Most people who hear the words MREs associate them with bad tasting food. This is not necessarily true. Sure, they may not taste like food straight from the kitchen, but they are beneficial in other ways. More people choose to go on backpacking adventures with mre meals these days. Here are some reasons why these meals are beneficial during hiking.
Calorie Count
When hiking, people use a lot of calories. Your energy will need to be replenished during the trip so that you do not get too tired and exhausted. This is where mre meals come in. They are packaged with specific calories so they should be enough to keep you going on your adventure. They are a very efficient way to survive when on the road because you will not need to stop and start a fire to cook, or even carry any other meals on your way.
Flameless Heating
This is one other reason that these meals are becoming popular with hikers. If you are on your hiking trip and it is raining or snowing, and you cannot start a fire to cook food, then you do not have to starve. The mre meals have their own reheating options in the form of the flameless ration heater. That means you still get to enjoy a warm meal and go to sleep. This is also convenient if you do not have enough supplies to start a fire.
No Need To Carry Cutlery
Mre meals come with accessories such as spoons, forks, matches and such. This means that if you do not have these things when you leave home, there will be no need to panic. You will still enjoy your meal without having to use your hands or fashion a spoon out of wood. In addition to that, there are meals that come with tabasco, so if you love some sauce to go with your meal, then this will be a very good treat for you. You do not have to eat tasteless meals just because you are away from home. Some packs even come with chewing gum.
Easy To Carry
There is the fact that the mre packs are easy to carry and you can rest assured that there will be no spillage onto your backpack. With other backpacking meals, there is always a risk that there will be food particles on your things. This can attract ants which will be very uncomfortable especially if they get into your sleeping bag or clothes. Mre meals have trustworthy packaging so they will not pose the same risk. The packs are also not large so you will be saving some space for extra things in your backpack.
Food Won't Go Bad
Mre meals are made to last, so you do not have to worry about the food going bad. There is always a risk of the food you have brought on your trip going bad if you packed it at home. If you take mre meals with you when hiking, you can make it at any time you wish. The fact that you do not even have to start a fire to heat it up is also an added advantage. With a backpacking meal, you will have to eat it cold. This can be frustrating especially if it is too cold and you need a warm meal.
No Need To Clean Up After
If you have not carried ready cooked food and have to cook while on the trip, then you definitely need to clean up afterward. Failure to do this will mean that some small animals may invade your camp and disturb you. They may even break into the food supply if you had carried a reasonable amount of food, especially if your trip is meant to last for a few days. With mre meals, the clean up is not necessary. All you have to do is throw away the packaging after your meal, and you still have a clean camp.
Additional Tips For Your Hike
Although there are many advantages that come from choosing mre rather than a backpacking meal, there are also some risks. If you do not know how to obtain the right mre from the right places, you could end up with poor quality stuff from people who are not honorable. You should try to get the meals from army surplus stores. This will ensure that you are actually getting the real thing.
You also need to make sure that you get a meal that you will enjoy. We offer a huge variety of MREs for sale, such as XMRE, Eversafe and Omeals self-heating meals. Do not get different packages of food assuming that all the food will be to your liking. How you like the spaghetti is not the same way you might feel about another meal. You can taste the meals at home before leaving for your trip so that you can determine which ones you prefer.
