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MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat)


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I know that a general rule for caches is "no food".

 

But in the case of new ammo boxes, they are totally waterproof and pretty much critter-proof as well.

 

I know some guys who enjoy the convenience and novelty (never know what's in it) of an occasional MRE, especially when out in the woods hunting or hiking), others sneer at them.

 

I am thinking of hiding a cache (ammo box) and possibly including a new (fresh, not out of date) MRE as a "first finder" bonus.

 

Would most goecachers take and try the MRE, or look at it askance?

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quote:
Originally posted by TrailTek:

MREs, with the exception of the scrambled egg meal, are quite tasty! Add some rice to any of them and you have a backpack banquet. icon_wink.gif


 

I really do enjoy the occasional MRE. I eat them alot when out in the backcountry, and except for the hot dog one, have really enjoyed all the different choices. They're alo one of the few ways one can safely cook and eat a hot meal while floating in the middle of a lake in a kayak.

 

Based on the responses here, I won't be placing one in a cache after all. I'll just keep em for meself!

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quote:
Originally posted by TrailTek:

MREs, with the exception of the scrambled egg meal, are quite tasty! Add some rice to any of them and you have a backpack banquet. icon_wink.gif


 

I really do enjoy the occasional MRE. I eat them alot when out in the backcountry, and except for the hot dog one, have really enjoyed all the different choices. They're alo one of the few ways one can safely cook and eat a hot meal while floating in the middle of a lake in a kayak.

 

Based on the responses here, I won't be placing one in a cache after all. I'll just keep em for meself!

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And have eaten 'em.

 

I would not put out MRE's at this time of the year unless you were quite confident that they would get found soon. I know in Texas, I would only trust an ammobox at ambient temp from about December through March. This year has been unusually cool, so maybe through May. May be different in your neck of the woods, but if the temp is going to get higher than 80 degrees, I'd avoid stashing them.

 

I'd also avoid stashing little mints. I tried one last weekend and it tasted like soap. That could be 'cause it was in tupperware, not an ammobox. icon_biggrin.gif

 

---------------

wavey.gif Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

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And have eaten 'em.

 

I would not put out MRE's at this time of the year unless you were quite confident that they would get found soon. I know in Texas, I would only trust an ammobox at ambient temp from about December through March. This year has been unusually cool, so maybe through May. May be different in your neck of the woods, but if the temp is going to get higher than 80 degrees, I'd avoid stashing them.

 

I'd also avoid stashing little mints. I tried one last weekend and it tasted like soap. That could be 'cause it was in tupperware, not an ammobox. icon_biggrin.gif

 

---------------

wavey.gif Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

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Coupons for free banana splits at Baskin-Robbins! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Seriously, though, I'm not sure I'd personally eat anything I found in a cache... especially not after the events of my caching Sunday. (Let's put it this way: there was "processed" water in an ill-hidden suburban cache.)

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Coupons for free banana splits at Baskin-Robbins! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Seriously, though, I'm not sure I'd personally eat anything I found in a cache... especially not after the events of my caching Sunday. (Let's put it this way: there was "processed" water in an ill-hidden suburban cache.)

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quote:
Originally posted by pipedreamer:

I know that a general rule for caches is "no food".

 

I know some guys who enjoy the convenience and novelty (never know what's in it) of an occasional MRE, I am thinking of hiding a cache (ammo box) and possibly including a new (fresh, not out of date) MRE as a "first finder" bonus.


 

I LOVE MRE's. They just announced NEW ones that will contain snacks similar to "Hot Pockets". You can heat them up with the included chemical reaction (non flame) heat packs.

I once invited my parents and brother's family over for dinner. When they all sat down we passed out MREs. It was a riot (but we did have a back up, freshly cooked, meal).

 

Semper Fidelis,

Gus Morrow

Oceanside, CA

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While I've never had a MRE I've been told that the food of choice is the IMP (Individual Meal Pack, the Canadian equivelant). I have several friends in the Canadian Forces and have been told that IMPs are coveted enough to be offered on a 3:1 trade with MREs during joint exercises.

 

Ian

Mobile Cache Command

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Its basically a meal in a box. It will typically contain an entree, side dish desert, crackers, spread (jam, etc) and beverage mix. Each portion is individually sealed in plastic pouches and stays 'fresh' for a good amount of time (depending on stoarge temperature).

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Actually, MREs are well sealed. On the shelf life is measured in years. I do agree on the no food in caches policy. Just too many whackos out there!

