MRE - The Colorado Trail

imported
#1

Has anyone used MRE’s on the Colorado Trail and if so did they work well, or would you suggest something else. Thanks

Mike

#2

I’ve used MRE’s several times. Actually, I’ve lived on them for a few months at a time, but not hiking. The old ones are horrible, but the new ones aren’t so bad. They’re not dehydrated anymore…more like foil packets of tuna casserole, beef stew, rice, noodles, etc. They even have brand names in them now - Snickers, M&M’s, Tabasco, Jolly Ranchers, etc. Get creative with them and they’re actually not bad. Not gourmet, but not bad.

For hiking, they’re mediocre.

PROs

  • They come with heaters. It’s a little plastic packet that you slide the meal into (still in foil pack), add water, and in a few minutes you have a hot meal with no mess. And you don’t have to worry about it scalding or anything. Then you slit the pack and eat it right out of the wrapper - no dishes.
  • Full meal - about 1700 calories each. Vitamins, minerals, pseudo-ruf***e, etc. There’s even a package of pineapple chunks that are pretty good. MREs are made to subsist on with no other nourishment, so you’ll know you’re getting all of your nutrients.
  • Pieces and parts. They have different packages that can be used for different things. For example, each one has a snack (pound cake, candy bar, etc.) that you can stick in your pocket to eat along the way. Also, the big bag can be used to carry water, as a trash bag, etc.
  • Nice and clean. You eat out of the wrapper, so you’ll never have dishes. I don’t think the food smells outside of the wrappers like normally packaged food does. Never had a problem with little critters getting in the food back, like they will if you have Stove Top in there.

CONs

  • HEAVY compared to other foods. Like I said, the new ones aren’t dehydrated, so you’re also carrying the water weight. Sometimes this isn’t a big deal - if you’re hiking in the desert you’d be carrying the water weight anyway, so you might as well make eating easy and just carry them. You should also tear each one down and repack - leave out most of the cardboard boxes (but not all…you need at least one entree box for heating). You probably don’t need all of the accessory packs (TP, drink mixes that aren’t so good, etc). Each one comes with a spoon, so you can take two along and leave the rest at home.
  • Taste. For the convenience, it’s not bad, but it’s still an MRE. Probably tastes like other packaged backpacking meals. You’ll find out what you like and what you don’t. Most of the ones made with chicken are pretty good, especially if you heat the entree and rice packet together, then mix them up in one foil packet and eat together. Jamaican chicken, chicken tetrazini, spicy chicken with noodles, etc. The pork chops are gross. The hot dogs are big Vienna Sausages if you like those. The vegetable crackers are awesome with the jalapeno cheese.

All in all, they’re decent meals, but the weight is the major drawback for hiking. I’d say if you’re going somewhere with a lot of water along the trip, find a lighter food. If you’ll be carrying several liters of water anyway, you might as well carry 1-2 liters less water and take along the MREs.

Jeff

Jeff

#3

I ignored it last time, but I gotta say this auto-censor thing is stupid. I can’t even type r-u-f-f-a-g-e without having the f-a-g bleeped out. Last time shenan-i-g-a-n-s had the last few letter ***'d out. We’re adults (well, most of us)…stop treating us like kids. Inappropriate threads can be deleted as appropriate - and that’s only happened a few times since I’ve been on here.

STOP THE MADNESS!! :rolleyes

Jeff

Jeff

#4

My main reason for considering MRE’s was the calories they provide. Having used the typical freeze-dried backpacking food, I know it doesn’t fill me up (only about 250 calories per serving), and I’m fairly sure it won’t give me enough energy to finish a long hike. For a weekend, I can get by with not getting as many calories. But, I’m not a person who has any weight to lose, or a store of fat to get energy from.

So, my idea was to buy the MRE items seperately. You can purchase just entree’s or whatever piece is desired seperately. I have found some great prices online (1.50 or so for an entree, .89 for a side). I wasn’t planning on taking the heater portion or any of the other extras.

I am going to be hiking with a friend, so weight concerns, while stilll an issue, are not crucial because we are able to share some items, therefore limiting loads. I did see that the MRE’s are heavier, but it seems the ratio of weight to calories is better. I haven’t made the calculation, but it would take a bunch of freeze-dried meals to even come close to the calories in an MRE.

So, all that being said, I will probably take some MRE’s along. Thanks for the advice, and if anyone has any other suggestions for low weight but high calorie foods, let me know.

