When I was in the Army I never had an in date ration pack 😅, these packs last a lot longer than it states and tbh they taste ok too after a hard day off graft/adventuring.
I don't really believe in use by dates, I buy out of date UHT milk too at home 🤣 never had any issues. Food have a natural use by date - the smell! Don't need some magic date prediction stamp to tell me
Food is so costly on the road, you always have to buy smaller portions of things with having no fridge and your end up with a lot more risk for food poisoning
Staffy how you made me smile tonight. Even back in the 80s my late wife would double protect "HER" drinking chocolate in two freezer bags and carry that inside her leather. God help anyone she caught helping themselves without asking very nicely first - myself included! That said for a long weekend with five or six bikes what a brilliant idea for cheep meals while camping. Ride safe till next time 😊👍.
I imagine the calorific value of these ration packs would be quite high so will be very filling, I could probably get by with a breakfast item and a main meal in the evening with just a light snack during the day. Not a big eater. It certainly sounds like a very cost effective way of buying food to carry in your panniers on trips. Good find Saffy.
As a US army vet, I LIVED on these things dury our field trainings, often for weeks at a time. I may have acquisitioned a box when I left. They are a lifesaver on road trips. Thanks for spreading the info!
Morrison deli will get you 2 steak & kidney pies for £2.50. 1 for lunch and the for supper. A 6 pack of Seabrook crisps for £1.35 which comes out to .22 p a packet, a double box of Jaffa cakes £1.19 and a few apples that don't get squashed or go off in your panniers and you're good to go all day and then some. Also don't forget those packs of noodles for 55p that you just pour boiling water on, wait 2 minutes and it's a meal though I do sometimes splurge and chop in a bit of chorizo. Speaking out chorizo a pack of microwave in the bag Spanish rice also 55p at Aldis that work just as well heating up in a pan with a dash of water and some chorizo is also the height of culinary magic on the traveling cheap. You'd be surprised Saffy what you can find on the way in any old supermarket!. When I'm traveling I do eat lots of fresh fruit and veg. Get the right ones like apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, avocados, cucumber, cherry tomatoes ( big tomatoes are squishy dangerous) and you can eat really healthy balanced meals for supper cheap on the road. When I'm on the road I just do a quick dash through whatever supermarket I can find about every third day. I can easily survive happily on 5 quid a day breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes it all goes wrong when I ride past a Greggs or worse a Starbucks 😅.
@@SaffySprocket loving all your videos...watching every one, so far I have got as far as Austria on your tour of Europe. I think you are amazing, brave, a nutter sometimes, funny and an all round beautiful person.
What a timely video. Im just getting some gear together to dip my toe into touring/camping and I was looking for boil in the bag stuff since i really cant be bothered cooking then having to clean pots and pans. I did think of army rations but I always threw most of it away since it tasted like bumholes and I was too lazy to want to carry the extra weight. I never considered they would update them, definitely going to look for some deals!
There's so many flavours now, there's 2\3 flavours that I absolutely hate like pea soup, so whenever I get them, I just throw them back on eBay but there's so many flavours that taste great!!!!
Really interesting, and useful information, thank you. I have just found your channel after watching the Moto tent video which was also very helpful. Liked and subscribed.
Brings back memories I’ve along with all my colleagues have eaten meals years out of date Saffy with no long term side effects 😂 The American ones (MREs) are a good alternative too if you can find them Good vid.
Doing it your way, if you're stranded, cold, wet, and hungry, you can always put food in your belly instead of pushing yourself, hoping you can make it to a destination and hoping the food outlet is still open.
I used to use the bags, Mountain House, a big brand here. But I've found it tastes much better to just use standard canned or instant food for the home and it's pretty easy to make on the road. Generally, it's very cheap, too. In addition, that means I have the ability to make fresh food from the grocery store, and I don't have to carry as much food with me. There are groceries available in even the most remote areas, and I ride in literally the most remote area in the US.
I am going to restart using surplus MREs for touring myself. I used to use them for breakfast and lunch and would treat myself every other night to a treat meal somewhere nice for dinner. I did a spur of the moment trip to the mull of Galloway area just this week because the weather was fantastic but had to use meal deals, chippys and a pub tea over the 4 days as I didnt have any MREs left! The puddings arent always the best, but they usually buck up those calories and fill you up. Also the expiration dates on MRE are just a guideline .... in the 90s the US was still issuing vietnam era stuff at times 😂😂😊
Youll have to do a trip were you cook up a road kill rabbit stew or pheasant BBQ 😅😅. A lot of the outdoors channels i watch swear by the surplus MRE even though theyre short dated. Keep the videos coming 👍.
That was interesting Saffy. I see why you do it and the logic is sound.There are several things there I would have to be desperate before eating them as I am British dishes born and bred. There is plenty I would eat and enjoy so a few swaps with a travelling companion, could be the way forward. Good value for self-sufficient campers like yourself. The pack dates would not bother me.
On a different subject Saffy. How are you getting on with your cb500x and do you miss the extra horse power that rocket had . What's rockets mileage . I love watching your adventures .
I personally eat very little. In most cases one full meal a day. Maybe a snack or two. I find that when I am traveling beef sticks or beef jerky are usually what I end up eating on the go, This also prevents any unexpected disagreements or other needs related to something you ate. Staying hydrated, for me anyways, is often more important than the food I eat or bring.
