F.R.E.D. anyone?

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Lifesaver
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F.R.E.D. anyone?

Post by Lifesaver » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:26 pm

Does anyone have one of the (now obselete) Australian F.R.E.D.s that they would be willing to part with? These are the field ration eating device (hence FRED) that used to be issued to the Aussies. They are part P38 and part spoon.
"That others might live."

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kman
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Post by kman » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:36 pm

Looks like you can find one on the Australian eBay right now if you don't mind paying the shipping (around AU8.50 to the US he says):

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/OBSOLETE-AUST-AR ... dZViewItem

Image

Here are a couple other FRED links I found:

http://www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews ... etters.htm
http://www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews ... etters.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/p-38-can-opener
(hi-res FRED pic in that last one)

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Lifesaver
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Post by Lifesaver » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:37 pm

Yeah, I saw those on eBay. If it were just the $5, I might be okay with that. But, add shipping to the purchase price and it is a little more than I want to pay for one. I'm kinda hoping someone on here has one they no longer want.
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MCIera
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Post by MCIera » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:31 pm

If you don't need a real Aussie FRED, I saw some Chinese copies on the camping supplies rack of one of our local surplus stores. I think they may have been under the Coughlan's brand but I don't remember for sure. They were in a 2 pack for 99¢. Their pricing is kind of odd and doesn't seem to follow any kind of consistency. For example, they had Ameriqual MREs for $69.96 (military), but a box of TOTMs was $89.95 (!). They also had a RCIR there for $20 (don't remember the date on it.)

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Post by Lifesaver » Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:09 pm

Under the Coughlins name, you say. Hmmm, I may have to look at Sportsmans Warehouse. They carry some of that stuff. Thanks for the tip. That price on the RCIR doesn't sound to bad when you figure shipping costs from Europe. I've seen some on eBay go for that much plus shipping. If I saw some locally for that price, I might just pick up one or two. Thanks for the tip about the FRED. If I can't find them locally, I may drop you a line to get a couple and mail them to me. It would still be cheaper than the ones on eBay.
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BigMark
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Post by BigMark » Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:30 pm

Wee bit off topic but I paid $25 for my RCIR after shipping, not great, but worth trying one.

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MCIera
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Post by MCIera » Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:28 pm

I think it was a Coughlin's package, not really sure, just remember that it was a green/yellow shelf card. If you need one, just drop me a PM, I'm sure I can pick one up for you.

The RCIR that I saw was a Menu 7, don't know if they have others and as I mentioned, I didn't really pay too much attention to the note. I do remember that it seemed kind of heavy, more so than two MREs. The Mackeral with Tomato Sauce instead of Pate didn't really interest me too much.
Lifesaver wrote:Under the Coughlins name, you say. Hmmm, I may have to look at Sportsmans Warehouse. They carry some of that stuff. Thanks for the tip. That price on the RCIR doesn't sound to bad when you figure shipping costs from Europe. I've seen some on eBay go for that much plus shipping. If I saw some locally for that price, I might just pick up one or two. Thanks for the tip about the FRED. If I can't find them locally, I may drop you a line to get a couple and mail them to me. It would still be cheaper than the ones on eBay.

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Treesuit
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Post by Treesuit » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:35 am

Hey guys just to let you know that I bought all three of those FRED's on ebay today. I too was curious on the shipping so I contacted the person and they said the shipping wouldn't change if I did buy all three. So I bought them all and the shipping is the same, I think AU 5.25 it was. It would seem that the shipping is worth it. I have some friends at work that are interested in getting one themselves. I have one and it's great. Sits right next to my "John Wayne" and is the topic of many conversations. :wink:

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Post by Lifesaver » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:13 pm

Treesuit,

Thanks for that info. I've got one; but, wanted one or two more to put in various spots. I carry one in my EDC bag. Like yours, it is right next to a P38. There is not one in my wife's bag, though. I'll have to check Sportsman's Warehouse for them this weekend.
"That others might live."

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