Airman staff goes tactical to spill beans on mre

MRE's rated by Airman staff

I've always been one to enjoy MREs... I would often take them on camping trips and they fit the bill nicely. I prefer trying to get the military issue ones when I can.

My rating system is a little more simple: 1 = bad, 2 = very bad.

Eating MREs and nothing else for +/- 30 days did it for me. I'd eat on if I had to, but if I have the option, I'll opt for something else.

That said, they're tough, they're convenient, and they last. And I envy those who can enjoy one.

The last MRE (actually a Canadian IMP) I ate had a huge hair in one of the 'sealed' entrees. I've become a much bigger fan of dehydrated hiking chow since :P

Oh my! The hair would definitely have put me off...

I figure eating them for 30 days would probably put me off them too.

I'm really interested in the First Strike Rations...

Thanks - I hadn't heard of those. Might be worth a try.

Ok, gentlemen, now let's get to the brass tacks:

1) What's the longest after its expiration date that you've eaten an MRE?

2) How much Imodium did you require?

3) How loudly did your wife say, "I told you so!"

4) How long did you wait before trying it again?

1) 2 years, i think.

2) None

3) My (30 year) Princess Bride doesn't use that phrase.

4) The very next time that I went backpacking/camping.

I couldn't get my wife to eat one even at home in the kitchen. Once I found the hair, it'll never happen now. She doesn't mind dehydrated food however.

Really....

I love the rice/beans/sausage entree. But the clam chowder... My grandmother would rise from the dead and skin me with her old P-38 can opener if I made chowder that bad.

That is how you know it was authentically Canadian- packed by Sasquatches. *grins and ducks*

Sorry Hacksaw!

MRE/IMP Questions

1) 5 years after expiry

2) No Imodium required, I have never had a problem.

3) After 20 years my wife ignores me; like out-of-style furniture or a tired old dog.

4) I still eat MRE/IMP's when I am in the bush and have nothing better (I think I ate 3 this month).

Mike

That's really funny. I also eat them when my wife's away to cycle through the stock. (She won't touch them.)

I've gotten sick from some "fresh" ones, but my experience is the government sometimes gives ridiculously conservative expiration dates to things to account for worst-case scenarios, e.g., they're stored in the desert for a summer or two.

Nonetheless, I'd definitely draw the line at dates from the previous century...

What's an expiration date???

Ok, we have a winner. Best response yet.

Man oh man, I had forgotten all about the Airman magazine! Last copy I remember seeing had a pic of two airmen mixed in with all the Marines at Khe Sahn during the seige. Glad they are still in print.

Re MRE's, as I have said here more than once, anyone who gripes about MRE's never had to live on C-rats. Sure, MRE's are not perfect, but they are better. A lot better...

When I was a about 11 or 12. 25 years ago I found 1/2 dozen c-rations in the barn at my grandparents house. Brown box with all of the "cool" stuff inside. Don't know if they should have had the 10 pack of smokes or not but if they should have had they were gone. Asked Grandma if it was ok to eat them. She said sure but smell them first to make sure they arn't rotten. This was my first experience with a P-38. Took me a while to figure it out.

They were left over from my uncle in WW-II. Don't know why he brought them home and I am sure he wouldn't remember now.....in his late 80's.

Anyway it's quite a reminicent moment for me. Mostly I didn't get sick and I carried the neet little gum packets around all summer and ate them sparingly.

Point being C-Rations were edable well over 50 years after production while stored in an un-tempurature regulated barn for 50 years.

Gosh I miss summering on the farm as a kid!

Cameron

Let's see...

1) I opened up an MRE that was Corned Beef Hash just a few months ago that I bought in a case of MREs back in the very early 90s. 93 was the last year of production for that treat. So, at minimum, we are talking 15 years old. I suspect it was older than that. MREs were always stored in a cool basement. Food was still good. Crackers were still... well... crackers... Jelly was still good. I was very impressed!

2) No Imodium needed. I never had a problem eating MREs.

3) My wife has tried MREs with me before. I even gave her dad some Minestrone ones and he has taken them to work to eat and enjoys them.

4) I eat them when I go camping typically.

I also like the dehydrated Mountain House meals. I guess something has to be truely vile for me not to eat it. A few "camping" meals I've tried fit that bill.

I can say that I like MREs, in fact I used to love running around in the late 70's and early 80's in my khakis and cammies, playing "war" and scarfing down c-rats I used to pick up at the local surplus store. Looking back now I'm not sure how much of it was actually enjoying the c-rats for the taste (although I loved the ham patties and still do-you can them from hormel still commercially) or the fact that I was eating honest to god army food in the bush like they used to. I admit with MREs its like comparing a McDonalds burger to a steak, inferior in just about every way. But still, tastes good enough to enjoy and fills the belly. Then again I sometimes I crave a McDonalds burger over steak so..........