I'm the same! It's actually why I love rat packs! I just take the meals from the bags and they last me weeks, in the day I just snack and then have my hot evening meal, no mess no faff, no washing up, heat it in my coffee water, put the packet in the bin. Done!
I buy the peanutbutter packs in bulk. They are awsome to have with you in every day things. Just remember to squish the pack alot before you eat it or you get oil and peanut seperated in the bag.
Good advice and tips as usual. Do not use for extended periods of time unless you are lost in a rain forest as they will properly bung you up. I like Huel for calorie intake plus you are never far from a cheap food outlet of some sort......why slum it.
I usually buy dehydrated hiking or camping meals. Add water, boil on a compact stove. I don’t get the ones with built in heaters because the cost verses cans of fuel for my stove, the cans are cheaper by a significant margins and I can use them to heat coffee or whatever in addition to the meals. Each bag is correctly portioned with measured calories and nutrient rich. Wide variety, easy to heat. While they are more expensive they taste a lot better and that is really important at the end of a long day on a single track. Same idea, I’m just willing to a bit more spendy. 🤷♂️
I don't like the built in heaters because I cook my packs in hot water then use the excess water for hot drinks to rehydrated and also my hit water bottle
as x-forces, I concur about rat-packs being out of date... but when exhausted you don't really notice/care. Looking at the one's you have available, there has been a humongous leap forward in rat-packs. Tempted to buy some 😉😜😜
I fully support this! That's a wonderful system! I do make different choices from you WRT my cook kit, but yours packs more compactly. Tradeoff. You've gotta make room for those enormous UK mains plugs somehow! 😂
I generally get my food packets from Go Outdoors. Buy one, get the second at half price so that's about £9 for breakfast and tea. I think that's very reasonable. Each meal is 600 calories, more than enough to stop you buying junk during the day but I usually just eat fruit as a top up if needed. The shelf life is good and you're only buying what you need, so no unnecessary waste. Your food parcels have multiple identical contents, such as utensils so straight away that's waste, I don't drink tea or coffee and I dont eat meat so the food rations would be useless to me. 👍
EBay! Also do a general Google search, takes a little digging to get a good deal, check monthly too for deals and just stock up when it's cheap, prices tend to shoot up in summer when people are camping and get cheaper in winter
Great idea to avoid the rip off merchants, Saffy 💯 It might be fun to try different countries packs. I don't take any notice of Use before dates on non fresh food either 🤜 Spiceless TentMeals are on off for ~£4 at the moment, if it helps ...because they forgot to add any spices. Easy enough to bring your own herbs/spices. Nutritionally balanced. Supermarket dried Pasta 'n' Sauce mixes give basic calories, without many nutrients. In extremis, you could add oil, to get calories, like backpacker Liam Brown.
Spicy sausages and potato wedges is the best one , I got my 24 ration packs for £11 each then topped up with the wayfarer meals , breakfast meals I would now buy the bean and sausages in a tin tbh but the 24 hour ration packs are worth it if your camping in isolated areas as the accessories pack of matches ect ect is almost a survival kit especially if you get caught short lol
@@SaffySprocket I’m Not surprised saffy , I’m A fussy lad when it comes to what I will eat hence why I buy the wayfarer ones as love the chicken tikka and rice , your braver than me as I’ve got a couple of food pouches sitting on my dining table that I took out and said yuk I will never eat that and rather starve lol
It's a good idea IF you don't mind what you get, but you only have to really not like 1 or 2 of the meal options and you're stuffed, I'm also a little concerned that the Army are supplying soldiers more energy drinks (which are really not good for you) than anything else. I do wonder when comparing prices though if you could bulk buy from suppliers the meal pouches that you actually like. It may work out better or even if it is a little more expensive, at least you are getting what you want and not having to deal with all the stuff you don't want. I think that the real tip here is whatever travel food you buy... bulk buy it and don't worry about exp dates of dried food.
Lived on these for 22 years in the services, never did me any harm ooh urr 😂😂😂😂 ps my favourites where the Artic ones we used in Norway, but I don’t know if you can get them
Ha I watched this and LOL’d. I’m in the RAF and those ration packs! 🤤 some are lovely, the sticky toffee pudding… WOW! I will be packing them this coming weekend for my trip to do the Snowdonia 360! Come along 👀
The expiration date also depends on common sense Saffron. Easy to tell with milk. Now I always wondered how many people through out bottled water when it arrives at the expiration date .... how does water spoil? Thanks for sharing, take care and stay dry.
Someone told me the expiration date on water was to do with the plastic breaking down 😅 I still reuse the same plastic bottles over and over though 😂😂😂
I've been touring long distances on motorcycles since 1978. I never used freeze dried food or army rations. I want proper food. Sometimes I bring a few plastic bags of food I've dried myself for "emergencies". I bring müsli with powdered milk for breakfast - and coffee of course. Otherwise I buy local ingredients by the roadside or in shops. Dining at a good restaurant once a week is a nice luxury. In southern Europe I buy fresh bread. In northern Europe it has become too expensive. 66 years old I've even started baking my own bread at home.
