Army Ration Packs

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by diamond

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.

Nice one, will PM you with some details - if it's sausage and beans I'll be there in a shot

@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

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

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....

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.

Ever tried using a hexamine cooker then YC?

Now they are a real PITA to regulate

[the_lone_wolf]

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...

Originally Posted by Lozzo

And MSR Petrol stoves don't make everything stink of petrol? Hmmm....

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]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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.

Originally Posted by speedplay

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.