MREs for camping.

[Ming]

Does anyone know were i can buy UK army MREs (24hr) cheaply? You can get Canadian and civilian ones here but can’t find any online which aren’t ridiculously expensive.

 

[David Clapson]

You can get the main meals individually on ebay for £4.50

Also on ebay, US Army 24 hour packs are £15.50 each if you buy a case of 12 different menus. I like those, and they come with a flameless ration heater. So no need to take a stove or pans or plates..

Lithuanian ones are about £10 if you buy a case of ten. Not tried them, but there's bound to be a review somewhere.

Ooh, hang on. US ones by the case for £12.50 plus shipping. And 10% off if you subscribe to the newsletter. MRE CASE - 2024 Inspection

 

[kebabking]

Does anyone know were i can buy UK army MREs (24hr) cheaply? You can get Canadian and civilian ones here but can’t find any online which aren’t ridiculously expensive.

I wouldn't bother - they are good, but they are ridiculously expensive for a days food, are a pretty heavy compared to the stuff produced for the civilian market.

I suppose that if you're looking to get hold of the wayfarer pouch meals - which are an absolute god send when you're tired, cold, and famished - then buying the ration packs is a reasonable way of getting hold of them with a load of other stuff as extra, but if I was planning a multi day walk in the hills, they wouldn't be my start point.

I've never seen them on sale commercially for less than £10 or so...

 

[Nikkormat]

Ashoka and Mother's boil in the bag curries are great, and not expensive. I use these if I'm only going for a night or two. The problem with boil in the bags though is weight; if I'm hiking far I prefer something dehydrated, assuming I'll be camping near a source of water.

 

[kebabking]

Yeah, I try an take a mix - dehydrated is wonderfully light, and if it's a nice evening then sitting outside waiting for it to cook is great, but the pouch meals are manna from heaven for when it's pissing it down, you're famished, and all you want to do is get something hot and wet down your throat and curl up in your bag.

 

[neonwilderness]

They’re not the cheapest, but I usually go for the Summit To Eat or Firepot dehydrated pouches. But as kebabking says they’re a bit of a fuck on when you just want something to eat quickly and get to bed.

Another option is to make your own stuff and vacuum pack it into portions. I’ve done that when camping near the car so weight isn’t an issue.

 

[David Clapson]

Quite by coincidence, Backpackinglight.com has just published a guide to food. Lots of info about how to reduce the weight of it, and dehydrating or freeze-drying your own fresh ingredients Backpacking Food - Backpacking Light

If I just wanted a few meals I'd buy a case of US MREs from MREmpire, keep the ones I like and sell the rest on ebay at a profit.

 

[Sir Belchalot]

I'd go for Ashoka curries too unless I was on a multi day hike. I eat them with couscous or rice cakes, Delhi Dal Makhani & Punjabi Choley are good ones. Asda & Tesco sell them for £1.25/£1.30 although you can sometimes stock up on them for a quid during Asian festivals.

 

[Spymaster]

We had these in Norway and they're fantastic but I had no idea they were so expensive!

That pack is around the same price as a pukka steak dinner at The Ivy!

 

[Yossarian]

Ihad no idea before now that military MREs were not only edible but desirable - this Italian one looks good.

Italian Combat Rations | MRE Info

MREInfo.com, Information about the Italian "Razione Viveri Speciale da Combattimento" (Italian Special Combat Food Ration) - the rations used by

www.mreinfo.com

 

[chilango]

If you're gonna spend decent money on it Real Turmat are really good dehydrated meal.

For budget I stick to cheapie noodles with a mini chorizo sliced into it.

 

[chilango]

To put it another way, we've got a bear bin full of UK MREs that neither of us ever get round to taking out with us.

 

[David Clapson]

If you're gonna spend decent money on it Real Turmat are really good dehydrated meal.

They sound nice. £10.99 here Chicken Curry (Field Meal)

 

[chilango]

They sound nice. £10.99 here Chicken Curry (Field Meal)

They are nice. Very nice. And a good variety. Light and take up very little room.

Obvs you need to boil water, but if you're not boiling water for coffee already then you're not doing camping right.

 

[David Clapson]

Ihad no idea before now that military MREs were not only edible but desirable - this Italian one looks good.

Italian Combat Rations | MRE Info

MREInfo.com, Information about the Italian "Razione Viveri Speciale da Combattimento" (Italian Special Combat Food Ration) - the rations used by

www.mreinfo.com

OTOH they are rammed with chemicals so they can last for years without refrigeration. And some say the American ones constipate you. But maybe this is just a case of grunts being dehyrated.