Prefer picking up fresh food and cooking myself, but then I dont wild camp much, so I have campsite facilities to wash up, etc. If you fancy it look for a book called Meals on Wheels by Richard Mawson, all receipes that only need a single mess pot on a camping stove, and a basic set of condiments and spices 😋
I also bought the coffee sachets with milk and sugar all in and for hot chocolate I bought the ones that are in the disposable plastic cups so I could get away not washing my coffee cup if need be because ultimately if you’ve ridden your bike all day out your tent up you don’t want to do anymore than you have to lol
@@SaffySprocket that’s the secret , making sure you’ve got what you need and not taking anything extra , pound land is good for hot chocolate in cups and packs of biscuits ect similar to the army packs , the worst thing about the army drinks is the whitener/ creamer , it ruins a good cuppa which is a shame
As someone who used to issue these from within the MoD, I hate to tell you but the MoD will never auction them off and if you are buying them from a well known auction site, they'll have been stolen from the MoD in some way. The trade in MoD rations is so rife, it's actually endangered operational deployments before now. That date of 2021 shown is a manufacturing date, the shelf life is 10 years from then.
You can go on the government website and see what's been recently auctioned off, I looked at buying directly but you have to buy like 50k worth in one go. A Lot of the stock is imperfect too
@@SaffySprocket Do you have a link of where you got them so I can verify through a RQMS that they are genuine? The RMP SIB have a dedicated team of officers searching for such things being sold off. Whenever we did have any that needed a recall due to a issue with one product, they'd either be repacked with an upgrade or the QM, RQ or CQ would come and dispose of them by way of cutting everything open and ensuring it wasn't fit for use and throw it into a skip. The accounting for Rations is treated the same as the issue of ammunition through the MJDI system and in my unit used to have to be triple signed off by the stores, the OC or 2IC and then to QM level each week. Can you send me a private message with the information just so I can check they haven't been stolen. You wouldn't believe the amount of equipment that's coming out the back door of the forces and it's causing massive problems. Thank you
Totally agree with you. I would have thought that you'd be unlikely to need 5,000 kcals a day riding so a pack could last 2 days (or 3 days if you do IF 😃)
@@markpavlowski7223 as well as riding a motorbike I also drive an ex army Landrover and sleep in an ex army 9x9 tent. Those packs sound ideal for my needs.
You don't need to freeze them! It's like uht milk, a few army men in the comments mentioned they always are out of date packs with no issues! I would be careful freezing or heating them until you need to eat them as you don't want them to go off before you open them
@@SaffySprocket thanks Saffy.. I am planning a wild camp nc500 next year.... 💟 I was gobsmacked at the ration cost.. This bit of inside knowledge from you.. 👍 😁 😍 Brilliant.. 💯💯🙏🙏💟💟. WE LOVE YOU SAFFY.. that's me and the wallet 🤓🤓🐼💟
@@tartanblackcountrytouristebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals! They last much much longer than the date stamped on them. Just keep them away from extreme heat and you'll be fine. The packets expand when the food is going off so you'll know.
If you are feeling adventurous you can get halal, Sikh and Hindu, vegetarian and kosher rations if you want vegan you need to get vegetarian and Sikh and Hindu and pick out the meal components. Personally I will pass on these meals but I am not going wild camping but I can see the attraction if you are .
It’s still works out at £11.50 a day….so you can eat cheaper than that and with less additives/ preservatives. The hook is your Calorie count. I would consider this if I knew a food shop was nowhere close for 5 days…..otherwise I swing past a store.
@@richardsracingmadthe biggest issue on the road camping is water waste, it's harder to carry water to wash up. With the packs, I make an evening hot drink and cook the meals in the water!
MRE are great for travel food, easy to carry and decent food and they last much longer than the date says, ideal for taking on bike trip and far better for you than fast food
Old rat packs were best. 10 Benson n hedges in them lol Food just mixed together n made awesome hot meal. Biscuits blocked you up so you didn't need a poop for days . These new rat packs are pretty poor tbh as no chocky bars either
I found that I was going to bed hungry rather than going to shops because I was too tired to go shopping on the road. There are many different ways to travel, and I can understand why some people would prefer to buy every day, but I didn't have the physical or mental bandwidth to add shopping to my daily travel routine. I was losing a lot of weight when traveling so military rations were a good solution for me :-)
@@SaffySprocket why not just make time, I've watched you video of the nc500 and why didn't you just not go as far go get food and find somewhere to sleep rather than pushing for every last minute of daylight.
I have dyslexia, which massively affects my memory, ability to organise and ability to comprehend directions. The issue I have at the moment is that to juggle my disability on the road, I need longer preparation and setup times at the start and end of every day. This means that I usually take around 2 hours in the morning to pack up and check I have everything against a checklist. The same goes for the evening. This means that every day, I lose about 4 hours of the day on the road to accommodate my disability. On top of that, throughout the day, filming, changing SD cards, Changing battery packs, and constantly making sure I have everything with me every time I leave or arrive at a location requires more time. I have to carry checklists which I use throughout the day to ensure I don't lose things. All these little things add up throughout the day and eat away at both my time and my energy. To add in daily shopping on top of all of this process means I would lose a significant amount of riding time. I've tried to do it on a few trips before, and usually in winter, when I can't camp and require hotel rooms, I do tend to buy from supermarkets, but when camping, it's a lot more difficult to organise. There's a phrase I like to live by which is "You can't do everything; some time has to give", and so you have to look at the thing's you're trying to accomplish every day, and decide where you can cut corners. Military ration packs are one of those areas for me. I can appreciate that it may not work for everyone, we all have different needs, and this is a method that suits my needs the best :-)
@@SaffySprocket Good girl. Fish is the only thing I’d be a bit iffy about. But do your own thing. …… wouldn’t want the Norris McSquirters during the night to be fair.
