Civilian MRE Comparison
[Specs] [Spoons] [Winners] [Individual Reviews]
Civilian MRE Comparison
So how do all four brands of civilian MREs compare to each other? Which one most closely resembles the military MREs? Which one packs the most calories per case? We'll attempt to answer those questions and more below.
| Note: The findings and results below are completely the opinions of the MREInfo.com. We are not affiliated with any of the MRE (civilian or not) producers or dealers. While some manufacturers did send in cases for review, other cases were purchased from dealers on the Internet. It's not our intent to recommend one particular civilian MRE over another but to provide guidance as to the pros and cons of each brand. If you're considering an MRE purchase, please keep all of the various comparison factors in mind so you can select the product that best suits your needs. |
Specification Comparison
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| Number of unique entrees |
6
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12
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6
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6
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Meals per case
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12
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12
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12
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12
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| Total calories per case |
14,660
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~18,000**
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13,800
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10,420
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| Average calories per MRE |
1,222
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~1,500**
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1,150
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868
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Case Price*
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$69
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$80
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$74
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$74
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| Price per MRE |
$5.75
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$6.67
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$6.17
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$6.17
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| Heater Included? |
Yes
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Yes
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Optional
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Optional
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| Heater Type |
Salt Water
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Water
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Water
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Water
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| Manufacturer's Website |
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*Case price is a blend/estimate based on surveys of various dealers. Prices include heaters. Price does not include shipping, which can be anywhere from $4 to $20 per case.
** I haven't done an exact calorie count of the Menu C MREs but a rough check shows a range from 1,200 to 1,750 calories per MRE.
Spoons
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A key part of every MRE is the spoon. This is what gets the food from the pouch to your mouth. Here's a comparison picture of the four spoons from the different civilian MRE manufacturers:
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From left to right - aPack, MREStar, Eversafe, Sure-Pak.
Menu C MREs use the same spoon as Sure-Pak.
(Click on the picture for a bigger version.)
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The aPacks and the MREStars use the same wide-mouth spoon. According to MREStar, this design was requested by the DSCP so soldiers could consume the food faster. Sopakco and Menu C MREs use the exact same spoon as is found in the military MREs. According to Sopakco, they have resisted requests to change the spoon because they believe their customers prefer the military spoon. The Eversafe spoon is the longest, but it has the smallest spoon-shape and is flimsier than all the others.
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Category Winners
Before the Menu C MREs came out, the "winners" were spread out pretty evenly - aPacks had the most calories, Sure-Pak 12s were most like miltary MREs, and Eversafes had the best entree variety. But all that changed when with the introductions of the Menu Cs.
As it stands now, the Menu Cs swept the "Most Like Military MREs", "Most Calories", and "Best Entree Variety" categories. MREStar still wins for having the best tasting entrees because they produce them themselves as opposed to the other three vendors who all use pretty much the same entree recipes. I did add a new category of "Best Overall Variety" and this goes to the Sure-Pak 12s. While Menu Cs offer 12 unique entees per case vs. Sure-Pak's 6 unique entrees per case, the Sure-Pak 12s case menus are constantly being changed. A quick look at TheEpicenter.com's online store shows five different sets of menus available in the Sure-Pak 12s. This is definitely something that sets apart the Sure-Pak 12s from the other civilian MREs.
Individual Reviews
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Ameriqual finally gets into the civilian MRE market with a very strong product. They offer a decent entree variety and do a good job in varying the spreads, sides, and desserts. The included heater is a big plus. |
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Pros: Lots of food per MRE - almost as many calories as a regular military MRE. Heater included (uses provided salt water packet). Beverage base is sugar/calorie-free - this frees up more calories for real food. Crackers! Nothing says MRE quite like those crackers.
Cons: No paper napkin; short, wide-mouth spoon helps you eat too much food too fast.
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These are the closest thing out there to real Military MREs and to top it off, they have even more calories than military MREs. The inclusion of extra desserts and snacks in these meals show that whoever designed the menus understood that having the extra calories and portability of the snack items was important. |
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Pros: Most like military MREs - same spoon, accessory pack, heater, etc. - and also has the most variety with 12 different entrees per case.
Cons: Price. At $80 + shipping per case, these can come in as much as $30 per case more than a case of aPacks, which are $73 with free shipping from one vendor.
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Even though it's the newest civilian MRE on the market, MREStar is off to a good start. The entrees are the highlight of this civilian MRE but the rest of the menu is monotonous (it's the exact same for every meal). As the product matures, we're hoping to see more entree, side, and dessert variety. |
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Pros: The entrees! Four of the six entrees have not been seen before in any MRE (military or civilian) and taste excellent. The other two entrees (Beef Stew and Cheese Tortellini) are similar in name-only to their MRE counterparts. These new versions taste much better.
Cons: Lack of menu variety. Wide-mouth spoon. Nut Raisin Mix is abnormally high in calories. I'd rather see many of the Nut Mix calories and the calories from the drink mix used for other food items - like crackers and cheese spread or peanut butter.
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The Sure-Pak 12 has been around the longest of all the civilian MREs. Of all the civilian MREs, this one comes closest to the military version. Even the meal bag is an almost exact duplicate of the military MRE bag with the exception that it's clear and the menu info isn't printed on the bag. |
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Pros: A real MRE spoon. A real MRE (plain water-based) heater can be included in the MRE bag. Instant coffee/creamer/sugar in every MRE. While entree variety is limited to six menus per case, the menus can differ between cases. Crackers and spreads in every MRE! The MRE bag is almost exactly like the military MRE bag.
Cons: Despite having a very MRE-like menu and good variety of sides/spreads/desserts, the calorie count for the Sure-Paks came in much lower than expected.
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Buying Civilian MREs
Check out the Buying Civilian MREs page. Also see the individual civilian MRE pages (linked above) for dealers of specific MRE brands
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