 

[JimW]

Used to take really nice couscous things, and you could add a bit of fat or oil like those individual pats of butter. Super light but satisfying. Sort of western tsampa.

 

[Ming]

I’d like to try an MRE from loads of different countries just to do a taste comparison. I’ve heard the main meals in UK rations are the best but the US ones have little extras like packets of M&Ms and mini chilli sauce bottles. Italian ones have a small shot bottle of alcohol apparently. And US MREs have had some amusing takes on the acronym (Meals Rejected by Ethiopians).

 

[David Clapson]

Recent US MREs have pizza. It took them years to develop. Apparently it's a big morale issue for Americans not to have pizza. A Breakthrough for U.S. Troops: Combat-Ready Pizza (Published 2018)

I ate all 24 of the US recipes ages ago in the pre-pizza era when they were apparently not as popular as the current ones. I don't remember rejecting any. But I've never tried French or Italian ones, so I don't know what I'm missing. They all seem a bit pricey. These robbers want 50 euro for them French Armed Forces RCIR 24 hr combat ration pack MRE

 

[8ball]

We had these in Norway and they're fantastic but I had no idea they were so expensive!

That pack is around the same price as a pukka steak dinner at The Ivy!

I had no idea you were in the Norwegian
Army!

 

[bellaozzydog]

Beware the rat pack turd which can be likened to a fecal barber shop pole in various shades

That’s due to the various biscuits they supply which bung you up.

I’m keen on the flavoursome and satisfying nature of U.K. rat packs but for the bank balance and ease of use I just pack super noodles

In my mind Dehydrating your own stuff is on a par with making your own kombucha or carving your own wooden spoon. Why bother with the experimental effort and faff. Camping is supposed to be simple

Military rat packs are also calorie loaded

 

[Nikkormat]

Beware the rat pack turd which can be likened to a fecal barber shop pole in various shades

That’s due to the various biscuits they supply which bung you up.

As a STAB in the late 1990s, I loved Biscuits Fruit. If I could buy them now, I would.

 

[Sir Belchalot]

Not tried this brand but curries on offer if you live near posh areas!

Waitrose & Partners

Buy quality groceries and wine from Waitrose & Partners

www.waitrose.com

 

[Nikkormat]

Might be of interest: seven dehydrated meals tested

 

[kebabking]

As a STAB in the late 1990s, I loved Biscuits Fruit. If I could buy them now, I would.

Yup - sheep shit biscuits, rolled oats and apple flakes, and the oatmeal block. They were the highlights.

The tins of steak and kidney pudding could be cooked by leaving them out in the sun in Iraq - three hours in an ammunition box in the afternoon, and they were moderately edible to the starving...

 

[NoXion]

OTOH they are rammed with chemicals so they can last for years without refrigeration.

All food has chemicals in it.

 

[planetgeli]

Most annoying acronym ever. What's wrong with REMs - or just Ready Meals?

Thread on ignore.

 

[chilango]

It looks like Tom Tugendhat is preparing to launch his own range aimed at scared Tory boomers prepping for reign of "Socialist Sunak".

It'll be called "Ready to Serve".

 

[kebabking]

Most annoying acronym ever. What's wrong with REMs - or just Ready Meals?

Thread on ignore.

The boring answer is the naming system militaries use that allows people to find stuff on lists quickly - so you're looking for Meals, and then within Meals you're looking for Ready to Eat, and then within that subsection there'll be the different types and menus.

 

[rubbershoes]

I’d like to try an MRE from loads of different countries just to do a taste comparison. I’ve heard the main meals in UK rations are the best but the US ones have little extras like packets of M&Ms and mini chilli sauce bottles. Italian ones have a small shot bottle of alcohol apparently. And US MREs have had some amusing takes on the acronym (Meals Rejected by Ethiopians).

This guy on youtube samples lots of MREs.. Often they are old ones he's acquired and consumed to see if they are still edible or have any flavour. Some date back to WW2. Handy if you plan taking 70 year old MREs camping

 

[WhyLikeThis]

I avoid anything marketed for camping as they’re always overpriced and usually insipid gunk.

If you like risotto get a pack of this or similar: My Risotto Perfetto Mushroom 175g

You just need to rehydrate it for 12 minutes. I highly recommend taking some extras to jazz it up...

-Dried porcini mushrooms. They weigh nothing add loads of flavour and the water you use to soak them in can be used for stock for the risotto.

-Parmesan. Get a small packet of grated stuff from the supermarket. It weights nothing and adds a lot to the meal.

-Truffle oil. Do not rough it while on an adventure, live it up. Get a small oil proof plastic bottle and decant the amount you need.

The above will give you the absolute nuts of a meal.