M.R.E 24 hour ration packs

Wolfruin

deoes anyone know where in Dublin or Eire I can get these if not here then where can i get it shipped to me easily and cheaply I'm really curious in trying them

also have you tried them what were they like did you use them in an Airsoft game ?

CpcRc

SEairsoft used to do them sometimes if I recall. They might get some in for the rionegro event so you can try contacting them and asking if they are getting a shipment. From what I heard, they are quite nice. The general feeling I've gotten about MRE's is that they are nice enough for having one occasionally or even for a few days. It's when they are a daily thing for weeks or even months is when you start to dislike them. Some people have taken MRE's to rionegro for the 27 hr game. I brought canned food and a disposable bbq when I went. Along with some camping pans and cutlery.

If you asking for going to an airsoft game where you will stay overnight or will be there long enough to have to eat meals there, I would just suggest something that is small, light and easy to cook. Doesn't have to be the best thing in the world, you're only having one days worth of eating or something like that so you don't have to be fussy. If it keeps you standing, it's done it's job. Taste is a bonus :P

OzCam

It can be difficult to get MREs directly from the US, because they are not allowed to be shipped abroad, not officially anyway. Food items are not permitted in the US Postal system, and the versions with the heater included (which is all of the modern ones) can't be shipped by air.

MREs are occasionally available from military surplus dealers in England, but overall the British Operational Ration Pack is much better value. You'll get two days airsofting out of one of them.

FYI, the Irish Army ration is almost identical to the ORP, except for the packaging. Assembled in the same factory and all.

There are many reviews on line, start here and here.

Commercial copy for comparison.

MREs are mostly very good, but some of them are more palatable than others. Occasionally you get one which is just awful - the Omelet (sic) was legendarily bad. I find the ORP much better suited to Northwest European tastes. The newer ones are pretty damn good.

thermo

OzCam wrote: »

It can be difficult to get MREs directly from the US, because they are not allowed to be shipped abroad, not officially anyway. Food items are not permitted in the US Postal system, and the versions with the heater included (which is all of the modern ones) can't be shipped by air.

MREs are occasionally available from military surplus dealers in England, but overall the British Operational Ration Pack is much better value. You'll get two days airsofting out of one of them.

FYI, the Irish Army ration is almost identical to the ORP, except for the packaging. Assembled in the same factory and all.

There are many reviews on line, start here and here.

Commercial copy for comparison.

MREs are mostly very good, but some of them are more palatable than others. Occasionally you get one which is just awful - the Omelet (sic) was legendarily bad. I find the ORP much better suited to Northwest European tastes. The newer ones are pretty damn good.

The British ones went down hill when they stopped putting those Yorkies in them!!!

Wolfruin

thank you im curious in trying a few heard the french ones were nice then the US

going to get one or two try erm out

thank you ye for your input anything more i should know

Lemming

MREs are alllllright, but the heating widgets are tempermantal and some of the meals really do not lend themselves to cold eating if the widget fails. If that also happens, your body may not thank you.

The brand 'Wayfarer' (you'll find them in any decent outdoor shop) carry an excellent and very tasty range of boil-in-bag meals that can also be eaten cold at a pinch and lo and behold, the bags look remarkably similar to what you'll find in the British ration packs because it's all made by the same company .... just one batch are wrapped up all shiny and pretty to stock on shop shelves.

Seriously, the Wayfarer stuff is nice. Just get yourself some form of cooking tool, be it gas powered, meths, biofuel, or hallucination-inducing-vapour-producing hex blocks. You can then also boil water for a brew (unlike MREs).


One other thing to mention; regardless of what you buy - you want 'wet' food. Avoid dehydrated crap (e.g. pour water into foil bag). It rarely gets better than tasting like sh*t.

OzCam

Oh, by the way... just a quick background note for those new to the wonderful world of rations:

MREs are basically one very large meal, with a side dish, crackers, sweets and coffee. They average around 1,200 calories per pack. US Army doctrine is to issue the soldier with three of them a day. In practice, some of those meals may now be replaced by the First Strike Ration, which is a fancy sandwich you can eat on the move.

The ORP contains breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, plus several snacks and drinks. They contain anything from 3,500 to 4,000 calories. British army doctrine is to issue one per day, bearing in mind that an army "day" can be up to 36 hours, depending on the mission.

An average male burns up about 2,500 calories a day. When you're carrying a 40 kg rucksack, batteries, a rifle, 600 rounds and a bunch of other stuff over ditches, hills, dirt roads and walls all day long in 40C heat, your fuel & water consumption goes up dramatically. That's why the ORP is 4,000 calories, all of them needed.

In Arctic conditions, you could easily get through 5 to 8 thousand calories a day.

OzCam

Surplus & Adventure have French & German rations listed on their website. The French RICR is their equivalent to the ORP, and has some very good reviews.

I've bought lots of stuff from S&A before, they're fine to deal with. Just beware of the postage charges.

For comparison with what people were issued with in the 1970's, see http://www.forces80.com/rations.htm

Wolfruin

thank you all for the input im reviewing the information on you tube as well as here looking forward to trying them