This type of food is not for me. Maybe it would be if I were on the international space station. I like to start each days journey early and arrive at my destination mid afternoon, giving time to find somewhere to eat a good hot meal.
When I was in the Army I never had an in date ration pack 😅, these packs last a lot longer than it states and tbh they taste ok too after a hard day off graft/adventuring.
I've had rat packs years out of date..lol..
I don't really believe in use by dates, I buy out of date UHT milk too at home 🤣 never had any issues. Food have a natural use by date - the smell! Don't need some magic date prediction stamp to tell me
@@SaffySprocketso where exactly do you get them from?
eBay! Best time to buy is winter when people aren't traveling, stock up!
When I was a civi contractor in the 90s with the US Navy they were still issuing MREs from Vietnam 😂
Absolutely Brilliant Saffy, I will definitely look at this as I do struggle and end up spending far too much. ❤
Food is so costly on the road, you always have to buy smaller portions of things with having no fridge and your end up with a lot more risk for food poisoning
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
Staffy how you made me smile tonight. Even back in the 80s my late wife would double protect "HER" drinking chocolate in two freezer bags and carry that inside her leather. God help anyone she caught helping themselves without asking very nicely first - myself included! That said for a long weekend with five or six bikes what a brilliant idea for cheep meals while camping. Ride safe till next time 😊👍.
I'd fight anyone that tries to steal my hot chocolate 🍫🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What a great idea, thank you , Saffy!
No problems ☺️ ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
I imagine the calorific value of these ration packs would be quite high so will be very filling, I could probably get by with a breakfast item and a main meal in the evening with just a light snack during the day. Not a big eater. It certainly sounds like a very cost effective way of buying food to carry in your panniers on trips. Good find Saffy.
I only eat one of the meals a day and have snacks during the day, I'm not a big eater either. The £114 lasts me 3 weeks on the road
Around 5,000cal if you eat and drink everything in them
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
@@SaffySprocketoops, the site has gone down now. Probably due to excess demand. You may have shot yourself in the foot!
Bloody good idea! Never thought about that. Thx Saffron!
Great way to save money!
Great to see you back saffron great video thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
Glad you did this in great detail.
Glad you liked it!
As a US army vet, I LIVED on these things dury our field trainings, often for weeks at a time. I may have acquisitioned a box when I left. They are a lifesaver on road trips. Thanks for spreading the info!
Morrison deli will get you 2 steak & kidney pies for £2.50. 1 for lunch and the for supper. A 6 pack of Seabrook crisps for £1.35 which comes out to .22 p a packet, a double box of Jaffa cakes £1.19 and a few apples that don't get squashed or go off in your panniers and you're good to go all day and then some. Also don't forget those packs of noodles for 55p that you just pour boiling water on, wait 2 minutes and it's a meal though I do sometimes splurge and chop in a bit of chorizo. Speaking out chorizo a pack of microwave in the bag Spanish rice also 55p at Aldis that work just as well heating up in a pan with a dash of water and some chorizo is also the height of culinary magic on the traveling cheap.
You'd be surprised Saffy what you can find on the way in any old supermarket!.
When I'm traveling I do eat lots of fresh fruit and veg. Get the right ones like apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, avocados, cucumber, cherry tomatoes ( big tomatoes are squishy dangerous) and you can eat really healthy balanced meals for supper cheap on the road. When I'm on the road I just do a quick dash through whatever supermarket I can find about every third day. I can easily survive happily on 5 quid a day breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes it all goes wrong when I ride past a Greggs or worse a Starbucks 😅.
No Morrisons where I'm going 😜
Brilliant! Thanks Saffy I wouldn't have thought of this maybe I'll change my supermarket habit too lol. :>)
ebay.us/qNuSSY give it a try!!!
Yep... sound advice! Good fast food, less stops and more fuel in the tank. What else can one ask for.
They're solid 🪨
Very helpful video Saffy...thank you.
Signed up to your Patreon. Looking forward to putting my Saffy sticker on my bike top box.
Awesome! Thank you!
@@SaffySprocket loving all your videos...watching every one, so far I have got as far as Austria on your tour of Europe. I think you are amazing, brave, a nutter sometimes, funny and an all round beautiful person.
Thanks Saffy !!
Glad you enjoyed it 😌
What a timely video. Im just getting some gear together to dip my toe into touring/camping and I was looking for boil in the bag stuff since i really cant be bothered cooking then having to clean pots and pans. I did think of army rations but I always threw most of it away since it tasted like bumholes and I was too lazy to want to carry the extra weight. I never considered they would update them, definitely going to look for some deals!
There's so many flavours now, there's 2\3 flavours that I absolutely hate like pea soup, so whenever I get them, I just throw them back on eBay but there's so many flavours that taste great!!!!
Compo was, if you got the right menu, absolutely lovely. We use to get Yorkie bars in them that said 'Not for Civvies' on the front.
Ahhhhh I love that! A little bit of humour goes a long way ahahahha
Really interesting, and useful information, thank you. I have just found your channel after watching the Moto tent video which was also very helpful. Liked and subscribed.
