Freeze Dried / MRE survival food reviews

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AirOpsMgr

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A thread to discuss your opinions on the Freeze dried / dehydrated pouches & MREs currently available on the market. While canning and dehydrating your own food is much more economical, this thread will focus more on opinions of the store-bought items.

Why review the store-bought stuff? Well, to be honest, I'm always looking for unbiased opinions and personal experience; additionally, the freeze dried entrees & MREs offer a simple, compact and portable option to survival food. It certainly is NOT the healthiest option long-term, some of it tastes horrible, but it would keep you alive (for the most part) for when you come up empty on a hunt for real food.

To get started, I've been trying different variants of the Freeze dried "pouch" meals where you only need to add boiling water, along with basic civilian MREs that you cook with the pouch chemical heater (aka "flameless heater"). There are a few variants within the "pouch type" entrees that require prep in a pan, but I have avoided those for the most part and stuck to what can be made in the pouch with the least amount of effort and least amount of additional gear.

MREs:
On the MRE front (AKA Meal Rarely Edible / Meal Ready to Excrete), I've come to only buy the individual entrees and the chem heaters as opposed to the full MRE meal packs (with water, sides, crackers, bread, candy, drink mix, utensils, condiments, etc). The reason I now only buy the entrees-only is to minimize size and weight while maximing portability, I can fit 3 entrees & heaters into the same space as 1 full MRE.

Example of full MRE:

MRE.jpg


My individual entrée MRE with chem heaters:

image.jpg

Don't get me wrong, the full MREs are nice if you have space, want smaller items to snack on and weight is not an issue, but not my current focus. Both the full MREs and Entrees-only have come from AmeriQual and Sopakco; honestly, I can't tell much of a difference in taste and the variety seems to be about the same with both.

Example of a full MRE:


MRE prices vary greatly depending upon the contents and how you buy them (individually, by the box, or a case); a full MRE tends to run anywhere from $6.50 - $9, the individual entrée & a heater will run about $3.50 - $5.

Note: You might do much better on pricing, just giving median averages here ;)

Freeze Dried Pouches:
I've tried Wise, Backpacker's pantry and Mountain House; I would take any of these 3 over a MRE in a heartbeat based on taste alone, but the preparation requirements of having boiling water brings me to keep both MRE and freeze dried on hand. After trying the aforementioned brands, I rank by taste as follows: Mountain House first, Backpacker's pantry second (but they both have several flavors that tie), and Wise third as they seemed to lack in nearly every variation I tried.

A few of my Mountain House & Backpacker's Pantry freeze dried entrées:

image.jpg

A comparison of one flavor of freeze dried over 4 different brands:


Mountain House Chili Mac Vs Backpacker's Pantry Chili mac:


YouTube review of Mountain House, Backpacker's Pantry & Wise:

As for preparation comparisons, the MREs only require a few ounces of water to activate the chemical heater to prepare the MRE entrée where as the freeze dried pouches require 3/4 of a cup, 2 cups or 4 cups of boiling water depending on the serving size and type of freeze dried pouch you are preparing.

The freeze dried pouches are lighter, but not necessarily as compact (unless you opt for Mountain House's "Pro pack" which is vacuumed packed, a little less contents and a tad higher in price). You also have to consider how you will bring water to a boil - if you are already packing a Jet boil, sterno or have the ability to build a fire, the freeze dried is great, if you have no heating capabilities, the MRE chem heater prepared meal is going to win.

When comparing just the pouches alone, prices will vary just like the MREs; Wise is cheaper than both Backpacker's Pantry and Mountain House, but Wise just doesn't taste as good to me overall AND it's not as easy to prepare in the bag (doesn't have the zip-locking seal).

You also need to watch the serving sizes when you compare price; while you can find some Mountain House at WalMart for $4.88, it will be just the single serving size, where as their 2.5 serving size will cost between $6-ish & $8-ish and the family size from $10-$13.