-Bill Liptak

that's strange. the first time i had clam chowder was from an MRE, and i liked it, but i haven't had a clam chowder i liked since then.

One MRE is not bad, but even though they try to put a good bit of variety in the menus, a MRE is still a MRE. There is a certain sameness to all of them. After several days anything gets old.

Several years ago I had to travel around the state for over a week doing dog and pony shows in different locations. At every stop the meal was excellent grilled steak and baked potato (Yeah, life is rough, but somebody had to do it.) After a week on the road eating nothing but steak and potatoes, I returned home and DW greeted me with, "let's go out to dinner." My response was, "can't we just stay home and eat a hotdog?"

I don't mind MRE's, but I really feel for our guys who have to eat them every day for a extended period.

I liked MRE's and C-rats! What's a good source for them?

You've seen of my replies in food threads.

You think I'm going to like any soup that isn't from scratch? *laughs*

1) Decades. It was part of the "Earthquake food" of the 80s and 90s when my dad was in the military. I stated eating them (to get rid of them, so there was room to replace) in 2004. Probably the oldest was from mid/late 80s.

2) Most of them, none. Only 1 had a funky (-er than usual) taste.

3) No wife.

4) I kept going. Tossed the funky dish, finished the entrees and snacks.

I like m.r.e. have been eating them quite regulary for 20 years or so. am working on a case from 95 at this time have only hade one bad pack love umm breaker

They might not have been 50 years old. C-rations were still being issued in 1980 and were available through civilian shops years after that.

Actually I always liked C-rations. They were never a culinary delight, and some dishes were far less delightful than others (They didn't label them Beans and MFers without good reason), but most were bordering on moderately good and all were eatable if you were hungry. Of course a steady diet of anything tends to lead to a certain level of contempt.

I once worked on a ship that had been stocked for a large celebration that never came. The ship had more steak and lobster than you could shake a stick at. Trying to get rid of it they kept dropping the price. To the point it was $1 for all-you-can-eat. So people dug in. A week later people were bloated on surf-n-turf and couldn't stand to look at it. People started ordering oatmeal, scrambled eggs and BLTs just to have a change of pace. Irony being that those were the same things they complained about before the surf-n-turf was offered.

Nothing wrong with MREs. They are better than the old C-rations. They always go down, stay down and cooperate with the digestive system. I have never had a hint of a problem with them. Of course, some people aren't happy if they aren't complaining.

Bottom line is, in this context, we are talking about survival food. MREs are healthy and easy to work with. If they don't appeal to you I suspect your just not hungry. In which case you shouldn't be eating anyway.

Good to know that MRE's last so well.

Like others, I think they are too heavy and have too much packaging, but yep they do make good survival rations. They also seem really "heavy" not just in the weight sense but in the hard to digest sense. I find the dehydrated backpacker's meals to be easier to digest. I keep both on hand.

I also still EDC my old P-38 can opener. When I was in the Nat'l Guard in the 80's, we were eating C's with late 60's dates stamped on 'em. They said just don't eat 'em if there's a dent near a seam. No problems. The older 60's ones had applesauce, which was quite good (the then current 80's versions had peaches and fruit cocktail -- both good -- but no applesauce). Canned scrambled eggs? Two thumbs down. And the fruitcake? Maybe if I were really really hungry. lol. Brings back memories.

Do they still have freeze dried strawberries in MRE's? The early versions, again going back to the 80's here, had freeze dried strawberries, and man were they good. The MRE's I've had lately didn't have 'em anymore, but I many not have had every variety of MRE.

I keep thinking that for survival food the old C-rations weren't all that bad. If the price was low and the meals selected any of the better ones I would gladly order a couple of cases.

Sounds to me like a potential; business opportunity.

I have an MRE at my desk in case I get hungry and can't leave. It's Beef Enchilada in Sauce. I bought it piecemeal from an A/N store.

There is no expiration date on the cardboard box or the foil wrapper. Either that means it never expires or it was never good enough to eat.

Then again, that sort of sums MRE's up, doesn't it.

I have an MRE at my desk in case I get hungry and can't leave. It's Beef Enchilada in Sauce. I bought it piecemeal from an A/N store.

There is no expiration date on the cardboard box or the foil wrapper. Either that means it never expires or it was never good enough to eat.

Then again, that sort of sums MRE's up, doesn't it.