A very helpful and useful video, Saffy. Thank you 😊👍
My pleasure 😊
Brings back memories
I’ve along with all my colleagues have eaten meals years out of date Saffy with no long term side effects 😂
The American ones (MREs) are a good alternative too if you can find them
Good vid.
I've eaten a few out of date ones too 😅 I've yet to grow multiple arms
Yet, another interesting video Saffy. 😊
Doing it your way, if you're stranded, cold, wet, and hungry, you can always put food in your belly instead of pushing yourself, hoping you can make it to a destination and hoping the food outlet is still open.
And it doesn't require clean water too if you get stuck, just boil the bag in dirty water and use the disinfectant wipes to wipe it down after
I used to use the bags, Mountain House, a big brand here. But I've found it tastes much better to just use standard canned or instant food for the home and it's pretty easy to make on the road. Generally, it's very cheap, too. In addition, that means I have the ability to make fresh food from the grocery store, and I don't have to carry as much food with me. There are groceries available in even the most remote areas, and I ride in literally the most remote area in the US.
The problem with cans is you need to empty the contents to cook with and carrying clean water is a nightmare, I prefer not to waste water on cleaning
These tips of advice would be perfect for my new business, keep them coming !!
More to come!
Lets get this out onto a tray. Nice.
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
I am going to restart using surplus MREs for touring myself. I used to use them for breakfast and lunch and would treat myself every other night to a treat meal somewhere nice for dinner. I did a spur of the moment trip to the mull of Galloway area just this week because the weather was fantastic but had to use meal deals, chippys and a pub tea over the 4 days as I didnt have any MREs left! The puddings arent always the best, but they usually buck up those calories and fill you up.
Also the expiration dates on MRE are just a guideline .... in the 90s the US was still issuing vietnam era stuff at times 😂😂😊
ebay.us/qNuSSY saves so much time effort and water on the road!!!
@@SaffySprocket awww thanks for the link Saffy 😊 I'll stock up for next year's adventures 😀
Youll have to do a trip were you cook up a road kill rabbit stew or pheasant BBQ 😅😅. A lot of the outdoors channels i watch swear by the surplus MRE even though theyre short dated. Keep the videos coming 👍.
They're cheap and save time and washing up! It's just common sense really 🤣
Biscuits brown and biscuits fruit. The beef stew and chocolate pudding were a favourite of mine 20 odd years ago!
I'm so addicted to biscuit browns and the little packets of Jam 😂
That was interesting Saffy. I see why you do it and the logic is sound.There are several things there I would have to be desperate before eating them as I am British dishes born and bred. There is plenty I would eat and enjoy so a few swaps with a travelling companion, could be the way forward. Good value for self-sufficient campers like yourself. The pack dates would not bother me.
Give them a try!! ebay.us/qNuSSY
@@SaffySprocketHe's local to me. Literally just down the road 😊
Thanks, Saffy, and I'm definitely going to look at this next year on my trip to the Picos again 😂
ebay.us/qNuSSY this is where I get mine
@@SaffySprocket thanks for this 👍
Good one! Thank's Saffy! 👍
Glad it was helpful!
On a different subject Saffy. How are you getting on with your cb500x and do you miss the extra horse power that rocket had . What's rockets mileage . I love watching your adventures .
The comfort is everything 😅 showing my age now
I personally eat very little. In most cases one full meal a day. Maybe a snack or two. I find that when I am traveling beef sticks or beef jerky are usually what I end up eating on the go, This also prevents any unexpected disagreements or other needs related to something you ate. Staying hydrated, for me anyways, is often more important than the food I eat or bring.
I'm the same! It's actually why I love rat packs! I just take the meals from the bags and they last me weeks, in the day I just snack and then have my hot evening meal, no mess no faff, no washing up, heat it in my coffee water, put the packet in the bin. Done!
@@SaffySprocket I hate dishes XD
I buy the peanutbutter packs in bulk. They are awsome to have with you in every day things. Just remember to squish the pack alot before you eat it or you get oil and peanut seperated in the bag.
Yes! Made that mistake once before 🤣
Could you post a link to where you get the £114 box from please?
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit again but just keep hunting for deals! Buy across winter to get the cheaper rates
Good advice and tips as usual. Do not use for extended periods of time unless you are lost in a rain forest as they will properly bung you up. I like Huel for calorie intake plus you are never far from a cheap food outlet of some sort......why slum it.
What a brilliant idea
Thanks 🥰
I usually buy dehydrated hiking or camping meals. Add water, boil on a compact stove. I don’t get the ones with built in heaters because the cost verses cans of fuel for my stove, the cans are cheaper by a significant margins and I can use them to heat coffee or whatever in addition to the meals. Each bag is correctly portioned with measured calories and nutrient rich. Wide variety, easy to heat. While they are more expensive they taste a lot better and that is really important at the end of a long day on a single track.
Same idea, I’m just willing to a bit more spendy. 🤷♂️
I don't like the built in heaters because I cook my packs in hot water then use the excess water for hot drinks to rehydrated and also my hit water bottle
That's is an awesome value !!! Molto Bene !!!
