MREs for hunting blind?

guywhofishes

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Posts
28,630
Likes
3,830
Points
948
Location
Faaargo, ND
Might be sitting in the deer blind dusk to dawn in December. Was thinking maybe MREs would be handy. Never had one, so I don’t know anything about them.

Are they a worthwhile thing to try?

If so - Best place to buy them? Type?
 


jdfisherman

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Posts
183
Likes
121
Points
155
I've used them for years - nice easy way to make a hot meal in the stand (just need to bring a little water with to activate the heat packet). My brother was in the National Guard for years, so that was always my source. Lots of places online to buy them, and our local surplus freight store always seemed to have them. Biggest issue is to try to find ones that aren't real old (older than 10 years) - lots of online discussion about that as well.
 

measure-it

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Posts
547
Likes
100
Points
190
Location
Bismarck, ND
ass't crackers, sardines, vienna sausages, deviled-potted meat, etc will tide you over. also don't overlook lunchables packs.
 

guywhofishes

Founding Member
Founding Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Posts
28,630
Likes
3,830
Points
948
Location
Faaargo, ND
ass't crackers, sardines, vienna sausages, deviled-potted meat, etc will tide you over. also don't overlook lunchables packs.

Right - I’m pretty well versed on the traditional approach.

At 0F nothing beats a warm meal.
 

Achucker

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Posts
2,006
Likes
101
Points
283
Location
Bismarck
Beings your in a blind would a small stove be an option. This opens your world to alot more variety
 


Twitch

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 14, 2015
Posts
2,456
Likes
493
Points
318
Location
Mandan
If you don’t have a taste for mres and have a jetboil or something like it the assorted meals on the market like mountainhouse are pretty damn good for what they are. Enjoyed them a lot more than I thought I would on the elk hunt I went on in September

- - - Updated - - -

The Peak brand are good as well
 

Rut2much

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Posts
2,496
Likes
66
Points
278
Location
Devils lake
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/search?q=Mre&lang=default

EE9BBC1F-523A-4281-A7F7-C358781EAD27.jpg

Reminds me of working on the county highways during the summer back in HS and college days. Buddy that was in the guards ate them every day on our lunch breaks.
 

risingsun

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Posts
2,125
Likes
681
Points
378
Soup in a good thermos always hit the spot for me on a cold sit , Simple, easy to carry and quiet
 

BP338

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2015
Posts
3,472
Likes
22
Points
251
Location
North Dakota
I don't sit in blinds too often, but I love my jetboil and a piping hot mountain house! Quick and easy! And the stove is super compact. I'd let you borrow mine if we lived closer...just so you could try it out.
 

guywhofishes

Founding Member
Founding Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Posts
28,630
Likes
3,830
Points
948
Location
Faaargo, ND
I could cook on a buddy heater easy enough - but cooking generates a lot of scent - and luring deer is illegal:)

every time I bring a thermos “soup time” doesn’t happen - so drag it back to camp and reheat there

it just seems like MREs would be fun to try
 


LBrandt

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2016
Posts
10,828
Likes
1,382
Points
498
Location
SE ND
Theres so many good things to eat that you could put in a nice wide mouth thermos.
 

guywhofishes

Founding Member
Founding Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Posts
28,630
Likes
3,830
Points
948
Location
Faaargo, ND
down side of thermos is packing it along… but then not eating it or having time

nice thing about freeze dried or MRE is they’re totally optional - they can sit out in cold no worries until you want to eat them
and no getting things ready at 5am to take hot thermos with

and thermoses Ive tried suck at low temps - never truly “hot” when eaten

- - - Updated - - -

thanks for input everyone
 
Last edited:

KDM

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Posts
9,650
Likes
1,582
Points
563
Location
Valley City
You might be better off bringing a polka band with you on stand if you want to open all the plastic prepacked MRE meals in subfreezing temps. They are LOUD when opening them at 100 degrees F. I can only imagine what they would sound like in zero degrees. You have the main MRE pack, the meal pack, the desert pack, the cracker pack, the salt/pepper etc. pack, the chicklets/candy pack, the heater pack, the peanut butter/jelly pack, and the utinsil/napkin pack. MRE's are a plastic bag manufacturers wet dream. I'd go with freeze dried backpackers meals and open them to pack in another "quiet" container. Just a thought.
 

Twitch

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 14, 2015
Posts
2,456
Likes
493
Points
318
Location
Mandan
Yeah the freeze dried meals are pretty good. If you have a jet boil you can boil your water in 90 seconds. Starting to be pretty good variety. The elk ragu from peak is good. As is mountainhouse chili mac, beef stew, biscuits and gravy, beef stroganoff. About as convenient as it gets for a hot meal in the field all in 1 pouch.
 

Kurtr

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Posts
18,237
Likes
1,966
Points
648
Location
Mobridge,Sd
Yep mountain house biscuits and gravy are good. I like the blueberry granola with hot water to.
 


NDbowman

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Posts
1,120
Likes
283
Points
248
I like MRE's when hunting. They're just easy to grab and go. Just bring some water to get the flameless ration heater working and to make coffee or drinks. As KDM said they are noisy to open but I'm usually in an enclosed blind so I just make sure to close the windows to help contain the sound. The absolute noisiest thing in them is the bag that the FRH is in, I often wonder why they couldn't have made that bag half an inch wider to make it easier to get the meal into.
In a case of mre's some of the meals are pretty good, some are ok, and there is always one that is just terrible. The one I really dislike is Spinach Fettucini, to garlicly and I like garlic.
 

SDMF

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Posts
10,908
Likes
620
Points
438
Mt House lasagna, or stroganoff are both good enough to eat even at home with a full kitchen @ your disposal.

The Blueberry crunch thing I can’t eat ‘cause it looks JUST like bear poo.
 

NDSportsman

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Posts
3,245
Likes
378
Points
313
Location
East Central ND
Tried a few of the mountain house and mre types. Some were OK but I'd prefer a thermos of soup and a sandwich. Most of time I just go the sandwich and snack route. November/December days are pretty short anyway, start off with a decent meal before heading out and a snack or 2 during the day is plenty IMO.
 


Recent Posts

Friends of NDA

Top Posters of the Month

  • This month: 159
  • This month: 133
  • This month: 114
  • This month: 108
  • This month: 102
  • This month: 86
  • This month: 82
  • This month: 76
  • This month: 74
  • This month: 74
Top Bottom