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Posted: 5/11/2001 7:17:24 AM EDT
Boy have MRE's changed since I got out 15 yrs ago....

I had GEN I as issue, in the Dark Brown, add water to the meat even, then eat cold and crappy....

Last nite I tried a new style one....No bad at all....Even has a ?HEATER? for the main course? BOY WAS I SURPRISED!!!! You guys have it GREAT! And to think I did K & C rats! sheesh!

We used peanut butter as a burning agent back when, would BURN GREAT! Any tricks/secrets with the new ones? What is this heating pack made of?

Also I saw a note 'USGovt Property'...Are they serious????? WTF??? Let me guess, Klinton? One more thing, There is a RED sticker on the outside of the case I saw, it said something about Fresh Check Indicator..is red bad or good?
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 7:22:24 AM EDT
[#1]
Hi Cav,

Never seen one of those fresh check things. The new ones are a lot better. Some even hav M&Ms in them for a while. The Govmt Property markings are because nobody is supposed to be selling mil issue ones anymore. Not sure why that is. If you look at surplus stores on-line most have MRE look alikes now. Not the real thing. The heaters make great little bombs. But the powder in a plastic pop bottle and add water, but the cap back on and move away!

Aviator
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 7:31:44 AM EDT
[#2]
I almost feel guilty eating them knowing how past rations have sucked and I never ate any of those C/K/early MREs.

The only trick I know is an MRE bomb.

Take the heater(I don't know what it's made of), break it up into little pieces and stuff it into a soda bottle. Fill it with water and run like hell. Big Boom.

If you literally want to clear a room/barracks, add a few little bottles of tobasco sauce. It atomizes in the resulting explosion and is just like OC spray. Peolpe will be rubbing their tearing eyes for an hour.

Of, course I've only heard of these things. I wouldn't know from any personal experience.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:22:20 AM EDT
[#3]
I pity you guys that never tasted a "John Wayne" bar from a C-rat.  Or never had a C-rat can to tape to your M-60 so the rounds would feed.  Or slurped those grease covered pork patties. Or ate the "Turkey or Chickened Boned".  Yeah, that sh!t was boned all right!  Hell, they didn't even know if it was a turkey or a chicken when they put it in the can!  

To be honest, there wasn't a whole lot of difference in taste between the Gen I MRE and C-rats.  I'm glad they got rid of all that dehydrated crap in the Gen I's though.  The dehydrated catsup was idiotic.  

Of course you haven't lived until you've eaten the finest cuisine the Army ever put out.  The Long Range Patrol ration.  Now there was a ration!

Seriously, the new MREs are WAY better than the old stuff.  Well nearly anything but the sliced peaches in a B-3 unit.  

Ross
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:26:45 AM EDT
[#4]
I read somewhere that GI MREs are not for civillian sale on the surplus market because Uncle Sam uses our property to feed other countries when disaster stikes. Like they are U.S. aid items.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:32:22 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
Some even hav M&Ms in them for a while. The Govmt Property markings are because nobody is supposed to be selling mil issue ones anymore. Not sure why that is.
View Quote


Becuase they are not marked with the nutritional content which is required for commercial sale.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:32:51 AM EDT
[#6]
they have all kinds of candy now, their is a really good cookie too. my fav is the crackers and peanut butter. i have a whole case of just crackers cheese and peanut better. the first time you eat the peanut butter it aint so good, but once you build up an immunity, you cant get enough
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:50:44 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
I pity you guys that never tasted a "John Wayne" bar from a C-rat.  Or never had a C-rat can to tape to your M-60 so the rounds would feed.  Or slurped those grease covered pork patties. Or ate the "Turkey or Chickened Boned".  Yeah, that sh!t was boned all right!  Hell, they didn't even know if it was a turkey or a chicken when they put it in the can!  
View Quote


Hey, those cans with the really really compressed eggs and ham were not too bad . I remember when Cs had the small 5 pack of smokes in them. I was too young to smoke, but I remember it. LOL