:D
......... and mostly eaten in a lay-by :-). Interesting thanks Saffy
For sure 😅😂
What a great video ... thanks
Glad you liked it!
as x-forces, I concur about rat-packs being out of date... but when exhausted you don't really notice/care. Looking at the one's you have available, there has been a humongous leap forward in rat-packs. Tempted to buy some 😉😜😜
I genuinely think they taste great 🤣 better than your standard camping noodles
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
Hi do you have a link to the place you purchase these from saffy
thanks
You have chosen wisely...
😏
I fully support this! That's a wonderful system! I do make different choices from you WRT my cook kit, but yours packs more compactly. Tradeoff. You've gotta make room for those enormous UK mains plugs somehow! 😂
😂😂😂😂 our plugs are so bulky
@@SaffySprocket Bulky but safe (fused). I'm an electrician 😂😂😂
Great tip! Thanks 😊
You are so welcome!
I generally get my food packets from Go Outdoors. Buy one, get the second at half price so that's about £9 for breakfast and tea. I think that's very reasonable. Each meal is 600 calories, more than enough to stop you buying junk during the day but I usually just eat fruit as a top up if needed.
The shelf life is good and you're only buying what you need, so no unnecessary waste.
Your food parcels have multiple identical contents, such as utensils so straight away that's waste, I don't drink tea or coffee and I dont eat meat so the food rations would be useless to me. 👍
Hey Saffy, just a quick question. What auction site do you buy these rations from?
EBay! Also do a general Google search, takes a little digging to get a good deal, check monthly too for deals and just stock up when it's cheap, prices tend to shoot up in summer when people are camping and get cheaper in winter
Hei Sa I have enjoyed a lot while watching your enjoyment video🎉
Thank you so much 😊
Great idea to avoid the rip off merchants, Saffy 💯
It might be fun to try different countries packs.
I don't take any notice of Use before dates on non fresh food either 🤜
Spiceless TentMeals are on off for ~£4 at the moment, if it helps ...because they forgot to add any spices. Easy enough to bring your own herbs/spices. Nutritionally balanced.
Supermarket dried Pasta 'n' Sauce mixes give basic calories, without many nutrients.
In extremis, you could add oil, to get calories, like backpacker Liam Brown.
Next episode: SS shows us her collection of Izal toilet paper....'cause when you've gotta go, you've gotta go....
Coghlans only ;D #LeaveNoTrace
Sadly Mrs Boulder ALWAYS leaves a trace....@@SaffySprocket
Where do you actually get them from ie what auction site ???
EBay :) ebay.us/qNuSSY
Where do you order from if you don’t mind me asking
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
Spicy sausages and potato wedges is the best one , I got my 24 ration packs for £11 each then topped up with the wayfarer meals , breakfast meals I would now buy the bean and sausages in a tin tbh but the 24 hour ration packs are worth it if your camping in isolated areas as the accessories pack of matches ect ect is almost a survival kit especially if you get caught short lol
Wayfarer means have the same traceability codes if you look carefully :) all come from the exact same factory
@@SaffySprocket I’m
Not surprised saffy , I’m
A fussy lad when it comes to what I will eat hence why I buy the wayfarer ones as love the chicken tikka and rice , your braver than me as I’ve got a couple of food pouches sitting on my dining table that I took out and said yuk I will never eat that and rather starve lol
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
It's a good idea IF you don't mind what you get, but you only have to really not like 1 or 2 of the meal options and you're stuffed, I'm also a little concerned that the Army are supplying soldiers more energy drinks (which are really not good for you) than anything else. I do wonder when comparing prices though if you could bulk buy from suppliers the meal pouches that you actually like. It may work out better or even if it is a little more expensive, at least you are getting what you want and not having to deal with all the stuff you don't want.
I think that the real tip here is whatever travel food you buy... bulk buy it and don't worry about exp dates of dried food.
If you don't like the meal options, wait a few more hours until you're really hungry 😉
@@SaffySprocket lol... I'd rather the fasting diet. :D
thats a good idea if you like chilli and peppery food sadly i cant eat that kind of food
Ok 👏🎉
🥰
Lived on these for 22 years in the services, never did me any harm ooh urr 😂😂😂😂 ps my favourites where the Artic ones we used in Norway, but I don’t know if you can get them
See military run around Norway in the snow before, looked cruel I won't lie 😅
Where are the trousers from in the thumbnail saff?
New look!
Ha I watched this and LOL’d. I’m in the RAF and those ration packs! 🤤 some are lovely, the sticky toffee pudding… WOW! I will be packing them this coming weekend for my trip to do the Snowdonia 360! Come along 👀
Where did you order them from ?
eBay!!!
I have absolutely no idea how ye can eat that stuff, but more power to ye. Stay safe.
I love it 😅😅😅
A friend got a couple for me to try. They are spot on, can bung you up a little tho. Haha
Just eat a piece of fruit 🍑 be reet 🤣
The expiration date also depends on common sense Saffron. Easy to tell with milk. Now I always wondered how many people through out bottled water when it arrives at the expiration date .... how does water spoil? Thanks for sharing, take care and stay dry.
Someone told me the expiration date on water was to do with the plastic breaking down 😅 I still reuse the same plastic bottles over and over though 😂😂😂
@@SaffySprocket me too on bottle re-use. Oncologist recommended vitamin h20 no gaterade for me. Unsweetened ice tea for the win.
a very good idea!!!
Glad you think so!
