Best MREs For Long-Term Survival And Food Storage
Lots of non-perishables do not taste very good.
In fact, lots of survival food tastes like crap.
Why? Because foods with extreme shelf life are usually full of preservatives.
These foods don’t make for a great gourmet dining experience.
But some survival rations DO taste fairly good.
Some might even say they taste exceptional (especially relative to other non-perishable foods).
MRE meals are among the best, most nutritious, longest-lasting, and tastiest survival foods.
So today, I’m going to rely on my Engineering, Food Manufacturing & Preparedness background to dive into the following topics:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best MRE Meals For Sale
Modern Ration Taste Tests
What Is An MRE & How It’s Made?
What Makes Them So Great?
How To Heat Up Your Rations
Maintaining Your MRE Stash
DIY MREs – Making Your Own
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Best MRE Meals On The Market Today
Many food companies make survival rations, and many of them are similar.
So it’s all about finding the best deal; here are the ones on the market today:
First off, The Ready Store is my go-to vendor of Military-Grade MRE Meals.
Not only do they sell some of the top MRE meals, but they do so in bulk and at a fair price.
The Ready Store sources its MREs from the same companies that supply the U.S. military.
I really like that you can order small, medium, or large quantities with a single purchase, for example:
- 1 CASE (12 MEALS)
- 1 MONTH SUPPLY
- 3 MONTH SUPPLY
- 6 MONTH SUPPLY
- 1 YEAR SUPPLY
So you can have confidence in the "up to 5 years of the self-life, no cooking to consume, and MADE IN THE USA!
These genuine US warfighter rations offer about 1250 calories per meal.
These cases include flavorful spices, matches, toilet paper, and other survival accessories.
The meals are randomly selected from two different menu options but come with a variety of:
- Asian
- Mexican
- Italian
- Traditional
- Vegetarian
There’s even an assortment of snacks, desserts, coffee, milkshakes, and beverage powders.
While the packs have an inspection date of 2019, there is no official expiration date. This means they'll likely last about 5-7 years (or longer).
↓ Western Frontier’s Meals Ready To Eat, Case of 12 ↓
This pack has 12 entrees (not complete meals, just the main dishes), which helps bring the price down.
Or you could use these entrees to build out your own DIY MRE Meals...
There are at least six different meal flavors included in this case. Some are chicken-based meals; others are beef-based.
This government-approved MRE manufacturer guarantees quality products.
Another Western Frontier offering.
Instead of a case of 12, this is a 6-pack option.
These meals include flavorful spices, matches, toilet paper, and other survival accessories.
The meals are randomly selected from two different menu options but come with a variety of:
- Asian
- Mexican
- Italian
- Traditional
- Vegetarian
There’s even an assortment of snacks, desserts, coffee, milkshakes, and beverage powders.
These rations are genuine US War Fighter Rations with 12 different Meals per Case.
Making this ideal for hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and emergency food supply.
Each meal contains a flameless ration heater for a hot meal anywhere you go.
The meals also feature an accessory pack with coffee or beverage powder, matches, seasonings, gum, wet wipe, and tissue.
They are designed for maximum endurance and nutrition, with an average of 1250 calories per meal.
This one claims a long shelf life if stored per the manufacturer's directions.
Again this option is good for hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and emergency food supply.
They are designed for maximum endurance and nutrition, averaging 1250 calories per meal.
This product contains 18 pouches of MRE Beef & Chicken Entrees.
3 Shredded Beef, 3 Beef Strips, 3 Beef Ravioli, 3 Chili with Beans, 3 Meatballs, 1 Chicken noodle, and 2 Chicken Chunks.
All are 8 oz, except Chicken Chunks (5 oz).
Includes labels or cardboard sleeves with Ingredients and Nutritional Information.
As they say...Go BIG or Go Home, right?
Why not buy a pallet...
Each package is brand new factory sealed with 2 Entrees, Side dishes, Dessert/Snacks, Crackers or Bread, and an Accessory pack containing Utensils, Gum, Napkin/Towelette, and Seasonings like Salt, Pepper, and Sugar.
Each HDR ration provides an average of 2,200 calories (10-13% protein, 27-30% fat, and 60% carbohydrates).