 

But, while we're at it, if you do put in an MRE, don't forget a knife to open it, some matches to warm it with, a ciggy or two for after dinner, and an airline bottle of bourbon for an after dinner shot! A girlie mag would be nice, too!

 

icon_eek.gif

 

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"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain

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Actually, MREs are well sealed. On the shelf life is measured in years. I do agree on the no food in caches policy. Just too many whackos out there!

 

But, while we're at it, if you do put in an MRE, don't forget a knife to open it, some matches to warm it with, a ciggy or two for after dinner, and an airline bottle of bourbon for an after dinner shot! A girlie mag would be nice, too!

 

icon_eek.gif

 

-----------

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain

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quote:
Originally posted by boreal jeff:

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is a MRE?

I know it means Meal Ready to Eat but what exactly are they?

 

I do a lot of hiking with camping and think these might be useful. Sometimes I can't be bothered starting a fire and don't like granola bars.

 

Every hour spent geocaching is added to the end of your life


 

MRE rations were/are basically a replacement for the the US military MCI (meal, combat, individual) ration.

 

The problem with MCIs was that they were intended for 'infrequent' use only. That is, you wouldn't want to be the person handing them out, day after day, to folks with guns. They also came in metal cans.

 

MREs are intended to be suitable for a week or 10 days as a sole diet. When I first saw one in the early '80s, they weren't great, but they were already a big step up, taste wise, from MCIs. The new packaging also made them lighter and easier to stow. I've been told that they have continued to improve, with some substantial changes around '88. But I'm not anxious to find out first hand... icon_wink.gif

 

-jjf

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quote:
Originally posted by boreal jeff:

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is a MRE?

I know it means Meal Ready to Eat but what exactly are they?

 

I do a lot of hiking with camping and think these might be useful. Sometimes I can't be bothered starting a fire and don't like granola bars.

 

Every hour spent geocaching is added to the end of your life


 

MRE rations were/are basically a replacement for the the US military MCI (meal, combat, individual) ration.

 

The problem with MCIs was that they were intended for 'infrequent' use only. That is, you wouldn't want to be the person handing them out, day after day, to folks with guns. They also came in metal cans.

 

MREs are intended to be suitable for a week or 10 days as a sole diet. When I first saw one in the early '80s, they weren't great, but they were already a big step up, taste wise, from MCIs. The new packaging also made them lighter and easier to stow. I've been told that they have continued to improve, with some substantial changes around '88. But I'm not anxious to find out first hand... icon_wink.gif

 

-jjf

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A local discount food chain around here had them 3 for a $1 a while ago. They weren't to bad. But I wouldn't live off them. I got a couple stored in my basement that I put in my pack when I go cacheing. Besides, if I get stuck in woods, I'll have something to eat until help arrives.

 

Never hold a cat and a Dustbuster at the same time.

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Meals Rejected by Ethiopians

 

MREs may present problems. Although the package may be well-sealed when placed in the cache. All the taking out and stuffing back in of containers being done by several cachers the package could inadvertently (and unknowingly) be ripped. I'd hate to be the person who opened up the ammo box in the summer after a punctured MRE had been sitting in there a week or two.

 

Ever notice everybody is willing to give THEIR 2 cents worth but only offer a penny for YOUR thoughts?

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Just about any Army surplus store should have them. A quick Google search finds several in Baton Rouge.

 

Be advised, though, that each MRE has about 2K calories, so if you eat, you need to be prepared to move out!

 

-----------

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain

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quote:
Originally posted by OblongFred:

A local discount food chain around here had them 3 for a $1 a while ago.


 

3 for a dollar? Those can't have been real, complete and/or unexpired meals. The full MRE meals cost between 3 and five bucks apiece everywhere I've ever found them, whether online or in army-navy surplus stores.

 

A full MRE contains the following components:

 

* Main course

* Side dish

* Dessert (brownie, pound cake or cookies)

* Crackers

* Cheese spread or peanut butter or jelly

* Hot chocolate mix

* Powdered drink mix (like Kool-Aid)

* Instant coffee packet

* creamer and sugar

* Tabasco sauce

* Chewing gum

* Candy (usually caramels, tootsie Roll, Charms or M&Ms

* Spoon

* Flameless Heater (not always included)

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quote:
Originally posted by Da Rebel:

Just about any Army surplus store should have them. A quick Google search finds several in Baton Rouge.


