That's also a great way to put some fiber in ya. :p
Click to expand...

Hey if you are hungry enough you never know. :D

Of course it would be difficult to wipe your arse with the crackers, crumbs and all.

Skam
 
Sorry it is sportsmans guide whos selling the squad meal tha feeds 3-5 it says. fer 9 bucks a peice. not ctd
 
My brother is in the Air Force. He came home a few years ago to go hunting with my family. He brought tons of MREs. Ever since then thats all my wife and I eat up hunting. I can get then for about seven bucks at a local store that buys military surplus.

Jeff
 
MREs are OK, depending on what the main course is. To say that they are actually good is an over statment, unless you use the Tabasco...hahah. As for backing you up, I would have to say yes to that. Everytime I ate them I didnt have to go for a few days. If you end up eating them on a regular basis, then when you do go it will look like rabbit droppings.
 
We get these things on fires quite often, I like to pack a summer sausage and a few other things that have a higher calorie count, plus take up less space, but the kids on the crew seem to like them, and you can go quite awhile before you will actually starve to death, it seems that those who eat them on a regular basis are also plugged up on a regular basis.

But they usually come out of it with a little time... :)
 
Anyone have experience with the Canadian stuff: http://www.fcsurplus.ca/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=241&cat=Meals+Ready+To+Eat+(army+rations)?

Will
 
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