I came back from the field and gave an entire box of MREs to my father. I came back a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried a couple. "We ate the whole box." "You just plowed down 24,000 calories in two days!"
Hi Brad, I remember wolfing down 1945 packed C rations back in 1972 during my Army days. Trying MREs a few years ago I preferred the old C-Rats. A Hershey Bar would start my plumbing back up again. Cigarettes, Matches, and toilet paper were packed into the C-rats also. I still have a P38 can opener hooked on my keychain I've been carrying around for 45 years now along with one of my dog tags. Almost everything I used in the Army is now in museums somewhere. I'm 70 now but remember my Army days like it was yesterday.
I was in basic training in 77 we had ww2 stuff also except the m16s they were so bad barreling shot out you had to figure out where they shot and use Kentucky windage.
Damn a "C" ration in 72' woah didnt think that food would survive in a can for nearly 30 years, i know a can of modern day soup would probably be pure poison within 10 years. Thank you for your Service!!!🇺🇸👍
I loved the yanks MRE in iraq , we had a few americans attached to my platoon and they where given boxes full of ration packs , i am not going to lie i used to choose eating the MREs over going to the cook house at times , I never forget the look on those amercian soldiers faces when they saw a British army cook house the look of disapointment is a understatment 🤣🤣🤣 well i was lucky enough to get to go in a american cook house a couple of times , they where great so much choice oh and the free coke , gateraid , milkshakes ect.
What was served in the British cook houses that made them so bad? was the food bad quality or was it just tasteless (these are different) or were the options incredibly limited.
Same lol they refused to eat in our cook house so had an air conditioned one built and the first time i ever had lobster was in the middle of the desert lol i loved there gatorade and jalapeño cheese spread , we got screech and chicken pate lol
The Military dropped the freeze-dried fruit mix because during the 1st gulf war an innovative Sgt MTM from Tennessee cooked up "Hootch" aka: Moonshine with it! P.S. was some excellent stuff!
man i loved the freeze dried strawberry. Was in the Marines in the 80s. I was lucky enough to have been in during time when they were switching from C rations to MREs. So i got to eat both
Really never to use freeze dried, because the mess tent/mess trailer always had fruits like apples and oranges. The hicks in my company never had a problem cooking up something.
I was a kid during the war in Bosnia (1995) and US soldier gave me one MRE. The best Xmass present EVER! even today I do have a few pieces in my car. So useful for any outdoor activities.
@@yoauntie1859 Dao mi jedan. Kasnije sam odrastao, pa sebi kupovao i nabavljao. Vojnici dobiju na NATO vjezbama pa rod prodaju, jer sirotinjska drzava npr :)
Oh I remember that that was the year Germany got hit with the freak blizzard in baumholder fast reacting team. First armored division some scary times. More then operation deseet shield and operation desert Storm 101st glad to see you made it out of situation alive
7g is a quarter ounce. 14g in a half. 28g per ounce. Don't ask me how I know that, but it's the only metric conversion us American civilians are likely to know.
Some of us veterans would argue about what you are and aren’t missing out on. I remember when they used to contract through Tobasco for the hot sauce and gave us literally mini bottles of tobasco also anyone else remember getting water proof matches in their MREs? Cause I had a collection of those match books Update: Ordered 6 MREs from this company. While I am missing out on the items stated above. The QUALITY of the good items(pound cake, corn bread, etc…) is better than the original. And a lot more fresh. I would say FOR ME this makes up for the difference. And in fact makes this a good replacement MRE
When i fought wildfires in 96 and 97 we got the little tabasco bottles to. I saved 6 and made a tiny wooden 6 pack carry case for them. The sauce has turned white now.
One thing I fondly remember getting a few times in MREs while I was in the military were these thick vanilla cookies coated in chocolate. Btw, I think most military commissaries sell MREs. I think they are ones that only have like a year left on the best by date though.
mini Tabasco bottles and a little matchbook of waterproof matches are still in most of the MREs my unit gets. I have a hundred of the matchbooks because nobody uses them.
I use to give MREs as Christmas presents to non-military friends/family. We had bins where we would store unused items. When it was time for me to leave the area of operation, I took a box the the mini Tabasco bottles home.
I used to send a buddy in the national guard cases of the metal old bay (Maryland crab spice) tins for him to trade and have on his deployment. I figured that the mini bottles of Tabasco would have been used up quickly to change up the taste. If you ended up with a box of them I figured they were either pilfered or bought commercially and just never used.
When I was a kid, dad brought some home. I tried the egg, ham, and cheese omelet unheated and I liked it! A few years later, my third grade (I think) took a field trip to the local Fire Department. Well, we were in some fly-over town where small and large stock seemed to outnumber people and wildfires were more common than residential fires so, all but one World War Two era apparatus were high profile, off-road vehicles. Well, all the brush trucks had a compartment just for MREs and bottled water. One of the Fire Fighters pulled out an MRE and asked f any of us wanted to try. I and a couple of other kids took him up on the offer and I was the only one... who liked that ham, egg, and cheese complete!
The military also has the Training MREs that come in a clear bag, They have slightly less than the combat MREs. No TP in them either. At half the price of the combat ones. I bought a case of them at the commissary for around $50 or so.
Which is why when I buy stuff like that, I smash a roll of toilet paper (better for the environment if you ever have an oops, baby wipes are still the best for cleaning your behind tho) and remove the cardboard tube in the center which all fits nicely into a pint freezer bag with some extra's - Voila! Now you have TP that is extra small with extra bags. Works great, have used for years and would recommend. Also on a Medic Note: MRE's are Designed Intentionally to "stop up" your guts because Military Commanders don't think the Troops should have to need to defecate in the field....Oh How Wrong They Are! Pushing the water is a good idea but Pilot or Sailor Boy or some other Hard Tack Military Style Crackers work better for the fiber. Multi-vitamins are also a good option.
@@kd5you1 That is actually pretty common for the "civilian" models since they figure ya'll don't need them as much as troops in the fields and the civilian MRE manufacturers are mindful about passing that extra cost along when it is not necessary, even though most do anyways. So i would look for either the Actual MRE's from the military if you want that or do like I do, carry the bulk "niceties" in separate jars / baggies.
@@MrSupertim996 ??? Huh ??? MRE Caloric intake is posted on the packages - literally. if it is faux MRE I'm not sure what to even say since there are many different versions of the real original type, they even have some that are supposedly Law Enforcement specific now (don't get excited guys, no Donuts, but they are blue in the packaging).
I got hold of a bunch of short dated US military MREs over here in the UK. I am ashamed to admit that I actually love eating them. If I had to choose between ordering in pizza for 30 bucks and eating an MRE, I would eat the MRE. I would also note that the MRE has a strong psychological value, that eating cold beans and rice does not afford. Its like a little activity centre for adults, its not just about the raw nutrition. I find the whole process of heating up the food, opening the little packets and setting up my spread, quite entertaining. Im sure if you have served you are probably bored of them, but as someone who did not, MREs are quite good fun as a treat.
Looks like the military MREs have been down graded slightly since I was in the Army (2003-2009). No big differences, just some small downgrades, slight packaging differences, and a little less food. They use to come with everything you see in this one, but also with an additional side item like applesauce, peaches, or something similar. They also ALWAYS had a 2 pack of the big square crackers or on occasion in place of the crackers it would be a god awful piece of so called bread that was dry, dense, and flat 😂. Also in most of them except for a few you would usually in addition to your desert item get either a pack of M&Ms or Skittles! Everyone always knew the few menus that didn't include candy and those would always be the last ones to get ate 😂. As far as packaging goes back then they didn't have the second clear bag, just the main outside bag with everything loose inside it. The main entree and the side item always came with the pouch inside of their own cardboard box and that box was what you put it in with the heater to heat it up, instead of the cardboard sleeve it comes with now. The last downgrade I noticed was the accessory pack. Use to they came with what you seen in this one, but always also included the famous tiny glass bottle of Tabasco sauce, a pack of matches, and most of the time a packet of crushed red pepper or some other seasoning. To give an idea of what an MRE came with back then I'll list off a hypothetical example of a likely menu. Chili mac entree, sliced peaches side, chocolate brownie, big square crackers pack, cheese spread, grape drink powder packet, hot cocoa packet, pack of M&Ms, heater and accessories pack.
