MRE's...Best place to buy??

[jbrooks19]

I am soon to be buying a few cases of MRE's as a grab and go kind of food prep. Any ideas, reviews or opinions on brands or entrees??

[Arklatex]

I've looked a few places. But the price always turns me off. Are they for a bob/ghb? That's the only use I would have for them. I ended up getting some of those dehydrated backpacking meals instead.

[jbrooks19]

I've looked a few places. But the price always turns me off. Are they for a bob/ghb? That's the only use I would have for them. I ended up getting some of those dehydrated backpacking meals instead.\


I have a few of the Mountain House dehydrated meals, i'm wanting a few of the MRE's for my GHB and my BOB, plus keep some in my truck.. I also would like them in case my with and I don't have time to load up the pre-packed "Go-Buckets" we made. We can just grab a case of MRE's or two and hit the road in a pinch. I have no intention of using them for any other purposes than listed above. They are way to expensive to try and sustain a family using them.

[pheniox17]

I thought MREs were a cast iron stomach type food... Not too good for grab and go??

[Sparkyprep]

I think that for some reason, it is illegal to buy military MRE's. I was given two cases of them by the National Guard after Hurricanes Francis, and Gene, despite me telling them that I didn't need them. They insisted. That was 10 years ago? I still have most of them. I tried out a couple, and found that some were more appetizing than others. I actually liked the chili-mac. I have the remainder stored. I have no idea how you would go about purchasing them.

[Coppertop]

I like the idea of the "Mountain House" type products over MRE's. more customizable (sp) and I think they are better tasting. I used a bunch of them on an Alaskan sheep hunt and liked them better than the MRE's. The only downfall I can see with them, is that you have to have warm water for them to rehydrate vs. the ready as they are MRE's. The "Mountain House" stuff is more time consuming.

Thanks

[Arklatex]

I think you're right about the military mre. But I know that there are civilian versions available online that are generally fresher than surplus. But they are pricy. If I remember correctly, one of the brand names is mre star.

If your get home/bug out journey isn't too long you can also use jerky and trail mix.

[Just Sayin']

I go with the MH freeze dried meals. They are lighter and smaller, which makes them easier to transport, they taste better than mre's which is a big plus, and most of them contain two meals and have a ziplock seal, so you can rehydrate one, eat your fill and seal it back up for later. You do not have to rehydrate them with boiling water, it helps but isn't necessary. The downside, is you do have to have water, but that is a necessity anyway, and getting your water either through drinking or your food is pretty much the same.

MH also has many of their meals in the ProPak version, which is vacuum sealed, and thus takes up less space. Shelf life is much greater with freeze dried, although you can eat mre's way past their expiration dates.

[jbrooks19]

Military MRE'S are legal to buy. I've bought them in the past.

[omegabrock]

military surplus stores, and other places like ranger joes usually sell them. as for best price, i would probably check amazon or craig's list first. they are typically cheaper than anywhere else.

[Sparkyprep]

Military MRE'S are legal to buy. I've bought them in the past.

765

Unlawful to sell.

[jbrooks19]

765

Unlawful to sell.

I can buy those all day on ebay

[RWalls]

The gun show I went to a couple of weeks ago had a case for $45 and 3 cases for $105, I bought a case of Sopako MRE's, these were all manufactured less than a year ago too. The guy selling them was from South Carolina.

[Montana Rancher]

I am soon to be buying a few cases of MRE's as a grab and go kind of food prep. Any ideas, reviews or opinions on brands or entrees??

A lot of good feedback here but some things you should keep in mind.

The typical "freeze dried" meal is around 200 calories per serving out of the foil package, which is about as much nutrition as a granola bar, yes it tastes good but you cannot live off it for long.

The typical MRE is in the neighborhood of 2000 calories and so you do the math, it is a days worth of food watching TV and a half days of food humping ammo on the front line.

Here is a good place to start looking for "fresh" MRE's

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/MRE-312

That being said...

I am a huge believer in stocking foods you actually will use day to day

For instance in my lauder I have 48 cans of cream of chicken soup, which you can make almost anything taste great SHTF. Take a deer roast or a pheasant freshly harvested, put it in a pan with a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup and bake for 1 hour, and you have a meal.
Add a can of green beans, greens, or creamed corn and you have a meal for about (I assume you shot the meat) $1.20 and you can feed your entire family.