I've found the price is pretty consistent across surplus stores (I've been in a dozen or so in the past few years). About $3 to $5 bucks each. Sometimes $5.95, but about $5 even is typical.

quote:
Be advised, though, that each MRE has about 2K calories, so if you eat, you need to be prepared to move out!
Actually, only the winter ones (w/white outer pouch) have that many calories. The brown MRE typically has between 1200 and 1600 calories, and that is if you eat every single component. Many weekend-eaters of MREs usually only eat the main and side courses with the crackers/spread, and save the dessert/candy for later or for a breakfast item the next day.

For a cite, check out this page

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Sometimes I like to create caches with nothing but food in them. I made a cache a few weeks ago and it had Birthday Cake, some scrambled eggs, teo cheeseburgers and a buter-rum pie in it. I didn't want to bruise the cake, so for a cache container, I just used plain old wax paper. I left a squeezee full of icing for people to use to write their logs on the top of the cake.

 

After just a couple of days, I went back, and the whole cache was gone. I was heart-broken. I had worked so hard baking and slaving over a hot stove. All that was there were hoof prints and large quantities of guano (quadraped mamillian vertibrates, I believe!)

 

So sad... my instantly missing "Food for Thought" cache!

 

--majicman

 

maj-gps.gif

majicman

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quote:
Sometimes I like to create caches with nothing but food in them. I made a cache a few weeks ago and it had Birthday Cake, some scrambled eggs, teo cheeseburgers and a buter-rum pie in it. I didn't want to bruise the cake, so for a cache container, I just used plain old wax paper. I left a squeezee full of icing for people to use to write their logs on the top of the cake.


You didn't leave the cake out in the rain, did you?!?!?

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After 20 years of MREs, I never want to see another. There is a reason they were called "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians". And in case you all didn't know it, the standard MRE is a combat ration. Each one contains between 2500 and 5000 calories. Just what do you think it will do for your girlish figure?

 

Mike. KD9KC icon_biggrin.gif

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After 20 years of MREs, I never want to see another. There is a reason they were called "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians". And in case you all didn't know it, the standard MRE is a combat ration. Each one contains between 2500 and 5000 calories. Just what do you think it will do for your girlish figure?

 

Mike. KD9KC icon_biggrin.gif

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quote:
Originally posted by boreal jeff:

I do a lot of hiking with camping and think these might be useful. Sometimes I can't be bothered starting a fire and don't like granola bars.


 

I don't like Granola bars either. A couple of weeks ago we hit the local GNCs, Health food stores & Trader Joes looking for replacements for Granola bars. We wanted minimal calories but good taste. Actually found a couple of real good health bars icon_razz.gif with lots of nutrition, low calories & good taste. (did a sh**load of taste testing though) Just watch the sodium content. Some were amazingly high.

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quote:
Originally posted by boreal jeff:

I do a lot of hiking with camping and think these might be useful. Sometimes I can't be bothered starting a fire and don't like granola bars.


 

I don't like Granola bars either. A couple of weeks ago we hit the local GNCs, Health food stores & Trader Joes looking for replacements for Granola bars. We wanted minimal calories but good taste. Actually found a couple of real good health bars icon_razz.gif with lots of nutrition, low calories & good taste. (did a sh**load of taste testing though) Just watch the sodium content. Some were amazingly high.

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Okay, I'm about to retire from the Army Reserves this summer after 27 years of service, both active and reserve. I grew up an army brat as well and used to keep a case of "C" rats under my bed as a teenager and I took them on boy scout outings and snacked on them as needed. Upon my introduction to the largest boy's club (the army) in 1975 we heard about this "new" ration they were talking about at the higher echelons while I was at boot camp and AIT at Fort Knox, Ky (learning to be a tank crewman). I later got out and decided that I needed to spend some time in the U. S. Navy and went sailing for four years. Upon my release I joined the Army National Guard in Texas, and lo, there was the new ration.... and it was the nearest thing to inedible you can find without excreting it yourself.

 

Over the years the dehydrated pork patty gave way to the hot dogs, then the chicken ala king (although I did enjoy the chicken and rice entre'), until finally, in the past five years or so, they actually had a ration that you could eat and then admit that you had done so in polite company. They started to include brand name candy (although I do miss the John Wayne bar... sniff), and entre's that reflected real food that real people would want to eat. They finally started to include the chemical heater that is a marvel of technology ( I bought these things to take to fort hood ten years before the army FINALLY decided it was a good idea... sheesh) so you could have a hot meal wherever you and a quarter cup of water could come together.

 

All in all, it's a pretty good meal today, but it did not start out that way. They keep well, they are filling, and they are nutritional, and besides, my kids love em so we take them with us camping and geocaching.