MREs are a great thing to have, especially if you live in an area that has some natural disasters on a regular basis - flood, blizzard, high winds that knock down power lines. Having them as an emergency supply is good. You can either go to the store and buy them individually or go on line and pick them to put in a case to buy. Like you said, it's best to try them first so you know what you're getting and whether or not they are what you want. A great vid, thanks. You remind me of the Gray Bearded Green Beret. Take care and stay well. You got a new subscriber.
The MRE’s being wrapped in another package is something new (within last 5-6 years) when i was in my infantry unit they didn’t do that. They even started making 2 day MRE packs as well which was mind blowing to us. GREAT video!
Thanks for the informative video! There's been a lot of "authentic" US military MREs running around in the market so I got curious about the difference of civilian and actual military mre
I had the pleasure of experiencing both C-Rats and Mre's during the 80's. The biggest thing I preferred over Mre's was the ability to simply heat the c-rat cans on the transom of the jeep while driving in the woods during a night exercise not allowed any fires. Altho I missed out on the Mre's with heat tabs. That transom had no insulation and got hotter then hell :)
These things are great if you are planning to do some major off-the-grid camping or hiking but the only reason to go with an actual MRE from the military would be for the pure curiosity or novelty of it.
Growing up mres were a treat for me. I loved the freeze dried fruit cocktail brick and those chocolate bar things. Im 38 now and still enjoy the occasional mre as a treat to myself to bring back memories. I should point out dad coming home ment mres so u can understand why to me its a joy thing.
@@justinleonard5002 thats such a shame. I've seen those home freeze dryers and I've thought about one day maybe I could get one and make them using canned mixed fruit
My how things have changed. I served when the MRE's first started to find traction with the military. Back then, soldiers still had their mess kits as part of their field kit. I still have a meal tray and silverwear as part of my camping/hiking pack. But some of these items weren't even in the early versions. You needed to heat your meal? You got a book of matches. (Actually wish I still had one of those military issued match books.) Almost everything back then was dehydrated. You had to add water. And yeah, it would be mush. You just learn to eat the dehydrated portions dehydrated. Also, if you were issued MREs back in the day, you were issued one a day. So you learn to spread the meal out. Too combat this, soldiers would combine their meals together. One such option I remember is "Ranger Pizza". You combine crackers, cheese spread, and to be honest whatever else you thought would be edible. You then cook it over a open flame.
Back in the 60's and 70's time frame, Mt House made a meals in a civilian and military version. The difference was the military version came in a green package a said it was a meal for one and the civilian version came in a red package and was meal for 1. Same meal, same size.
As a civilian I truly like having MREs while camping and hiking, Ive used them loads in the Boy Scouts on long treks and its nice when treking a while and having an all in one kit for food. I really enjoyed watching this video on the differences.
I'm also a civilian who likes backpacking, camping and festivals. I prefer freeze dried food like Mountain House, but the MREs are great when there's no stove handy for whatever reason.
Picked up some XMREs. I was pleasantly surprised with them. They feel pretty authentic however I noticed they offer several different package options and some don't come with everything you think they would so make sure you are buying the right type of pouch from them. I was sad to be missing my coffee instant type 2 :(
if you don't use the heater. you can cut open the heater and use the magnesium as a fire. i used mres as meals for a 9 day backpacking hike. it works pretty good and also use the cardboard of the main course
I was honestly looking forward to actually 'seeing' the differences and the opinion of taste but overall decent video! Great that the nutrition facts were shown as well!
Important to note that the miscellaneous items in both, such as beverage powder, cheese, ect will vary depending on the lot numbers. For example, the factories have 25,798 lemon-lime packets and they are bagging chicken burrito bowls. The 25,799th one will be the first to get grape beverage powder from the new batch that was put into the hopper.
They have drastically changed these from my day. I always enjoyed the dehydrated pork patties that were like beef jerky almost and the stew. Could not stand the green eggs and ham MREs though. - RLTW
When I was over seas with army I just use the coffee like dip or mix it with dip. Give you a Good morning jolt in the desert. Was to hot for coffee for me. Thanks for the info on the other MRes.
I always loved MRE's when I was in the service, guys thought I was nuts...LOL! And I know there's civilian versions of them that are made at the same companies that make the military ones, like Sopakco. They last a long time, way past the expiration...especially when kept in cool environment. I've had ones 15 years old and most of it is still good to go!
when I was in the army in the 90's MRE's were green and didn't have trail mix, or an inside liner, but they did come with a little bottle of hot sauce. You got either cheese spread or peanut butter and crackers. Some came with a brownie or m&m's or both. Heaters came only later, so most of the time you had to eat it cold. They came with a variety of meals but for some reason spaghetti and meatballs is what you got half the time. They were 1300 calories if you ate everything, so they were extremely filling.
I did 2 seasons of fighting wild fires in 1996 and 97. I think we had the military version that we would take with us on the fire for lunches,etc. My favorites were the spagetti, beef stew and scalloped potatoes. If we were on a mountain all night and it hot cold. We would take the heat pack and place it between our shirt and yellow fire shirt and it helped keep us warm at night.
I used ration packs for a few years, but found that I had so many of the 'extras' left that I now buy just the main meal pouch and add whatever I need for the trip. One vital item is my wee drum of interesting 'mixed spices',. This will make even the dullest meal better - !
I got 3 big boxes of MREs last year for hunting and as emergency food supply. Had to stop myself from eating them because they were so dang good.... My favorites are the ones that come with the vanilla pound cake desert. Also love the tortilla/jalapeno cheese spread combo.
The gum is included for dental hygiene. If you are unable to brush your teeth regularly, chewing xylitol gum can be a decent alternative. It will help take plaque off your teeth like brushing will.
I'm a truck driver and I have been thinking of stocking my truck with MREs instead of eating truck stop food so this video actually helped me make up my mind to buy some for a trial run
When we was in the field (Army 1986-1991) I would always trade for the pork and beans or ham and beans because of the "constipation" of the others. One Sgt would come around and we gave him the Cocoa packs,pretty much for the same issues. We were trading these things like they were trading cards. 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
There were definitely winners and losers in the MRE menus. During my time in (1991 to 1996), the losers were the Omlet with Ham and the Corned Beef Hash. Spaghetti with Meat Sauce was usually the winner. After a day or so on MREs, there would be a box full of components that a troop wouldn't want, so you could go digging for your favorite side or snack. Cherry Nut Loaf and Maple Nut Loaf were popular. So was the Chocolate Covered Cookie.
@SpyroGyroplane I had my share from 89 to 99 but I find it funny that you too mentioned the the cherry nut cake and maple also. I usually preferred the beef or chicken stews or chicken and rice as salt or Tabasco saved them and they tasted good cold/ambient temp
@@davidr1676 Oddly enough, the Tabasco wasn't highly valued when I was in or at least in the units I was assigned to. Always took home at least 30+ of the little bottles from the MRE parts box after each FTX.
I like the military style MREs for the accessory pack and the main is hearty. I like civilian MREs like MRE star because it’s fresh not 2 years old before you can buy it.
When I was in 84-2003 , the MRES for direct field missions had to be opened and broken down because the individual packages were inside of a cardboard box. So , we’d remove all of the individual boxes & decide what you’d wanna carry on your person and on your backpack but I also wore a butt pack so I always carried extra pogey bait to supplement the MRES . Maple nut cake and the bread were some of my all time favorites to eat and making RANGER Café for long drives was a YUGE PLUS . We had a SPC who was our mixologist as he’d make different batches of Koolaid form the individual ones . Never a boring day with great soldiers.
If it comes to MREs, the French and Norwegian ones are my personal favourites. The American military ones for me at least often have an aftertaste that I can only describe as distinctly chemical / artificial / plasticky. Never had a chance to try American civilian MREs, but looking at the packaging I'd assume the same companies make those?
