Mainstay Emergency Food Rations

[winterg]

I've been going through my 24/72 hour kits as I return to CAP & ES to make sure everything  is serviceable and meets current standards.  I have always used MRE's for my field meals for one simple reason.  They work.  I was shopping around for the best price for a case and I happend on some reviews for Mainstay Emergency Food Rations.  I have heard of these but I don't know anyone who has tried them and was interested to hear any stories.

http://www.nitro-pak.com/mainstay-emergency-food-cookie-rations-3600-calories

One 3600 package is only $7-$8 and provides 3 x 400 calorie meals per day for 3 days.  That's not bad at all but seems a little too good to be true! Here's the specifics:

-5 year Shelf Life
-Non-Thirst Provoking
-Withstands Wide Temperature Extremes... -40° F to 300°F (-40°C to 149°C)
-Ready to Eat: Each package contains 9 pre-measured 400 calorie meals
-No water, preparation or cooking necessary
-Contains no cholesterol or tropical oils
-Meets the US Coast Guard standards (160.046/23/0).
-Meets the stringent Department of Defense (SOLAS 74/83) guidelines.
-Enriched with vitamins and minerals exceeding the RDA requirements.
-Voted #1 Best Tasting! Vanilla/lemon flavor cookie dough taste that appeals to both children and adults.
(and a very important feature for me.....)
-Mainstay™ is KOSHER APPROVED and it meets the dictates for Halal.

Here is a link for the results of a taste test:

http://survivorind.com/images/Survivor-Industries-Wins-Emergency-Food-Taste-Test.pdf

And a short video review:

Mainstay 3600 Emergency Food Ration

For the price I think I will pick up a package or two just to try out and review.

[a2capt]

But.. are they like ROCKET FUEL? ..

[ReCAP]

Please keep in mind that these are designed as liferaft rations.  The regs say they must provide 1200 calories a day per person, which is considered a bare minimum starvation level ration for an inactive adult.  Some liferaft companies have satisfied this requirement with hard candies! 

3600 calories a day would be about right as a field ration for me. 

Honestly, there are plenty of ready to eat shelf-stable foods in the grocery store. 

[winterg]

Decent food that will tolerate being left in my 24 hour pack for a year, is even remotely palatable,  as well as being affordable is most definitely not easily found locally.  At least not for me.

[AirAux]

Don't forget our lovely Ramen noodles in dozens of flavors...

[winterg]

After 4 years in college I never even want to SEE a package of Raman! Haha. But you are correct that it is a great prepackaged food available in bulk for not much dough. But I never have luck keeping them from becoming tiny Raman bits in anything other than the cupboard.

[Майор Хаткевич]

After 4 years in college I never even want to SEE a package of Raman! Haha. But you are correct that it is a great prepackaged food available in bulk for not much dough. But I never have luck keeping them from becoming tiny Raman bits in anything other than the cupboard.

[winterg]

That did cross my mind to use a hard case like that. But I would still rather live on MRE  crackers alone than Raman!

[Майор Хаткевич]

That did cross my mind to use a hard case like that. But I would still rather live on MRE  crackers alone than Raman!

Still got mine (identical to those) from the 6th Grade.

[a2capt]

How to eat a Bowl O'Beard Ramen

[winterg]

Too funny.

[TexasCadet]

But.. are they like ROCKET FUEL? ..

Even more importantly, is it liquid or solid rocket fuel?

[SarDragon]

But.. are they like ROCKET FUEL? ..

Even more importantly, is it liquid or solid rocket fuel?

The exhaust product is almost always gaseous. Almost.

[sarmed1]

http://readynutrition.com/resources/make-your-own-survival-bars_01092010/

Or you could try this.  I gave it a try out of curiosity.  There wernt great, but they wernt bad either.
They say in theory good for a year or more of storage. 2000 calories per batch.

I made mine smaller than the "loaf/brick" idea.  more brownie size...so its like more like 350-500 cal per "bar"
Wrapped in wax paper and then food grade vacuum packed.

and the price was pretty comparable to what they say.... think I spent like $3-4 for the ingredients shoping cheap

mk

[PHall]

Please keep in mind that these are designed as liferaft rations.  The regs say they must provide 1200 calories a day per person, which is considered a bare minimum starvation level ration for an inactive adult.  Some liferaft companies have satisfied this requirement with hard candies! 

Uh, how many calories a day do you think you would burn if you were drifting in a life raft?

1200 sounds like enough to keep you alive when you have minimal water available.

[Spaceman3750]

Commercial MREs like the ones MRE Depot sells cost about that, taste much better and provide more calories. You can "field strip" them and spread the meal out if you need to as well, I frequently pocket jelly, crackers, and candy for later (some cadets I know, on the other hand, will eat 3 in a go if you let them, and insist on wasting time heating them, as if a hot MRE tastes any better).

[sardak]

^^^That's after they've spent 20 minutes bartering and trading entire meals or the individual contents. I've seen seniors down two whole meals at a single sitting.

Mike

[Eclipse]

Wow, seriously?

[winterg]

"The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 estimates that the average moderately active man needs 2,200 to 2,800 calories each day to maintain a healthy body weight (Page 14). A moderately active man is someone who exercises at a level equivalent to walking one and a half to three miles per day, in addition to routine day-to-day activities"

[ReCAP]

Uh, how many calories a day do you think you would burn if you were drifting in a life raft?
1200 sounds like enough to keep you alive when you have minimal water available.

That's exactly my point.  The OP is looking for something for his 24 & 72 hour gear and 1200cal/day is not nearly enough for that. 

[winterg]

Small lightweight 1200 calorie bars are easily supplemented with a bag of gorp to give plenty of energy for riding around in a CAP van chasing an ELT. And when you consider the price and zero prep required, it is absolutely a viable option.

[a2capt]

Trying Military Food! (Ian is Bored 29)