Take a can of cream of chicken soup, add in a half pound of potatoes (or rehydrated potatoes) and a half an onion, some garlic powder and cheese if you have it and, some of the best eating you have found.

My point is having long term storage and easy foods is a LOT more expensive than having the basics and knowing how to use them.

[Just Sayin']

A lot of good feedback here but some things you should keep in mind.

The typical "freeze dried" meal is around 200 calories per serving out of the foil package, which is about as much nutrition as a granola bar, yes it tastes good but you cannot live off it for long.

The typical MRE is in the neighborhood of 2000 calories and so you do the math, it is a days worth of food watching TV and a half days of food humping ammo on the front line.


That being said...

I am a huge believer in stocking foods you actually will use day to day

For instance in my lauder I have 48 cans of cream of chicken soup, which you can make almost anything taste great SHTF. Take a deer roast or a pheasant freshly harvested, put it in a pan with a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup and bake for 1 hour, and you have a meal.
Add a can of green beans, greens, or creamed corn and you have a meal for about (I assume you shot the meat) $1.20 and you can feed your entire family.

Take a can of cream of chicken soup, add in a half pound of potatoes (or rehydrated potatoes) and a half an onion, some garlic powder and cheese if you have it and, some of the best eating you have found.

My point is having long term storage and easy foods is a LOT more expensive than having the basics and knowing how to use them.

MR makes some really good arguments about the different kinds of food sources available. One thing to keep in mind is what purpose do you have in mind. Freeze dried meals are light, so they are ideal if you are looking for a short term food source (a week) or you have to bug out quickly with only what you can easily carry. But they do require water, which you will have to obtain somehow, although it's generally not that big of a problem. They are also good if you store them in a GHB that stays in your vehicle all day in the hot sun, or in freezing temperatures.

MRE's, are heavier and way bulkier than freeze dried meals. But you don't have to rehydrate them, which could be advantageous if you are in an arid part of the country. They have a lot longer shelf life than the 5 years that is the "best used by" date, particularly if they are stored in cool conditions. They are a good backup to have, but I wouldn't put in a year's supply of them either. A weeks worth per person should suffice for most people.

That covers the majority of the "mobile" foods, and MR is spot on about having the basics put back. They last forever, or almost, you can easily rotate them, and the cost is way less than the prepared foods with an upside of being able to vary your menu quite a bit more. You don't have to have a room stocked floor to ceiling with canned goods, a couple of heavy duty shelves will feed a small family well if ever needed.

Here is a good source for MRE's:

http://beprepared.com/#default They have all the individual items, whole meal packs, etc. All the ones I've got from them were fresh. They also have a large selection of other foodstuffs. They also have a really good page on the pros and cons of MRE's

A good source of canned goods in bulk is the Latter Day Saints store:

http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706237_-1_N_image_0

I'll state the obvious, your best bet would be a combination of the different foods available to you within your budget and your plan, with more emphasis on having a sufficient store of everyday canned goods.

Hope this helps

[Innkeeper]

I think that for some reason, it is illegal to buy military MRE's. I was given two cases of them by the National Guard after Hurricanes Francis, and Gene, despite me telling them that I didn't need them. They insisted. That was 10 years ago? I still have most of them. I tried out a couple, and found that some were more appetizing than others. I actually liked the chili-mac. I have the remainder stored. I have no idea how you would go about purchasing them.

The Chilimac is one of the best, and the little bottles of hot sauce help make some of the other palatable.

[Montana Rancher]

I just got a online only flyer from Costco.com

They will have their 1 year supply of food for 4 people on sale starting Dec29

http://www.costco.com/32%2c000-Total-Servings-4-Person-1-Year-Food-Storage.product.11763436.html

That package will be $600 off, not a bad price if you can afford it.

The package is delivered to your home so you don't actually have to live near a Costco to order and get it.

I expect Alaska, Hawaii will be different for freight.

[RWalls]

765

Unlawful to sell.

Vegetarian? Damn right it should be unlawful to sell. Nasty.

[Inor]

966

They have a support group for that.