MRE meals or meals ready to eat are common among the military and used by survivalists. However, there are more and more backpackers who are turning to these meals. There are a number of reasons why you should consider using an MRE, such as the one you can buy from us, when you are backpacking instead of other backpacking meals that are on the market.
The Calories
When you are backpacking for a prolonged period of time, you are going to be burning a lot of calories. In order to stay healthy, you will need to replace the calories that you have burnt. Most of the meals that people pack for backpacking will have around 400 to 600 calories. This will not be ideal if you are going to be backpacking overnight as the average person requires more than this to stay healthy.
This is one of the reasons why you should look at an MRE instead. The average MRE will have around 1250 calories per meal. It is possible to purchase an MRE that offers more than this as well. This amount of calories will more than make up for what you have burnt during the day and will ensure that you have the energy to carry on.
You Get A Side Dish
If you are buying a pre-packaged backpacking meal, you need to be aware of the fact that you only get an entrée. If you want any side dishes, you will need to purchase them separately or take them yourself. This will increase the cost of the meals and the amount that you will need to carry.
This is not something that you need to worry about with an MRE. The standard MRE will have a side dish with the main. The side dish will vary depending on the MRE that you have purchased. Some will have rice while others will have fruit and others will have vegetables.
Dessert, Candy, And A Spread
After a long day of hiking, you will want to treat yourself to something nice at the end of your meal. Unless you pack something with the rest of your food, you will not have this with a standard pre-packaged backpack meal. You will also generally not be given any bread that you can have with your meal.
The standard MRE will come with dessert and a spread for the bread or cracker that they provide. You can also get meals that come with dessert, a spread, and candy. This is the ultimate treat for you at the end of a long day of walking and will round off the meal perfectly. The spreads that you get for the bread or cracker will vary from peanut butter to cheese.
A Drink Mix
While it is important that you keep your water intake up while backpacking, there are times when you want something other than water. When you buy a standard MRE, you will have a choice of drink mixes. You can choose between cool drink mixes or warm drink mixes.
There are fewer cool drink mixes that you can get, but the most common will be a shake mix and sports drinks. There are a few warm drink mixes that come with the meals such as hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. All you will need to do is add some water to the mix, and you will have a drink to enjoy.
If you are looking at standard backpack meals, you will need to bring your own drink mixes. While this might not seem like a problem, it is actually something that most people forget. This will leave you with nothing tasty to wash your meal down with.
The Accessories
When you buy an MRE, you will be getting a range of accessories as well. This will generally include utensils to eat the meal, wipes, matches, sugar, salt and some form of sauce. Other accessories might be included depending on the MRE that you have purchased.
It is also important to note that the MRE will come with a heater. These flameless heaters will ensure that you have a warm meal to enjoy at the end of the day. All you will have to do is open the heater, pour some water in and place your meal inside the bag then wait.
MRE Giant offers a wide range of meals ready to eat from popular brands such as XMRE and Eversafe. You can also find in our inventory our meals from Omeals.
