So far, so good.(MRE Review)

I have been chomping at the bit ever since we ordered our box of MRE's to break one open and see what it's all about.  Finding the melted candles from our friends garage, which were the same conditions our MRE's were stored in, gave me the excuse I needed.  For the scientific purposes of our experiment, both my daughters were voluntold they had to play along.  SWMBO pulled rank to exempt herself, using some lame excuse about how 'Someone has to stay healthy enough to get the rest of you to the doctors.'

The MRE's in question are the SOPAKCO Sure-Pak, and are supposed to be the closest thing to actual military MRE's you can find.  Okay...so many choices...my package had Veggie Lasagna, Cheese Tortellini, Chili Mac, Chicken Pesto, Pot Roast and Barbeque Veggie Burger.  All of them sound like they could be potentially Foul, but through a complex selection process(ennie-meanie) I selected the BBQ Veggie Burger.

 

So...we have our BBQ veggie burger(With Smoke Flavor!), Mexican Style Mac and Cheese, wheat snack bread, blackberry jam, lemon-lime drink mix, chocolate banana snack bar, and, of course the condiment pack...which LACKS Tabasco sauce...lame!

While the veggie burger rested in the heater, we started breaking open some of the other stuff.  I lost some time here trying to figure out how to fit the mac and cheese in the heater with the burger, but it wouldn't fit...but it did fit in the box with the heater, so I thought that might get it 'hot enough'.  My younger daughter started mixing up the lemon-lime drink mix, while my older daughter tried the 'Wheat Snack Bread'.

The 'Wheat Snack Bread' was kind of unimpressive...very dry, even with the 'blackberry jam', which tasted nothing like the jam my wife has made.  My younger daughter didn't mind it, and it kept the girls distracted while the rest of the meal heated up.  The lemon-lime drink went over much better...daddy had to split it between two cups to stop the arguments.

Finally, after about a 10 minute wait, I plated up the food.  That heater is no joke...it got things pipping hot.  The selections smelled better than they looked, and as patriarch, I took the first bite to make sure things didn't suggest an immediate threat to my daughters.

Folks, I'm here to tell you...it wasn't half bad.  In fact, a piece of meat at the same time as some of the 'mexican style mac and cheese' was actually pretty good. I would have no trouble downing that after a stressful day of bugging out.  The girls agreed, and it's a good thing I took the first bite, because they didn't leave me much else.

 

We saved the chocolate banana snack bar for last....and it was pretty good.  Tasted like chocolate and banana....although, on an overall scale, the burger and mac and cheese were better.  

From a food quantity standpoint, I could see an adult, on the run, or under similar stress, needing two of these a day.  For my daughters, I think they could easily split one, especially with 'wheat snack bread' being set aside to tide them over in between major meals.

Two hours later, everyone's bellies seem to be doing fine.  The only real negative's on the MRE are no Tabasco, No Gum, and no matches, all things that I hear come in the real military MRE's.  Not a big thing...I have plenty of fire starting methods, and I can pack my own gum in my BOB...but I am not sure I can see myself carrying my own bottle of Chipotle Tabasco 'just in-case'.