I am a habitual MRE user. Probably one a week. The big advantage for me, besides having easily accessible food, is the heater. Usually I have a main meal, (the thing in the box) along with a heater and some other goodies in a Ziploc bag. The nice part about the heater is that I can use it just about anywhere. Lots of places where a fire of any type would be difficult.

For instance, take Disney World (or whatever it is called). Living in Florida, I am compelled to take visitors there. I can heat a meal in my backpack (which is searched and they never comment on the MRE food pack). I try to heat it in a place away from crowds, and so far, no problem.

On hikes, I find it much easier to deal with the heater than a fire. I prepare the food and heater in a few seconds, and then just rest until the meal is hot.

Frequently I use the heater in my truck (with sufficient ventilation of course) where it would be difficult to start a fire. I would like one of those 12vdc resistance heaters for water, but have not found one recently. The MRE heater works just fine though.

Great invention and I like the food as well. Of course, it helps to be cold and hungry.