View Full Version : Army Ration Packs
the_lone_wolf
04-01-10, 11:38 PM
Quick Q...
Germany looms, and I'm planning to take boil in the bag ration pack type things - anyone know of anything to watch out for (apart from it being too cold for my gas stove to work?)
Or anyone know where I can get some at a decent price? ;) <---I'm winking...
:thumleft:
punyXpress
04-01-10, 11:40 PM
Wayfarer are just up the road from here so may be able to put out my begging bowl.
the_lone_wolf
04-01-10, 11:47 PM
Wayfarer are just up the road from here so may be able to put out my begging bowl.
Thanks dude
Not on the scout for freebies as such, just wondering if anyone had any leads on a good price or any advice on what to look out for...
:D
LOL. Watch out for the Curry stuff. Still recovering from that experience in the forces. Top tips....Pack some tommy or tabasco sauce salt and pepper etc for flavour as ratpacks can get a bit bland! I fully recommend Sausage and Beans! I lived on the stuff for weeks on exercise and jobs!
Silvermans Army surplus store is a good place to get surplus military gear. If not a nod and a wink (more likely £10-£20) at a local Barrack guard room might get you somewhere. Just check the best before date as some guys are a little untrustworthy!!! ;)
PJ
the_lone_wolf
04-01-10, 11:52 PM
:D
LOL. Watch out for the Curry stuff. Still recovering from that experience in the forces. Top tips....Pack some tommy or tabasco sauce salt and pepper etc for flavour as ratpacks can get a bit bland! I fully recommend Sausage and Beans! I lived on the stuff for weeks on exercise and jobs!
Hah - Yep - It won't be my first foray into ration packs, a friend of mine had some chilli ones and sausage n beans ones at a kitesurfing festival years ago, mixed together it was like manna in the desert!!!:D
coolbreeze
05-01-10, 12:28 AM
dont eat the biscuit browns unless yo want to break your teeth the fruit abs are same as garibaldi biscuits treacle pudding is yummy rolled oats not great unless mixed with chocolate powder ham pate is ok cheese possessed (processed cheese) will stop you crappin for a month chocolate bars are good boiled sweets ok if you like one flavor. apart from that good stuff
davepreston
05-01-10, 01:31 AM
sauces and powders are a must if you get rat packs especially wink wink ones cos they will all be the same inside (borrowed from same pallet :) ) when tired screach aka lemon powder dapped on tounge is paramount to speed, bin the coffee take your own, biscut brown hit the bin, the soups are genrally poo, stip the box down and take
yorkie bars
breakfast ,dinner and pudding pouches
screach
whitener ,sugar
pattie,
fruit biccies
gum
boiled sweets
tissues and matches
oxtail soup
choclate powder
if on them for extended periods mix up eating times eg have pud for breakie breakie for tea
they will bung you up (they are designed that way)
always pick up a bit of FRESH whenever you stop even if it just a tomato or apple
hth
ps you will become a messed up chef mixing them to vary the taste, i should have a mitchillen star for rat packs
SoulKiss
05-01-10, 07:52 AM
sauces and powders are a must if you get rat packs especially wink wink ones cos they will all be the same inside (borrowed from same pallet :) ) when tired screach aka lemon powder dapped on tounge is paramount to speed, bin the coffee take your own, biscut brown hit the bin, the soups are genrally poo, stip the box down and take
yorkie bars
breakfast ,dinner and pudding pouches
screach
whitener ,sugar
pattie,
fruit biccies
gum
boiled sweets
tissues and matches
oxtail soup
choclate powder
if on them for extended periods mix up eating times eg have pud for breakie breakie for tea
they will bung you up (they are designed that way)
always pick up a bit of FRESH whenever you stop even if it just a tomato or apple
hth
ps you will become a messed up chef mixing them to vary the taste, i should have a mitchillen star for rat packs
Seems you should take Remy, Rat chef here with you then :p
Seems you should take Remy, Rat chef here with you then :p
Are you said Remy, not REMF !
