Please school me on MREs (or equivalent)

[bellavite1]

I am looking to replace my emergency food supplies.
I have been storing canned items, but I have seen the cans bloat after a while and I understand it is not a good sign...

MREs sound like a good option, easier to store, longer shelf life etc...
Problem is, having not served, I have no direct knowledge and I would like to hear your opinions (pros, cons etc.).
They seem to be quite expensive:
https://shop.opticsplanet.com/milita...iABEgLw0fD_BwE
$75 for 12 servings sounds like a lot, but then again, I wouldn't know...
Anybody has a better source?

Also, this keeps popping out:
https://mypatriotsupply.com/pages/1-...O1DF7CAKwT6V4U
Sounds almost to good to be true, $147 for 252 servings, with up to 25 years shelf life!
Anybody has any experience with them?

Thank you for your help!

[Wulf202]

What is your intended purpose of the food stores? to bug out or bug in? What scenarios are you looking at? How much work are you willing to put in yourself? Do you have a finite amount of space to dedicate to this? Do you need it to be portable? Etc

[earplug]

Our can food last several years past the expiration date.
Wondering why your stuff is going bad. I rarely see a bad can unless it’s has a hole.
Our panty isn’t very hot in the summer and above freezing in winter.
Old C rations were canned with little problems except weight.

[bellavite1]

Realistically, we are not bugging out anywhere.
Hoping to make it through a short/medium event, one or two months tops.
Home is small and space is tight.
No need to make it portable, but it would be a plus.
We have been getting our cans at grocery stores, probably not that fresh to begin with and who knows how they have been stored.
Current stash is fine for now, but I'd like to rotate i
They all say best before **** 2017 but no bloating

[Wulf202]

Mre's have pros and cons. Based on the info I have for your situation I'd say get a few. The biggest advantage to them is that they require no water to cook. You can eat them without activating the heater. They have bulky packaging and honestly aren't very tasty, some are far worse than others. I'd suggest just buying some components if you want to try them out. Some are instant heartburn for me.

https://theepicenter.com/mre-meals-ready-to-eat.html

The drink powders and desserts are better off being replaced by stuff you can get locally.

the patriot supply tub o food is mostly just pancake mixes and soup mixes, instant potatos, and instant rice. Which you could get cheaper at your local store.

If you were to write a check for a survival stash of food mountain house is superior tasting.

If space is limited and you just want calories to stash without worrying about cooking lifeboat rations would be the way to go. They taste like a very bland sugar cookie or a slightly sweet biscuit.
https://theepicenter.com/mainstay-24...-bar-case.html

Otherwise the go to is simply taking the meals you normally make and stacking them deep, allowing you to rotate thru the stash far before they expire with a 60-90 day supply you should be able to rotate that in a year.

[brutal]

You really have to boil down the cost/calorie to determine the best bang for your buck.

In addition to other stores, I keep 6-8 cases of real MRE around, they have very high caloric value and are a must have if you can get a good deal on some. It's been a few years (I do need to rotate some cases) but I never paid more than 35-45 per case with the right connections. Kept in a cool dry dark basement, the shelf life on them is much longer than their inspection date.

I have a mix of MRE, Mountain House, and Augason Farms rations in addition to (store bought) canned goods. Conservatively though, I'm a rookie and only have about 30 days food for the 3.5 of us. Without a resupply, we'll run out of water before food.

[BushMasterBoy]

I keep three 20lb bags of rice on hand. It will stretch your MRE's a long way. Stores fairly easy too. Goes good with small game too. Good to thicken up soups, stews etc.

[Great-Kazoo]

If you have no intention of going anywhere and have room. The nice part is everything is canned and or in sealed bags, ready to go. the IMO bad thing, is you're no longer able to can your own dry goods. Still worth the drive. Exit south on chambers off 70, to 35th, right then left on fraser.

https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

LDS Bishops Storehouse
3233 Fraser St, Aurora, CO 80011
(303) 371-7650

[def90]

The only good MREs are the .gov property ones. I’ve tried a few of the commercial ones that are passed off as the real deal at surplus stores and the heaters never work in them and the food quality isnt as good either.

[Irving]

When private industry can't make food as well as government, you really have to wonder about the quality. Haha