I know there have already been some threads about MREs but none of them have answered this- which MREs are good and which MREs should be avoided?
My brain is thinking that pasta with sausage is probably really greasy and bad, while spaghetti and meatballs might be okay (but would be easier to prepare without having to buy an MRE). I saw one that was BBQ ribs, is that any good? Also need to find ones that are dairy-free, so mashed potatoes and gravy is probably not an option.
I don't plan on subsisting entirely on MREs, but they do seem to be an easy option for heating and cleanup to eat once or twice during the week. So I'd like to pick some decent ones.
Good MREs?
Good MREs?
Icepack
[email protected]
[email protected]
In all honesty, the standard Military ones are the way to go.
First, they are not that bad. If you can, buy a bunch and try them out.
They are cheap. You can get whole meals for $5 if you shop around or head to your local gun show. Considering they are very portable and require no cooking, $5 is cheap.
However, the only thing I can say is, don’t try to live on them on the Playa. Try to get a good balance of regular meals, snacks and MRE’s. I plan to take about 6 of them and have them for lunch when out on the Playa. I think I am going military style for the day. I will cook a good nice meal for breakfast and dinner, but lunch and snack will be quick, easy and portable. I plan to have my lunches on the Playa while exploring Buringman.
First, they are not that bad. If you can, buy a bunch and try them out.
They are cheap. You can get whole meals for $5 if you shop around or head to your local gun show. Considering they are very portable and require no cooking, $5 is cheap.
However, the only thing I can say is, don’t try to live on them on the Playa. Try to get a good balance of regular meals, snacks and MRE’s. I plan to take about 6 of them and have them for lunch when out on the Playa. I think I am going military style for the day. I will cook a good nice meal for breakfast and dinner, but lunch and snack will be quick, easy and portable. I plan to have my lunches on the Playa while exploring Buringman.
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Mr Mullen
Mr Mullen
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dragonfly Jafe
- Posts: 1877
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- Location: the Oregon Trail
IMHO mre's are much to "heavy" for the playa. The candy and snacks might be ok, and the fruit drink will be great. Fresh food is better IMHO.
There is something strange about being on-playa. Things you love back home are unpalatable, and things you normally wouldn't touch are the bomb! Creme filled cookies, for instance (the really cheapo kind, not oreo's). Hate'em in america, love'em on the playa. Raman noodles - some years they are all that keeps me alive, some years I cannot stomach even looking at them.
Basically, I eat about 1 good meal per day (usually re-heating a frozen home-cooked pasta meal sealed in a bag in boiling water) and the rest of the day is snacking (gorp type stuff, cookies, chips, veggies, and crackers) and drinking juice. I am usually craving fat by the end of the week.
Of course, you could always bring MRE's to "gift" to people....
regards, Jafe
There is something strange about being on-playa. Things you love back home are unpalatable, and things you normally wouldn't touch are the bomb! Creme filled cookies, for instance (the really cheapo kind, not oreo's). Hate'em in america, love'em on the playa. Raman noodles - some years they are all that keeps me alive, some years I cannot stomach even looking at them.
Basically, I eat about 1 good meal per day (usually re-heating a frozen home-cooked pasta meal sealed in a bag in boiling water) and the rest of the day is snacking (gorp type stuff, cookies, chips, veggies, and crackers) and drinking juice. I am usually craving fat by the end of the week.
Of course, you could always bring MRE's to "gift" to people....
regards, Jafe
OK, I flog MRE's as easy way to go. But I really do not tend to think of them as food so much as fuel. The military packs are the way to go since you get a variety and complete meals in one handy dandy case. I would eat part of one for lunch and finish it off for dinner, generally keeping the main course for dinner; very often I would have the crackers and whatever for a snack before crashing.
As for the best tasting, I really liked the beef stew and at one point I shared a ministroni dinner around and one of the guys declared that it was as good as any he ever had. None of the MRE's that I ate (and I still have a few) were ineatable, some I just liked more than others. This year I will be bringing along the MRE's and a varity of more or less fresh food.