And when properly stored, these meals can last 10+ years.
↓ Review 2021 Humanitarian Daily Ration! ↓
Modern Ration Taste Tests
Here are a few review videos worth watching:
↓ 2Chicken Burrito Bowl Meal Ready to Eat Review ↓
↓ Ultimate MRE Taste Test ↓
↓ MREs In The Armed Forces ↓
As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We're Giving Away Our Family First Food Planning Guide. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.
What Is A Meal Ready To Eat & How Are They Made?
MREs, Meals Ready to Eat, as in, it’s ready to eat straight out of the packaging.
They come in sealed, airtight packages to prevent them from drying out or going bad.
The United States military originally designed these survival rations.
They were developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
They replaced the MCI rations (Meal, Combat, Individual rations).
MCI rations were the ones used throughout WWI and WWII.
And they are still in use today…
↓ Eating MRE Food at Officer Training School ↓
MRE kits are lighter in weight, cheaper, easier to transport, and more nutritious than MCIs.
They were for soldiers who got trapped without food deliveries or mess halls.
And they kept those stranded warriors fed and living to fight another day.
While these rations are relatively new, the need for portable nonperishable military food goes back thousands of years.
“The generally awful reputation of military food dates to ancient times.” – Rebecca Rupp
Providing nutritious food for soldiers on the move has been an epic challenge throughout history.
The logistics of keeping an army fed often made the difference between winning a war or losing it!
↓ The Evolution Of Military Rations Throughout History ↓
One of the ancient options was to scavenge the local areas.
Depleting farmers and small towns of their meager food supplies.
This practice was frowned upon back then and even more so today.
Hence, modern-day armies figured out a new means to feed an army without stealing from civilians.
MRE kits are the most recent solution to this ancient problem.
↓ History Channel – Battle Factory (Meal Ready to Eat) ↓
And the next obvious question is:
How are they made?
Here’s your answer…
↓ How Do You Make An MRE? Go Inside The Test Kitchen ↓
Mass Popularity
With their insane utility, they’re quickly becoming popular among the civilian world, especially with:
- Hunters
- Backpackers
- Campers
- Hikers
- Bikers
- Fishermen
- Etc.
Basically, anyone and everyone who spends long hours outdoors.
They’re one of the most popular forms of survival food today.
Even humanitarian and government disaster response groups have adopted MRE food.
They hand them out to victims of natural disasters and emergencies.
So stock up today because they will not always be as cheap and abundant.
↓ 5 Things You Don’t Know About: Rations ↓
What Makes Them So Worth Buying
How Long Can They Last?
They can last for up to seven years on their own.
And if kept in cool conditions, they can last even longer.
Theoretically, if you freeze them, they’ll last indefinitely.
This long shelf life makes them a good choice for emergencies.
You can store them with your survival gear, in your food cache, car, bug-ou location, or anywhere!
And they’ll be good when you return to eat them later.
They’re Relatively Cheap
Most of the time, you’ll find these meals in bulk.
Usually between four and twenty meals per bundle.
And the more you buy in bulk, the cheaper they are individually.
A single ration costs around $20.
But buying a package of twelve will cost closer to $10 or $12 each.
That’s a great incentive to buy in bulk.
Plus, the more you have, the better off you’ll be in the long run.
Transportation & Portability
These things were designed to be carried by soldiers over long distances.
So, weight and packability are significant factors.
They’re engineered to be light while still packing a big nutritional punch.
And because of the way they’re packaged, they’re easily stored in a backpack, glove box, or pocket.
No spilling, molding, or mess.
And they taste pretty damn good for military rations.
Unlike other non-perishable meals, these things DO NOT taste like dried cardboard caked in mud.
Many companies offer different meals and flavors.
So finding one you’ll enjoy is not difficult.
Some offer full MRE menus (with a variety of flavors), such as:
- Main Course Entree (i.e., beef stew or chili mac or cheese tortellini)
- Side Dish (i.e., rice, corn, mashed potatoes, etc.)
