Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft

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  MRE meals are great for camping, hiking, hunting, long term food storage, and survival kits. These MREs have up to a five year shelf life depending on conditions. I personally am partial to MREs because of their usefulness in the back country.

   This is a photo of the complete MRE. These are light weight and can be carried with ease inside a pack or in the BDU cargo pocket. The outer plastic bag is made of some heavy stuff. I keep them for use in my survival kit. They are great for carrying water or water proofing a survival kit.

  Opening the MRE was easy. These had a pull seal that opened with a gentle tug yet held the MRE closed securely.

   This particular MRE entree did not come with a heater. I didn't see this as a problem.  In a survival situation water is valuable, and as you can see there is also snow on the ground. The heaters require water in order to heat the meal. By simply heating the MRE by the fire I was able to save water as well as time by not having to melt snow for the water to activate the heater. In certain times of the year the South West becomes a giant tinder box. During these times it is dangerous to have a fire. This is where flameless cooking comes in very handy. Just look at the particular MRE you are buying to see if it comes with a heater. The heaters can also be purchased separately.

  It took around ten minutes to fully heat the MRE by the fire. 2 minutes short of the MRE heater time. This particular MRE was a vegetarian dish called Penne Pasta with Vegetable Sausage. It wasn't bad! Especially with the cold front moving back in it was the perfect thing, along with the coffee below to take the chill out of my bones.

  After I drank the coffee and ate the main dish of the MRE, I had snacks for later. This is an added bonus for choosing MREs. It is important to snack little and often while on the move to keep your energy levels up. I had spiced apple slices, a ranger granola bar, crackers, apple jelly, and orange drink mix left over that could be used later on down the trail.      

• Emergency responders
• FEMA
• Hospitals and banks
• Utility companies
• Law enforcement agencies
• U.S. State Department
• Forestry commissions
• 911 Communication Centers
• Airports
• NASA
• Outdoor enthusiasts
• Families and individuals

  All rely on Sopakco for their MREs due to their storage capabilities, no refrigeration Is required. So when the utilities are down you and your family can be prepared.

  Each Sure-Pak 12 Meal case contains 12 individual meal kits—two each of six menus— including vegetarian options. Each meal kit contains an entrée, side dish, dessert item, cracker or wheat bread and spread, beverage powder, and a condiment pack with a spoon, napkin, wet nap, salt, pepper, coffee, creamer and sugar. Sure-Pak 12 menus vary and can include these favorites:

Beef Ravioli
Beef Stew
Cheese Omelet with Vegetables
Cheese Tortellini
Chili Macaroni
Grilled Chicken Breast
Chicken with Noodles
Meatloaf with Gravy
Penne Pasta with Veggie Sausage Crumbles
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Vegetable Lasagna
 

Sure-Pak 12 menus cannot be specified on a case-by-case basis. Large quantity custom orders are available. Sure-Pak 12 can be purchased with or without a flameless ration heater.

* Shelf life determined by several factors and can be shorter than 5 years.
** Flameless heaters are not part of the standard case and can be ordered if needed.

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     This video was done as a review for Sopakco's MREs. In this video I used other tools to demonstrate lighting a fire in wet conditions as well as some cold weather footwear. It was cold and a front was moving in. The MRE and hot coffee were a nice relief from the cold. This is one of those times I really didn't want to leave. Just sitting back and enjoying nature and some hot food and drink was what it was all about. This was one of the more memorable moments I have had while filming a video. The silence, the occasional bird or squirrel in a tree. The picture that will stay with me for the rest of my life, the snow covered mountains all around me. Unfortunately I had to cut it short. As the temperature dropped I knew I had to get on my way before the mountain roads froze over.

  As I loaded my truck I felt the temperature drop very quickly. As far as I can tell it fell ten degrees in ten minutes. As I pulled away from my spot the roads started to freeze as night set in. As I drove home and made those turns, climbed up and down the hills I I was starting to loose traction. One hill stood in my way, it was froze over and steep. The truck slid and went sideways, I managed to get it up on an embankment that was exposed enough to give me some traction. I lumbered on in low gear till I crested the hill. I found I narrow turn out and stopped. The view was amazing. I grabbed the rest of the MRE and had a snack on my tail gate as night finally took over.   

     This Photo was actually taken on my way to the film site. This is the view I looked back on. Had I taken a picture then it would have been too dark to see it. This is my back yard, this is where I escape the real world when it becomes way to real.