Where did you buy yours?
eBay ebay.us/qNuSSY price has gone up a little again though 😱😱
Well I never knew about these 😎
Ideal way of getting cheap food if you do a lot of adventures 😎
Plus zero washing up!
@@SaffySprocket 🤣❤️
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
I've been touring long distances on motorcycles since 1978. I never used freeze dried food or army rations. I want proper food. Sometimes I bring a few plastic bags of food I've dried myself for "emergencies". I bring müsli with powdered milk for breakfast - and coffee of course. Otherwise I buy local ingredients by the roadside or in shops. Dining at a good restaurant once a week is a nice luxury. In southern Europe I buy fresh bread. In northern Europe it has become too expensive. 66 years old I've even started baking my own bread at home.
One thing I remember about rat packs is they bung you up.i couldn't poop for a week after eating them.x
I've not had any issues! But I also ride up to 4 hours at a time without breaks, so may not necessarily be a bad thing 😂
Prefer picking up fresh food and cooking myself, but then I dont wild camp much, so I have campsite facilities to wash up, etc. If you fancy it look for a book called Meals on Wheels by Richard Mawson, all receipes that only need a single mess pot on a camping stove, and a basic set of condiments and spices 😋
Hi saffy really good informative vlog ❤❤
Thank you 😊
I also bought the coffee sachets with milk and sugar all in and for hot chocolate I bought the ones that are in the disposable plastic cups so I could get away not washing my coffee cup if need be because ultimately if you’ve ridden your bike all day out your tent up you don’t want to do anymore than you have to lol
Honestly, people don't realise how time consuming making up camp is everyday! Add in supermarket shopping you're wasting so much time every day
@@SaffySprocket that’s the secret , making sure you’ve got what you need and not taking anything extra , pound land is good for hot chocolate in cups and packs of biscuits ect similar to the army packs , the worst thing about the army drinks is the whitener/ creamer , it ruins a good cuppa which is a shame
As someone who used to issue these from within the MoD, I hate to tell you but the MoD will never auction them off and if you are buying them from a well known auction site, they'll have been stolen from the MoD in some way.
The trade in MoD rations is so rife, it's actually endangered operational deployments before now.
That date of 2021 shown is a manufacturing date, the shelf life is 10 years from then.
You can go on the government website and see what's been recently auctioned off, I looked at buying directly but you have to buy like 50k worth in one go. A Lot of the stock is imperfect too
@@SaffySprocket Do you have a link of where you got them so I can verify through a RQMS that they are genuine? The RMP SIB have a dedicated team of officers searching for such things being sold off.
Whenever we did have any that needed a recall due to a issue with one product, they'd either be repacked with an upgrade or the QM, RQ or CQ would come and dispose of them by way of cutting everything open and ensuring it wasn't fit for use and throw it into a skip.
The accounting for Rations is treated the same as the issue of ammunition through the MJDI system and in my unit used to have to be triple signed off by the stores, the OC or 2IC and then to QM level each week.
Can you send me a private message with the information just so I can check they haven't been stolen.
You wouldn't believe the amount of equipment that's coming out the back door of the forces and it's causing massive problems. Thank you
Biscuit browns and bacon n beans just goes 😅
Not a bad way to carry food. Just add water.
Yes :] doesn't need to be clean water either 🎉
Totally agree with you. I would have thought that you'd be unlikely to need 5,000 kcals a day riding so a pack could last 2 days (or 3 days if you do IF 😃)
Saffy lass ❤ I use preppers of Facebook x
I've not heard of them
Do they show the nutritional content? I am diabetic and need to know the carb content.
Yes! And allergy content too
It's 'Army stuff' M8...not your 'area of ops'...when I was 'in' (Mid 1960's) we were getting stuff dated '50's' and I'm still here...😏
@@markpavlowski7223 as well as riding a motorbike I also drive an ex army Landrover and sleep in an ex army 9x9 tent. Those packs sound ideal for my needs.
ebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
Looks like a lot more road trips to come then ?
;)
I eat Vietnam era rations, and they still taste fine.
Hi Saffy. As the BB date is close. Are the rations freezer friendly to extend the use by date. :)))🤓🤓
You don't need to freeze them! It's like uht milk, a few army men in the comments mentioned they always are out of date packs with no issues! I would be careful freezing or heating them until you need to eat them as you don't want them to go off before you open them
@@SaffySprocket thanks Saffy.. I am planning a wild camp nc500 next year.... 💟 I was gobsmacked at the ration cost.. This bit of inside knowledge from you.. 👍 😁 😍 Brilliant.. 💯💯🙏🙏💟💟. WE LOVE YOU SAFFY.. that's me and the wallet 🤓🤓🐼💟
@@tartanblackcountrytouristebay.us/qNuSSY price has climbed a bit due to popularity but keep hunting around on eBay for deals!
They last much much longer than the date stamped on them. Just keep them away from extreme heat and you'll be fine. The packets expand when the food is going off so you'll know.
If you are feeling adventurous you can get halal, Sikh and Hindu, vegetarian and kosher rations if you want vegan you need to get vegetarian and Sikh and Hindu and pick out the meal components. Personally I will pass on these meals but I am not going wild camping but I can see the attraction if you are .
I have some of the veggie ones, they're great!
It’s still works out at £11.50 a day….so you can eat cheaper than that and with less additives/ preservatives. The hook is your Calorie count.