Norwegian rations are the best ones i have ever tried. Except their Royal Thai ration, shrimps with the scales still on, bet there was fish bones as well.
Thanks for the comparison video. I have ordered MRE's as I do extensive camping and keep a few boxes around for just in case situations where you have to grab food and go or if anything ever happens where you just need to be prepared, as an old boyscout. I've always bought authentic military MRE's but it's good to see that XMRE is very compatible (minus the lousy T.P. which usually I have a double or triple ziplock system with far softer unravelled T.P. anyway that is more to my puckers liking...with a small wet wipes bag in there as well....dooty bags I call them)...I wish you got a bit into price point here on specific sites, but of course that seems to always change anyway.....good video, keep up the good work.... I do eat mountain house and similar meals...happy yak recently I've tried and of course the many other brands on the market. I do utilize whatever is lightest in longer trips but for shorter trips where weight isn't as much of a concern MRE's are great. I do however usually bring at least one or two MRE's when even going long just for the extra utensils and snackies as there is always someone who wants to grab some of your meal on every trail or water source in every nation it seems......they'll all bung you up... but it's okay.... I often wonder if they didn't do that on purpose due to the E.coli and C-Difficile concerns moving in mass soldiers, which often happens in large scale events. But either way I've never had to much of a problem with not being able to go eating these meals, it eventually comes out. I find the meals are generally great for camp food on the go standards but of course we all have our favorites out of A & B cases.... I prefer A cases as most do, but I do buy both. I'm just not fussy on most of the vegetarian vegan meal packs....give me meat as I need the protein when working extra hard...i notice the energy loss significantly without meat....and then have to make up for it with lots of nuts in snacks and the energy when going hard seems to wear off real fast that way.....exhaustion sets in, in those circumstances....food is just like fuel and meals get important in those circumstances when you're out in the middle of nowhere on your own. It can turn a 3 day trip into a 6 day trip fast when you're dragging your butt through the woods.I'll consider trying out the XMRE packs if I come across them at a better price point, but usually I know my suppliers and guys that get me pretty good deals online that I maintain contact with for it I need supplies....but I'm always open to new suppliers if the price is right of course....life is that way.
That’s awesome you have a connection to get them, I’ve never personally taken them camping, I’m usually set up to just cook food, I have friends that love the convenience of just open and eat, thank you for watching and commenting
MREs aren't good for bugout scenarios. When every ounce counts in a BOB, MREs weigh 3-4x heavier than just-add-water dehydrated meals. Most of us aren't in the late teens/early 20s in the best shape they'll ever be. Lug all that weight trying to be a tough guy and step wrong and blow out your knee. Then what. I put 4 MREs and the rest Mountain House.
Well I'm not going to try to summit Everest if the SHTF.... I plan on having a vehicle with which to navigate the wasteland, so weight won't be a problem. I will probably start a gang of nomadic marauders to just take what we need once the supply of MRE's has be exhausted. They will call me Lord Humungous. Be sure to say hello if you ever see me out there.
@@straybullitt You and your entire town/city will have the same idea and get in their cars. You may very well have to abandon your car in jammed roads and what you can carry is it. Even if not SHTF, hiking for days with heavy pack is no fun. MREs are indeed heavier than freeze dried. You can carry more food by not carrying so many MREs in BO situations.
Just before covid hit I tried to order from XMRE and they were out of their regular 1300 XT series, what I ended up ordering were their Blueline Series which was a little different. It came in a clear bag (so you could see the contents), same thickness as the brown bag, but it lacked toilet paper, salt/pepper, napkin, coffee/creamer/sugar. The Blueline series is meant to be passed out by emergency responders in cases of natural disasters. I have been taking XMRE's for lunch and camping for a long time now. and they taste great.
@@charliemartin4392 a buddy gave me one of those, kind of an orange colored package, the pop tart was gross since it wasn't frosted but the rest of it I was actually pretty impressed with, I liked it, didn't have a way to heat the food included but that didn't bother me, and "humanitarian daily rations" being half the cost or less of mre's, can't really complain, biggest downside is the lack of options, we all know the same food repeatedly gets old pretty quick
Informative sir. I would have like have seen you try the food. I know they where are not same mains. But more as a gauge "I prefer the taste of this over this. This smells like preservatives or has an unpleasant smell." I look forward to seeing more of your videos.
Been eating MRE's since 1990 as a pvt. They have changed the menu several times, not always for the best either. I would always strip mine down to save space and weight. As a young specialist I learned if you are getting chow for the platoon always add 12 to your number. I would open the cases and make a case for myself in the menus I liked. So, basically I always had enough to eat. I was skinny but always hungry in the field.
I got some MREs when I was a teenager (in the late 90s) from an Army Surplus store. I loved them! They were fantastic. If I ever do some serious traveling it's definitely going to be fueled my MREs.
Back in the late 70s-early 80s, we'd always pick up some C Rations at the surplus store for camping. Open em with a P38, heat em on the fire, and leave a part of the lid attached and bent back for a handle. Good times.
I picked up a couple of cases of MREs to throw in my work van in the event I couldn't leave the site for lunch. I threw anything I didn't use in a box in the cab for other meals usually the accessory pack was unused until covid hit. Never thought that the part I would appreciate saving most would be the TP. More than once I stopped for a rest room and no TP.
If you ate them 37 years ago, they had no heater. We had dehydrated beef, pork, potato patties: add water. We had powdered ketchup; add water. Cherry, chocolate, or orange nut cake.
When I was a kid, dad used to bring these home from Drill all the time, but back then, the packs were OD green all over,, with minimal labeling. It might have had some info on the back. Only thing I ever ate was the gum.
Lots of companies run the same product down the production lines with the difference being the sleeve or wrapping. Sometimes they will even package different companies items for them with there logo’s on it. Walmart did this when they were starting there great value brand.
Great comparison. It seems in most ways, they are pretty much identical. It is funny though, the one difference would annoy me. Trail mix usually has nuts while dried fruit doesn't offer much in the way of protein. Thanks for the side by side!
We called them Meals Rejected by Ethiopia given that after the Gulf War, excess MRE's were shipped there to help deal with the famine and even the starving Ethiopians rejected them. In all fairness, some rejected them due to the pork content in some of the meals. Having served between 1982 and 2006, I experienced C Rations and various versions of MREs (as they kept improving them).
There's good meals on both sides of the isle depending on what you get. But if you like supporting American private companies Made In America type stuff look into Minotaur Mre's. They are crazy good. My 7 year old daughter even likes them.
I bought some civilian MRE's from Midway USA right at the start of the pandemic and still have some left. Mostly chili but it was surprisingly good. Chicken chili with a good spicy bite and the white chocolate chip cranberry cookie was delicious as well.
Many MREs make it to government auctions just after inspection date. Just about anyone can pick up a case or pallet of these at great prices. Store them at the right temp and they will last a few years. You would be hard pressed to find tastier, more effective food storage.
I have the warnick company just 10 mins away from my house. I called asking if I could buy some Mres. They said they will sell to me at a little under $6 a MRE. The issue was I had to buy a pallet. That would be 80 boxes (12 mres a box) and I had to pick it up myself they would not deliver. I usually buy from Bob. I find his is a little more expensive but they seem to have more calories and more food. Great video thanks for sharing.
@@LavitosExodius yea I dont mind 2 of each box but if you watch Dub C he did only American Mres for I guess a month and he got bored quick. They have very similar components.
👍Nice comparisons! Military MRE's is like the fast food version of mcdonalds. Food that is already packed up, quick to pick up, open and eat, with very little prep work!
Hi there found your channel totally by chance as a ex British reserve I used to buy US mres just to try something different menu 15 and 16 where probably my favourites although I've never tried the pizza one yet keep up the amazing work
"Meals Ready to Exit" That one always gets me. It's just too funny of a line. But yeah, my father and grandfather, could never understand why I actually liked the MREs; But I have a very low tolerance for fiber, so even the tiniest bit is good enough for me. Too much and, well that's 3+ days of nothing.