Backpacker's Pantry is a bit more expensive when comparing to Mountain House on all serving sizes, IE: Up to $16.50 for a 4 serving pouch, but again, certain flavors cost more than others, so comparative pricing can be difficult.

Just like the MRE costs, you can save $$ by ordering buckets, 6-packs or "kits". Wise even offers a backpack kit.

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Another area to be cognizant of in freeze dried meals is sodium content; Both Mountain House and Backpacker's pantry have meals ranging from 590mg to 850mg PER SERVING! (there may be some with more or less, but this is from what I've tested). There are several of the MREs that can also be quite high in sodium, but the freeze dried offerings seem to be consistently higher. While Mountain House has on average the lesser overall sodium than Backpacker's pantry, you still have to pay attention to each type of flavor/offering from each.

One reason I tend to also lean toward freeze dried over MREs (as long as I have access to boiling water) is for the serving size options, it's nice to have the option to buy a single serving, 2.5 serving, or 5 serving family size based upon your needs. If I only want a single serving, I can pack for that; if I want to feed several, I can adjust easily.



So what are your opinions on MREs & freeze dried offerings?
 
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Hayata

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Well I had MRE's from 1985 to 2006 on and off in the GA Army Guard.

The only one I couldn't stomach was Chicken Ala King. They stopped making that one some time back. The beef patties were pretty tough to stomach but okay in a pinch. Best thing they ever did with MREs was include a bottle of Tabasco sauce.

MREs are heavy but packaged well. I guess they're made to be air-dropped and such.

Don't know anything about the stuff you have to re-hydrate.
 

AirOpsMgr

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Well I had MRE's from 1985 to 2006 on and off in the GA Army Guard.

The only one I couldn't stomach was Chicken Ala King. They stopped making that one some time back. The beef patties were pretty tough to stomach but okay in a pinch. Best thing they ever did with MREs was include a bottle of Tabasco sauce.

MREs are heavy but packaged well. I guess they're made to be air-dropped and such.

Don't know anything about the stuff you have to re-hydrate.
Of the MREs I've tried, the macaroni and beef / chili mac (2 different brands have different names for it) and the Spaghetti with meat sauce tasted like actual food, the beef stew from both takes a close second.

Worst overall for MREs has to go to any breakfast egg or "omelet" dish..... I'd rather eat the box
 

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I can't disagree with most of what you've got there @AirOpsMgr . I'm a fan of Mountain House over the other freeze dried commercial brands. It is more expensive, but has a huge shelf life (I've heard 20 years in reasonably stable indoor conditions) and it's light weight and reasonably easy to prepare. I kind of discount the amount of water required, because I assume I will be stopping near a water source. Of course, that's not always going to happen.

My favorite Mtn House meals have to be the chili mac, beef stroganoff (didn't watch the video above yet), lasagna with meat sauce, chicken and rice, and the beef stew. I don't like eggs, but have heard from multiple people to stay away from those.

I've also found the freeze dried MRE beef stroganoff to be not bad. Bought that from www.beprepared.com

Keep an eye on Wal-Mart (just not mine!! ;) ) for clearance mark downs on the 2.5 serving packs of Mtn House. I got a lot from the local store a year or so ago- it was marked down to about half price and I bought close to 20 packs. It was so much that the cashier actually said "what is this stuff?" when I was checking out.

Also I got a 12 pack bucket of Mtn House on a Amazon "flash sale" or whatever they call it- full bucket delivered for about $48.
 
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I'll have to try that one. I did get to sample a bunch of them at the last TruPrep meet- they probably had eight or ten flavors cooked throughout the day. I didn't think any were bad.

I'm not necessarily a Mtn House fan boy, it's just all I've really had any experience with- I stayed away from Wise because it was mostly soup mixes with grains in them. I know they have actual freeze dried food, but I haven't tried any myself.