- Sandwich Bread Or Crackers
- Spread – (i.e., peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread)
- Desserts and snacks (i.e., cookies or pound cake)
- Candy (i.e., M&Ms, Skittles, or Tootsie Rolls)
- Hot Sauce or Seasoning Packets
- Powdered Drink Mix
- Flame Ration Heater (for the entree)
- Accessories – (i.e., spoon, matches, creamer, sugar, salt, chewing gum, toilet paper, etc.)
These rations make survival a tasty experience.
Being in an IT-hits-the-fan scenario does not mean you have to eat crappy food.
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How To Heat Your Rations
Of course, as the name implies, you can immediately open and start chomping away.
But most people suggest you heat the meal before chowing down.
There is nothing wrong with eating them cold and fresh out of the wrapper, but most folks enjoy them warmed up.
That’s why, some include a heating system; others leave it up to you.
Flameless Retention Heater
These nifty little ovens were explicitly designed for these survival rations.
If yours includes a heating method, it will probably be a flameless retention heater.
It works without the need for matches, tinder, or fuel.
Just slip your ration inside the flameless retention heater pouch, and add a teaspoon of water to seal it up.
Now sit back and let the magic unfold.
The water starts a reaction inside the pack and generates heat to warm your meal in minutes.
↓ How Air-Activated Heaters Work ↓
Boiling Water
Most are packaged in a material that is both water and heat-resistant.
So boiling them is no issue whatsoever.
And it’s an easy, efficient method for quickly heating your food.
Allow water to boil in a pot, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Place the ration inside the boiling water and allow it to soak for 5-8 minutes.
Pull it out carefully so as not to burn yourself, and you’ve got a hot and ready meal!
This method is particularly useful in survival situations.
That way, you don’t require a fancy chemical heating package or a portable butane stove.
If you have fire, water, and a pot, you can get it warmed up, with no problem.
The Saucepan
Get your hands on a saucepan and a heat source (a fire will do, but a stovetop will do better).
Open the package, pour the contents into the saucepan, and heat it to the desired temperature.
DONE!
The Oven
If you can access an oven (rare in actual survival), you can use it to warm up your rations.
Just get an oven-safe pan, open it, and cook it at 350 degrees.
It takes about ten minutes (or until it reaches the desired heat).
Maintaining Your Stockpile
Unfortunately, no survival meal is going to keep indefinitely.
Even military-designed, long-lasting rations come with an expiration date.
Knowing this, you must closely monitor when they might go bad.
The last thing you want is to bust into your survival food rations only to get food poisoning.
The food you were counting on to stay fresh.
Do not let it happen!
The problem is that when dealing with foods that last up to 7 years, it can be hard to keep close tabs on them.
It’s hard to know the precise date when it goes from edible to poison.
You can’t mark an exact date on your calendar.
So what do you do? Ration!
You should keep a running list of what you have / when you got it, and when it’s likely to go bad.
A simple spreadsheet will suffice, and you can keep it in your cache of survival foods.
Mine is on a clipboard I reference whenever I add something new to my survival food supply.
Be it canned foods, dehydrated goods, bottled water, or food.
Then, when some of your foods expire, you can single those out.
Eat them before they go bad, and then replace them.
In this way, you cycle through the older food supplies and always have fresh survival food via rotation.
Also, remember where you store them makes a big difference in how well they keep.
Don’t expect them to last if you stash them on a windowsill in direct sunlight and leave them there for three years.
They won’t be good when you eat them.
Cool, dark, dry areas are best for storing foods – think root cellar.
You can help them to last even longer than their usual shelf life just by where you store them.
Pantries, temperature-controlled garages, basements, and closets all work well for this.
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DIY MREs – Make Your Own For Cheap
If you’re like me, you’re willing to put in some time and effort to save a few dollars.
Well, the best way to do this is to make your own!
How to Make Real Rations for Under $5
Final Thoughts
Adding MREs to your survival food stockpile is a major step towards self-reliance.
They ensure that, no matter what happens, you will have food.
You can rest easy knowing you have a calorie safety net to catch you in a long-term disaster.
That way, when the moment finally comes, you won’t be the family that goes hungry.
Prepare, Adapt & Overcome,
P.s. Are you ready for the tough times ahead?
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