About DIY MREs

Meal ready to eat rations, or MREs, were first introduced by the U.S. military in 1981. They have been in continuous development ever since, but the core concept remains the same: a complete, lightweight meal that provides well over 1,000 calories and is based on dehydrated foodstuffs. MREs are desired by campers, trekkers and survivalists, but strictly speaking, they are illegal to sell on the open market. However, assembling homemade, do-it-yourself MRE kits is a simple matter.

What Is an MRE?

MREs were the U.S. military's big effort to get away from canned rations. The modern MRE is meant to provide around 1,200 calories per ration and is packaged to tight specifications so it can be sent to environments from the arctic to the desert, and be subjected to rigors like air-dropping. It is meant to have a shelf-life of three years. The typical ration consists of the following: a dehydrated main course and side dish; a dessert or snack; crackers or bread; either cheese spread, jelly or peanut butter; powdered beverage packet, such as coffee or fruit-flavored drink; eating utensils; the FRH, or flameless ration heater; and an accessory kit with things like seasonings and matches.

Commercial Contents

Many of the items included as standard in MREs are readily available in similar packaging on the shelves of most grocery stores. For example, a common seasoning is a minibottle of Tobasco sauce. Many of the drink packets, desserts and snacks are brand name items, like Tootsie Rolls or Taster's Choice coffee.

The FRH

The FRH is a key part of the MRE, allowing for a hot meal without having to start a fire. It works by using a reaction similar to that which causes rust. When you add water, the magnesium compound and iron in the packet react to turn the FRH into a cooking pad. FRHs are commercially available, but even most camping stores do not keep them in stock. They usually come from online retailers.

Dehydrated Food

While dehydrated foods are not available on most grocery-store shelves, they are available in camping stores and from online suppliers. In 2009, there were 24 different main course dehydrated food packets for MRE kits. It is simple to order the desired food packets to serve as the cornerstone of DIY MREs.

Assembly

Assemble a DIY MRE with the proper components. The minimum should consist of a dehydrated meal, beverage packets, either crackers or bread, a dessert of some kind and seasonings. Most outdoorsmen will have a reusable set of utensils and sometimes will intend to use a camp stove, so these need be included only at their discretion. However, having at least a few FRHs per batch of DIY MREs is always a good idea, in case starting the camp stove or a campfire is inconvenient. The components should then be sealed in a container. A quart-sized zip-top bag is the most popular choice for this purpose.