Oh, sure, that's what I would do normally, but I thought it might be nice to just have a few packages to toss into the car if needed.

Maybe I could take them to the ETS National Bug-Out!

Sue

Personally I'm a big fan of cans. The process which keeps MREs good for 10 years is very very similar to the canning process that's been in use for decades.

Can's aren't ideal for hiking due to the weight...or so they say. Never having handled an MRE I can't compare the weight new...considering how much water is in both, I don't think the weight would be all that bad. Plus if you pack out what you pack in, cans can become a burden.

In a survival situation cans give you post, cups, rain catchers, raw materials for building things from metal...it's great.

The only unknown for me right now are possible downsides to freezing canned food. I haven't been able to find anything on the net about this. Will it rupture cans? Will I be able to get frozen food out of it's can to heat and eat?

Makes me wonder what the military folks do with frozen MREs. I doubt the flameless heater is enough to thaw AND heat the MRE.

Sorry if I'm jacking your thread Susan!

Hi Hacksaw,

You should have a PM waiting for you.

Mike

MREs are certainly not bad, especially if you are hungry. If you don't like the taste, hike another five miles and sample again.

Actually, there are all kinds of boil in bag items, microwavable dishes etc., available in the supermarket which can substitute very well for MREs. All of these dishes contain water, so they are relatively heavy, regardless of the container. An earlier post was right on about the utility of recyclable cans in a survival situation.

I stock up on can goods for survival situations. I also maintain a few MREs and also dehydrated backpacking entrees for situations where weight is critical. In other words, a little bit of everything.

I haven't seen much difference personally between MRE types. I was reading some of the earlier links, and decided to consolidate 2 MRE's into 1 pack, for a 1-day (2-meal) pack to toss in my day kit, as an emergency store of food. They're Sopako, which is as "yummy" as ever.

OK, having said that, does anyone know about Striker Rations? I was reading up on them from one of the earlier post links. Thanks!

+1 on that

The prime rib steak I'm about to cook is Awesome!! But that's not an MRE. If only...

Yeah, I did. Oops. Explains why I couldn't find it on Ebay, huh? (you can all laugh at me now)

I just picked up 2 tuna steaks at Walmart. Essentially canned but in a bag. One Teriyaki and one Lemon Pepper. Best before date is 18 months. It's no 10 years but still a long time...and I'm betting they're going to taste good even cold.

MREs are okay. I'd rather come up with my own versions, and there were times I did just that in Baghdad (freeze dried backpacker meals, other retorted foil package foods like salmon and tuna and "Top Shelf" items seemed to be better).

MREstar seems to be gaining in popularity as a good, high quality cost effective MRE source for civilians. I'm sure they are not the only ones, just what I've heard lately.