Thinking about putting a few MRE Full meals in my 72 hour kit. This would be the kit I grab on my way out the door if the need to rapidly evacuate my residence.

Any pro's or con's on the use of MRE's in a 72 hour kit ?

Any flavors to avoid ??

Con: They're big and heavy
Pro: they're easy, don't need to be rehydrated and they taste okay. They store fairly well in moderate conditions

I hate the Turkey and Potato and the vegetarian pasta with vegatables. I really like the ravioli, spaghetti and cheese manicoti - the beef tariyaki is good too - so, surprisingly, is the veggie burger.

Check out mreinfo.com for more information.

Lee

As wolf said, they're bulky and heavy. I wouldn't rely on them 100% for that reason, but maybe one per day that you plan on being in the pack, along with a heater for each of the entrees, along with wet wipes and something like rice to for the base of your other meals, and snacks between. And a few maindays or datrex packs just in case at the 72 hour mark you realise that what you really needed was a 100 or 120 hour pack.

Just remember to strip your MREs, there is a lot of stuff you won't need. Example, break down your accessory packets- you'll only need one spoon, and the matches suck. I actually suggest the entrees and maybe some sides, and build the rest of it yourself, you'll be able to align it more to your personal taste and it might even cost less. Even if you don't pull anything, they're smaller and a bit easier to pack if you do that, IMHO.

http://www.longlifefood.com/

They have some of the best prices I've found for the entrees, and a great selection. Thier red beans and rice isn't quite jagd, but it is pretty close, and if you are stressing, the milder heat is probably better for your belly.

http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_meal_ready_to_eat.html

The prices aren't as good, but if you have a hankering for something that isn't part of the menu list any more and want to be sure it was properly stored, these are good people to try.

minimus.biz

If you are building your own accessory packs, a great resource. The only place I've ever seen where you can buy 1 (one) ketchup packet! (If you are bugging out by car, and have room, a coffee can full of things like soy sauce, mustard and so forth might be handy trade items if you find yourself in a public shelter, although some of us might think that sleeping with the storm is about on par.) They've got just about every condiment you might want in the little single serve squeezies, along with other odd single use or small package items, like rolls of toilet paper about the size of a roll of quarters.

Emergency foods should be treated like any other piece of kit. You need to evaluate what works, but more importantly become familiar with everything. Anything that calls for a kit's use can be listed under one word, STRESS. This is no time to go experimenting with dehydrated tibetan tea and butter and barbequed sushi. Whatever you select, get an extra one and enjoy it ( one hopes) watching some survival program on the TEEVEE.

MREs have a LOT of salt in them. I would think that in an emergency situation you want to stay away from foods that will make you more thirsty.
I now have only Coast Guard style food rations in my kit.

As others have said they are bulky but that can be dealt with. As far as taste goes I have yet to run into one that I could not finish, but some are better than others. Obviously tastes vary. They have between 1200-1400 calories each. With my metabolism I would not carry more than 3 for 72 hrs, but of course your requirements may be more/less.

I have a few in mine, but I agree with others regarding the bulk. I also highly recommend stripping them down as IronRaven suggested. Lots of things you won't need.

I prefer to make my own..check the meat aisle at your local grocery store, you can find several kinds of tuna in foil packs, here locally in OK, they even have precooked hamburger meat in foil packs.

I also highly recommend having a condiment selection. I have one too, but I just acquired mine from local eating places. ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, parmasean cheese, hot peppers, soy sauce, barbecue sauce...etc. That website is pretty cool, but you shouldn't have to buy this stuff, just use one less ketchup each time you go through McDonalds...it builds up fast.

Probablem with those is low bulk when they get in your belly, even though they swell. When you are hungry, your body wants to feel full, and they can't warm you up like a hot meal can.

