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MRE's Where To Buy?

Thompson_JM

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Hey Guys, Some freinds and I are looking at going on a Backpacking Hike, and I wanted to get some MRE's for sustinance on this trip since theyre fairly small and man portable. and i'll need to carry enough meals for roughly 2 1/2 days. 

if any of you know where i can purchase some online preferably from a canadian company (will cost less I imagine) please let me know.

also if any of you have suggestions as to what sort of food I might want to bring that might be better then MRE's please Let Me know.

also I wouldnt be doing this until late summer. have to work up to it after all!

Cheers
    Josh
 
Try www.mec.ca (Mountain Equipment Co-op). They have great selections of meals usually designed to serve 2 people (sometimes 4). Prices aren't bad, but you have to buy each course separately.

Heers,
Pinky
 
Cpl T, I'd strongly suggest you NOT carry either US or Canadian rations with you on a backpacking trip.  The benefits of having the whole meal in one bag is offset by the rediculous amount of weight and packaging you're carrying, plus you can put together a far superior meal for half the price if you set your mind to it.

If you want to drop the cash, by all means go to MEC and buy a bunch of the dehydrated stuff, there are some pretty exotic menues out there (I had satay, pad thai, and fajitas on my last trip menu) and some are really tasty.  You can also pick up one of the backcountry cookbooks from MEC and pre-pack your own.  Or, like some do, you can live on Ichiban and Kraft Dinner. 

On occasion I'll take some of the filler of an IMP, sugar packs, peanut butter, jam, honey, and the instant coffees and soups are my emergency hot drinks, but the entrees aren't as good as you make otherwise, and are freakin' heavy with water.

Want to know what the prime ingredient in the MEC-bought noodle with satay sauce was?  2 MRE squeeze packages of peanut butter and some soy sauce.

DF
 
Well for only a 2 1/2 day trip I say weight isn't going to be a problem.  MREs and the CAF's IMPs have some advantages, one being you don't need to carry a stove, fuel or make camp fires.  Something to consider if your going late summer, down here in Oregon at times the USFS won't allow open flames be they stoves or camp fires in large areas if its a high fire hazard.  As far as weigth with MREs and IMPs you can strip them down before you pack them, leaving / tossing in the garbage the items you won't need/want.
Most modern hiking foods are better, but most are dehydrated, so you gotta take more water to cook with (or a filter and stay near water sources) and you have to cook the meals.  MRE/IMPs you can eat anywhere, any time, any place.  You still need water of course, drink lots of water with MRE/IMPs other wise you'll apt to have some water closet problems when you get back, but only after extended trips,  again 2 1/2 days ain't going to be a problem.  Take some ration heaters for MREs and IMPs and you'll have a warm meat with out the weight of a stove.
I tend to follow the "Travel Light" school.  I can do without hot meals in the summer.  I take a fire starting kit anywhere just in case, but in summer you can get by without it (a camp fire/cooking fire). 
Old tricks --- (mind my spelling...) Patassium Pamalgamate and some Alcohol in a lil squeeze bottle --  DON"T MIX !!!!!  once they combine, they will start a fire under almost the worse weather... plus in a pince you can disenfect water and it (the PP) can act as a mild fungicide.  Do some reading and experimentation first!  PP is available at almost any Phramisit.  Some Outdoor stores carry premade kits.  Gel fire Stove/starter can also do if you only want fire.  But I'm sure you all know this stuff...

 
Thanks to all of you for the suggestions.

As I said its only going to be a two night hike and basically its sort of a survival/endurance Hike. Myself and Two of my other army buddies decided to challenge ourselves and see if we can basically go straight for the whole weekend. (being CSS in the reserves means that youre not exactly GO GO GO all weekend on a Trg Ex.) I wanted the MRE's since they seem to be cheaper then the candian Counterpart and easier to get ahold of. Also the fact that we will be going non stop means I'm going to want something with a fair bit of calories to keep me going.

also with the MRE's being self heating i wont need to worry about cooking fires, or fuel tabs or anything like that.

Basically Its going to be Myself and my two freinds, Our Rucks or Packs, a spare change of clothes, some rain gear, the bare essentials in kit and the food and water we will need.

anyways, Thanks a million for all your help, and I'll try to remember to let you all know how it went after my freinds and I do this sometime in late august-september.

Cheers
    Josh
 
Talk to your CQ. You might be able to pick some up if they are coming to the end of the shelf life. Some CQ carry cases of the US MRE heating device. They have a shelf life also.

McNutt

 
For 2 1/2 days, you should be able to stand about anything!  All you should need is some 'hard bread' like the stuff in the IMP's and some cheese.  Get some high energy type bars for something sweet and some 'trail mix'.  I wouldn't even bother with a change of clothes for a little trip like that.  Bring a good sweater.  I use my rain jacket as a wind break if need be.

When I hunted with the Beaver Indians, ( in my younger days!), they didn't even have sleeping bags.  It could get pretty cold in Northern  BC in the late fall.  They would just build a fire and 'hunker down' wrapped up in the sweaty  old horse blankets.  It's surprising what one can stand if you are ' toughened into it'!
 
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