Posted: 11/22/2010 3:17:36 AM EDT
OK, I'm sold on the idea that natural disaster and the like makes preparedness a great idea. I'd like to have at least a 30 day supply of food on hand and something that will last a long time so I'm not rotating or using it. The wife unit is in no way going to eat canned food unless it is needed. 
I"m thinking the simplest solution is MREs. Obviously they work or our GIs would be long dead. Questions I have are: Do they taste OK? I'm not a real fussy eater so I'm OK but the wife unit is. Can normal people eat them? Do I need camping gear to cook them etc or are they truly all in one meals? Are the civilian ones as good as military? Where is a reputable place to buy them with legitimate date codes etc? How Thanks. |
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Quoted:
OK, I'm sold on the idea that natural disaster and the like makes preparedness a great idea. I'd like to have at least a 30 day supply of food on hand and something that will last a long time so I'm not rotating or using it. The wife unit is in no way going to eat canned food unless it is needed.
I"m thinking the simplest solution is MREs. Obviously they work or our GIs would be long dead. Questions I have are: Do they taste OK? I'm not a real fussy eater so I'm OK but the wife unit is. Can normal people eat them? I think they taste fine. as with anything, some meals are good, some fair, some  .
My wife and daughter both like them, we take them hiking and camping. Do I need camping gear to cook them etc or are they truly all in one meals? Military MRE's are self contained, each meal comes with it's own heater. Are the civilian ones as good as military? In my opinion, no. YMMV Where is a reputable place to buy them with legitimate date codes etc? MREDepot usually has them, but it appears they are sold out. Armygear.net is about the cheapest place online. How Thanks. If you have never tried them, MREInfo.com has reviews of military and civilian versions. I would suggest picking up a few and try them out before spending a ton of money. There are also places online that just sell the components. Emergency Essentials Long Life Food Deot to name a couple...... ETA: A 30 day supply of MRE's can get expensive (depending on how many you plan to eat each day), and if your wife is not going to want to eat them, you would probably be better off storing rice, beans, pasta, etc. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
OK, I'm sold on the idea that natural disaster and the like makes preparedness a great idea. I'd like to have at least a 30 day supply of food on hand and something that will last a long time so I'm not rotating or using it. The wife unit is in no way going to eat canned food unless it is needed.
I"m thinking the simplest solution is MREs. Obviously they work or our GIs would be long dead. Questions I have are: Do they taste OK? I'm not a real fussy eater so I'm OK but the wife unit is. Can normal people eat them? I think they taste fine. as with anything, some meals are good, some fair, some .
My wife and daughter both like them, we take them hiking and camping. Do I need camping gear to cook them etc or are they truly all in one meals? Military MRE's are self contained, each meal comes with it's own heater. Are the civilian ones as good as military? In my opinion, no. YMMV Where is a reputable place to buy them with legitimate date codes etc? MREDepot usually has them, but it appears they are sold out. Armygear.net is about the cheapest place online. How Thanks. If you have never tried them, MREInfo.com has reviews of military and civilian versions. I would suggest picking up a few and try them out before spending a ton of money. There are also places online that just sell the components. Emergency Essentials Long Life Food Deot to name a couple...... ETA: A 30 day supply of MRE's can get expensive (depending on how many you plan to eat each day), and if your wife is not going to want to eat them, you would probably be better off storing rice, beans, pasta, etc. I agree with this 100%. Try them out first because they are not everyone's favorite and are expensive also. |
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Thanks for that, Wow. They are expensive.
OK, so plan B. What;s a good way to store a 30 day supply of food that my wife and I will never touch unless food supplies are cut off. I'm serious about that. We will end up tossing it out after expiration if an event doesn't occur. I consider this good "insurance". Or we will donate it to a food bank . I need something that is: Easy to store Self contained/easy to use meets food needs for two for a 30 day event (after which the Mad Max world ensues and I'm probably dead) tastes OK Long shelf life (minimum 5 years in closet at room temp) not too damn expensive Got to go work out and see dentist. I'll be back. Thanks |
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Try the Survival section there is a pretty extensive LDS guide to putting up food and supplies for SHTF..... http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=20&t=609868 http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf |
| It sounds to me like your limited to two options. One, MRE's and two dehydrated foods. Canned foods will expire too quickly for your needs, and long term staples like wheat don't fit your need either. The advantages of MRE's are they are more easily vehicle portable because you don't have to stop and cook them if you are on the move. The dehydrated food is good because it last a LOONG time and you probably would never have to throw it out, but you must have water available to add to it and it has to be heated to boiling. You would have to rotate your water (which you'll have to keep anyway for drinking). It sounds to me like you need a couple of cases of MRE's if you have to leave your home quickly and the rest of a months supply of dehydrated food and several 5 gal water jugs in the back of a closet. Mountain House is good and I buy mine from Emergency Essentials. Good luck. |
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People who have been prepping for a while eventually have to throw a bunch of stuff out. Depending on conditions you store your MREs in you're going to have eventually assess them in 5-7 years and decide what to do with them. If you can use them, throw them out, or donate them to the local scout troop and buy fresh ones without regret then MREs might work. Although much more expensive, Freeze Dried in #10 cans, and bulk staples (rice,beans)is "buy and forget about it" for most of us with a 25 year shelf life.
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You know I was thinking while I was in the gym. That price is for 24 MREs. I believe that 3 a day will feed my wife and myself. So, for a 30 day supply that is 90 MREs. Divided by 24 = well the math doesn't work so assume 96 MREs and a few extras over the 30 day period desired.