Aviator
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 9:36:44 AM EDT
[#8]
In '67 got a c-rat that had a red and green Lucky Strike 5 pack. Lit one up and pssssst, it was gone. I think I got one drag off of it. I can't remember the box date, sometime in the 50s.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 9:42:22 AM EDT
[#9]
Originally Posted By Older Crow:
In '67 got a c-rat that had a red and green Lucky Strike 5 pack. Lit one up and pssssst, it was gone. I think I got one drag off of it. I can't remember the box date, sometime in the 50s.
View Quote
Buddy of mine had the same in '78.  Date on the box was '47.  Seriously, the new MRE's are great.  Still, every once in awhile i have a craving for c-ration chocolate nut roll.
That and 3 canteens of water to get it down.  Seriously, prefer MRE's to the t-rations, you know the giant frozen trays, one tray of entree, feeds 1 platoon, etc.  Some of the desserts are ok, but the potatoes are nasty, and the turkey slices in gravy....well they look camouflaged.
[smash]
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 11:06:07 AM EDT
[#10]
That was one of the best things about camping when I was a boy scout.  C-Rats with smokes!!!  We would come home smelling like smoke even when we did not have a campfire.  Our poor mothers never did figure that one out.

I agree that the new MREs are pretty damned good.  I'd probably think different if I had to eat them all the time though.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 11:22:40 AM EDT
[#11]
It sounds like I missed out on the C & K rations, does anyone still sell them?  I need to try some.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 11:51:56 AM EDT
[#12]
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 12:37:11 PM EDT
[#13]
mhmmmmm MRE's i just got half a case of mre from SG and i must be crazy cuz i like MRE's!
back when i was little my dad used to bring me some back from the reserves and man there just as good as i rember em mhmmmmmmmm
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 12:51:33 PM EDT
[#14]
Hey CavVet, if you need any MRE info, let me know.

I'm a MRE expert. Sort of.

I can tell you which ones to buy, which not to buy, which ones taste better than a home cooked meal [:I] and....which one taste like sh*t. [puke]

I know which one's pack the best foods.

Post a message for me, or email me. [email protected]
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 1:03:50 PM EDT
[#15]
Thanks but no thanks.....


I would ove to get some, but as they are for GOVT use only, and I am CIVVIE!!!! I guess I will have to pass.....


Kalikommies cant have AR's and I cant have an MRE.....Hella free country when possession of food is a federal crime....

By the way, WHOEVER was gonna try C rats..do yourself a favor...DONT...

Someone else said..eggs and ham...WHEW...words can NOT express...

FWIW....the crackers in the old C's were MUCH better than the new ones....
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 1:22:44 PM EDT
[#16]
CavVet, I can give you the names of suppliers of those that offer great Civilan MRE's that taste great.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 2:19:44 PM EDT
[#17]
Rowgan or anyone - How about listing a couple of your favorite suppliers/brands of the new MRE's.  I'm looking into picking some up but haven't a clue which are better or what to look for.

Thanks
Stewart

Link Posted: 5/11/2001 2:40:01 PM EDT
[#18]
Awwww...C-rations ..now that takes me back about 25-30 years those left over taste delights from WWII..Early on in my service we left one of those crackers from the crackers and jelly out on a tank top and it rained.Well the next morning that cracker had swollen up to the size of a small pumpkin..man it was huge.We knew then why when you eat 4 of them and drink a canteen of water it was like eating a four course meal..you were stuffed...And its so hard to believe that our gov'ment supplied our fighting service men with smokes,, and those little five packs were very very strong I swear you almost got a buzz from them..Anyway sure takes me back a few years..and I have'nt heard of a John Wayne bar in a long long time   good trading material...
My 2 cents worth

NightRanger
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 4:04:00 PM EDT
[#19]
cal-vet you can buy the new type on ebay all day long. buy ones with a recent inspection date as things like the candy bars are fresher. all of the new cases I see have the red sticker on them and I could be wrong but most likely it is just used as a counter on the assemble line. the main problem in buying the mre's by mail is the weight in shipping as they weigh roughly 23 pounds and cost around $13 and up by ups. try your local gun shows and try to get them under $40 a case asnd that would be a good fair price. because after shipping you would be over that in most casesoff the internet.

I kinda like the vegie ones my self as they have vegy crackers and a fruit bar or granola bar most of the time. the newer one's have a soldier in a circle in the upper left corner and come with the water activated heater. the heaters are great and if you do not use them when you cook (like in a pot on a stove) you can save them and use it as a pocket warmer in the winter.

