I just saw an ad from 4 Patriots for canned meat. Supposed to last years and contains only meat and sea salt. Looks good. Kinda pricey though. Only Randy could afford it.

Haha you funny man! You make me laugh Ray.

I’ve heard 4 Patriots or Patriot supply is kinda sub par. Not really sure which one but think it may be 4Patriots.

Yes, the canned meats sold by some of the "survival" companies are expensive. Since I don't have Randy's money I buy cans of beef chunks in gravy, pork in barbecue sauce, chicken chunks, ground beef in sauce, and of course tuna fish. All you need to do is walk up and down the aisles of Walmart for ideas of emergency foods. Always keep a good supply of bottled water.

I hear ya Tom. We have canned tuna chicken Turkey and pork along with some small canned hams. All from Wally World, Schnucks or Aldi’s.

I ran across a YouTuber that makes up diy Mre kits from food bought at Walmart and other supermarkets. I made some up and it was at least as good as MREs that I have eaten in the field and cheaper than commercial MREs. Shelf life won’t be as good as commercial survival food though. Although at my age, long shelf life shouldn’t be a concern

I have never eaten an MRE although I have a case of them in the cave. I have freeze-dried and canned goods stored in order to vary the diet, along with "heat and eat" items such as soups, stews, chili, tamales, ravioli, etc. I keep a supply of coffee and tea bags for myself, Nestle's Quick for the General, and Tang orange mix along with lemonade mix for beverages. I also keep cans of fruits and vegetables along with the freeze-dried, pilot bread crackers, peanut butter and jelly, and a variety of spices.

A can or two of beef chunks in gravy, instant mashed potatoes, and a vegetable makes for a decent meal.

You have a good setup, Tom. What did you eat in the field, C rats? I didn’t actually eat military MREs until after I became a civilian but the I had the precursor to them called LRP rations. I liked them better than MREs. We had C rats a couple of times that were made during the Korean War. I have a couple of months worth of commercial MREs that taste ok but shelf life is much shorter than actual survival food.

Yes Ray, we ate C-rations, with the rare occasion of dehydrated ? LRRP rations while in the mountains. After eating C-rats for so long we thought the LRRPs were really good. Whenever someone went to the rear area they brought back (stole) items to dress up the C-rats, such as Heinz 57 steak sauce for the beans and franks, and hot sauce for others. We added the packets of cream powder to the hot chocolate mix to make it thicker as well. A lot of experimenting took place out in the bush to trey to make the C-rats more palatable.

I remember the LRP's . Chicken Ala King was the best. I never rehydrated them. Just ate them dry and drank a bunch of water. I liked the old MRE's better than most of the new ones. Of course, it could be that I was young and really hungry when I ate the old ones.

LRP or LRRP rations were freeze dried just add hot water and we also played with combining a few meals in a pot. Not all the combinations turned out well. But the best food that I ever had in the service was in the Army NCO clubs and the Air Force mess halls.

AIR FORCE mess halls ROCKS! Best meal ever invented, Ham mushroom and cheese Omlett, SOS on toast with link sausage on the side. I’ve heard they don’t serve SOS any more, to unhealthy they say. COMMUNISTS! OK socialists then.

^^^ They had to make sure you guys would still fit in your chairs !