Self Heating Meals

[Rommel]

The actual military MREs are not legal for a civilian to possess (or hard to buy, anyway).


Really? I think THAT just made my case of 'em MUCH tastier! I always chuckle when reading the heater pouch..."a rock or something".

Major Surplus and Survival... you can purchase entrees separately.
They are not illegal, and there are now several commercial companies
manufacturing literally the same thing. The benefit is their shelf life;
9+ years if properly stored. Even after 9 years they're still edible, but
have lost allot of their nutrients. I've taken 9 year old 'chicken and rice' out
to our desert camping trip, and had people try a bite; they all liked it despite the fact that it was that old. Retort foods have their place, but if I'm out at BM for 10 days, it's a waste of a good MRE. Also weigh your food choices vs. the volume of trash you have to pack out. Pop-top cans
are great, but end up filling trash bags quickly. If you have a large vehicle that can haul out gob's of trash, it really doesn't matter. If you and your friend can out in a small car, it might be a serious issue.

[LittleJack]

Also, my office mate told me about the TJs corned beef hash in the same types of bags, and that is nothing less than EXCELLENT!

I picked one of these up on impulse last year when doing my pre-Playa TJ's run, and I have to say it was perhaps the single tastiest meal I had. I haven't seen them since, but I'd certainly buy it for home as well. Excellent hash indeed.