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18 Mar 2010
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army ration packs
Trying to simplify my trip and thought about getting some army ration packs. A while back the bbc forced some spotty youths in cammo to pretend they liked them but they acually seemed impressed with them..
anyone tried the just add water meals and were did you get them from?
cheers (golden wonder need not reply) well maybe just one curry one 
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18 Mar 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by begazzz
Trying to simplify my trip and thought about getting some army ration packs. A while back the bbc forced some spotty youths in cammo to pretend they liked them but they acually seemed impressed with them.. anyone tried the just add water meals and were did you get them from?
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Not the British stuff, but have you ever tried to google (or YAHOO)?? In my opinion, well, the MREs (former C-rations) are not too bad, but you can't compare them with a "regular meal" - just thinking of my army times something like 25 years back. They may have changed = improved. For more info, why not check here: mre, Sporting Goods, Collectibles. Great deals on eBay!
Hope this helps 
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18 Mar 2010
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Haven't tried the just add water ones but use the boil-in-the-bag ones regularly.
Most of the food is OK and some of it is very nice. The packs come with lots of bits and bobs like tea, coffee, tissue, sweets, etc.
I think the last time I bought some they were six quid which for all the food and drink you need for 24 hours without having to think too much is OK value.
They have a use-by date of about 300 years
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18 Mar 2010
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I've used them lots, again it's the Boil-in-the-bag versions. The older type have a really long shelf life, but the newer recipies are only a few years (only! jesaus, if you buy a banana from Tesco you'd be luck for it to last till you got home!).
I've tried the MRE's and wasn't keen. I think that's down to the taste differences between us Brits and the US, so I guess you have to try to find out! The flameless heaters are good if you put the right amount of water in (I didn't and it was rubbish).
The British rations are geting stupidly expensive these days and it's better to buy in bulk. You can often get 10 days for around £80, but each day is 5000 calories, so stretching a pack to last 2 days is possible.
Oh, and you can live all day on a pack of 'red' biscuits!! they even taste OK 
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18 Mar 2010
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modren usa are great. Then again why burn throught your cash?? survial places on the net are where you can find out more about them.
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18 Mar 2010
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Not so sure myself
I'm ex forces, so the concept of someone eating these out of their own free will scares me!
It does depend upon where you are going and for how long and if you have plenty of space or not. They are edible, but if you are eating them for more than a week than i would suggest getting some sweet chilli sauce and some other condiments to 'jazz' them up a bit. The arctic rations / dehydrated ones are a lot lighter and more compact but obviously you need a great deal more water for them. Also, the Halah and other special ones were always nicer because they came in curries, chillies and that sort of thing otherewise you need to like lancashire hotpot and beans.
I always thought they were generally ok, they are suprisingly heavy and bulky. Once you get 4 days worth in a bag they take up a lot of room.
If it was me, then i wouldn't. But i have been put off by them a little.
If in doubt, buy a set, sit in your garden, cook it up and see what you think. Then try imagining eating them for a number of days straight.
PS. take lots of toilet roll, they always did 'funny' things to my guts.
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18 Mar 2010
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ration packs.
I bought a couple of british ration boxes last year just to try them out.
The boil in the bag meals x3 inside are wayfarer meals without the extra packaging, as the wayfarers cost around £4 per meal you can save a bit of cash by buying the packs, plus you get all the other things as well.
I would not like to eat only these packs on a trip, but they are good to carry and use when nothing else is available.
Cheers Ade 
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18 Mar 2010
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Hi
Im ex forces too, I kind a like the 24hr rat packs. They have massive calorific values though !
Full of handy things too.... tin opener.. toilet paper etc.
However cooking on a hexmine stove is a right pain in the butt
Try some before you go... Im thinking of blagging a couple of boxes of my mate (Cadet leader) just to have a couple of emergency meals on the bike
Cheers
Geordie
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18 Mar 2010
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In my experience they're only really worth it on very short trips, away from any infrastructure. You're hardly going to carry 200 ration packs all the way to Oz  Ok, you might take one as a just in case emergency thing, but it's the sum of all the small just-in-case things that transforms your luggage from a 25kg total into a 65kg total.