I will be ordering some more of these once I see them in stock again- going to get a picture...
 

AirOpsMgr

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I'll have to try that one. I did get to sample a bunch of them at the last TruPrep meet- they probably had eight or ten flavors cooked throughout the day. I didn't think any were bad.

I'm not necessarily a Mtn House fan boy, it's just all I've really had any experience with- I stayed away from Wise because it was mostly soup mixes with grains in them. I know they have actual freeze dried food, but I haven't tried any myself.

I will be ordering some more of these once I see them in stock again- going to get a picture...

I know taste is subjective, but I honestly could not bring myself to eat a MRE if I had the ability to boil some water and make up a bag of the Mtn house or Backpacker's pantry. Now when we start getting into Wise flavors compared to MREs, well now we are in different territory; there are a few Wise offerings that are better than MREs, but not many.

Certainly just my $0.02, so everyone should take it with a grain of salt, but I think in most cases I'll strive to have the ability to boil some water just for some better food if nothing else :)
 

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I think mountain house spaghetti w/meat sauce is my favorite, I think the chili mac is a little too bean heavy. I never had any of this stuff before but picked up a few buckets in the Amazon sale dial 1911 mentioned. Except for eggs, if you like the real version, the mountain house version will be edible.
 
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AirOpsMgr

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I will be ordering some more of these once I see them in stock again- going to get a picture...
@Patryn posted up a 10% off from the Preppers Vault, not sure if it includes Mtn House products or not, but if you find a flavor you like, you might be able to get it through him cheaper at the 6-pack rate :noidea:
 
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Patryn

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@Patryn posted up a 10% off from the Preppers Vault, not sure if it includes Mtn House products or not, but if you find a flavor you like, you might be able to get it through him cheaper at the 6-pack rate :noidea:

The discount code applies to all orders - it will not discount clearance or on sale items, but if you want the best bang for your buck (come on our taste testing days) we throw MtnHouse on mad sale) hint hint Sept. 19th....12-4
 
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The discount code applies to all orders - it will not discount clearance or on sale items, but if you want the best bang for your buck (come on our taste testing days) we throw MtnHouse on mad sale) hint hint Sept. 19th....12-4


Well, if I have to drive up there again, at least I know where the store is located! Given the cost of gasoline, could I pay the store for cases shipped in advance? Just guessing this is a 'group buy' pricing scenario.
 
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AirOpsMgr

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Well, if I have to drive up there again, at least I know where the store is located! Given the cost of gasoline, could I pay the store for cases shipped in advance? Just guessing this is a 'group buy' pricing scenario.
They ship free over $49 or something
 
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Patryn

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Well, if I have to drive up there again, at least I know where the store is located! Given the cost of gasoline, could I pay the store for cases shipped in advance? Just guessing this is a 'group buy' pricing scenario.

I carry a pretty large back stock of food, but if you think you might be trying me..lol, doubt it but send me an email in advance to sales@thepreppersvault.com and how much your looking for and I'll work out a good price for you.

Thanks,

TPV
 

dial1911

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I carry a pretty large back stock of food, but if you think you might be trying me..lol, doubt it but send me an email in advance to sales@thepreppersvault.com and how much your looking for and I'll work out a good price for you.

Thanks,

TPV


There is probably a zero-percent-chance that I'll be testing your limits :) I'm probably talking three hundred bucks of less worth of stuff for a single purchase. I'll email you at that address regardless.
 
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AirOpsMgr

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@Patryn, not to put you on the spot, but what feedback have you had at your shop with the different brands, if I may ask?
 
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Sublimebeer

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I need one of you to come teach me the way. I have some canned food, but really need to get food storage up. Also need to take time and make a good get home bag for me and my wife. Also need to look into some form of water. Have a lake in my back yard. Anyone know how to create a pump to get water from their to my house? It's a little embarrassing admitting that I am not as prepared with food as I'd like to be.
 
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