If you can not get them locally let me know and I will hook you up at $3 each. or $26 a case and you pay the shipping. you can usually find me over at the fal forums.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 4:25:29 PM EDT
[#20]
What is a reasonable useful life of the newer MRE's?
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 4:39:30 PM EDT
[#21]
well accorind to the paper isert in the half case i bought says about 5 years
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 4:40:31 PM EDT
[#22]
most folks say the shelf life is around 10 years. some of the cases tell you not to pay attention to the date and they can be issued to troups with the date of reinspection having been expired. I try to rotate any that I get and keep the newer dates and use any that have a earlier date before the newer ones. the brand new one's just out have a newer type of water activated heater that only allows the meal to go in one way and the heater is seperated and can't come out on you. the reson for the warning label that says u.s. goverment property commercail resale is unlawfull is because it is a controlled item and they do not want them walking off of the bases. some line companys have to turn in the left over meals and some they do not worry about. the way they give them away to gaurd units and to serch and rescue and ect,ect,ect. they have been alot easier to get. they are more concerned about the guy with a truck load or surplus store load than a meal or two a gi takes home
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 5:57:37 PM EDT
[#23]
Info for you MRE gourmets:  [url]http://www.beprepared.com/Articles/MRE.html[/url] It has info on length of storage and a wide variety of tasty entrees are offered.

Available for civilians to enjoy too!

[puke]

DaMan

PS - URL corrected.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 6:12:11 PM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
The fumes of the water activated heater are flamable, so if you make one of those water bottle bombs and toss it by a fire or attach something on fire to it I hear the make a good fire ball.  I haven't tried this yet, I work in a building, and they frown upon make fireballs indoors, go figure. [:)]
View Quote


The "fumes" are hydrogen gas. Hence the (and I have to paraphrase here) warning against preparing more than 10 MREs at a time in an enclosed space(ie tent or airplane). I think they're more concerned with the oxygen displacement than explosion hazard, but I'm only guessin.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 7:18:41 PM EDT
[#25]
I got some cases of the news ones but I gotta drive to Florida to get 'em. Too heavy too ship.

Ones I hate: Turkey and Potatoes, Jamaican pork chop, any of the chicken patties or the tough grilled chicken, pasta alfredo. The ones I prefer are the other pastas, rice, stews, and most of the beef entrees. The red beans and rice ain't bad. I eat 'em when hunting instead of going back to camp for lunch, and sometimes at matches when I don't have a sandwich.

I am an Army brat, and ate lots of c-rats our dads gave us for campouts back in the sixties. Ham 'n limas, "John Wayne" crackers in the can, with the peanut butter in the little flat cans, peaches or fruit cocktail, little flat roll of TP, matches, and cigs. Aahh the memories. They taste best if you open them with a P-9. [BD]
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:15:02 PM EDT
[#26]
My only complaint about the new ones (in trays) is that they have NO COFFEE!! DEFINITEly not mil-spec.  They are good eatin' not Mom's home cooking, but not bad........
 Roger on the chicken dishes, they taste like cat food.
Link Posted: 5/11/2001 8:32:22 PM EDT
[#27]
C-rats were better, way better and they sucked.
Ham & Mother fu**ers holy sh*t.
Link Posted: 5/12/2001 6:42:30 AM EDT
[#28]
Meals rejcted by ethiopians!(MRE). New one aren't as bad as the old, they got rid of omelet w/ ham, thank god![puke]
Link Posted: 5/12/2001 8:36:26 AM EDT
[#29]
stay away from the frankfurters [puke]
Link Posted: 5/12/2001 10:11:35 AM EDT
[#30]
Military supplier that sells to the GP.

[url]www.crownpt.com/MRE1.htm[/url]
Link Posted: 5/12/2001 4:13:29 PM EDT
[#31]
Everything you ever wanted to know about Army rations thoughout history [url]http://www.qmfound.com/army_subsistence_history.htm[/url]

Weren't the can openers in the C-rats known as "P-38s"?  They come in pretty handy on a keyring.  

DaMan
Link Posted: 5/13/2001 12:43:13 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
stay away from the frankfurters [puke]
View Quote
I would agree on the 1st generation franks.  I happen to LIKE the new frankfurters. They are almost like polish sausage to me.
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