That would be four orders of 2 cases each or a total (with UPS shipping) $497. Hey, for 5 years peace of mind I can pay that. And the MREs I can use for trips and the like after about 3 eyars and rotate in fresh ones. I just contacted armygear.net to ask the date codes. They said they don't know until they get them but they don't take them if they are older than the check by date which would imply I would have at least 5 years storage when I receive them. Does that sound right to you guys? |
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Quoted:
You know I was thinking while I was in the gym. That price is for 24 MREs. I believe that 3 a day will feed my wife and myself. So, for a 30 day supply that is 90 MREs. Divided by 24 = well the math doesn't work so assume 96 MREs and a few extras over the 30 day period desired. That would be four orders of 2 cases each or a total (with UPS shipping) $497. Hey, for 5 years peace of mind I can pay that. And the MREs I can use for trips and the like after about 3 eyars and rotate in fresh ones. I just contacted armygear.net to ask the date codes. They said they don't know until they get them but they don't take them if they are older than the check by date which would imply I would have at least 5 years storage when I receive them. Does that sound right to you guys? The reports most people give about the MRE's from Armygear.net is positive. However, you really need to read through the information on MREInfo.com, they have storage info, how to read date codes, taste test, etc. The check by date is 3 yrs from the packed date. I have taken 10y/o MRE's on fishing trips with the grand kids with no ill effects. A lot has to do with temperature and how you store them. You really should try some out first. If your wife will not eat the MRE's then they will only give you a false peace of mind. Not everyone likes them and some report ill effects from them, gas, bloating, constipation, etc., etc., etc. You would probably be better off stocking up on the things you eat now and rotating them so you don't end up throwing stuff away. i.e. if you like Mac & Cheese, buy 10 boxes and line them up. As you use a box, you replace it with a fresh one which is put in the back of the line. I have been prepping for a while and have never had to throw anything away because we only stock what we like. I use the MRE's on fishing/camping/hiking trips, so we rotate through them. We store rice and beans, and replace them as we use them so they never go bad. You can buy freeze dried foods for long term buy and forget. However, not everyone likes those either. I tried some mountain house scrambled eggs w/bacon and honestly, it tasted like I was eating Styrofoam.
Freeze dried foods also have lots of sodium and you will need fresh water to use them. ETA: I still have a #10 can of the eggs, it is now a barter item.... or for unexpected houseguests during SHTF. 
and if all else fails, the grand kids will be eating it on a fishing trip...... "shaddup and eat yer eggs before they turn back to powder." 
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| Might want to try this place and if you get MRE's really you and the wife only need two a day at most they are high cal most MRE's pack over 1,000 cal a bag if you eat everything in them. The Wise foods are good you can get one free meal to try them out and all they take is hot water. |
| I've been in and out of the military (in now) since 86, so I've had every generation of MREs. While some of us older guys do reminisce about some of the ones we miss, like dehydrated beef patty, the newer ones are much better. Generally, people who don't like them convinced themselves they wouldn't like them before they ever tried it. Everyonce in a while, you can see a thread in which someone heats several MREs of the same type and serves them to their family and friends who don't know the difference until they are told after the meal. |
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If your wife won't eat canned food, I doubt she will enjoy MRE's. IF you the MRE route, be sure to stockpile laxatives. They seem to really clog me up if I don't drink a lot of water with them. As sugggested earlier. Freeze dried meals would probably be a better option, but if your goal is 30 days of food, you should easily be able to do that with the normal foods you eat every day.
Be warned that freeze dried foods tend to be very salty. I usually add a cup of cooked rice to each meal; 1. to cut down salt taste and 2. stretch the meal a little. |
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I think one important thing to remember about MREs and using them for a SHTF situation is the calorie count and what they were intended for. Being a meal primarily for soldiers on the move they are a high calorie food designed to fuel up soldiers doing strenuous physical activity on a daily basis. One thing to consider is a potential situation where your family might have to be hunkered down at home waiting for things to clear on the outside and I would imagine a high calorie diet meant to be burned off by a hard driving soldier would not be the way to go. This of course is just opinion please let me know if I am full of shit.... |
| Mountain house in a can, enertia trail foods, or other dried/freeze dried is a cheaper option. Throw some multi-vitamins in as freeze drying destroys most nutrients even when fortified. I abhor MREs in 12 months of work abroad I ate a total of 11 of em. I opted for instant taters, ramen, foil packs of tuna,instant soup,fig newtons ,gatorade shakes, dried fruit and veg and enertia trail foods. That being said I keep a few MREs around for portability and ease of storage. I will have to be very very hungry to eat them. They average (the mil issue) anywhere from 1200 cals and up each. Plenty to live if needed, but you wont thrive. The best thing about em is that they need no water added excluding beverages (the milk shakes are good, i'll admit) which is great for limited storage space. |
| The SO and I have canned food, dry food and MRE's in the bunker. I think that if you consider the high calorie content, I could easily stretch one MRE out for two days. I get them for 50 bucks a case (12 MRE's) at local gun shows and you can get them cheaper online. That’s two bucks a day for food. It can’t get any cheaper than that for pre-packaged chow. The Mountain House and Backpackers Pantry freeze dried meals are much more expensive and offer less than half the calories. Not to mention you need water to make them and that could mean no dinner if things got really bad. I think they taste great and there are many useful things other than food inside them. |