See Dave I can take the **** out of myself :smt037
454697819
05-01-10, 08:08 AM
if you find one with cheese in it, bin the cheese, they were supposed to be removed from all packs but I found one years ago in a pack, the box even had CHEESE REMOVED across the top..
apparently its got some cancer assisting chemicals in it.
speedplay
05-01-10, 08:20 AM
if you find one with cheese in it, bin the cheese, they were supposed to be removed from all packs but I found one years ago in a pack, the box even had CHEESE REMOVED across the top..
apparently its got some cancer assisting chemicals in it.
The "cheese removed" probably refers to the storeman tossing it off;)
SoulKiss
05-01-10, 08:55 AM
Seems you should take Remy, Rat chef here with you then :p
Are you said Remy, not REMF !
See Dave I can take the **** out of myself :smt037
Remy is the main character in the Disney film Ratatouille, who is a Rat that wants to be a chef for those that dont know :p
diamond
05-01-10, 09:52 AM
I have 6 or 7 of the 24hr ration packs in my spare room. I don't know how anyone can eat that **** on exercise my boxes just come home still sealed up. I then give them to my brother for on his boat in emergencies, and i was tempted to put them on ebay.
If you want one or more then let me know and they are yours for a donation to Help for Heros.
They might be a bit heavy and expensive to post but i can get them to Portsmouth if you want to collect them.
Forgot to say - not sure what menus they are but can let you know tonight if your interested.
I may be missing the point (maybe you're trying to save money, space or just to do somehing different) but what's wrong with taking real food on the trip or stopping at a caf?!
These ration packs don't sound all that appealing (I have mates who've lived on them for a while and hated them) and surely are designed for when you simply can't get anything else - I wouldn't even consider using them if I had access to real food..:smt101
I may be missing the point (maybe you're trying to save money, space or just to do somehing different) but what's wrong with taking real food on the trip or stopping at a caf?!
These ration packs don't sound all that appealing (I have mates who've lived on them for a while and hated them) and surely are designed for when you simply can't get anything else - I wouldn't even consider using them if I had access to real food..:smt101
I agree entirely, they really are crap and if I had access to real food in civilisation then I wouldn't bother. If it's the Elefantentreffen that you're going to, there is inexpensive food on site - no need to load up your bike with rat-packs when you could be using the space for stuff to keep you warm
Secondly, don't bother with a gas stove, buy a genuine Trangia or one of the Scandiwegian army surplus variants. They will work in virtually any temperature and are safer to carry and easier to store on a bike.
speedplay
05-01-10, 10:39 AM
Secondly, don't bother with a gas stove, buy a genuine Trangia or one of the Scandiwegian army surplus variants. They will work in virtually any temperature and are safer to carry and easier to store on a bike.
+1
My Trangia has been the one of the best investments for camping I ever made.
That and the Sigg bottle to go with it:thumleft:
fizzwheel
05-01-10, 10:48 AM
Noooo dont tell him he doesnt need them, we have fricken loads in our spare room and it would be quite nice to shift em ! :D
I tried the Spaghetti Bolagnaise or was it the Meatball one. I thought it was edible enough, but Liz does ensure me that they arent very nice.
However the oatmeal blocks are lovely. Actually Captain Awesome you dont want those as you wont like them ;)
punyXpress
05-01-10, 11:14 AM
Road kill ?
Plenty of fires on site.
yorkie_chris
05-01-10, 11:23 AM
I agree entirely, they really are crap and if I had access to real food in civilisation then I wouldn't bother. If it's the Elefantentreffen that you're going to, there is inexpensive food on site - no need to load up your bike with rat-packs when you could be using the space for stuff to keep you warm
Secondly, don't bother with a gas stove, buy a genuine Trangia or one of the Scandiwegian army surplus variants. They will work in virtually any temperature and are safer to carry and easier to store on a bike.
