building the kitchen -vs- forgo that and use MRE's???

[Coachgeo]

Let's face it. Today's Civilian MRE's (aka- Ready to Eat Meals) are not like Military MRE's. There readily available; if you plan ahead, and they taste pretty damn good.

soooo..... by the time you pay the cost in ones Expo Camper build to put in a refrigerator, sink, stove, cook top, the energy source for those, installing ancillary for those (plumbing, electrical) etc.... you could have bought ??? half year to a years* ???? worth of food in MRE form that comes with heater's built-in.



Things that you have to do with or without kitchen no matter what in your build that shares cost with building in a kitchen.

. Some of the plumbing .. maybe.....
. refrigeration ... or would you even really "need" that?
. the power source for heat and AC
. power source for electronic Intelegence and charging of them... (laptops, Monitor/TV, cell phone etc.)



Con-
. you will be less prepared in situations of long-term: Bug Out / SHTF (Shiatz Hitz The Fan) /:elkgrin: Zombie Apocalypse :sombrero:.
. need to plan and build in more trash storage

Pro-
. leaves more money for AC, Solar, Solar storage etc.
. creates more places for storage in your build.
. planned wisely you will have MRE's for home emergencies

So put on your thinking outside of the box hat...... throw out your thoughts on this please? Give me other advantages? Disadvantages? Pros and cons. Like how much does it cost to prepair a meal including energy -vs- a $4-8? MRE ($12-24/day /person)

*
http://www.gofastandlight.com/1-Year-Food-Supply-25-Year-Shelf-Life/productinfo/B-WFOOD/
https://www.thereadystore.com/1-year-supply-mre-self-heating-full-meals
http://www.survival-warehouse.com/

 

[762X39]

I don't even know where to start. What happens if you can't get a resupply of MRE's? Why would you want to limit yourself to MRE's when you can eat real food? What is it with people preoccupying themselves with the Zombie apocalypse, where will you get your MRE's then? At least for me, when I (or we) travel, I want to eat real food and always have. The cost is really only a bit of time and effort. The payoff is good food. Build the kitchen, you shouldn't live like a conscript when you travel.

 

[Coachgeo]

I don't even know where to start. What happens if you can't get a resupply of MRE's? Why would you want to limit yourself to MRE's when you can eat real food? What is it with people preoccupying themselves with the Zombie apocalypse, where will you get your MRE's then? At least for me, when I (or we) travel, I want to eat real food and always have. The cost is really only a bit of time and effort. The payoff is good food. Build the kitchen, you shouldn't live like a conscript when you travel.

guess I need to add an emoticon..... Z- apocalypse was intended as a joke. but as to real food; Im not a food Connoisseur. In fact opposit; anything beyond plain non spiced/ extra flavored food can leave my curled in a ball on the floor in massive abdominal pain, and in a puddle of cold sweat. Runs in the male side of my family. But I know that is not too common so didn't mention that earlier.

. As to running out.... not an issue in reality cause they sell in bulk. Would be hard as hell to run out.
. As to taste... when is the last time you ate any? have eating them daily for months before (by choice). There not bad, some are GOOD... least to me.....
. IT IS REAL FOOD.

Course there is the NOT REAL FOOD option such as Soylent.

 

[Hnoroian]

Short answer, Absolutely! There are some great tasting food...

But many factors come to play. Solo, small group (2-4) or larger groups, quick, short term - long term base camp, etc... Though I have an extensive kitchen set up (we have a large family, I have cooked solo and cooked for 4 with nothing but my whisperlite and a few pots for 4 days and been full and satisfied as can be. Something is desired from the conversation over the cook time though.

Invest in both, take what you need and then some just to make sure

 

[LocoCoyote]

Well, whatever floats your boat. Short term probably not a real issue....long term; might get old fast (yes, I recall living for weeks in the field with nothing but MREs to eat..did the job, but not fun)

When I travel I do so with a combination of food stuff...for me its all about having the options. I have some emergency rations (tasteless bricks, but they will keep you alive), dehydrated or freeze dried meals (surprisingly tasty), MREs, and fresh food. I also have a camp stove as well as a Dutch Oven. So I can cook on the camp fire, the stove, or just go with a quick meal. Again, it is all about options and having redundant ways to do anything (redundancy is a major consideration for me in building/operating a overland vehicle).

As far as the fridge......let me just say that a cold beer at the end of the day makes it worth it.

 

[Coachgeo]

ah... good point that numbers traveling and time has to be considered.