Food plays a much greater role in morale than most people think- that's what gets Les Stroud, his body is doing all kinds of funny things to conserve energy before it starts to autocannibalise. I'd bet (a little) money that he's mostly fine in terms of caloric consumption when he's gone three days without so much as a cricket. Instead, I wouldn't be at all suprised if it's neurochemistry messing with him. Tired, feeling a bit blue, we've probably all seen him hit that point around the third or fourth day. That isn't so much starvation as it is depression. They've known for decades that below a certain caloric consumption, you emotions and ability to think start to shut down, but if you still have sufficent reserves on your body and you get some food in you, you are good to go. (Thank you Herr Mengelev (sp), may he rest in torment.)

I know from my experinces that holds true, at least for me.

MRE's can be a useful option - if you don't mind the extra weight and bulk. However, switching to dehydrated foods (like Mountain House) may seem like a lighter option unless one also has to carry all of the water in to your location. If you can't rely upon water sources, the MRE might be a better choice for you in the 72 hour pack. Also, eating the MRE might be quicker than having to cook a dehydrated meal.

The cost, and uncertainty about what will be put into the 12 meal case have also been a negative for me. I've had good luck making my own MRE-like packets by stopping at the local Wal-Mart. There are numerous products packed in retort packages that are probably less expensive and more familiar to you and your family. It helps to customize the packet to what I and my wife (an insanely picky eater) already eat as part of my normal diet.

My local fast food places have been great sources of condiments. Most entrees will taste better with enough ketchup! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I have MREs in my 72 Hour kit and in my Wildland IA Pack. MREs are not my first choice for food EVER, but they are far better than nothing.

MREs in my IA pack is a no brainer, I have no room for cooking gear and I need something that can be removed easily so if box/bag lunches are avalibe I can replace it with real food!

My 72 hour kit and search kits now carry MREs becuase they really aren't as bad as they used to be. I typically open a case of MREs and dump all of the contents of each MRE on my kitchen counter. Then I remove every piece I am not going to eat... Then I reorganize the MREs into 24hr rations with stuff like Jelly Belly Sports Beans, Emergen'C packets, GU2O powder, and HammerGel add. I then reseal the meals with my vacum sealer.

While there are tastier foods for camping and backpack, none are easier to prepare and few have been designed for high activity levels.

Yes, MREs are high in sodium, and other electrolytes which is perfect for an active survival situation. If you are sitting in a boat all day long you may not need AS MUCH electolytes as someone hiking, building shelters, etc but you still need those electrolytes.

AVOID CHEESE OMELET AT ALL COSTS!

Well here's a different point of view. The first 72 hours are going to be very stressfull. All the components of an MRE are designed to provide lots of calories and nutrients. You've never been as awake as you have after mixing the coffee, cocoa, creamer and sugar from an MRE and drank it. I can tell you after 50+ hours with no sleep, you are wide awake. The body burns more calories under stress than under exercise and an MRE will will sustain you under heavy stress.

Everybody has thier own views and what works for one may not work for another. In my opinion they are a valuable assest, (I keep two cases in my truck tool box) Depending on what you are able to carry and what you think you will need, try several different things.

In this case I'm not going to argue with anyone, I tend to be Over prepared.

Desertrat, I'm not saying they aren't. I'm just saying that for the cost, weight and bulk, in many BOBs (as opposed to E&E packs, which are a different matter, IMO), you can add other things to your pack to suppliment them. I eat rice daily, so a bulk item that is familiar to my belly is of great value in everything goes south, and while I can get MRE rice, it isn't worth it to me. MREs are something I like to save for the end of the day, becuase thier fats will fuel me through the night while I lay low.

And that is a good point about everyones pack being different. I plan on going on foot and covering 100 miles in three to four days, and going to ground every night, while burning internal reserves. Trust me, I've been called the Cranky or Fuzzy Budda because of those reserves. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> But that means my kit can't weigh as much as desertrat's would. Heck, his rations weigh more than my pack does when I put it together. But I am never more than a mile, mile and a half from a stream, river or pond if I follow the my planned routes, so I don't have to worry so much about finding water as someone in the desert does.