I quite like them when you mix them up with some fresh and other stuff, the corned beef plus some bits of quartered rabbit and tabasco is friggin lovely.
The soup ain't bad. And it's worth buying the entire pack for the hot chocolate.
I don't like trangias, they make everything stink of meths, they're a PITA to regulate at all, you end up on fire every time you need to top it up etc.
MSR petrol stoves are way better.
Oh and take a zippo lighter with you, or be careful to keep a decent gas lighter in an inside pocket so it stays warm. The butane in gas lighters is crap for keeping pressure in cold. The lifeboat matches you get in the rat packs are useful for this too 'cos they're cold and damp proof(ish)
the_lone_wolf
05-01-10, 11:39 AM
I have 6 or 7 of the 24hr ration packs in my spare room. I don't know how anyone can eat that **** on exercise my boxes just come home still sealed up. I then give them to my brother for on his boat in emergencies, and i was tempted to put them on ebay.
If you want one or more then let me know and they are yours for a donation to Help for Heros.
They might be a bit heavy and expensive to post but i can get them to Portsmouth if you want to collect them.
Forgot to say - not sure what menus they are but can let you know tonight if your interested.
:smt026
Nice one, will PM you with some details - if it's sausage and beans I'll be there in a shot:cool:
@carty et al - We will be taking some fresh food and even staying in hotels on the way there and back, not intending on surviving on ration packs for a week. They're there for when we need some food but can't get access to fresh stuff, having eaten them before I thought they were quite good for what they were:smt005:oops:
I don't like trangias, they make everything stink of meths, they're a PITA to regulate at all, you end up on fire every time you need to top it up etc.
MSR petrol stoves are way better.
And MSR Petrol stoves don't make everything stink of petrol? Hmmm.... :rolleyes:
If you're getting that effect from a Trangia, you're not using it correctly. Mine never makes anything smell, and topping the burner up is easy if you have a proper fuel bottle - mine is a Primus one with an easy to use fuel regulating spout.
speedplay
05-01-10, 11:52 AM
Ever tried using a hexamine cooker then YC?
Now they are a real PITA to regulate;)
the_lone_wolf
05-01-10, 11:54 AM
BTW I already have a petrol powered stove borrowed from an army friend of mine, looks like an interesting way to burn the hair off my arms...
454697819
05-01-10, 12:02 PM
And MSR Petrol stoves don't make everything stink of petrol? Hmmm.... :rolleyes:
If you're getting that effect from a Trangia, you're not using it correctly. Mine never makes anything smell, and topping the burner up is easy if you have a proper fuel bottle - mine is a Primus one with an easy to use fuel regulating spout.
no, because you can store more petrol in the base than you can in the trangia, plus you can use petrol from ur bike if you run short.
this is what i found anyway. :-)
How much cooking do you need to do in one hit? I carry a max of 600cc of meths with me, and a full burner. I can last a week on that lot cooking every day and making the odd cuppa.
yorkie_chris
05-01-10, 12:44 PM
If you're getting that effect from a Trangia, you're not using it correctly. Mine never makes anything smell, and topping the burner up is easy if you have a proper fuel bottle - mine is a Primus one with an easy to use fuel regulating spout.
Fair one, never had anything but borrowed fuel bottles and they never seemed to work properly.
Heh, hexy burners have their place. At least they're light and will fit inside mess tins.
Hexy burners are notoriously useless at heating anything up though.
I'm sorry, but I don't hold with this "act like a real man and rough it like they used to during the war" malarkey. There have been huge advancements made in camping gear in recent years which put mess tins and hexy burners where they belong, back in the 1940s. It's still roughing it when using modern gear, but at least you get a proper hot meal at the end of a long hard days riding.
I'm the same about riding gear. I won't bother buying a pair of German Para boots because they are cumbersome and while they make great Para boots, you soon realise they are useless as riding boots if you've ever owned a pair of good quality bike boots. Same goes for jackets and trousers. I won't waste my money on ex-army goretex camo jackets because I know they haven't been designed for bike use. It makes me shake my head in wonderment when I see the upside-downy heads insisting on buying that sort of kit purely because they have to look macho. Mind you, most of them don't ever ride bikes when there's their scabby C regd Transit van sitting outside.
