Personal question for Surplus / ex-mil guys....

[NavyShooter]

OK, speaking as a supervisor in a CAF Warehouse Technical Services organization, I can clearly state that when expired IMPs are returned to our facility, they are broken down, and disposed of. We have to strip the matches out and separate the cardboard into the proper waste stream.

There are some who, when doing this task, 'rescue' bits - I don't complain when someone saves a pack of the beef jerky, or a chocolate bar. That said, you're eating food that's already 5 years old...do you really want to?

Garbage.

My suggestion is that if you're looking for long term supply, go to one of the 'mountain house' type cans.

For short term emergency use? One of the MRE packs will do fine, but watch the life-cycle. Others have mentioned Costco being a good source for this.

Highly suggest a life-straw too.

NS

[gunnyee12]

If you're really still after some Canadian IMP's here's some that just popped up. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...litary-Rations
Looks like they might have expired long ago though

[docscoutjr]

I too have a kiddo and wife that am am concerned about and while Calgary likely won't splinter, there are other factors in recent years that have made me think on similar lines.
In researching, I resigned myself to two game plans (and this after the flood of 2013), we have access to water or not. Heat 'n eat (or not) or add water and heat. Without water your pretty much %$@#% so, focused on short and medium term strategy for that, and then decided on the buckets of long term shelf life provisions. I think it all comes down to how often you are willing to restock/refresh....2 years, 3 years, 10 years....or set 'n hope nothing bad happens but 10 years down the line ....there are the bins, the water purifiers the plans to get water. In my assessment, water is THE most important thing to think about.

[juliet lima]

Haters gonna hate...mre's have their place and they aren't that bad. At least you can eat them straight out of the package without water or heat.

Do NOT buy 'mre star' brand. It is branded to look like the US made ones but it is a serious step down...some of their meals are inedible.

$15 per is on the high side but not insulting like some pricing out there.

http://armyissue.com/catalog/product...oducts_id/4399

[lone-wolf]

If you're really still after some Canadian IMP's here's some that just popped up. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...litary-Rations
Looks like they might have expired long ago though

I asked and he said they're after 2015 dates. Not bad for kicks as a civilian I like them but I wouldn't be looking at IMPs for storing long term.

As mentioned the mre star ones suck, they lack variety and contents - but have excellent sugar cookies in them

I'd just go for the mealkitsupply canada mres. They should be the freshest.

[Big bore dinosaur]

Another vote for mountain house,, quick easy rates good.
I like the gluten free options..
Nothing worse the passing the famous MRE brick...
Try eating them for 2 weeks, MRE hard on the tummy, mine anyhow..
Mesquite BBQ seasoned chicken with beans and rice is my favorite.
700 calories, 40 gr protein. Two servings
Sometime cabellas and basspro have then on sale for 8.99$
5 year exp.

[juliet lima]

I eat freeze dried backpacing food too. When I'm backpacking. They dont taste any better than an mre in my opinion. None of them taste good after two weeks.

In my personal experience (post tsunami, earthquakes and hurricanes) while mre's are heavy and relatively expensive they win over the freeze dried in a disaster setting.

An MRE, just like the latest craze in pre prepped menus of food delivered to your door, is ready to go. It doesn't require decision or forethought. The amount of effort to replicate one with a freeze dried meal is huge. Freeze dried meals also have expiry dates and many of them are sub 2 years.

A complete MRE is one moderately sized package. Remember this when you think about having to replicate the alternative.

1. There is coffee, tea, sugar and creamer.
2. There is a powdered fruit beverage drink
3. There is a main course AND a side dish
4. There is bread or crackers with a spread
5. There's a dessert/snack
6. There's gum to use as a dentrice
7. There's a wetwipe, cutlery, a napkin and condiments.
8. There's tp and matches.

And again, it's ready to go. It doesn't require you to bust out the stove and boil water and then wait 10-20 min for the food to hydrate. If you do want to heat your MRE you can use untreated water and it's ready in minutes. It doesn't need dishes, utensils, condiments, dishwashing or toothbrushes and hand washing added.

The no water needed to prepare an mre is a big point in itself. Clean water post disaster can be an issue. Even when you have a Genny and 3 stage filter with pump in a pelican box.

When carrying a week or more of food on your back or prepping for long term then I like dried and freeze dried stuff (the mesquite BBQ seasoned chicken with beans and rice mentioned above is a favourite too) but after a natural disaster you are busy. There is stuff to do. Time is precious. MRE's save time.

My $.02 ymmv

[shawn]

Freeze dried meals also have expiry dates and many of them are sub 2 years.

You got that backwards IMPs have a horrible shelf life especially it not stored in a cold room etc. Freeze dried is 25 years plus.

And again, it's ready to go. It doesn't require you to bust out the stove and boil water and then wait 10-20 min for the food to hydrate.

Neither does freeze dried, unless you want it hot

It doesn't need dishes, utensils, condiments, dishwashing or toothbrushes and hand washing added.

Neither does freeze dried, unless you want to prepare it like normal meals

The no water needed to prepare an mre is a big point in itself. Clean water post disaster can be an issue. Even when you have a Genny and 3 stage filter with pump in a pelican box.

You mean unless you want to drink ever LOL

but after a natural disaster you are busy. There is stuff to do. Time is precious. MRE's save time.

No they don't. If you cant figure out dump water in a bag and do something else for 5 min. You fail completely at time management.

Shawn

[just having some fun]

My idea of water filtration is simple

Boil it .. pot fire water.

If you want to get more complex .. Boil it .. let it cool .. Pour through a brita .. drink

Food for the kids .. if you are really roughing it KD with no milk & no butter.... or cans of beans / or there favorite pasta in a can.. mr noodle
all very easy to keep a stock of and easy to just use the oldest first
Quaker breakfast porridge as well
Jar of peanut butter

if you had a 2 week supply (Stock) and bought once a week .. if a disaster hit on shopping day you would still have one week food for the kids

[juliet lima]

You got that backwards IMPs have a horrible shelf life especially it not stored in a cold room etc. Freeze dried is 25 years plus.
Shawn

Um, funny, I've got a bunch of freeze dried backpacking meals in front of me.....they range from 2-5 years shelf life. Can you get longer, sure. I didn't say all, I said some. I also didn't get it backwards....I didn't say MRE's lasted longer.

Neither does freeze dried, unless you want it hot
Shawn

I'd actually pay money to watch you crunch your way through an unprepared freeze dried meal. I've done it, it sucks.

Neither does freeze dried, unless you want to prepare it like normal meals
Shawn

Except you now need to boil water, get out utensils and open up 6 different freeze dried packages to get the same food, break out your condiments, etc. An MRE has it all in one pack ready to go.

You mean unless you want to drink ever LOL
Shawn

Good point. Gosh, and here I am a WASH expert and never thought of that. Or maybe I was saying that since clean water is such a ##### to create in post disaster settings that only having to worry about your drinking water beats having to come up with clean water to cook with too.

No they don't. If you cant figure out dump water in a bag and do something else for 5 min. You fail completely at time management.
Shawn

For starters, if you can go from zero to ready to eat freeze dried in 5 min I'd like to see that. Second, if one has nothing better to do with ones time then you can probably devote your day to prepping food. To address your comment on effective time management...well, maybe you can deploy to the next disaster with us and show us how to be more effective with our time...I'd sure appreciate it since we frequently average sub 4 hours of sleep a day for weeks on end...I won't be using that 'extra 5 min' to be prepping food though.