Hi Brad, I am enjoying your videos very much! Love your analysis; you take the time to give us all the information, which is very helpful. Thanks so much.
I like the Ameriqual MRE's, they have that inner bag. The other two companies just throw the components in the brown outer bag... The other interesting thing is the entries made by Ameriqual, Wornick and Sopakco are all different. So the Burrito Bowl will be different depending on the company who made it. Even the nutritional values change. For instance the Chicken and Noodles entries taste and have a different textures depending on which company is making it.
I’m in the airforce and love MRE’s but honest to god Russian rations are so much better. Also MRE’s are like 7$ on base so pretty cheap compared to eBay or other retailer if you can get a friend to buy them for you from the Commissary. Cool tid bit but in self aid buddy care I was taught by our medic to use a MRE bag to seal a sucking chest wound. Yup would never need to use that info but a cool thing to know.
Yes, indeed. Sustaining a sucking chest wound in combat would, for lack of a better word,...suck. Whether a medic was around to use an MRE bag to seal it or not! 😏
Sure beats starving to death. And folks...remember have water stocked up and also a way to get water and filter water. You can go a lot longer without food than you can without water. Be safe.
Wow they came a long way in MRE's, I still got 2 packs from 25 years ago when I was in the USAF. That thick plastic outer pouch just fell apart but the packaging inside was intact. But there was no inner bag holding everything it was loose like the commercial ones. Also there was no Chicken burrito flavor back then either. I had take 3 with me on my way back from the middle east and ate one on the layover in Germany, we had arrived late and so everything was closed. I miss the oatmeal cookie in them, it didn't look appetizing since it was just a gray block but it tasted pretty good. I'm surprise they don't have that tiny bottle of Tobasco in it any more.
You can go out and pay that high dollars for them. Or you can go to Walmart and buy Hormel compleats dinners that has a 2 year plus best by. You can also get Louisiana rice entree mix that has a 3 year plus best by.
With commercially available “MREs”, their companies usually confirm date made and the storage/stability of the product until it gets to your door. WHEN GETTING USED MILITARY MREs = you may have no way of knowing if they were properly stored, or left in a hot car for a month, or in an unheated garage over winter or a cool, non sunlit dark basement for 10 years, (like the spares my uncle gave me = most were edible, the crackers were stale, and the flameless ration heaters barely worked as advertised).😊✌🏼🖖🏼
@@xboxfan129 I’ve had brand new cases (less than 6 months old) where the heaters hardly activated. Have to add some of that salt and it’s also better to start with lukewarm water.
Military MRES can last up to 16+ years if left in a cool dry environment. I can verify it with my daughter/her best friend finicky 8 year old taste buds when camping with US ARMY Dad. Carry on private!
This isn't entirely true. The military has a temperature gauge sticker on the outside of the case. If you buy unopened cases, and the sticker hasn't changed color, you know they were stored properly.
@Nick Riley I remember when we didn't get the Tabasco even. We didn't even have those heaters or maybe the higher ups just played with them all. I mostly remember dark brown packaging and then at some point they started making vegetarian meals (most sucked) and I only heard of kosher ones. My first MRE was Salmon and Cheese Loaf and was actually pretty good but I never saw another one. I avoided the hot dogs or franks and beans and the sausage patties. Those were on par with the canned hamburgers or powdered green eggs as far as I'm concerned. I loved the cheese and crackers, cherry nut cake, and maple nut cake but we also survived off our pogey bait.
I loved those dehydrated pork patties! I used to let them sit in water in my canteen cup for awhile then boil it over a dollop of burning peanut butter.
Whichever is cheaper. Prices have jumped and no joke. Used to buy a case for $90 sometimes and now it's $130. Edit: holy cow I thought it was 130 but they go for 180!!
I was kinda hoping you'd get those onto a tray, so I could say. Nice ! 😅🤣😄😂😆
You sir, made me laugh. Thanks for watching
Love Steve as well 💪
That was a nice hiss!
Still a very decadent review nonetheless. Lol
Mkay. Nice. Woah nice hiss
I came back from the field and gave an entire box of MREs to my father. I came back a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried a couple.
"We ate the whole box."
"You just plowed down 24,000 calories in two days!"
LOL!!
Hehehhehhe
Oh geez. He digest all that okay?
Omg
Man the constipation had to be wild 🤣
Hi Brad, I remember wolfing down 1945 packed C rations back in 1972 during my Army days. Trying MREs a few years ago I preferred the old C-Rats. A Hershey Bar would start my plumbing back up again. Cigarettes, Matches, and toilet paper were packed into the C-rats also. I still have a P38 can opener hooked on my keychain I've been carrying around for 45 years now along with one of my dog tags. Almost everything I used in the Army is now in museums somewhere. I'm 70 now but remember my Army days like it was yesterday.
That’s awesome, thank you for sharing and watching… also thank you for your service
Thank you for serving.
I was in basic training in 77 we had ww2 stuff also except the m16s they were so bad barreling shot out you had to figure out where they shot and use Kentucky windage.
Love hearing these stories 💞 and thank you for your service sir
Damn a "C" ration in 72' woah didnt think that food would survive in a can for nearly 30 years, i know a can of modern day soup would probably be pure poison within 10 years.
Thank you for your Service!!!🇺🇸👍
I loved the yanks MRE in iraq , we had a few americans attached to my platoon and they where given boxes full of ration packs , i am not going to lie i used to choose eating the MREs over going to the cook house at times , I never forget the look on those amercian soldiers faces when they saw a British army cook house the look of disapointment is a understatment 🤣🤣🤣 well i was lucky enough to get to go in a american cook house a couple of times , they where great so much choice oh and the free coke , gateraid , milkshakes ect.
The British ORP is so far superior to the MRE, im surprised to hear our mess tent was better than yours.🤔
What was served in the British cook houses that made them so bad? was the food bad quality or was it just tasteless (these are different) or were the options incredibly limited.
Same lol they refused to eat in our cook house so had an air conditioned one built and the first time i ever had lobster was in the middle of the desert lol i loved there gatorade and jalapeño cheese spread , we got screech and chicken pate lol
@@speedevil22 basically tasteless slop and once
A week we just had water boilers to boil rations that day so the cooks had a day off lol
@Jeff Schauberger Yep that's right. When we ate an MRE it was like going to the theatre...If we could afford it lol.
The Military dropped the freeze-dried fruit mix because during the 1st gulf war an innovative Sgt MTM from Tennessee cooked up "Hootch" aka: Moonshine with it! P.S. was some excellent stuff!
man i loved the freeze dried strawberry. Was in the Marines in the 80s. I was lucky enough to have been in during time when they were switching from C rations to MREs. So i got to eat both
Really never to use freeze dried, because the mess tent/mess trailer always had fruits like apples and oranges. The hicks in my company never had a problem cooking up something.
Probably wasn’t the first but he definitely got caught
Honestly I'm shocked the military would crack down that hard, booze used to be standard military rations even in puritanical U.S.
Now that's what I call a Field Engineer 🤣
I was a kid during the war in Bosnia (1995) and US soldier gave me one MRE. The best Xmass present EVER! even today I do have a few pieces in my car. So useful for any outdoor activities.
kolko ti ih je dao ako ti jos traje
@@yoauntie1859 Dao mi jedan. Kasnije sam odrastao, pa sebi kupovao i nabavljao. Vojnici dobiju na NATO vjezbama pa rod prodaju, jer sirotinjska drzava npr :)
First they bomb you then they feed you. Nice
Oh I remember that that was the year Germany got hit with the freak blizzard in baumholder fast reacting team. First armored division some scary times. More then operation deseet shield and operation desert Storm 101st glad to see you made it out of situation alive
The Coka-Cola and McDonald's come later! #Liberation.
7g is a quarter ounce. 14g in a half. 28g per ounce. Don't ask me how I know that, but it's the only metric conversion us American civilians are likely to know.
