Ammo Can Man MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) Box A, Genuine U.S. Military Surplus, Menus 1-12 by Rothco

MRE reviewPackage arrived fully intact, two bands and the top flaps sealed. The internal packaging looked factory and untouched. Writing all over it stating it is U.S. Government property and unlawful for commercial resale…I like that.Zero complaints about package condition or delivery time. These look to be just like the MREs I have seen in the past and authentic U.S. Govt.Packing slip included this info: Manufacture date 6/2011 insp/test date 6/2014 stored in walk in cooler guaranteed freshness average shelf life 3-5 years. I have had MRE’s well past ten years old and although some items did go bad like cheese sauce and gum, the primary items like entrées were OK to eat. They were not stored in climate controlled place so I’m sure if you keep them out of the heat for most of their life they will be edible for a very long time.Came with 12 different meals. The meal packs only have what the entre is on them, not a list of the other stuff. There was a condiment pack with instant coffee, creamer, sugar, salt (no pepper sadly, probably because it makes you sneeze…not good in a foxhole), two chicklets gum squares, matches, mini napkins and a moist towelette. There was also a very sturdy plastic spoon that could be re-used.My food review is based on the fact that these are for “emergency” or light transport use…not expected to be “fine dining”. Also I picked the meal that looked to me to be the hardest to simulate and package or otherwise what I thought would be the worst meal in the dozen.-Pepperoni pizza crackers=these are “Combos” brand name type snacks. How can they suck?-Cheese spread with bacon (fortified)=Kind of like that cheese in a spray can stuff or “whiz”. While I don’t normally eat that stuff, I have loved it since childhood. I squirted it on the pizza Combos and it was good.-Beverage base powder orange=This is what you need the spoon for and also the coffee in this kit. It’s essentially Tang. It clumped up a bit in the bottom of a glass but was ok for what it was. They assume you have a canteen by the way. You need water and MREs do not come with water…but still better than those freeze dried meals that require a lot of water. People sometimes forget that water is the most important supply of all and those freeze dried foods require potable water. Canned foods such as green beans actually come with extra water in the can…saturated with nutrients you can drink.-Nut and raisin mix: Gave it to my wife, that’s more her thing. No report yet but I imagine it is very acceptable.-Wheat snack bread twin pack: These are like a soft cracker or a thin dense bread. They seemed to be shaped similar to the beef patty as if you should make a sandwich. I tried that but I heated them in a toaster over and got them too done. They would have been better at room temp. But, they were edible and I ate all of it, but separate from the patty.-Beef patty, grilled: This is kind of like a canned meat product. It was in a patty shape and smelled a lot like spam, but didn’t really taste like it. It did not appear to have any fake grill marks but I don’t care, if I’m hungry I just want edible food. I also over heated this in the toaster oven and dried it out. There was fluid in the package that would have kept the patty moist if heated in the pouch it came in. I had decided to start saving the heater packs when I sample these at home. So the patty was decent but would have been better I think right out of the package just warmed.-Barbeque sauce: A sweet barbeque sauce like any other at the supermarket. Pretty standard and good. My preference is a more vinegary BBQ sauce but this is an MRE, can’t be picky in an emergency.I didn’t try the instant coffee or gum. I can imagine what those taste like. But, even instant coffee is a treat in a real emergency.So, like my review of the civilian version of MRE recently purchased, I have to give this five stars because the product was exactly as advertised and met my expectations. This is survival/battle/emergency food, and that’s what I expected to get. And the price was fair. As soon as I bought the civilian version of MREs on Amazon the seller jacked the price up. This product will probably do the same since people are starting to sense that our current government may not be watching out for us or tell us of impending natural disasters for fear of the population going crazy ahead of such an event.Prepare the best you can out there people. Worst case scenario is you have all this stuff and nothing happens. Don’t bankrupt yourself with it though…everything in moderation…foil hats don’t really protect you!

I was expecting worse than instutional food - not gourmet but sustainable. I have times that I am out where food is not available, there is one in my car, hit, put it either under the seat or low in the trunk, the coolest places. I ate this at home but did it - like primitive, no use of anything in the package but a knife to open the packages. They are very tough. I used the heater, opened the wrong end and put in too much water but it worked. The desert cake and the vegetable cracker (revolting idea) were quite good. The entre was a pasta/tomato/meat, not bad. I tried the instant coffee, good for instant. There was sugar/creamer and a small pack of matches. I did mot mix the orange drink yet. It is a little much for me but I could eat the entre and keep the dessert and cracker for a second light meal. Definitely good for dinner and lunch. Now, if they just included pancakes and bacon.

Box ordered 2025, arrived with a 2026 inspect by date. Meals are good inside.

I'd been meaning to buy some MREs to have around the house in case of power failures, appliance breakdowns, road trips, etc., so I bought menus 1-12 to try them out. They arrived in fine condition but the special seal that lets you know how long they have been stored was missing. Shortly after getting them, I had a power failure which knocked out my stove so I pulled one out and tried it. Awesome! The pouch heater was easy to use and the meal (# 1 - Chile and Beans) was hot and satisfying, if a little bland. The coffee was hot and tasted OK. The vanilla "shake" tasted sort of like one but was nothing more than flavored water. It may not agree with weaker stomachs. The meal also included cheese whip, crackers, a toaster pastry, condiments, chewing gum, matches, spoon and a paper towel. All you need are scissors to open it up.I'm definitely going to order meals 13-24. You get 12 meals for the price of a week's supermarket shopping for a single person, or about $10 each, including a large shipping fee. A search of the internet told me that the meals are rated for a three year shelf life at 80 degrees F, so I figure on having one or two every season until I run out. Then I'll get more for sure. I brought another one to work a few weeks ago and everyone was watching me closely as I brought it out in the dining area. One of them lives out in the country and she was so impressed that she is going to buy some for emergencies as well!

The case I got from 123CloseOut was correct, genuine, of good date and sealed properly. Everything was as it should be.The meals are great, good variety. Each MRE comes with a variety of items besides the main dish like sides, snacks, desserts, drink mixes, gum, TP, wet naps, your tactical spoon... and a few other things here or there likes spices or hot sauce. The food is actually good, my kids WANT these over other food, camping or not. And.. with a grand total of 24 different meals (if you get case A + B), there is a good amount of variety. Forget the myths and rumors.The BIG reason I love MREs for hiking, camping, even boating and beach.. is the self heating bag. Warm to super hot food in moments with no fire or stove, just a splash of water and a little waiting. You can stop in the middle of a hike and have a good meal with little fuss. Another great reason is all the stuff it comes with is great to munch on while on the move, and is balanced to help get all the calories and nutrition in ya that are needed for your adventure. Each and every piece is sealed individually, so you can keep the kit in its main super strong sealed bag, or break down the kit to pack how ever you like.The down side for me is very little. I can only wish that each and every meal number came with a coffee kit, or five... not all numbers have one!! I also strip out some of the "extra" packaging when I pack, but that is not too bad of an issue at all.

2024 Insp date as listed, quick shipping, thank you.