I would consider this if I knew a food shop was nowhere close for 5 days…..otherwise I swing past a store.
The £114 lasts me 3 weeks 😅
@@SaffySprocket stay slim Saffy!🥰
@@SaffySprocket 🥰
@@SaffySprocket ok…that’s really good! Plus I guess it eliminates the worry of finding food when you are late / as always lol🥰
@@richardsracingmadthe biggest issue on the road camping is water waste, it's harder to carry water to wash up. With the packs, I make an evening hot drink and cook the meals in the water!
MRE are great for travel food, easy to carry and decent food and they last much longer than the date says, ideal for taking on bike trip and far better for you than fast food
And they bend and fold really well so you can stuff them inside shoes and things 😂
@@SaffySprocket true that lol
saff quite good if you care to be self sufficient and avoid pathogens from ordinary food.
Food positioning when traveling is the worst!!!
So where do you order them from?
EBay or general Google searches! I go on a hunt for them :-)
People won't eat that perfectly good food, it hasn't got any fancy wrapping on. 😏 cola bottle sweets in an army ration, that's a weird one 😂
They taste extra special 🎉😂
Old rat packs were best. 10 Benson n hedges in them lol
Food just mixed together n made awesome hot meal. Biscuits blocked you up so you didn't need a poop for days .
These new rat packs are pretty poor tbh as no chocky bars either
What are chonky bars 🤣?
@SaffySprocket chocky bars. Bars of chocolate lol marathons. Mars and yorkies used to be them lol
Thankfully people split the boxes, I don’t think I'd cope otherwise with my phobia of beans 😅
It's actually a thing 🙈
People will buy Individual meals too, so any you get in the multipacks that you get and don't want, you can just resell too
Bring back the bacon burgers I say!! Proper old skool army packs. And can all be eaten cold if needed.
No oil can't burn lol beans a and burger was nice 😋 must have stopped making that
They have meatballs and beans and sausages and beans! Both taste great!
just buy foil sealed bags online allday breakfast tin £150 tinned meal ad boil
But then you need to ultra heat treat and vacuum seal too to prevent mould spore
some people sell or eat chicken lamb cow liver and intestines
Well liver is just pate 😅
❤❤❤🌮🌮🌮❤️
🤣
I understand in the us why you would want this but in the uk they is few places you would need this, why not just get some food on the way.
I found that I was going to bed hungry rather than going to shops because I was too tired to go shopping on the road. There are many different ways to travel, and I can understand why some people would prefer to buy every day, but I didn't have the physical or mental bandwidth to add shopping to my daily travel routine. I was losing a lot of weight when traveling so military rations were a good solution for me :-)
@@SaffySprocket why not just make time, I've watched you video of the nc500 and why didn't you just not go as far go get food and find somewhere to sleep rather than pushing for every last minute of daylight.
I have dyslexia, which massively affects my memory, ability to organise and ability to comprehend directions. The issue I have at the moment is that to juggle my disability on the road, I need longer preparation and setup times at the start and end of every day. This means that I usually take around 2 hours in the morning to pack up and check I have everything against a checklist. The same goes for the evening. This means that every day, I lose about 4 hours of the day on the road to accommodate my disability. On top of that, throughout the day, filming, changing SD cards, Changing battery packs, and constantly making sure I have everything with me every time I leave or arrive at a location requires more time. I have to carry checklists which I use throughout the day to ensure I don't lose things. All these little things add up throughout the day and eat away at both my time and my energy. To add in daily shopping on top of all of this process means I would lose a significant amount of riding time. I've tried to do it on a few trips before, and usually in winter, when I can't camp and require hotel rooms, I do tend to buy from supermarkets, but when camping, it's a lot more difficult to organise. There's a phrase I like to live by which is "You can't do everything; some time has to give", and so you have to look at the thing's you're trying to accomplish every day, and decide where you can cut corners. Military ration packs are one of those areas for me. I can appreciate that it may not work for everyone, we all have different needs, and this is a method that suits my needs the best :-)
@@SaffySprocket I'm dyslexic too, also are allergic to dust, dogs, cats and have hay-fever. If it works for you then that's better than not eating.
Think I will just stick with porridge and roadkill, every pound is a prisoner.
I tried oats, after water got in my luggage I swore never again
Let’s be honest, the date on food is irrelevant. If it passes the smell test and it ain’t fish. Go for it.
Pork is the only meat I won't risk😝
@@SaffySprocket Good girl. Fish is the only thing I’d be a bit iffy about. But do your own thing. …… wouldn’t want the Norris McSquirters during the night to be fair.
👍👍
@Steve1989MRE would like to talk to you about MRE best before dates. TL,DW: they’re good for a loooong time. Like… looooooooooooooong.
I don't believe in expiry dates anyway 😂 but I know some people do
This type of food is not for me. Maybe it would be if I were on the international space station.
I like to start each days journey early and arrive at my destination mid afternoon, giving time to find somewhere to eat a good hot meal.
Ah I like to avoid towns and cities and sit in the middle of nowhere 😅
@@SaffySprocket I noticed that😂x
Well, with all that food you've just received, there's obviously another trip in the planning.............👍
You got that right!
I never knew anyone could buy these ration packs. Look OK to me. Must be edible or the Forces would've taken to rioting!
I actually think they're really great!