I got mine from Cheaper than Dirt and at that time they had free shipping, this is a good thing since these puppies are heavy.
A point that many others have made, you will not eat anywhere near as much as you think you will. I planned on about two a day and even with giving a couple away I averaged about 1.25 to 1.5 meals a day. Speaking only for myself; Burning Man is the best weight loss program on the planet.
As for the best tasting, I really liked the beef stew and at one point I shared a ministroni dinner around and one of the guys declared that it was as good as any he ever had. None of the MRE's that I ate (and I still have a few) were ineatable, some I just liked more than others. This year I will be bringing along the MRE's and a varity of more or less fresh food.
I got mine from Cheaper than Dirt and at that time they had free shipping, this is a good thing since these puppies are heavy.
A point that many others have made, you will not eat anywhere near as much as you think you will. I planned on about two a day and even with giving a couple away I averaged about 1.25 to 1.5 meals a day. Speaking only for myself; Burning Man is the best weight loss program on the planet.
My grandfather tried to raise me as a Southern gentleman, that means that I can be a real SOB some of the time.
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Tapestry
- Posts: 52
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- Burning Since: 2003
- Camp Name: Hair of the Dog
- Location: Oklahoma
- Contact:
The thing to remember about MRE's is that they aren't designed to be delicious or filling-- they're designed to keep soldiers alive. Having said that, most military MRE's are actually very good. The military has actually made a lot of progress with them over the years. I've tried several, and found many surprisingly tasty. There are vegetarian MRE's now, too.
If money is an issue, another thing to remember is that you don't have to buy the entire MRE. Most army surplus stores will sell you just the entree and the heater package out of an MRE for about half the cost of the whole package. (How many of those little Tobasco bottles do you really need, anyway?)
Speaking of those ingenious little heater packets: the instructions say they need 12 to 15 minutes to cook the entree. Last year on the playa, however, it must have been the altitude or something, but it took me almost 20 minutes to properly cook one. A cold MRE is still edible, but not as good.
If money is an issue, another thing to remember is that you don't have to buy the entire MRE. Most army surplus stores will sell you just the entree and the heater package out of an MRE for about half the cost of the whole package. (How many of those little Tobasco bottles do you really need, anyway?)
Speaking of those ingenious little heater packets: the instructions say they need 12 to 15 minutes to cook the entree. Last year on the playa, however, it must have been the altitude or something, but it took me almost 20 minutes to properly cook one. A cold MRE is still edible, but not as good.
mre goodness
well last year i brought mre's out to burningman and for everyone that said gross to my mre's they were the first to want to eat some when i just whip one out and start snacking anywhere on the playa. Just make sure to clean it all up. They make a mess. The best place to get MRE's is on ebay. You can buy them in bulk and cheap. I 'd say bring MRE's for backup and real food for eating!!!
ah,
i have a good amount of MRE experience.
i had a friend in the service and he used to hook us up for BM in the early days.
class "A" MRE's are what you want. as far a which ones, most are pretty ok as far as 'seeing what you get in the brown case' of MRE's goes. seriously, i think *they* have done a great job with them over the years, for what they're worth.
theye did us well in 100+ plus sustained winds for 9 hours trapped in a van in the desert. they used to have a cool "not so commited to cooking" facet when food was a hassle on the playa. and when it was not so convenient for food, they came through like lightning.
can't offer up any particular ones tho', most seemed pretty doable. just save your mini tabasco bottles for tequilla shots!
-b
i have a good amount of MRE experience.
i had a friend in the service and he used to hook us up for BM in the early days.
class "A" MRE's are what you want. as far a which ones, most are pretty ok as far as 'seeing what you get in the brown case' of MRE's goes. seriously, i think *they* have done a great job with them over the years, for what they're worth.
theye did us well in 100+ plus sustained winds for 9 hours trapped in a van in the desert. they used to have a cool "not so commited to cooking" facet when food was a hassle on the playa. and when it was not so convenient for food, they came through like lightning.
can't offer up any particular ones tho', most seemed pretty doable. just save your mini tabasco bottles for tequilla shots!
-b
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