Jump to content

MRE's in Caches


Team Smoke

Recommended Posts

I dunno...

 

If I knew the package to be good, I think it'd be okay to consume. I have eaten a couple of things out of caches before--gummy bears and chocolate covered cricket. You just have to check things out before you consume. Just like parents have to check out their kid's candy at Halloween.

 

I was in a local army surplus store yesterday and they had emergency water. They were about 4oz of water in tough foil pouches. However, they said don't consume after 5 years from manufacture. The manufacture date was 1993!

 

I'm not saying that it's okay to put MRE's in caches as I have no experience with them. What I am saying is you have to exercise common sense and don't let fear rule your life. If you know the person that put the item in the cache, or their reputation, you're more likely to trust them. We've yet to hear about people going around a boobytrapping caches, so I think the likely hood of someone screwing with a MRE is very slim.

 

This is not to even suggest some other food items are okay. A single Lifesaver in a ziplock bag was removed and promtly file 13'ed without the first thought of consumption. There have been a multitude of similar items that have been removed and tossed. If it's not positively sealed, it's history. I figure if I won't do it, no one else will, either. Plus, if a caches gets wet and a food item's packaging fails, the whole cache could be ruined.

 

However, placing a MRE in a cache might bring out the "cache-cop" in someone and remove it, just like we remove lesser protected/preserved items. I know that sounds hypocritical of me, but that's life. I have my standards.

 

CR

 

72057_2000.gif

Link to comment

I'm not even going to comment on the "don't eat things left be strangers".

Food should not be left in a cache, ever.

The packaging may very well be sent proof. However, if the MREs are not boiled in a vat of water after packaging, then there is food residue on the outside. Left there by the people filling them at the factory.

The same goes for canned food. I've seen cans of soup filled. The soup is spilled out all over the place. Then sealed and sprayed off with cold water. Labeled and boxed. You can smell the soup on the cans for days after they are boxed. You can imagine what an animal can smell.

 

39197_2100.gif

Do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do.

Mokita!

Link to comment

I personally would NEVER put food in a cache, it's only common sense and if you ever look at these boards for 5 mins and still do it, there is something wrong with you..... But I will say I have found MRE's in caches and have snacked them on the way out,the wheat bread isn't THAT BAD but could use jelly......

 

See you in the woods!

Natureboy1376

Link to comment

With all the possible items to put in a cache, I don't understand why some people insist on placing food in a cache. I don't care if it's canned, vacuum sealed, whatever. It's just not a good idea. As soon as someone wants an exception for their food item, someone else is going to want one for theirs.

 

Anyway, most people I know (me included) throw away any food found in a cache, so it's a waste.

 

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

Link to comment

I thought that before, too. Left one laying out at home. My DOG tore the thing open, ate something out of it, but left most of it.....not a real good sign that even a dog won't eat much from an MRE, by the way.....

 

I'm lost. I've gone to find myself. If I should happen to get back before I return, please ask me to wait.

Link to comment

icon_cool.gif Well I don't think that I will be adding my MRE collection to any caches anytime soon! It sounds like I would catch a bunch of flak if I did.

Yes, it is a stretch to call an MRE a food item. But at the same time, the level of creativeness in preparing the MRE is directly proportionate to how good the stuff tastes.

 

Keep your powder dry...

Team Smoke

Link to comment

no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food no food.

 

Have I made my point? Read the rules.

 

I have seen the chewed container, and it is not pretty.

 

Cache you later,

Planet

 

I feel much more like I do now than when I first got here.

 

[This message was edited by Planet on February 16, 2003 at 04:07 PM.]

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Team Smoke:

 

Yes, it is a stretch to call an MRE a food item. But at the same time, the level of creativeness in preparing the MRE is directly proportionate to how good the stuff tastes.

 


 

That's why the MRE's contain tabasco sauce. The more you use, the better it tastes. And afterwards you can put the toilet paper and moist towellete to good use. Just don't burn down the forest with the included matches.

Link to comment

quote:
I sometimes leave the sealed bag of "extras" (tabasco, coffee...)