16 ounces in a pound, 2.23 pounds in a kilogram and 1.6 kilometres in a mile😏
@@fightingcock8096 But you can't buy weed by the mile. Unfortunately.
Buying weed in the past made me understand metric conversion you feel me
I came here to say that if you’ve ever bought sandwich bags to not make sandwiches with . . . But I see I’m late to the party 🤣
No one knows this info where did you learn it? Lol
Some of us veterans would argue about what you are and aren’t missing out on. I remember when they used to contract through Tobasco for the hot sauce and gave us literally mini bottles of tobasco also anyone else remember getting water proof matches in their MREs? Cause I had a collection of those match books
Update: Ordered 6 MREs from this company. While I am missing out on the items stated above. The QUALITY of the good items(pound cake, corn bread, etc…) is better than the original. And a lot more fresh. I would say FOR ME this makes up for the difference. And in fact makes this a good replacement MRE
When i fought wildfires in 96 and 97 we got the little tabasco bottles to. I saved 6 and made a tiny wooden 6 pack carry case for them. The sauce has turned white now.
One thing I fondly remember getting a few times in MREs while I was in the military were these thick vanilla cookies coated in chocolate.
Btw, I think most military commissaries sell MREs. I think they are ones that only have like a year left on the best by date though.
mini Tabasco bottles and a little matchbook of waterproof matches are still in most of the MREs my unit gets. I have a hundred of the matchbooks because nobody uses them.
those tiny bottles of hot sauce suck, i would carry a small bottle with me
The matches started being deleted when self heating MREs were introduced.
I use to give MREs as Christmas presents to non-military friends/family. We had bins where we would store unused items. When it was time for me to leave the area of operation, I took a box the the mini Tabasco bottles home.
I used to send a buddy in the national guard cases of the metal old bay (Maryland crab spice) tins for him to trade and have on his deployment. I figured that the mini bottles of Tabasco would have been used up quickly to change up the taste. If you ended up with a box of them I figured they were either pilfered or bought commercially and just never used.
@@stevewilson6723 No, we had a lot of guys who would open a MRE and to eat on only one or two items. That is why we would have a surplus of Tabasco.
Lol
For a long time I had those little Tabasco sauce filled with different types of sand from Operation desert Storm and Operation desert shield
When I was a kid, dad brought some home. I tried the egg, ham, and cheese omelet unheated and I liked it! A few years later, my third grade (I think) took a field trip to the local Fire Department. Well, we were in some fly-over town where small and large stock seemed to outnumber people and wildfires were more common than residential fires so, all but one World War Two era apparatus were high profile, off-road vehicles.
Well, all the brush trucks had a compartment just for MREs and bottled water. One of the Fire Fighters pulled out an MRE and asked f any of us wanted to try. I and a couple of other kids took him up on the offer and I was the only one... who liked that ham, egg, and cheese complete!
The military also has the Training MREs that come in a clear bag, They have slightly less than the combat MREs. No TP in them either. At half the price of the combat ones. I bought a case of them at the commissary for around $50 or so.
Which is why when I buy stuff like that, I smash a roll of toilet paper (better for the environment if you ever have an oops, baby wipes are still the best for cleaning your behind tho) and remove the cardboard tube in the center which all fits nicely into a pint freezer bag with some extra's - Voila!
Now you have TP that is extra small with extra bags. Works great, have used for years and would recommend.
Also on a Medic Note: MRE's are Designed Intentionally to "stop up" your guts because Military Commanders don't think the Troops should have to need to defecate in the field....Oh How Wrong They Are! Pushing the water is a good idea but Pilot or Sailor Boy or some other Hard Tack Military Style Crackers work better for the fiber. Multi-vitamins are also a good option.
I bought cases of the civilian version which came in a clear bag, and it didn't have the TP, hot sauce, chicklets, or hot beverage bag.
@@kd5you1 That is actually pretty common for the "civilian" models since they figure ya'll don't need them as much as troops in the fields and the civilian MRE manufacturers are mindful about passing that extra cost along when it is not necessary, even though most do anyways.
So i would look for either the Actual MRE's from the military if you want that or do like I do, carry the bulk "niceties" in separate jars / baggies.
Saw at a shop, owner said they were half the calories??? Idk…
@@MrSupertim996 ??? Huh ???
MRE Caloric intake is posted on the packages - literally.
if it is faux MRE I'm not sure what to even say since there are many different versions of the real original type, they even have some that are supposedly Law Enforcement specific now (don't get excited guys, no Donuts, but they are blue in the packaging).
I got hold of a bunch of short dated US military MREs over here in the UK.
I am ashamed to admit that I actually love eating them. If I had to choose between ordering in pizza for 30 bucks and eating an MRE, I would eat the MRE.
I would also note that the MRE has a strong psychological value, that eating cold beans and rice does not afford. Its like a little activity centre for adults, its not just about the raw nutrition. I find the whole process of heating up the food, opening the little packets and setting up my spread, quite entertaining. Im sure if you have served you are probably bored of them, but as someone who did not, MREs are quite good fun as a treat.
Looks like the military MREs have been down graded slightly since I was in the Army (2003-2009). No big differences, just some small downgrades, slight packaging differences, and a little less food. They use to come with everything you see in this one, but also with an additional side item like applesauce, peaches, or something similar. They also ALWAYS had a 2 pack of the big square crackers or on occasion in place of the crackers it would be a god awful piece of so called bread that was dry, dense, and flat 😂. Also in most of them except for a few you would usually in addition to your desert item get either a pack of M&Ms or Skittles! Everyone always knew the few menus that didn't include candy and those would always be the last ones to get ate 😂. As far as packaging goes back then they didn't have the second clear bag, just the main outside bag with everything loose inside it. The main entree and the side item always came with the pouch inside of their own cardboard box and that box was what you put it in with the heater to heat it up, instead of the cardboard sleeve it comes with now. The last downgrade I noticed was the accessory pack. Use to they came with what you seen in this one, but always also included the famous tiny glass bottle of Tabasco sauce, a pack of matches, and most of the time a packet of crushed red pepper or some other seasoning. To give an idea of what an MRE came with back then I'll list off a hypothetical example of a likely menu. Chili mac entree, sliced peaches side, chocolate brownie, big square crackers pack, cheese spread, grape drink powder packet, hot cocoa packet, pack of M&Ms, heater and accessories pack.
We just did our AT and bout 90% the MRE still had the good stuff thankfully!
They still have candy in some
MREs are a great thing to have, especially if you live in an area that has some natural disasters on a regular basis - flood, blizzard, high winds that knock down power lines. Having them as an emergency supply is good. You can either go to the store and buy them individually or go on line and pick them to put in a case to buy. Like you said, it's best to try them first so you know what you're getting and whether or not they are what you want. A great vid, thanks. You remind me of the Gray Bearded Green Beret. Take care and stay well. You got a new subscriber.
The MRE’s being wrapped in another package is something new (within last 5-6 years) when i was in my infantry unit they didn’t do that. They even started making 2 day MRE packs as well which was mind blowing to us. GREAT video!
I was in 2013 they have Stryker mres that had 3 days worth of food
Thanks for the informative video! There's been a lot of "authentic" US military MREs running around in the market so I got curious about the difference of civilian and actual military mre
I had the pleasure of experiencing both C-Rats and Mre's during the 80's. The biggest thing I preferred over Mre's was the ability to simply heat the c-rat cans on the transom of the jeep while driving in the woods during a night exercise not allowed any fires. Altho I missed out on the Mre's with heat tabs. That transom had no insulation and got hotter then hell :)
Was with 101st in 80-81 lived in the field and on c-rations
Ever have the displeasure of trying a C-rat fruitcake?
These things are great if you are planning to do some major off-the-grid camping or hiking but the only reason to go with an actual MRE from the military would be for the pure curiosity or novelty of it.
Biggest difference I found out (from working in Army/Navy surplus) is the entrees in civilian MRE's are only 6 oz, where the military version is 8 oz!
6oz had the same nutrients. 8 oz made you feel fuller. same nutrients.