Added to that, UK forces rat-packs are crap, the US ones are far far better. Maybe that's why our SF use the common or garden US issue ones almost exclusively.
speedplay
05-01-10, 02:32 PM
Hexy burners are notoriously useless at heating anything up though.
Theyre great for warming your hands as all the flames spill out the sides under your mess tins ;)
I use the british army goretex trousers out on the enduro when greenlaning in the winter as I can get them for about £3 a pair.
I bung them over my riding kit and dont care if they get shredded.
Theyre great for warming your hands as all the flames spill out the sides under your mess tins ;)
I use the british army goretex trousers out on the enduro when greenlaning in the winter as I can get them for about £3 a pair.
I bung them over my riding kit and dont care if they get shredded.
Fair play for that sort of useage, but as day to day riding gear they are pretty crap.
speedplay
05-01-10, 02:40 PM
Fair play for that sort of useage, but as day to day riding gear they are pretty crap.
Yup, the only goretex known to actually make you sweat..
davepreston
05-01-10, 03:14 PM
mre's are fing tastie but the only issue is they are 1 meal not 3 and snacks
Bluefish
05-01-10, 05:53 PM
todays boil in the bags are lush compared to what went befor, the biscuits brown ab have allways been crap, give em to the dog, even then they will probobly turn their nose up at em.
shifter
05-01-10, 06:16 PM
Does anyone remember the Apple flakes! I used to love them when I where a boy
speedplay
05-01-10, 06:28 PM
Does anyone remember the Apple flakes! I used to love them when I where a boy
You going to the AR?
I'll bring you some.
todays boil in the bags are lush compared to what went befor, the biscuits brown ab have allways been crap, give em to the dog, even then they will probobly turn their nose up at em.
My mum and I absolutely love Biscuits AB, I got a taste for them when my old man was in the mob. When I was in I used to cadge as many of them as I could from mates to take home for my ma.
I am (un)reliably told that the AB stands for Anal Blockage :D
shifter
05-01-10, 11:56 PM
You going to the AR?
I'll bring you some.
I might just hold you to that, I think they even did Apricot flakes and on a good day Apple and Apricot flakes! now thats good eating.
Quiff Wichard
06-01-10, 01:37 AM
I have 6 or 7 of the 24hr ration packs in my spare room. I don't know how anyone can eat that **** on exercise my boxes just come home still sealed up. I then give them to my brother for on his boat in emergencies, and i was tempted to put them on ebay.
If you want one or more then let me know and they are yours for a donation to Help for Heros.
They might be a bit heavy and expensive to post but i can get them to Portsmouth if you want to collect them.
Forgot to say - not sure what menus they are but can let you know tonight if your interested.
me seen them..
couldnt believe how mush stuff came out of one box !! yorkie bars too ..
MattCollins
06-01-10, 04:27 AM
Ration packs don't do it for me. Even if they don't taste awful they still have me pooping through the eye of a needle for a week. I make and consume a couple of hundred dehydrated meals (packed lunch and overnight supplies) each year plus a large amount of dried fruit, fruit leathers and jerked beef. It's easy and for (say) a 3 day supply does not require any special gear.
Store bought dehydrated meals usually need a fair bit of carb (eg rice or pasta) added to make them a meal.
madjohn
08-01-10, 01:46 PM
if you find one with cheese in it, bin the cheese, they were supposed to be removed from all packs but I found one years ago in a pack, the box even had CHEESE REMOVED across the top..
apparently its got some cancer assisting chemicals in it.
Wonderful. Nice to know. I used to love the stuff. Does that mean i'm a dead man walking.:reaper:
Does that mean i'm a dead man walking.:reaper:
"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero"
Tyler Durden, Fight Club, 1999. :smt058
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