Brian,
I do not know why that idea never occurred to me, but you have an Excellent Idea there! If it's not too much trouble, what would a couple of examples be?

Krell

Yep, I stick to foil packs and the like, they seem lighter from the grocery: Tuna, Uncle Ben's Rice, Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, etc. I'm addicted to the Tuna foil packs on the trail lately, it must be the salt.

Sorry for the late reply. I was actually busy this weekend do other things that watching the forum. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

For example, I made the following meal pack by putting each the following in gallon-sized ziplock bag:

(1) tuna salad kit (starkist - comes with 3 oz. of tuna, crackers, mayo packet, relish packet and tiny spoon), (1) packet of lipton cup-a-soup, (1) granola bar and (1) deydrated gatorade packet (makes 32 oz.). This meal kit cost less than $4.00 to make.

Other specific suggestions:
-Retort packs of meat include chicken, tuna, salmon and can all be found at most grocery stores.
-Retort 'box' of Stagg brand chili.
-Hormel makes retort package of meals such as spaghetti, lasagna, stew in microwavable bowl. Given Texas summer heat, I could probably leave them in my car for a few hours to warm up to a decent temperature.
-Retort box of milk (kid sized), packed with snack pack sized ceral box.
-There are some microwavable rice dishes that come in a retort pack, fully cooked and no water added. They just need to be heated. I haven't tried them, but I imagine they would be ok, but very salty.

Hope this helps.

Warning on the Zatarains retort pouches. Very salty, and they aren't kidding on the best use by dates. I add one that was two months past date last week, and it was horrible. I don't know how they did it, but they put a self destruct in those things.

You're probably better off buying or making instant or near instant rice mixes and vaccume sealing or zipper bagging individual portions, even though it means you need to find water, and time and heat to cook it. Either that, or the actual MRE rice, which is pretty tasty.

"Warning on the Zatarains retort pouches. Very salty, and they aren't kidding on the best use by dates."

I saw the Zatarains, and almost bought a few packets (but figured I'd wait for a sale).. I did buy a bunch of the Knorr/Lipton Sides (Pasta and Rice) - They've been on sale alot lately ($1 ea) at all the chain supermarkets. I just checked, and verified that they don't have any dates on them.. Does that mean I can keep them FOREVER? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I prefer the rice ones over the pasta - the pasta ones are all creamy and makes cleaning more of a hassle. They are very salty. I have a Cheddar and Broccoli Rice packet right here, and its 860mg sodium for a single serving with 2.5 servings per package!!!!

I noticed that they now have tuna steaks in the retort packs versus just the regular tuna fish. <- Once again, waiting for a sale.. Actually, maybe I'll buy one and try it out and determine if I should stock up when they go on sale. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If they are dry, they're fine. That's dehydrated in a nearly gas tight package, same tech as the Mountain house stuff.

I'm talking about the Zataran's wet pack pouches. And I think the reason why the salt is so high is that they are using a budget version of MRE tech. MREs really aren't that expensive, the packaging is. So, to cut corners, they use a cheaper package and use an all natural preservative that doesn't look so scary on the ingredients list. IE, salt.

Brian,
Now it's my turn to Apologize! Sorry about responding so late, but I did want to say Thank You for the help and the suggestion's!
I just recently had my 9th or 10th set of Steroid Injection's in the back of my neck. Usually I am kinda of out of it for a few day's afterward, but this time it's been about a week.
Regardless Sir, My Thank's!

Krell

Looked this up back in Jan for a similar thread. Each MRE contains between 1667 and 2336 mgs of salt, not counting the salt packet. RDA is 2400 mgs of salt.
At that time the nutritional info was at www.millenniumark.net
and www.mreinfo.com had all the menus listed by year as well as a lot of other info..

Dave
Dave