Thank you for the video man. I am glad to see what I am wanting to buy plus the comparison.
Growing up mres were a treat for me. I loved the freeze dried fruit cocktail brick and those chocolate bar things. Im 38 now and still enjoy the occasional mre as a treat to myself to bring back memories. I should point out dad coming home ment mres so u can understand why to me its a joy thing.
I miss the freeze dried fruit i would buy them just for that
@@justinleonard5002 I've searched all over for those "fruit cookies" and I've had no luck at all.
@@ChemicalU235 they quit making them i believe and i will forever miss the peach blocks
@@justinleonard5002 thats such a shame. I've seen those home freeze dryers and I've thought about one day maybe I could get one and make them using canned mixed fruit
As long as it wasnt frankfurters. (aka "the five fingers of death") lol
Those were gross.
I was a big fan of the chicken ala king
My how things have changed. I served when the MRE's first started to find traction with the military. Back then, soldiers still had their mess kits as part of their field kit. I still have a meal tray and silverwear as part of my camping/hiking pack. But some of these items weren't even in the early versions. You needed to heat your meal? You got a book of matches. (Actually wish I still had one of those military issued match books.)
Almost everything back then was dehydrated. You had to add water. And yeah, it would be mush. You just learn to eat the dehydrated portions dehydrated. Also, if you were issued MREs back in the day, you were issued one a day. So you learn to spread the meal out. Too combat this, soldiers would combine their meals together. One such option I remember is "Ranger Pizza". You combine crackers, cheese spread, and to be honest whatever else you thought would be edible. You then cook it over a open flame.
Back in the 60's and 70's time frame, Mt House made a meals in a civilian and military version. The difference was the military version came in a green package a said it was a meal for one and the civilian version came in a red package and was meal for 1. Same meal, same size.
Thank you for this! There is no confusion as to “differences”
As a civilian I truly like having MREs while camping and hiking, Ive used them loads in the Boy Scouts on long treks and its nice when treking a while and having an all in one kit for food. I really enjoyed watching this video on the differences.
I'm also a civilian who likes backpacking, camping and festivals. I prefer freeze dried food like Mountain House, but the MREs are great when there's no stove handy for whatever reason.
That was interesting to see, I have only had the MREs from my time in the Corps. Makes sense the civilian versions are not that much different.
Picked up some XMREs. I was pleasantly surprised with them. They feel pretty authentic however I noticed they offer several different package options and some don't come with everything you think they would so make sure you are buying the right type of pouch from them. I was sad to be missing my coffee instant type 2 :(
if you don't use the heater. you can cut open the heater and use the magnesium as a fire. i used mres as meals for a 9 day backpacking hike. it works pretty good and also use the cardboard of the main course
I was honestly looking forward to actually 'seeing' the differences and the opinion of taste but overall decent video! Great that the nutrition facts were shown as well!
Important to note that the miscellaneous items in both, such as beverage powder, cheese, ect will vary depending on the lot numbers. For example, the factories have 25,798 lemon-lime packets and they are bagging chicken burrito bowls. The 25,799th one will be the first to get grape beverage powder from the new batch that was put into the hopper.
They have drastically changed these from my day. I always enjoyed the dehydrated pork patties that were like beef jerky almost and the stew. Could not stand the green eggs and ham MREs though. - RLTW
When I was over seas with army I just use the coffee like dip or mix it with dip. Give you a Good morning jolt in the desert. Was to hot for coffee for me. Thanks for the info on the other MRes.
I’ve been wondering about the differences. Thanks for making and sharing this!
I always loved MRE's when I was in the service, guys thought I was nuts...LOL! And I know there's civilian versions of them that are made at the same companies that make the military ones, like Sopakco. They last a long time, way past the expiration...especially when kept in cool environment. I've had ones 15 years old and most of it is still good to go!
When you abroad fighting you don't really be picky as long as you have something to eat its all what matter, great video by way thanks
when I was in the army in the 90's MRE's were green and didn't have trail mix, or an inside liner, but they did come with a little bottle of hot sauce.
You got either cheese spread or peanut butter and crackers. Some came with a brownie or m&m's or both.
Heaters came only later, so most of the time you had to eat it cold.
They came with a variety of meals but for some reason spaghetti and meatballs is what you got half the time.
They were 1300 calories if you ate everything, so they were extremely filling.
I did 2 seasons of fighting wild fires in 1996 and 97. I think we had the military version that we would take with us on the fire for lunches,etc. My favorites were the spagetti, beef stew and scalloped potatoes. If we were on a mountain all night and it hot cold. We would take the heat pack and place it between our shirt and yellow fire shirt and it helped keep us warm at night.
I used to love the freeze dried fruit that they used to have back when I was in...late 80's and early 90's.
I used ration packs for a few years, but found that I had so many of the 'extras' left that I now buy just the main meal pouch and add whatever I need for the trip. One vital item is my wee drum of interesting 'mixed spices',. This will make even the dullest meal better - !
62 g is 2.19 ounces so the recovery trail mix is more than double the size of the dried fruit mix from XMRE
I got 3 big boxes of MREs last year for hunting and as emergency food supply. Had to stop myself from eating them because they were so dang good.... My favorites are the ones that come with the vanilla pound cake desert. Also love the tortilla/jalapeno cheese spread combo.
Where did you buy them
The gum is included for dental hygiene. If you are unable to brush your teeth regularly, chewing xylitol gum can be a decent alternative. It will help take plaque off your teeth like brushing will.
THe last thing I thought about was the gum. i'd trade for the sugar packs.
Great presentation! Now I have more options to buy and can feel better about it.
Great video. Thank you for showing the contents of both mres.
Thank you for watching
One thing to remember is that the military MRE seems to be better protected from weather and storage accidents with the inner bag.
I'm a truck driver and I have been thinking of stocking my truck with MREs instead of eating truck stop food so this video actually helped me make up my mind to buy some for a trial run
Im curious to know how it goes
plan to drink a LOT of water or you will be plugged for days.
Thanks Brad, really nice to see the side by side comparison
Thank you for watching
Well that was very interesting, thank you for sharing!
When we was in the field (Army 1986-1991) I would always trade for the pork and beans or ham and beans because of the "constipation" of the others.
One Sgt would come around and we gave him the Cocoa packs,pretty much for the same issues.
We were trading these things like they were trading cards.
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Thank you for your service, I love hearing stories about troops and their MRE experience.
There were definitely winners and losers in the MRE menus. During my time in (1991 to 1996), the losers were the Omlet with Ham and the Corned Beef Hash. Spaghetti with Meat Sauce was usually the winner. After a day or so on MREs, there would be a box full of components that a troop wouldn't want, so you could go digging for your favorite side or snack. Cherry Nut Loaf and Maple Nut Loaf were popular. So was the Chocolate Covered Cookie.
@@SpyroGyroplane Thank you for your service and watching!
@SpyroGyroplane I had my share from 89 to 99 but I find it funny that you too mentioned the the cherry nut cake and maple also. I usually preferred the beef or chicken stews or chicken and rice as salt or Tabasco saved them and they tasted good cold/ambient temp
@@davidr1676 Oddly enough, the Tabasco wasn't highly valued when I was in or at least in the units I was assigned to. Always took home at least 30+ of the little bottles from the MRE parts box after each FTX.
I like the military style MREs for the accessory pack and the main is hearty.
I like civilian MREs like MRE star because it’s fresh not 2 years old before you can buy it.
Very true
I kinda think its weird that i can easily get a late 2021 produced case of military mres here in Germany. But it's harder to get civilian mres
When I was in 84-2003 , the MRES for direct field missions had to be opened and broken down because the individual packages were inside of a cardboard box. So , we’d remove all of the individual boxes & decide what you’d wanna carry on your person and on your backpack but I also wore a butt pack so I always carried extra pogey bait to supplement the MRES .
Maple nut cake and the bread were some of my all time favorites to eat and making RANGER Café for long drives was a YUGE PLUS .
We had a SPC who was our mixologist as he’d make different batches of Koolaid form the individual ones .
Never a boring day with great soldiers.
