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Camping Equipment and all Clothing Tents, sleeping bags, stoves etc. Riding clothing, boots, helmets, what to wear when not riding, etc.
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  #16  
Old 26 Mar 2010
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Try the NATO 24HR RATION PACK although at £17.99 a pop you wont exactly want to buy 3 months worth.
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  #17  
Old 26 Mar 2010
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Maybe circumstance makes a difference. A few years ago I worked on a wildlife reserve, which meant 2 week periods staying a field base in the jungle. Food consisted of what you could carry so therefore was mainly pasta and rice.

Some gap years types did a project nearby and we joined them for dinner a few times. In comparison to what we had been eating the ration packs they had tasted like mana from heaven.

So maybe things are just relative, when you are stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere a half decent meal will taste great, sat at home watching celebrity chef ratpacks might not seem so appetising.

For some context during this period fried spam was a treat as there wasnt any other meat available. Used to love the way it got crunchy.

Ah happy days!
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  #18  
Old 26 Mar 2010
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I dream of compo ration tinned sausages, they were the best. God only knows what was in them but I'm sure they had just a little bit of heroin in there, I was addicted to them, ha ha.
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  #19  
Old 27 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by Flyingdoctor View Post
I dream of compo ration tinned sausages, they were the best. God only knows what was in them but I'm sure they had just a little bit of heroin in there, I was addicted to them, ha ha.

You and me both, not ex RAFMR are you? Ride safe.
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  #20  
Old 27 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by maja View Post
You and me both, not ex RAFMR are you? Ride safe.
+ 1
they where lovley
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  #21  
Old 27 Mar 2010
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Compo sausages :-)

I found some very like them at Home Bargains last year. Tried a tin and then went back and bought another 10 ! Use them when Im away with a group... share them out.... Im down to my last tin now... keep checking to see if theres any more in stock ... I live in hope lol

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Geordie

PS I was astounded at the price of rat packs... I would never pay that for them
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  #22  
Old 28 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by geordie_e View Post
Compo sausages :-)

I found some very like them at Home Bargains last year. Tried a tin and then went back and bought another 10 ! Use them when Im away with a group... share them out.... Im down to my last tin now... keep checking to see if theres any more in stock ... I live in hope lol

Cheers
Geordie

PS I was astounded at the price of rat packs... I would never pay that for them
what are these compo sausage things? before my time i think, are they those boiled bangers you used to be able to get, not hotdogs?
a 24hr box is a tenner on ebay, plus postage. like i said, a fashion accessory these days, crazy. they are fit for purpose, ie feeding a very busy guy that has to carry his food around with him for days, but if youve got access to a corner shop or petrol station you can do much better for a lot less, and i dont have to carry my poo around in a plastic bag so i dont need bunging up.
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  #23  
Old 28 Mar 2010
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Not boiled but skinless monsters in heavy duty animal fat, you've never lived until you have suffered indigestion from ODing on these exotic delights, similar to a surfiet of Lamprays I would imagine but not as severe if you're not royalty. I could be passing the metro centre in a month or so Geordie is that store there? Ride safe.
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  #24  
Old 28 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by maja View Post
Not boiled but skinless monsters in heavy duty animal fat,

mmmmmmmmm............. sounds foul you wont see me eating rubbish like that, my body's a temple


get a brand name so we know what to avoid
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  #25  
Old 29 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by DAVSATO View Post
mmmmmmmmm............. sounds foul you wont see me eating rubbish like that, my body's a temple
I understand, that's because they're designed to fuel WARRIORS!!

We ate that shit so you didn't have to, ha ha.

Maja, I was in one of these...
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  #26  
Old 29 Mar 2010
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I once went on a 3 week military exercise and the QM had cocked up the disribution of the rat packs and each unit all had the same variety.

We had to eat pilchards for the whole time

Kinda puts you of any army food, if I see the famous brown boxes now I think of pilchards.

Maxander
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  #27  
Old 30 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by Neil View Post
Try the NATO 24HR RATION PACK although at £17.99 a pop you wont exactly want to buy 3 months worth.
you can forget them, but i was interested in the "zest-o-therm" ration heater system. £1.50 each didnt seem too bad if you didnt want to cart around a stove? dont look very big though
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  #28  
Old 31 Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by Maxander View Post
I once went on a 3 week military exercise and the QM had cocked up the disribution of the rat packs and each unit all had the same variety.

We had to eat pilchards for the whole time

Kinda puts you of any army food, if I see the famous brown boxes now I think of pilchards.

Maxander
That brings back memories. When I was in the forces back in the early sixties I was stationed in Norway for a training exercise, we had boiled fish (whole) and boiled potatoes (whole) the entire six weeks we were there.

These days I usually carry a tin or two of meat such as one corned beef and casserole, even sardines . They are a source of protein, calories and with bread which is usually easy to find (in Europe) together with drinks and fruit/veg to eat in the hand. It is important to eat well before sleeping else you wont sleep. then you start making errors of judgement.
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  #29  
Old 31 Mar 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxander View Post
I once went on a 3 week military exercise and the QM had cocked up the disribution of the rat packs and each unit all had the same variety.

We had to eat pilchards for the whole time

Kinda puts you of any army food, if I see the famous brown boxes now I think of pilchards.

Maxander
Ha ha, it must be a standard trick for the QM's. When we were on a Nato exercise in Germany our QM gave A sqn A packs, B sqn B packs etc. I was C sqn and we had 3 weeks of chicken curry, which I loved! There was a lot of swapping of food each night amongst the lads. We even swapped with the Yanks, and they were the enemy!
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  #30  
Old 15 Apr 2010
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Although ration packs do have a long shelf life there is a caveat.
Quarter masters departments get fairly regular instruction to recall for destruction a whole batch number where something is found to have gone off. Obviously if you have bought a box off a mate the queen is unlikely to inform you of the risk.

One of the principal reasons for the high cost to the army is that each 24hr box has to be packed by hand so there are high labour costs involved. Obviously the cost to the civi individual may be more connected to some chancer weighing up the risks to his pension.

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