MRE

[Mortblanc]

Not only are there differences between the contents and taste of each nation's rations there are also differences in amount contained.

U.S. MRE include a single meal and snacks, most other NATO nations include a full one day ration or three meals equivalent. Each contains foods unique to that culture but not so strange as to put off a hungry Brit soldier who is tossed a German or French ration.

There are many You-tube bits concerning the rations of each nation and most are very enlightening.

Shelf life on current rations is not a concern to me. I have long term rations and short term rations with the short term stuff good for a couple of years and the long term stuff good for a decade. I am not worried about 25-30 year stuff, I don't have 25-30 ears left! Besides, just before the Y2K thing I had to dispose of my first 30 year food supply purchase.

I would have lived fine without long term stores from 1970-2000 and I will probably not need it for the next 30 years if I last that long.

Modern military rations do not need to last eternally. 2-5 years yes, they have a long trip to take and a long time from production to use point, and they can expect some exposure to elements and bad handling along the way, but not a decade.

Our acquisition and supply system is such that if your MRE expires before you see another one you have lost the war and are probably dead anyway. They are made for war fighters, not long term preppers. Saying that, if you like them and have access to quality products there is no reason to not have them among your preps.

Not a single thing in CH list is a complete turn off for keeping MREs. That is especially true for that comment on "high in sugars and fat" and high sodium content. WTH, they are for use in a survival situation where you need all the sugar, fat, electrolytes and calories you can find! They are not intended to be part of a heart healthy diet for a diabetic with leukemia!

The bulk is also not an issue. They are intended to be a one day or one meal supply with another truck arriving tomorrow or the next day with more. When they are being used the MRE is "stripped; removed from the nitrogen filled pillow pack and even taken from the individual small boxes and scattered about ones person for easy transport and access. The snacks go into the jacket pockets, the entrees go into the backpack.

Rations are always going to be a complaint. I am sure Alexander's troops complained about the strange foods offered in each area they conquered, I have read the complaints of the Roman troops as well as from most of the wars between then and now.

One thing I remember reading was the response of a family to the letter sent home in WW2 from an American GI complaining about the quality and taste of the canned meat rations they were issued. His next "care package" contained a can of the newly marketed meat called SPAM as a gift from home with a letter telling how much the family was enjoying this delicacy prepared in all sorts of ways. SPAM was the ration he had been complaining about!

[CharlesHarris]

No source this side of the pond for your CompoRats, but I remember trying some in Germany in the 1980s and compared to ours, they were 5-star restaurant fare! Italian rations I had with the Alpini Regt. on my visit to Italy a few years ago were also excellent. While I have not tried them, other fellows who had them while serving on OFDA or UN humanitarian missions say the French and Canadian rations are also very good.

The Vietnam-era C-rations of my mis-spent youth which MB probably remembers well, were tasty, if limited in menu variety.

[Mortblanc]

My problem with the C-rats of our youth was the fact that everyone in the chain of supply got to pick over the rats before they got to us combat troops.

The really good items in the C-rat selection, beef steak, stewed pork and such, was eaten by the guys in rear area or the supply truck drivers.

All the while we were living on the left overs; beans and franks, spegetti and meat sauce, lima beans and ham (the famous ham and MF). I went for almost a year living on those three selections in 12 oz cans. While the ration selection list showed we had about 15 choices I never saw more that those three on a regular basis.

When on un-resupplied patrol we would allow one 1200 calorie meal per day. B2 unit of bread/biscuits and spread was breakfast, fruit unit was lunch, the deplorable meat unit was supper. All of it was consumed cold because fires were not allowed. All cans/trash carried in was carried out empty.

If you had to make the choice of carrying food or ammo on a three day mission you had no choice, you took ammo and squeezed in maybe one ration pack.

[CharlesHarris]

Dr. Seuss was a WW2 GI. That's where the title "Green Eggs and Ham" came from...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaVtYPR8pmI

[harrypalmer]

I remember the brit packs being very popular with US forces...they loved to trade for them

[Barneyboy]

Us ones are good ,but there is more in the uk ones ,in the USA ones you do get a flame less heat pack ,just add cold water ,quit clever .

[harrypalmer]

The flameless heaters are OK, certainly when the temp is above freezing point...but you can't make a brew with them.

The humble 'hexi' stove http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Military-Hexi-...K2M8ciyLbg is OK, the top plate is designed for the Crusader mug to fit snugly http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GEN-ARMY-58-PA...Sw5cNYJyGO

[Mortblanc]

If you live in a nation that does not drink tea then making a brew is not pertinent.

All we need is enough heat to melt the instant Nescafe or hot cocoa provided in the ration.

Our boys also use the chemical heaters inside their clothes to stay warm in cold weather.

[harrypalmer]

http://www.teausa.com/14655/tea-fact-sheet

A 'brew' is vital to a brit soldier

End of a long day, dump your Bergen ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Militar...B00B0XPH6S ) and get half a litre on the boil for a brew, while your drinking that get more water on the go to heat your meal and use that water for another brew in which you dunk your 'Biscuits Fruit' http://www.camping-food.co.uk/images/P/f...g-life.jpg

Our boys use good clothing to stay warm in cold weather

[Mortblanc]

I suppose the U.S. is the largest consumer of tea, but most of what we drink is poured over ice cubes, sweetened at two cups sugar per quart and served with a big lemon wedge.

Our boys have warm clothes too but most of their warmth comes from moving around inflicting violence on the enemy rather than sitting and waiting for the water to boil.

My FIL, a WW2 vet, had some insightful comments on late arrival of reinforcements several times due to finishing tea time.