The XMRE’s I’ve ordered come with the flameless/no odour heater packs. And they work AMAZING
Having used military surplus MREs for years. I'm running Mountain house lately...
If it comes to MREs, the French and Norwegian ones are my personal favourites. The American military ones for me at least often have an aftertaste that I can only describe as distinctly chemical / artificial / plasticky. Never had a chance to try American civilian MREs, but looking at the packaging I'd assume the same companies make those?
Norwegian rations are the best ones i have ever tried. Except their Royal Thai ration, shrimps with the scales still on, bet there was fish bones as well.
Thank you for the info!
Thanks for the comparison video. I have ordered MRE's as I do extensive camping and keep a few boxes around for just in case situations where you have to grab food and go or if anything ever happens where you just need to be prepared, as an old boyscout. I've always bought authentic military MRE's but it's good to see that XMRE is very compatible (minus the lousy T.P. which usually I have a double or triple ziplock system with far softer unravelled T.P. anyway that is more to my puckers liking...with a small wet wipes bag in there as well....dooty bags I call them)...I wish you got a bit into price point here on specific sites, but of course that seems to always change anyway.....good video, keep up the good work.... I do eat mountain house and similar meals...happy yak recently I've tried and of course the many other brands on the market. I do utilize whatever is lightest in longer trips but for shorter trips where weight isn't as much of a concern MRE's are great. I do however usually bring at least one or two MRE's when even going long just for the extra utensils and snackies as there is always someone who wants to grab some of your meal on every trail or water source in every nation it seems......they'll all bung you up... but it's okay.... I often wonder if they didn't do that on purpose due to the E.coli and C-Difficile concerns moving in mass soldiers, which often happens in large scale events. But either way I've never had to much of a problem with not being able to go eating these meals, it eventually comes out. I find the meals are generally great for camp food on the go standards but of course we all have our favorites out of A & B cases.... I prefer A cases as most do, but I do buy both. I'm just not fussy on most of the vegetarian vegan meal packs....give me meat as I need the protein when working extra hard...i notice the energy loss significantly without meat....and then have to make up for it with lots of nuts in snacks and the energy when going hard seems to wear off real fast that way.....exhaustion sets in, in those circumstances....food is just like fuel and meals get important in those circumstances when you're out in the middle of nowhere on your own. It can turn a 3 day trip into a 6 day trip fast when you're dragging your butt through the woods.I'll consider trying out the XMRE packs if I come across them at a better price point, but usually I know my suppliers and guys that get me pretty good deals online that I maintain contact with for it I need supplies....but I'm always open to new suppliers if the price is right of course....life is that way.
That’s awesome you have a connection to get them, I’ve never personally taken them camping, I’m usually set up to just cook food, I have friends that love the convenience of just open and eat, thank you for watching and commenting
MREs aren't good for bugout scenarios. When every ounce counts in a BOB, MREs weigh 3-4x heavier than just-add-water dehydrated meals. Most of us aren't in the late teens/early 20s in the best shape they'll ever be. Lug all that weight trying to be a tough guy and step wrong and blow out your knee. Then what. I put 4 MREs and the rest Mountain House.
Well I'm not going to try to summit Everest if the SHTF.... I plan on having a vehicle with which to navigate the wasteland, so weight won't be a problem.
I will probably start a gang of nomadic marauders to just take what we need once the supply of MRE's has be exhausted.
They will call me Lord Humungous. Be sure to say hello if you ever see me out there.
@@straybullitt You and your entire town/city will have the same idea and get in their cars. You may very well have to abandon your car in jammed roads and what you can carry is it. Even if not SHTF, hiking for days with heavy pack is no fun. MREs are indeed heavier than freeze dried. You can carry more food by not carrying so many MREs in BO situations.
Grab some MCW (Meal Cold Weather) they are a freeze dried MRE. The main dishes are Mtn House.
@@straybullitt Nah, I won't. I'd rather 'just walk away'...😉
Daytrex bars are nice too. Lightweight and you can live off of them for a while before you find some solid food.
Just before covid hit I tried to order from XMRE and they were out of their regular 1300 XT series, what I ended up ordering were their Blueline Series which was a little different. It came in a clear bag (so you could see the contents), same thickness as the brown bag, but it lacked toilet paper, salt/pepper, napkin, coffee/creamer/sugar. The Blueline series is meant to be passed out by emergency responders in cases of natural disasters. I have been taking XMRE's for lunch and camping for a long time now. and they taste great.
no. there's a humanitarian mre made. actually they're 50 dollars a case of 10 instead of 170 for a case of 12. different entrées but still filling
@@charliemartin4392 a buddy gave me one of those, kind of an orange colored package, the pop tart was gross since it wasn't frosted but the rest of it I was actually pretty impressed with, I liked it, didn't have a way to heat the food included but that didn't bother me, and "humanitarian daily rations" being half the cost or less of mre's, can't really complain, biggest downside is the lack of options, we all know the same food repeatedly gets old pretty quick
@@lumpyzx2645 I understand, but if you're starving it works
Thanks, used to live on the older MRE version.
Informative sir. I would have like have seen you try the food. I know they where are not same mains. But more as a gauge "I prefer the taste of this over this. This smells like preservatives or has an unpleasant smell." I look forward to seeing more of your videos.
Been eating MRE's since 1990 as a pvt. They have changed the menu several times, not always for the best either. I would always strip mine down to save space and weight. As a young specialist I learned if you are getting chow for the platoon always add 12 to your number. I would open the cases and make a case for myself in the menus I liked. So, basically I always had enough to eat. I was skinny but always hungry in the field.
I got some MREs when I was a teenager (in the late 90s) from an Army Surplus store. I loved them! They were fantastic. If I ever do some serious traveling it's definitely going to be fueled my MREs.
Back in the late 70s-early 80s, we'd always pick up some C Rations at the surplus store for camping. Open em with a P38, heat em on the fire, and leave a part of the lid attached and bent back for a handle. Good times.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 00iii7u
@@tauriangary What?
I am glad you did this video because I have been wondering what was in the civilian MREs.
Thanks for watching
I picked up a couple of cases of MREs to throw in my work van in the event I couldn't leave the site for lunch. I threw anything I didn't use in a box in the cab for other meals usually the accessory pack was unused until covid hit. Never thought that the part I would appreciate saving most would be the TP. More than once I stopped for a rest room and no TP.
If you ate them 37 years ago, they had no heater.
We had dehydrated beef, pork, potato patties: add water.
We had powdered ketchup; add water.
Cherry, chocolate, or orange nut cake.
The Strawberrys were the best
15:50 52 grams is approximately 2 ounces, therefore the military ration has double the trail mix.
2.2 oz., to be exact. It was on the other side of the package, and easily visible when he held the trail mix up to the camera during the comparison.
Every pothead knows there’s 28 grams in an ounce lol
I just found your channel. Great stuff! I have asked this question before. The MREs have the message on them to deter theft, I believe.
Thanks for watching
Heck yeah we got a Cincinnati company there! Love seeing stuff coming from home
When I was a kid, dad used to bring these home from Drill all the time, but back then, the packs were OD green all over,, with minimal labeling. It might have had some info on the back. Only thing I ever ate was the gum.
Thanks for watching and sharing the memory
I have a surplus store nearby that sells military mres for 10 bucks a piece. Really good price for the selection
That want do me much good. I need nine weeks worth of meals. That would break my expence acc.
Make sure their NOT EXPIRED.
@@grimtooth5358 They arent. I check the dates
Lots of companies run the same product down the production lines with the difference being the sleeve or wrapping. Sometimes they will even package different companies items for them with there logo’s on it. Walmart did this when they were starting there great value brand.
Great comparison. It seems in most ways, they are pretty much identical. It is funny though, the one difference would annoy me. Trail mix usually has nuts while dried fruit doesn't offer much in the way of protein. Thanks for the side by side!