 

When I started geocaching I started leaving the small bottles of Tabasco as a signature item. I figured they were tightly sealed and pepper sauce is often used as an animal repellant, so no harm. Then I realized if I tried to justify my Tabasco, someone else will try to justify their food item, so I stopped.

 

No food period is a good guideline...and that includes dog biscuts, gum and especially coffee. Coffee has a very strong odor and could definitely pique the interest of the local animals.

 

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by IV_Warrior:

I thought that before, too. Left one laying out at home. My DOG tore the thing open, ate something out of it, but left most of it.....not a real good sign that even a dog won't eat much from an MRE, by the way.....


 

Your dog probably didn't smell anything though the package. I know for a fact that they are sealed very well and do not give off a scent. Dogs just naturally chew on everything. As for your dog not eating everything it probably has something to do with the fact that one MRE contains 10,000 calories. He was probably just full.

 

The new MRE's are alot better than the ones from a few years ago. Expensive too. I don't know why anyone would spend that much money on a cache item.

quote:

Aim High Air Force... icon_redface.gif Hoo Ahh.
Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by USAF_Park:

Dogs just naturally chew on everything.


 

You ain't lying! I had a dog as a kid that chewed the wheels on the lawn mower, the pedals off my bike, pieces of 2x4, you name it. I sure was cussing that dog when I mowed the yard as the mower went thump, thump, thump, thump...

 

The dog had poots that stank so bad we had to take him to the vet who said to feed a little bit of activated charcoal to him in his food.

 

That dog would eat anything.

 

CR

 

72057_2000.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Team Smoke:

Yes, it is a stretch to call an MRE a food item.


I don't know, I've eaten them before and thought they were quite good. Certainly better than most frozen dinners I've had. I didn't have to cook mine in the field, maybe that's part of the problem.

 

Those little Tabasco bottles rock! Although, I put that much on a single french fry.

 

Flat_MiGeo_B88.gif

Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by USAF_Park:

As for your dog not eating everything it probably has something to do with the fact that one MRE contains 10,000 calories. He was probably just full.


 

Well, actually now that I've thought about it, the ONLY thing she ate was the M&M's that were in there. Chewed into the other packets in the MRE, but didn't eat the other junk....

I've eaten a few, and most are a stretch to call food, some I wouldn't even TRY to feed to a pet, let alone eat myself.

 

I'm lost. I've gone to find myself. If I should happen to get back before I return, please ask me to wait.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:

I dunno...

 

If I knew the package to be good, I think it'd be okay to consume. I have eaten a couple of things out of caches before--gummy bears and chocolate covered cricket. You just have to check things out before you consume. Just like parents have to check out their kid's candy at Halloween.

 

I'm not saying that it's okay to put MRE's in caches as I have no experience with them. What I _am_ saying is you have to exercise common sense and don't let fear rule your life. If you know the person that put the item in the cache, or their reputation, you're more likely to trust them. We've yet to hear about people going around a boobytrapping caches, so I think the likely hood of someone screwing with a MRE is very slim.

 

CR

 

http://img.Groundspeak.com/user/72057_2000.gif


 

Working in a hospital I find this pretty scary. There are plenty of things that would fit through a very tiny needle that could be put in/on this stuff that you wouldn't want in your stomach. I understand that there has been no instances of this yet, but who really wants to be the first. If somebody wanted to, they could read a log about food being left in a cache and then go taint it. I'll take food from any of you cachers at your house, but not in the woods.

 

smiles_63.gif ---Real men cache in shorts.

Link to comment

1) You never know what idiot might come along and decide it would be cool to screw with the candy bar / bottled fluids / snack item / power bar / etc. I personally have witnessed a cache where some knuckelhead left behind a large twig of poision ivy inside the cache container. There are jerks out there, don't give them anything extra to play with besides the geocaching game.

 

2) Food items (this includes snacks, MRE's, candy of any kind, and power bars) as this creates a scent of food that attracts critters, even the smallest whome will tear apart a tupperware container in short order. As high and low pressure weather patterns pass over the cache site, the change in air preassure inside the cache container will allow the scent of food to leak out.