So, on a long bike trip I think they're useless for my intends and purposes. Go hiking for 3 days or so with limited water supply, possibly in cold conditions, and the boil in the bag type meals come in very handy. Save water, save fuel, enough calories, no mess to clean up, etc.
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18 Mar 2010
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18 Mar 2010
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Myself and a pillion took three meals and three puddings (British Army) as a ‘just-in-case’ on a Europe trip, I was impressed. We used them when we just couldn’t be assed with doing anything else! When I do a big trip I’ll take a couple meals for sure.
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18 Mar 2010
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spam spam spam spam,
spam spam spam spam,
spam spam spam spam,
lovely spam, the loverly spaaaaaam!! la la! as the song goes
i quite like the british 24hr rat pack meals but the problem for me (apart from the price) is theres 5000cals in a small package the whole of which isnt even a decent portion for someone like me!
great if i had to carry my own food on my own back for days but i dont. i prefer "normal" calorie food in big dollops and the bike can carry it for me.
i dont want to give the impression im a big fat b*****d although i am, theres a program on the food channel at the moment called MAN vs FOOD, im not up to americanese portion standards (yet)
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19 Mar 2010
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I have had them for a week at a time, there a bit $ for what you get I think. There made for younger people than me, running around that well do not want to stop and poo. Or so I have been told, some thing in US MREs used to plug you up so you do not make your self a target. It is not something that stops you from going but slows it down. A ramen noodle soup with a few added bits will do gust as well I think and for $1.00 vs the $6.00for the MRE I go for the soup. In the long run you will end up eating what ever there selling in shops on your way. But a can of food or dry food pack is with me most of the time. Stopping a fixing some food on pass or on the beach some place with a view that you will look back on for all time is worth the space in the pack.
Some place on the HUBB there is a post about one pot meals.
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19 Mar 2010
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Hi I served 22 years as a serviceman, I hate the Rat packs I have even swopped English Rat packs with the Yanks for there 'Grot Box'
what I will say is the amount of feed you get is calorie controled for a lot of exercise, also they take up a lot of space & more importantly the amount of water you need to.
Also they are made to stop you going to the loo for a period of time,
we had finished a 2 week exercise and after 4 days of Rat packs we would getr fresh food after comingback to the barracks, we would have guys who would not go for up to 5 days! you should see the length of them!!
Generlly i would say they cost too much & have a limeited usage.
use as much fresh feed & frut as possable unless going wher not feasable then yes use rat packs but take 4 times as much water or water filter straw.
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21 Mar 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Selous
Hi I served 22 years as a serviceman, I hate the Rat packs I have even swopped English Rat packs with the Yanks for there 'Grot Box'
what I will say is the amount of feed you get is calorie controled for a lot of exercise, also they take up a lot of space & more importantly the amount of water you need to.
Also they are made to stop you going to the loo for a period of time,
we had finished a 2 week exercise and after 4 days of Rat packs we would getr fresh food after comingback to the barracks, we would have guys who would not go for up to 5 days! you should see the length of them!!
Generlly i would say they cost too much & have a limeited usage.
use as much fresh feed & frut as possable unless going wher not feasable then yes use rat packs but take 4 times as much water or water filter straw.
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well there you go then. i did hear that the "biscuits-browning" in the little green packet were to bung you up. (in the old style rat packs with really dodgy food in them, like tins of catfood) didnt they used to put bromide in the food too to stop you getting randy, or is that just an urban myth?
i had a few post falklands leftovers from my dad in the 80s to take fishing and they were utterly horrible, the box they were in wouldve tasted better, no wonder blokes on the go just poured it all into a poly bag and had a mouthful every now and then.
then about 5 years ago they revamped the meals and style to be more theatre specific (cadburys bars in iraq, great idea) and i went to a trial in london to try them out. i was quite impressed with most of the food and more impressed someone had though about it for once. the arctic ration was about 15k calories or something.
they are a fashion accessory for civvies now, thats why they are so expensive although a lot of thought and development goes into them i suppose. your right, you wont go wrong with fresh raw fruit and veg, washed then cooked yourself.
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