We called them Meals Rejected by Ethiopia given that after the Gulf War, excess MRE's were shipped there to help deal with the famine and even the starving Ethiopians rejected them. In all fairness, some rejected them due to the pork content in some of the meals. Having served between 1982 and 2006, I experienced C Rations and various versions of MREs (as they kept improving them).
There's good meals on both sides of the isle depending on what you get. But if you like supporting American private companies Made In America type stuff look into Minotaur Mre's. They are crazy good. My 7 year old daughter even likes them.
Checked them out they seem decent
I bought some civilian MRE's from Midway USA right at the start of the pandemic and still have some left. Mostly chili but it was surprisingly good. Chicken chili with a good spicy bite and the white chocolate chip cranberry cookie was delicious as well.
the gift shop there right? i got some gumbo mre's there too, they were so good with some salt sprinkled in
Many MREs make it to government auctions just after inspection date. Just about anyone can pick up a case or pallet of these at great prices. Store them at the right temp and they will last a few years. You would be hard pressed to find tastier, more effective food storage.
Thanks for the info. Well done.
I have the warnick company just 10 mins away from my house. I called asking if I could buy some Mres. They said they will sell to me at a little under $6 a MRE. The issue was I had to buy a pallet. That would be 80 boxes (12 mres a box) and I had to pick it up myself they would not deliver. I usually buy from Bob. I find his is a little more expensive but they seem to have more calories and more food. Great video thanks for sharing.
Who's Bob??
@@americanpatriot6918 Bob is the head of Minotaur trading company
@@GodsOHman Do they have an online store??
So about 5800 dollars not great not terrible.
@@LavitosExodius yea I dont mind 2 of each box but if you watch Dub C he did only American Mres for I guess a month and he got bored quick. They have very similar components.
👍Nice comparisons! Military MRE's is like the fast food version of mcdonalds. Food that is already packed up, quick to pick up, open and eat, with very little prep work!
and like McDonalds will give you all the digestive discomfort you could ask for.
@@BradsJourney Lol that too is true!😂
Hi there found your channel totally by chance as a ex British reserve I used to buy US mres just to try something different menu 15 and 16 where probably my favourites although I've never tried the pizza one yet keep up the amazing work
Thanks for watching, I have a MRE Pizza video coming up
pretty good comparison. Thanks
"Meals Ready to Exit" That one always gets me. It's just too funny of a line. But yeah, my father and grandfather, could never understand why I actually liked the MREs; But I have a very low tolerance for fiber, so even the tiniest bit is good enough for me. Too much and, well that's 3+ days of nothing.
The dried fruit pack solves the problem of the "show stopper" the military variant cause. The fruit are high fiber. So no back up issues.
when i wa sin the army from 1989 too 1995 the fruit cocktail but you had add water .
Straight up video loved it. I'm a survierlist and need the input,tried both MRE,s kinda like military for performance and quality!
Thanks for watching
Hi Brad, I am enjoying your videos very much! Love your analysis; you take the time to give us all the information, which is very helpful. Thanks so much.
Thank you for watching, hope you stick around
@@BradsJourney I am planning on it! Thanks again; really enjoy your videos.
I like the Ameriqual MRE's, they have that inner bag. The other two companies just throw the components in the brown outer bag...
The other interesting thing is the entries made by Ameriqual, Wornick and Sopakco are all different. So the Burrito Bowl will be different depending on the company who made it. Even the nutritional values change.
For instance the Chicken and Noodles entries taste and have a different textures depending on which company is making it.
I’m in the airforce and love MRE’s but honest to god Russian rations are so much better. Also MRE’s are like 7$ on base so pretty cheap compared to eBay or other retailer if you can get a friend to buy them for you from the Commissary.
Cool tid bit but in self aid buddy care I was taught by our medic to use a MRE bag to seal a sucking chest wound. Yup would never need to use that info but a cool thing to know.
Thank you for your service, info and watching!
Yes, indeed. Sustaining a sucking chest wound in combat would, for lack of a better word,...suck. Whether a medic was around to use an MRE bag to seal it or not! 😏
We were always taught to use the plastic wrapper off of field dressings
How good r the freez dried MRES that Walmart sells in the camping section where you add hot water into the bag that it comes in?
Hey thanks Brad for the info. What a good place to go to buys MRE’S?
Sure beats starving to death. And folks...remember have water stocked up and also a way to get water and filter water. You can go a lot longer without food than you can without water. Be safe.
Wow they came a long way in MRE's, I still got 2 packs from 25 years ago when I was in the USAF. That thick plastic outer pouch just fell apart but the packaging inside was intact. But there was no inner bag holding everything it was loose like the commercial ones. Also there was no Chicken burrito flavor back then either. I had take 3 with me on my way back from the middle east and ate one on the layover in Germany, we had arrived late and so everything was closed. I miss the oatmeal cookie in them, it didn't look appetizing since it was just a gray block but it tasted pretty good. I'm surprise they don't have that tiny bottle of Tobasco in it any more.
You can go out and pay that high dollars for them. Or you can go to Walmart and buy Hormel compleats dinners that has a 2 year plus best by. You can also get Louisiana rice entree mix that has a 3 year plus best by.
Ex Mil here, always a preper- good video, really linked the review and comparison!! Thanks!!!!
Thank you for your service and watching!
Just cause I was curious 64 grams is ~2.25 ounces. So the commercial MRE has 44% the fruit mix of the military variety
Yeah, if I would of flipped the package over it had it wrote on there, Thanks for watching!
With commercially available “MREs”, their companies usually confirm date made and the storage/stability of the product until it gets to your door. WHEN GETTING USED MILITARY MREs = you may have no way of knowing if they were properly stored, or left in a hot car for a month, or in an unheated garage over winter or a cool, non sunlit dark basement for 10 years, (like the spares my uncle gave me = most were edible, the crackers were stale, and the flameless ration heaters barely worked as advertised).😊✌🏼🖖🏼
The crackers are really always like that. And the heaters are always hit or miss.
@@xboxfan129 I’ve had brand new cases (less than 6 months old) where the heaters hardly activated. Have to add some of that salt and it’s also better to start with lukewarm water.
@kohio1992 that’s why I never heated them. Bairly ever heated the whole thing lol
Military MRES can last up to 16+ years if left in a cool dry environment. I can verify it with my daughter/her best friend finicky 8 year old taste buds when camping with US ARMY Dad. Carry on private!
This isn't entirely true. The military has a temperature gauge sticker on the outside of the case. If you buy unopened cases, and the sticker hasn't changed color, you know they were stored properly.
Concise review, no BS. Great job!
Awesome video I was wondering this very question and you answered it well.
I still have a pork pattie just to remind myself of the brown wrapper meals rejected by Ethiopians from the 1980s. The mini tobasco bottles were gold.
That was my favorite , it came with good stuff.
Wish they still included those little bottles of hot sauce
@Nick Riley I remember when we didn't get the Tabasco even. We didn't even have those heaters or maybe the higher ups just played with them all. I mostly remember dark brown packaging and then at some point they started making vegetarian meals (most sucked) and I only heard of kosher ones. My first MRE was Salmon and Cheese Loaf and was actually pretty good but I never saw another one. I avoided the hot dogs or franks and beans and the sausage patties. Those were on par with the canned hamburgers or powdered green eggs as far as I'm concerned. I loved the cheese and crackers, cherry nut cake, and maple nut cake but we also survived off our pogey bait.
I loved those dehydrated pork patties! I used to let them sit in water in my canteen cup for awhile then boil it over a dollop of burning peanut butter.
Whichever is cheaper. Prices have jumped and no joke. Used to buy a case for $90 sometimes and now it's $130.
Edit: holy cow I thought it was 130 but they go for 180!!
You gotta make friends with someone in the army reserves, js 😊
I wish I could find MREs for $130 a case. Lately I can only find them for $170 a case.
@@txgunguy2766 you need a buddy in the reserves :)
If they got caught I don't think they'd be in the Reserves much longer.
@@txgunguy2766 , where do you think all these come from online? Js, most of them come home from operations with a few cases
Cool they finally notched the main on the short ends so you can open them lengthwise easier.
Thanks for the info!