Better MRE/civilian MRE brands

[Shorts]

Tonight we were discussing our food plans. For our current location we need food for 2wks for 2 people @ 2k cals/PP p/day. We are aiming for the full meal packs. Which brands/manfs are a preferred source? We estimate $8-$10 meal. Is that realistic? If not, what is? Thanks.

[mkmckinley]

Be more specific. Do you need to be able to pack it out or is this for a stationary cache. How long does the shelf life need to be? Are there any food allergies to deal with? Is this for emergency sustenance or does it need to taste good?

If you plan on being able to cook it then simple lightweight dry foods like beans and rice are great and have long shelf lives. Ideally get whole grain wild rice. Many people around the world subsist on mainly just beans and rice. You could augment them with salt and seasoning packets and a can of bacon or something. I've added a little peanut or almond butter to beans and rice for some extra fat and it's pretty good if you don't use too much. You can mix it up by adding different seasoning and types of beans but it will get boring after awhile. You can also add whole grains but the great thing about rice is the shelf life. Keep it dry and away from pests and it will last forever. If you want to you can figure out portions and vacuum seal them and make like an MRE that you have to cook. Another upside to the beans/rice plan is it's really cheap. Raw nut/dried fruit mixture is also pretty lightweight and packable and a good snack in between bean and rice meals.

MRE's are very convenient but heavy. It's kind or hard to pack two weeks worth of them if that's important to you.

[Shorts]

Do you need to be able to pack it out or is this for a stationary cache.

Stationary

How long does the shelf life need to be?

3-5yrs

Are there any food allergies to deal with?

No food allergies

Is this for emergency sustenance or does it need to taste good?

Both.

The scenario in mind is up to 2wks w/o power due to (in all likelihood) a hurricane. We are renting a house in S.FL. For a weather event we plan to hunker down in place as we are out of state and 1. have no where to go and 2. geographically "smack dab in the middle". We do not anticipate flooding at our location, I've also checked FEMAs site for flood plain map. We do have a propane grill outside and we have our Coleman camping grill as well. Will have several propane tanks on hand at all times. At this time we are planning for no generator - no electricity, no fridge. Essentially we will be camping in our house until services are restored.

This is not our collapse of society plan.

Ok, hope the details help a little more. Thanks.

[Moose-Knuckle]

MRE's have there place . . . as does canned goods, freeze-dried foods, etc.

As for MREs I have had good luck with Menu C (when they have them) from . . .

http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/StoreFront

[ptmccain]

You can get the real thing from these guys. Shipping is high because these are fairly heavy boxes, but these MREs are actual military MREs, just as issued.

http://www.armygear.net/ag/store/00231.html?id=xRumVmwC

[eternal24k]

Avoid Heater Meals, our unit had some for some reason, had to eat them for 3 days and it made MREs look and taste like 100 times better.
No real substance, no flavor, and instant bubble gut.

[luvmy40]

Check out the local gun shows for MREs. There are always several vendors selling for $50-60.00/case in my area.

Look at Augason Farms brand @ overstock.com decent prices, fair shipping and AF are great products.

We keep a 6 month supply of AF storage food and a case or two of MREs for quick grab and go meals.

[Grand58742]

Check out the local gun shows for MREs. There are always several vendors selling for $50-60.00/case in my area.

Be very careful about buying the MREs you find at gun shows. There is no telling how old they are or how they have been stored prior to you getting them. Heat causes them to degrade faster than normal and even sitting at room temperature shortens the lifespan.

http://www.mreinfo.com/us/mre/mre-shelf-life.html

If it's for survival situations, plan on the best possible foods in advance and buying new production from a reputable source can keep you from having problems.

[KingCobra]

I ate a MRE in the field a couple weeks ago with M&m's that expired in '03... tasted just as shitty as any other MRE to me.

[mkmckinley]

I don't think the OP would be best served by buying up a bunch of MREs. They are expensive for what they are and have features the OP doesn't need. They're about $8 apiece and realistically they will consume two per day per person. For a two week supply that comes out to almost $500. Since they don't need to pack it and will be able to boil water then beans/rice/canned foods would be a lot cheaper and probably more appetizing anyway. Hell the main meals in an MRE are basically Chef Boyardee which you can get for like a buck a can. They could just get a bunch of those and have basically what an MRE has. If they do need to pack it they could just take the dry goods and have a lighter weight food source than MREs.

If I were prepping two weeks worth of food for two people I would determine actual maintenance calorie requirements for each person and pre plan meals based on beans and rice with seasoning, a can of meat, a can of vegetables, and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter for each meal. I'd set up buckets with the proper proportions of each ingredient so that each bucket has all you need. I would add a silica gel pack, a role of toilet paper, some matches, some bar soap, cheap steel cutlery, salt/seasoning, instant coffee, and maybe some hard candy to the bucket. Hell if I was feeling crazy I might even put some Easy Cheese in there. I would seal the food inside the buckets with a vaccuum sealer and I would seal the lids onto the buckets with waterproof tape or silicone and label them the name of the person who it's for, the date it was packed, and the contents. I would place the buckets someplace cool and dry and inspect them every so often.