Ameriqual A-Pack vs. Military MRE

[shibumiseeker]

I just checked what it would cost shipped to my door and it was $23. $105 + $23 = 128. 128 / 24 = $5.33 per full MRE shipped to your door.

Back in the day they had these for sale around $90 per two cases of MRE's (24) and I could buy them shipped to my door for under $5 per MRE.

The only cavet here is that these MRE's do not ship in the hard cardboard Military boxes. These show up in a big bulky regular cardboard box. If you really value the MRE's packaged up in the boxes like they get in the service, then you may not like how these are packaged. Personally I'm after the MRE's themselves so I could care less what they're package in.

$64/case to the door for new production is not bad. I'll keep that in mind next time I'm running low.

 

[hotfarmboy1]

At their price even with shipping it's a toss up for me. I have a small preference for the GI version, but if it's the difference between new production and surplused ones that are 3-4 years old I'll generally buy the newer ones unless I get a hell of a deal. My price point for surplused ones is $50/case out the door unless my stock is running low, then I'll go up to $60/case. Our family goes through a crap-ton of them a year and with the GI ones I usually disassemble them and take out the extraneous stuff and retape them closed to save weight and size. I don't do that with the A-packs.

Now, if the price per case is within a couple bucks and the production dates are the same the storage conditions are the same, I'll take the GI ones over the A-packs no hesitation.

Shibumi has the right idea here. The idea of taking out the extra stuff you don't really need and retaping the military package will save both space and weight in your pack. Plus the military package is waterproof. If you tape it well enough it will stay that way. One other thing I'd like about the mil ones vs the A packs is the heater. The Mil heater just uses regular water, whereas the A pack heater has to use the salt water.

I've got a couple cases of the A packs myself. But do plan on getting some of the Military ones in the future.

 

[copperhead-1911]

Good write up. Just as a fyi I at an mre that a buddy had in iraq in 2003. I just ate it a couple weeks ago. I think that is a good amount of years to test. I was not the whole thing as the dessert was gone it was not the best color but tasty. the main entree was beans and side was mexican rice i think it said

 

[longbow]

I've spent hours and hours inside that plant. The clear bag still holds up very well. The difference has to do with the military contract and not what the company wants to do.

 

[Lee11b]

just remember MRE stands for My Rectal Enemy!!!! Wise food tastes good, and has a 25 year shelf life. They package them in sealed packages inside sealed 5 gallon buckets. The food still tastes good 8 years later.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Ft Harrison Commissary still sells individual MRE meals at $8.50 ea, they used to be $4.50 ea and I always walk past them to the register, Meals Rejected by Ethiopians back in my day.