MRE's for the trail?

“Granted they are not for the "ultraliter", but my last trip out I sampled one a friend brought. Very trick heating method, a few tablespoons of COLD water to activate this chemical heater that REALLY gets hot.
In the GEAR GUIDE is a add for a website that sells MRE's. Not too pricey if you buy on sale/case.
I guess some vets may cringe at the word MRE, but I'm looking for a easy and edible trailfood.
Comments, questions, snide remarks?”

“Heavy packaging, not filling, expensive (even when you get a deal). Buy a dehydrator.”

“I haven't used the self-heating kind, but I have had the other kind. The biggest problem I had with them was the waste they generated. Each item comes sealed in plastic and sometimes a box as well. I also got pretty bad gas one time - good thing nobody was with me then - pee-yeww! Not the most pleasant tent time.

On the bright side it is a full meal, they don't have to be heated, and the ones I've had don't actully taste that bad. No they aren't cheap, but if bought in bulk it's not too bad. I bought a case of 12 for $48.

Afterthought: Probably the thing I liked the most was the decent main course. Heated up, it was hearty, had some texture to it, and - for the ones I tried - generally tasted pretty good.”

“heave packaging, somewhat filling, somewhat expensive. Buy a dehydrator.”

“If you've EVER had any problems with MSG in food, stay away! These things are laden with it! On the other hand, the Tabasco/Pepper sauce is a nice bonus!

Even if you're not allergic to MSG, stay away from anything made of eggs(omlettes), unless of course you just care about food energy, and taste & texture don't matter... IMHO, a dehydrator is waaaay more $$ efficient and you can mix n' match your foods for variety! :-)”

“I never tried them because they don't have anything vegetarian, but I saw a review in backpacker magazine. They said they were good and for a weekend trip. You might want to use them if you don't mind carrying a little extra weight.”

“And with MRE's you can make Ranger pudding. YUM!”

“The key to mre's as far as saving space and weight is to open them and take only what you want. This also cuts down on waste. Also you can supplement them with items like rice or ramen noodles. Remember to be creative with the items. With a little mixing and matching you can do it up right in the field. ie ranger pudding. Also the military mre's do have vegitarian choices now, plus they are the ones that come with the good candy.”

“I was curious about MREs, too, and couldn't resist when the local sport shop decided to unload its leftover Y2K supply at 99 cents each - a whole case for $12. That I couldn't pass up, though I haven't cracked them open yet. Figured they'd be good for day hikes when the stove is left behind. Or for emergencies, of course. Hope the experience is palatable when I try them.”

“Might be some useful info from the MRE thread last October.

I agree about the repackaging. Otherwise, they are kind of heavy. I have concluded over the years that, besides the weight and price, it is a matter of preference. Some people like the food and the idea that they don't have to cook.”

“What a steal Pekka!!

Definitely field dress them and repackage at home to alleviate the excess garbage. Although some of the waste(cardboard) makes for a good fire starter. I think the portion are just the right size too. Too many times I find myself with leftover un-hydrated food in those over priced aluminum packets(Crunchy beans and Corn) that I just can't swallow. Plus those are just one dish so I get rather tried of just stuffing myself with that one dish of chili mac and chips that can also get cold pretty quick. I like to have other side dishes, a variey of tastiables(nice word) in other words.

MRE's have all that other "crap" in them, desserts and snacks(M&M's, P&B and crackers) and tea's and coffees, koolaid mix just to name a few.

Their easier to cook then some of those other meals. Less mess, no dirty pans. The cost is equal in value if not less then some of those overpriced meals. The caloric value is good too. I think those meals are planned that away. They give you upwards of 3000 cals if you eat the whole package or something like that.

Their are some that I would avoid, but for the most part they ain't bad plus you get that cool little bottle of Tobasco. HMMMM!
This is good to, what I have done in the past is take those frozen burritos and some Al. foil on the trail and once you got a fire going just wrap your thawed burrito in the foil and place next to or in fire to heat. Works great!!! Just pack out the foil or reuse.”

“Thanks for the heads-up Medic Girl. I get BLASTING headaches from MSG!!

I have a dehydrtor, but need to get Mel's book and start using it. Could cost a bundle to run though, I live in So. Cal.”

“If you can get a GREAT deal on MRE's they may be okay. I personally think they are too heavy and dont particularly enjoy the flavor. If you use Lipton noodles or rice and sauce as a base or any similar dish you can really fix em up with dry canned meat,dry veggies and herbs etc. The cost would be much lower and you would get much higher nutrition. The only draw back is convenience, MREs are virtually "no-cook". But if you want no cook you can always have good salami, smoked cheese,pita bread instant hummous so many other options.”

“Hyper, good points all. I just couldn't turn down 99 cents each. If it weren't for Cup-A-Soup and Instant Quaker, I might not think I was camping.”

“I have also noticed that after a week in the field eating only mre's I get a little backed up...I don't know, might just be me. I love em though. Go Army”

“MRE - fuel not food
Bleeech!!”

“MR. E.

"mystery"”

“I have used this "alpine air" thing that I just pull a string and wait 7 minutes and then it is done. May I say tooto banyey.”

“"tooto banyey"???

What the heck does that mean?”

“didjfan - You live in southern Cal? Lucky you - you can build a solar dehydrator that might actually work! Here in New England, most anything you put in a solar dehydrator molds before it dries. There are lots of good sources for building your own. Check 'em out on line or at the library.”

“Didjfan, me too! Marvy thing to find out when you're hauling a$$ thru the backcountry with a bunch of infanteers who are pi$$ed off that their medic's a chick!

13, don't you guys have pitted cherries in your MRE's? They're wonderful for that 'full' feeling one gets after a couple days of hard rations! From the sounds of it, our IMP's (Individual Meal, Packaged) aren't a whole lot better than your MRE's... and we don't even get the Tabasco sauce! :-(”

“I have never seen pitted cherries in the MRE's, but we do get some gum, that I heard, has some laxatives in it. Not sure if that is true or not...it doesn't work in anycase.”

“Ise tae, now ewe mae knot. Whadda f is tooto banyey?”

“They are best used as sand bags and trash, don't eat them.”