Link to comment

My unit was deployed for a 30 day long field problem. The area we were in just happened to be occupied by very large, very ugly looking wild boars. These animals LOVED our MRE's!

One fine day a crew chief was walking into a hanger to start on some maintenance and came face to snout with one of the ugly dudes. The oinker apparently didn't appreciate being interupted while munching on some choice MRE's. The boar, tusks and all, chased the poor guy at least 100 meters to a building. Good thing the guy could run fast!

During the same time frame we had a boar completely tear the door off of a HUMMV just to get at a sealed box of MRE's. We could tell it was a boar that did the damage because there was a muddy nose print on the remains of the canvas door. These pigs were actually trained by sight what an MRE was. I was impressed.

 

Team Smoke

Link to comment

During a field exercise, they had discovered that the Company Quartermaster had a stash of IMPs (Canadian MREs) in the back of a deuce-and-a-half. That the masked bandits feasted on the IMPs one night was bad enough, but what was also being stored in the same truck were a dozen or so spare down-filled sleeping bags. When the CQ checked out the back of the truck the next morning, not only did he find several cases of IMPs torn to shreds, but the sleeping bags were totally soiled with racoon ****. Each and every one of those sleeping bags had to be destroyed (...at about $500 a pop).

 

ontario1.gif

Link to comment

This is a semi-related post.

 

Who has a link to any the various MRE cookbooks floating around? The ones that list some very creative recipes from combining ingredients from different MRE's. I remember two of the recipes were a faux Duck L'Orange and a Beef Wellington.

 

========================================

Friends don't let Friends geocache drunk.

Link to comment

Note 1. Personally, I think the Chili Macaroni MREs are quite tastey, as long as you have some Tums or Rolaids to go with them.

 

Note 2. Why on Earth are people so unendingly interested in finding ways to put food in caches? Have y'all completely run out of ideas that stay within posted guidelines?

 

ApK

Link to comment

quote:
I don't know, I've eaten them before and thought they were quite good. Certainly better than most frozen dinners I've had.

 

I've tried the old style as well as the new style and have to agree. They are deffinately better than TV dinners. I don't know why so many people think they are nasty. They are probably the same people that think that escargot and caviar are so delicious. icon_eek.gif Yuk... Gag me with a spoon.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Cache Canucks:

During a field exercise, they had discovered that the Company Quartermaster had a stash of IMPs (Canadian MREs) in the back of a deuce-and-a-half.


 

Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance icon_confused.gif)

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by husqui:

Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance icon_confused.gif)


 

IMP = Individual Meal Pack

Deuce-and-a-half = 2½ ton truck.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by husqui:

 

Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance icon_confused.gif)


 

IMP = Individual Meal Pack

Deuce-and-a-half = 2½ ton truck

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by husqui:

 

Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance icon_confused.gif)


 

IMP = Individual Meal Pack

Deuce-and-a-half = 2½ ton truck

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by husqui:

"...Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance..."


As someone (...from Denmark?!) already explained, IMP stands for 'Individual Meal Pack' and refers to the Canadian 'Combat Ration'. Although it serves the same purpose as the U.S. MRE, the menus and 'presentation' are quite different. As for which tastes better, all I can say is that - from my own 'Joint Ops' experience - American soldiers always seemed eager to trade an MRE for an IMP (...and nobody was interested in British 'CompoRations' unless they happened to be fresh out of dried twigs and pine needles to eat).

 

MRE or IMP, the 'poor excuse for food' hype is overblown. If you take the time to prepare them properly (as opposed to just eating them cold out the pack with a plastic spoon), they're not that bad at all. In fact, many of the 'boil in the pouch' Canadian IMP meals are available commercially and are used by folks who would otherwise have no idea that these are the very same meals provided to troops in the field.

 

ontario1.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Cache Canucks:

I wouldn't be consuming _anything_ that I found laying on the ground (that it happens to be in a cache container makes no difference).

 

http://canflag.ptbcanadian.com/images/animated/provii/ontario1.gif


 

Man, there goes my whole vegetable garden. Maybe I can figure out a way to get me eggplant to hover. How about a couple of eggs?

 

icon_smile.gif

 

george

 

39570_500.jpg

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...