Mike

#5

The small amount of effort it takes for you to bypass the filters l-i-k-e t-h-i-s or to say it another way, seen in this phrase, helps the moderators of this site not have to read every single thread so they can do other cool things (like the trailjournals.com site maintenance, which is very heavy). They don’t get paid for it, and it’s free to you, so let it go.

After you go on other forums like trailplace, you see how incredibly mild the auto-censoring is here.

Tha Wookie

#6

Last yr, I picked up some MRE’s through a garage sale…I was surprised that they were as good as they were. I think that I had heard horror stories about them so much, that I expected cardboard tasting entrees.

slowgo

#7

You might see how much you can get a few cases of full MREs for. Like I said, they’re made for an entire meal. If you take only certain parts, you won’t be getting all of the nutrients. Also, buying a few cases at a time might end up costing around the same as piece-mealing it.

Also, you can do interesting things with the “other stuff.” For example, take the hot chocolate mix, add in the creamer, instant coffee, and sugar from the accessory pack, about 3Tbs of water, and mix it up for some Ranger Pudding. Instant calories, and something unusual to brighten your day. Tastes alright, too, if a bit sweet.

Look up MRE recipes online…I hear there are several sites for the MRE gourmets.

I’ve heard comments about MREs being stacked in the hiker boxes close to Springer at the beginning of the season…I guess they’re too heavy. (I haven’t thru’d yet to see it myself.) But when I sectioned in VA, the thru-hikers were sure eyeballing our MREs. We gave them what we weren’t going to eat that night, and I later learned what a “yogi” is…

The boxes just North of Springer…maybe they were looking at the wrong place to cut weight? Dunno…personal decision I guess. Maybe a compromise - carry 1 full MRE per day, then round it out with dried foods. Nutrients, hot lunches without a stove (bigger pick-me-up than I expected), surprises (if you don’t repackage beforehand…this is a real treat when you’re deployed).

As far as not taking the heaters along, I guess you could open the corner of the package and put it in your pot while boiling water. Clean water and hot meals at the same time. The new heaters are so damn convenient, though!

Jeff

Jeff

#8

34,500 Google results for “meal, ready to eat”…

Full meal with heater - case of 12 for $82
http://www7.mailordercentral.com/longlifefood/prodinfo.asp?number=C0092&variation=&aitem=2&mitem=2

Case of 12 without heater for $60. I don’t think these have the side items (rice or noodles, etc.) like the ones above. Some MREs have the rice or noodles mixed in with the main entree, but those aren’t as tasty.
http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=7546&tabID=

Jeff

Jeff

#9

Thanks for more good info. I was planning on only taking a dinner meal for each day. My friends father is retired military and he said the breakfast MRE’s are very good, but nearly impossible to find. For that reason, we were considering just taking a dinner MRE for each day, while using various other foods including dried for breakfast and lunch. But, if anyone knows a website that sells the breakfast MRE’s let me know, I’d like to at least check them out. Also, anyone have any recommendations on energy bars/gels?

Mike

#10

Mike…there are literally scads of types of energy bars, each with a differing recipe…I think that one of the best ways to explore is to see if there are any natural food (or sports stores; but both, esp the latter will be expensive) in your area; & check them out. They are kind of pricey to try out, but only you can determine your taste prefs. If you have the opportunity, I found the best way to make a choice was to attend a “food show” put on by a local natural food coop. Ask around @ your local natural food store; these occur regionally in some areas. I’ve gone to several of these “food shows”, & they had samples of literally 75-80 different types of energy bars…they are apparently kind of trendy ;-), & so are a hot commodity. Good luck!!

PS…I like the flavor of an odd named one called a “Luna Bar”, or “Tiger Bars”.

Slowgo

#11

Energy bars can be pricey, but if you live in an area with a Trader Joe’s grocery store, you can pick them for about 89 cents per bar. Costco also sells cases of Clif bars and others, for right around that price. I would select a variety, and I would also ask some more experienced thrus about how often they found them abandoned in the hiker boxes. I know I’ve seen them there, probably because even your favorite flavor bar will get tedious after you’ve eaten several cases of them.

Kanga

#12

Do they have Trader Joe’s in Oregon and Washington? I;ve only seen them in Cali near the coast. Thanks for the tip www.trailjournals.com/westcoast

Tha Wookie

#13

Good for day hikes when a stove is not a option. Hydrogen heater packs (.99 cents), work well even in cold weather. Be careful with the packs they get very hot when accidently stuffed in to a daypack. Downpoint, expensive.

Ohioan

#14

not sure if they have any in oregon, but they do in washington. it’s oregon, what can you expect?!?:lol

Duckabush