MREInfo.com

got my hands these four rations recently:





has anyone heard of these? The date codes on them is 4xxx but not sure if this means its '94 or '04. Also, haven't seen the wornick ones online before, and the "food packet" i've only seen before as a "meal, cold weather"... kman, you're the expert, any ideas?

These are listed on the website:

http://www.mreinfo.com/rcws.html

They have been discontinued in favor of the: Meal, Cold Weather (MCW)/Long Range Patrol (LRP) Combination Ration.

oops, my bad.. yeah the date codes say 8xxx which means they were probably made in 98 right?
but anyways, how about the ameriqual ones? are they new?

Yep - those Ameriqual meals are the newer "Meal Cold Weather" that replaced the RCWs. The jury is still out for me, but I think I prefer the RCWs - I love those compressed granola bars. The MCWs just have the regular crackers.

Yep I agree heartily with the ++ verdict on the older RCW granola bars, and the oatmeal cookie bars too. Esp. when as fresh as the one I got recently from eBay seller Craddock, who has been selling cases & individual ones. Can really recommend his stuff; date code 9xxx, but tastes brand new, so obviously they were stored well! I just search for "MRE + RCW".
Gerry

Hey Rational - so did you get a chance to try the MCWs yet? How were they? What'd you think? Get any pics?

Hello
Due to the freeze-dried nature of the RCW is their shelf life less volatile than MRE's? Also are they lighter?

I will likely order some off Ebay (a whole case) the next time some lesser expensive cases come along. The shipping is heck but I feel they are cheaper per meal than buying Mountain House pouches.

KAT

Hi KAT - yes, the RCW shelf life is definitely longer than the MRE shelf life - the MRE's base shelf-life is 3 years whereas the RCW's is 10 years. Of course, how they are store really depends on how long they'll last.

And yes, the RCWs are lighter than the MREs. But remember that the RCWs are no longer being produced - they've been replaced by the MCW (meal, cold weather). But any cases you might see up on ebay should still be good.

Haven't tried a newer MCW, I only have the older RCW, and a few are dated 9xxx which in this case is '89 I think, not '99. Included is the odd pouch of "fruit soup" powder (strawberry - it made my soymilk taste really GOOD !!) and the different white spoon, made from the same material as the "closure device" which is not plastic but industrial strength NYLON, just about indestructible stuff, so I tested it: I ran my 3-ton car over it twice (on a concrete floor!) and it DID NOT break. Probably won't freeze either; I'll have to test that too. One expensive spoon I would think; I'm guessing that's probably why they use the brown plastic instead in the '98-'99 RCW's.