King Surplus is selling 2 cases (24 meals) of MREs for as low as $73.95 shipped, doesn't include tax.

About $3.08/MRE

Expiration is Nov '25 but they should still be good for quite a few more years.

https://kingsurplus.com/catego...-eat?sort=price_desc

They will sell you a pallet if you're interested in bulk!

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
Expiration is Nov '25 but they should still be good for quite a few more years.

Note that MREs don't have "expiration dates".

The dates marked on their cases are instead inspection dates, usually dated for 3 years after they were packed.

Provided they are stored in a cool, dry place and remain sealed, their shelf life is much longer than this initial 3 year period.

They'll last another 3-5 years post-inspection-date easily. And potentially up to a decade or two, though the quality of some of the components will have noticeably degraded at that point, like the condiments and candy.



However, unless you're a backpacker/camper (or just a MRE fan) who would gradually use these over time, I wouldn't necessarily stock up on a bunch of MREs for your "shit happens" food storage. Because they'll just sit in your closet or basement for years until they're no longer good and you toss them out.

A better plan for food storage is to just keep on hand multiple extras of the shelf-stable foods that you already eat and cook with. Canned fruit and veggies, canned meats, canned soups, pasta, beans, rice, etc. And when you need some for a meal, grab the oldest dated can or pack of that item in your pantry or other storage area, and then replace it at the grocery store the next time you go with a fresh can or pack.

That way your food stock is not only getting rotated on a regular basis, you're also getting actual use out of the stuff. As opposed to just buying a pallet of MREs, sitting on it, then having to throw them all out and buy an entire new pallet of MREs every 5-10 years, all because you don't ever use them.

It's easy to get started with this. When you're at the grocery store and plan to buy a can of green beans, buy 3 instead. Buy 4 boxes of mac and cheese instead of just one. Get 2 bags of rice instead of one. Buy a case of 6 cans of soup at Sams/Costco rather than just 1 can of soup at the grocery store. Basically just buy extra anytime you'd be buying anything shelf stable. It's just a few dollars extra here or there each time you're doing your grocery shopping, but in a fairly short time you'll end up with several weeks worth of boxed/canned food storage at home. Then you can start rotating through your stock like I described above, replacing what you use and keeping the stock fresh as you use the old stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
Expiration is Nov '25 but they should still be good for quite a few more years.

Note that MREs don't have "expiration dates".
The dates marked on their cases are instead inspection dates, usually dated for 3 years after they were packed.
Provided they are stored in a cool, dry place and remain sealed, their shelf life is much longer than this initial 3 year period.
They'll last another 3-5 years post-inspection-date easily. And potentially up to a decade or two, though the quality of some of the components will have noticeably degraded at that point, like the condiments and candy.
However, unless you're a backpacker/camper (or just a MRE fan) who would gradually use these over time, I wouldn't necessarily stock up on a bunch of MREs for your "shit happens" food storage. Because they'll just sit in your closet or basement for years until they're no longer good and you toss them out.
<snippage>
That way your food stock is not only getting rotated on a regular basis, you're also getting actual use out of the stuff. As opposed to just buying a pallet of MREs, sitting on it, then having to throw them all out and buy an entire new pallet of MREs every 5-10 years, all because you don't ever use them.
It's easy to get started with this. When you're at the grocery store and plan to buy a can of green beans, buy 3 instead. Buy 4 boxes of mac and cheese instead of just one. Get 2 bags of rice instead of one. Buy a case of 6 cans of soup at Sams/Costco rather than just 1 can of soup at the grocery store. Basically just buy extra anytime you'd be buying anything shelf stable. It's just a few dollars extra here or there

^^THIS^^
I bought some MREs but they’re for throwing in a backpack and not for “long term”. Instead they get used up and the cans of ‘stuff’ get stored for longer term use.
Now if I could just get the wife on board to First In, First Out we’d be all set!

Thanks for the heads up. Just order a case. $39 is a great buy. I like to toss a few in the get home bag, and with hunting season coming up, it's nice to toss one into the pack for those long days in the hills.

If you have an Ocean STate Job Lots near you, they have MRE cases for $30, and individual ones for $3.99

I just picked up two cases (an A and B menu) to replace my aging case.

As others mentioned, the dates are inspection dates, and as long as the bag is not damaged or bloating, the MRE should be good for a while longer.
There is a red "bulls eye" on the box that is an indication of storage (Time/Temp).
If the center dot is lighter than the ring around it, it should be in good condition.
If the center dot is the same color as the outer ring, inspect thoroughly, and use soon.
If the inner dot is darker than the outer ring, most likely past usuable quality.

The menu options for these were certainly better than MCI rations. "Ham and Lima Beans" went into the trash; just could not get myself to eat it.

I’m thinking more and more about emergency supplies due to recent events which will most likely lead to at least some level of conflict.

China, with its cancerous tentacles metastasized into every facet of the US, will most likely hit our power grids, fuel supplies, communications, food/water supplies, etc, causing widespread death and chaos.

Personally, I’m not one to pop up out of the rubble in a post apocalyptic soup like the survivors in so many movies, however, a good month into the initial mess will be better than my current ‘supplies’ of probably not even up to a week.

I’ve eaten both C-Rats and MREs while in USMC boot camp, and I know the MREs, from the initial releases, have gotten better over the over 40 years since I’ve had them.

I’ve seen a lot of advertisements for Patriot Supplies, and that was one of the first places I was going to look in my research into this matter. The on-going events and this thread should kick me into action to find out the best course for us.