. Time- might try living in it.
. #'s- probably one.... would like to find a short cute skinny blond lady to share though lol

Cabin base.... 14.5 foot ambulance box that will be converted.

course might be better to look at is as..... MRE like eating supplementing more regular foods... allowing for smaller/less complex kitchen?

 

[GoodEnoughforGabe]

I appreciate food and the value of food too much to eat MRE's everyday while camping, travelling, or overlanding! I enjoy cooking for others and my loved ones.

Also the best way to get the nutrients your body needs is through a variety of vegetables, proteins and fats obtained through a holistic diet.

Cheers

 

[Zeiderman]

MRE's, I love them, but hey are meant to be burned off, isn't the calorie something like 2100 per, by yourself you're looking at a case per week with 2 meals per day with 2 people at 2 per day your double that, 2 cases take up a lot of room, and there really is no easy way to store them other than in their original container or something similar. Then you have to pack all that and what you didn't consume back out. At minimum I would probably substitute with fresh fruit and vegetables for their nutrition. And MRE's are meant to be consumed with lots of water least you become constipated. Those meals were designed really for combat situations, where high energy and water consumption was adequate.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[kmlacroix]

I carry MRE/Dehydrated food for the occasional, arrive at camp late, and emergencies. Preparing food is a slowdown moment for me. I also do a lot of prep at home and use a vaccuum sealer.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

While I have MREs on hand like kmlacroix they're for convenience only. I enjoy Dutch Oven cooking. While DOs are heavy, take up a lot of space, and have to cool before you can pack them up, they part of the enjoyment of getting away from it all. You don't have to have a full blown kitchen to be able to cook. Store a camp stove in one of the many boxes on your ambo and call it good.

 

[tarditi]

While the mantra "we eat to camp, we don't camp to eat" holds true, there is something special about cooking outdoors. Dutch oven meals, kebabs, pancakes, etc. all taste better when made and consumed under an open sky.
MREs are great for their pack-ability for a 2-3 day tactical mission, but I think one would be best off having a mix of fresh (even local sourced produce, if possible), packaged durable sundries ("fresh-pack," canned, etc.) and use of pre-cooked or readily available foodstuffs (MREs, dehydrated meals, etc.) to suite your travel schedule and contingency plans.
A dedicated kitchen is just a nice level of build to attain for some, but is almost never "required." Much of what we do can be done on a backpacking stove, 2-burner camp stove, or even a campfire grill, but having a portion of our rigs as a dedicated chuckwagon makes it nice for set-up and cook-work.

Just my $.02

 

[Desert Dan]

You don't need a fancy kitchen and stove to eat well.

I keep some MRE's, freeze dried and canned food in my rig for emergencies and if I run out of fresh food or want to stay out for a few more days.

It is nice to have some food that doesn't require cooking if the weather is bad or you don't feel like cooking.

 

[BigSwede]

Just depends what you want. I personally don't want to spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning up, so I am fairly minimalistic on the trail. But I haven't gone as far as MREs...

 

[Ozarker]

One aspect of traveling is meeting other people, sometimes you'll be around a fire and you'll end up sharing food and drink.

Hamburgers and beans are ready, who wants some? Oh, please, I'll have a couple, thanks, I brought some MREs and some warm beer, would you like some? .... No thanks!

Now I have a case of MREs, there is a time and place for them, but it sure isn't all the time nor everywhere.

Why not just stop at a roadside joint or Chili's and get a "to-go" order for the day? Take cans of Chief Boyardee and chili.......all you need is a can opener. I'm in a vehicle, I'm not hiking trying to save myself from carrying a few more ounces.

An ice chest and cans of sterno is all you need to be civilized.

 

[SnoViking]

You don't need a fancy kitchen and stove to eat well.

........

It is nice to have some food that doesn't require cooking if the weather is bad or you don't feel like cooking.

I agree with this; and it kinda shows both sides of the coin. We've been really happy with preparing "simple" meals using a coleman dual-fuel stove and/or fire pit. We tend to skip elaborate meals which require a lot of time and energy. We do a lot of "Mediterranean" dinners which are usually some sort of cured meats, cheeses, olives, fruits, and breads. Plus this facilitates lounging around the fire, drinking a bit of beer and wine and just relaxing. I usually cut everything up and just leave it on the cutting board and we graze. If it's cold and raining we'll do something hot like soup or hamburger helper (which has either vastly improved over the past 20 years or my tastes have changed.......)

We did invest in a Indel fridge last year and that's been a game changer. I was tired of buying ice and having soggy food. I run mine right off the chassis battery and haven't had a problem yet with battery power (but we're rarely parked for more than 36 hours and I do carry a small jump pack).