# MRE vs Dehydrated Foods



## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I had a customer today that thought that she was all-knowing in the prepper department (little did she know! haha!)
She argued with me that the shelf life of a modern MRE is 20 years. No, it is 5 years, at best. (because of the wet and apt-to-spoil components) She insisted she was right because her nephew told her that and her nephew is a "survivalist". (She also told me that her nephew is stocking up on loaves of bread :roll
I told her that dehydrated foods usually last up to 25 years, but she INSISTED I had it backwards, I know that I didn't. Anyways!

What do you think about MRE's? MREs are great, easy to make, emergency food if you plan to use them quickly... As far as stocking up and light to carry, I prefer dehydrated... What do you think?


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

MRE is a complete meal in one pack well blanced, however life span is limited bulky and costly.
They have there place in any plan, but not a real long term answer. Rotate your supply.
Army tried dehydrated and never said why they abandoned it


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Why do you have to have one or the other... I like to have a little of BOTH.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I do have both, but for stocking up purposes, I like the dehydrated. I like MRE's for backpacking/camping/hunting.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Likewise, I have both. Each has it's place in my plans.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

The obstacle with FD foods is the water they require.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

i have about 10 boxes of 12mres, and about 1000 servings of dehydrated. mres are just a romantic notion. (the boxes i have say 10 yrs life). mres are heavy and bulky... so i keep them at my bug out location. i wouldn't want to carry them for sure!


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Shelf life of MRE's and other Army supplies works like this.
It has a listed expiration date. That is a projected date. As the time gets near samples are pulled and inspected from that they determine if the date can be extended. A lot depends on how product has been stored. MRE's shipped out and returned to supply are unlikely to be extended due to uncontrolled storage.
MRE's held in proper storage can have life span doubled easy.
Ammo works the same way at preset times samples are pulled sent to qual range . The round effects soldiers score failures are recorded data is gone over.
Ammo is either extended or pulled. Pulled ammo goes to range use.
We normal only had a limited supply of live real TOW missiles to fire in a year. One year we had enough every gunner and assistant gunner got 3.
A test of some in stock pile sense mid 70's had shown a few failures so the lot was pulled.


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## Just Sayin' (Dec 5, 2013)

I look at MRE's as being self contained emergency rations for short term use. The rest is FD or other long term methods. I can move more FD than MRE's in the same space, with alot less weight. Both have their places, but I also like FD better for taste. Life was good when we had C rats.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

When the Army tested FD we had some strawberry's that were out of this world we ate them dry like candy. I can still taste them.
We joked they were to good that is why they had to go.
I lived on MRE's for 3 months in one stretch had one real meal in that time.
Fact gained weight even under stress
The MRE's are good some better than others personal taste.
Except for the really big soldiers most of us cut back and did not fully eat all 3 meals each day.
The cheap xxx cutting back on Tabasco sauce pissed a lot of us off.
Folgers instance coffee should be an international crime.
If you can get them SK MRE's are a great break from the normal diet.
Last I do not care what you call it ground up chicken sucks, thank God for Tabasco.


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## zealster (Dec 29, 2013)

Got a couple MREs in the back of my car in case somehow the perfect storm accumulates and I end up needing them. They have upwards of 3500 calories/MRE so eat sparingly, save some for later. They give you 3/day, but who can stomach 10000~ calories!? They say you burn that much actively in combat situations where you're constantly moving/doing something, but even then.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Just Sayin' said:


> I look at MRE's as being self contained emergency rations for short term use. The rest is FD or other long term methods. I can move more FD than MRE's in the same space, with alot less weight. Both have their places, but I also like FD better for taste. Life was good when we had C rats.


I loved the green eggs and ham. Dang, they were good.


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

I don't Know about MRE's but if you can still find C-rats we were still eating those many years past the expiration date.


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

retired guard said:


> I don't Know about MRE's but if you can still find C-rats we were still eating those many years past the expiration date.


Yeah, but the cigarettes were stale. :wink:


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