 

Bottom line... they are fine, nothing wrong with them, but please, do NOT put any in a cache... bad idea.... icon_biggrin.gif

 

"Aren't you guys ready for bed yet???"

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Okay, I'm about to retire from the Army Reserves this summer after 27 years of service, both active and reserve. I grew up an army brat as well and used to keep a case of "C" rats under my bed as a teenager and I took them on boy scout outings and snacked on them as needed. Upon my introduction to the largest boy's club (the army) in 1975 we heard about this "new" ration they were talking about at the higher echelons while I was at boot camp and AIT at Fort Knox, Ky (learning to be a tank crewman). I later got out and decided that I needed to spend some time in the U. S. Navy and went sailing for four years. Upon my release I joined the Army National Guard in Texas, and lo, there was the new ration.... and it was the nearest thing to inedible you can find without excreting it yourself.

 

Over the years the dehydrated pork patty gave way to the hot dogs, then the chicken ala king (although I did enjoy the chicken and rice entre'), until finally, in the past five years or so, they actually had a ration that you could eat and then admit that you had done so in polite company. They started to include brand name candy (although I do miss the John Wayne bar... sniff), and entre's that reflected real food that real people would want to eat. They finally started to include the chemical heater that is a marvel of technology ( I bought these things to take to fort hood ten years before the army FINALLY decided it was a good idea... sheesh) so you could have a hot meal wherever you and a quarter cup of water could come together.

 

All in all, it's a pretty good meal today, but it did not start out that way. They keep well, they are filling, and they are nutritional, and besides, my kids love em so we take them with us camping and geocaching.

 

Bottom line... they are fine, nothing wrong with them, but please, do NOT put any in a cache... bad idea.... icon_biggrin.gif

 

"Aren't you guys ready for bed yet???"

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quote:
Originally posted by pipedreamer:

 

3 for a dollar? Those can't have been real, complete and/or unexpired meals. The full MRE meals cost between 3 and five bucks apiece everywhere I've ever found them, whether online or in army-navy surplus stores.

 


 

I think I'm going to be sick. I found the expiration date. icon_eek.gif

 

Never hold a cat and a Dustbuster at the same time.

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quote:
Originally posted by pipedreamer:

 

3 for a dollar? Those can't have been real, complete and/or unexpired meals. The full MRE meals cost between 3 and five bucks apiece everywhere I've ever found them, whether online or in army-navy surplus stores.

 


 

I think I'm going to be sick. I found the expiration date. icon_eek.gif

 

Never hold a cat and a Dustbuster at the same time.

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I went up to the Base either yesterday or the day before. A lot of the guys in the supply tent (actually a huge blue warehouse) have been trying to get the same tings, for similar reasone. Apparently even the Military personell can't get their hands on them. The Lt. Corprel on duty told me that the ones they had in supply were for the Army Rangers for what he classified as

 

"special operations in extreme conditions that do not permit the placement of an encampment nor a mess tent"

 

I thought it was a little long winded but hey, they have to have some cover story for whatever they do.

 

My next plan is to try some of the boating and outdoor supply stores for MRE's, IMP's, or simple ration packs.

 

tj.jpg

 

"Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot"

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MREs are good, but I don't use them for food. =) My friends and I play a *lot* of paintball. We play it so much that we'll buy MREs for the sterno packs and modify them a bit to make CS gas =) I think we're the only people that play paintball using semi-chemical warfare =)

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If you can get the water-activated heater, do this. Carefully cut away the holder. Cut the silver heater material into 6 strips lengthwise. Drop the strips and any crumbs into a -DRY- 20oz -PLASTIC- pop bottle. Then quickly, add 1/2 a bottle of water, screw on the cap, shake well, and throw. You got about 30 seconds to haul-*** before it blows.

 

I recommend you try this in a wide-open area first. I take no responsibility if you are too stupid to get away, or throw it at anyone else, or use it in any unsafe manner. It is quite spectacular!!!

 

Mine. KD9KC

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A relative once gave me a case of MREs. They were about 5 years old when I got them. I had fun opening the packets and eating the cookies and collecting the little bottles of Tabasco sauce. I opened some of the entrees, but didn't eat them. They all appeared to be in decent condition considering the age.

 

One of the entrees was a ham steak. It smelled fine, so... I ate it. (yeah, I know) Just to see what would happen.

 

As you may imagine, my GI tract let me know that I should not do anything like that again. I don't think it was tainted though. I think it was just that my body couldn't deal with the old ham cells.

 

I'm a vegetarian now.

 

Mmmm...Old Ham Cells...

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