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I have 6 French RCIR rations that I had shipped at hideous expense from France, to add to my "earthquake kit" that expire in October 2009. I'm wondering what these things are worth (supposedly 6 MRE's ea. I read somewhere) because when the dollar amount for shipping was converted to Euros I got hosed and it cost me a small fortune. Finding these things was incredibly hard and I had to go through E-bay Canada. Anyway, just wondering what people think. I'm tempted to break one open before the next catastrophe strikes but am holding off for now. The Beef with carrots looks pretty good!

Welcome to the forums, daphoto!

What are those RCIRs worth? If you're selling them to me, I'd say they're worth $10 each and I'll buy them all from you. :-)

But the real answer is that they're worth whatever you paid for them - including the hideously expensive shipping. So if you're trying to sell them, unless you want to take a loss, I'd start the pricing at what you paid for them. Unfortunately (for me, who wants to buy RCIRs), RCIRs tend to go for really high prices on eBay and it wouldn't surprise me to see them go for a big number.

If you're asking about what their trade value is - how many MREs you could get for an RCIR, that's a tough one. I think the original "trade value" of 4 or 6 MREs per RCIR came out of one of the earlier Gulf Wars. The last I heard from someone in the Service, there really isn't a trade value - if you're in the military and over in Iraq (for example), you can get all the MREs you want so they don't really hold any value. If someone wanted to trade 2 MREs for an RCIR, fine. 6 MREs for an RCIR, fine. 2 cases of MREs for an RCIR, also fine.

But if you ask someone who isn't in the military and who doesn't have an unlimited supply of MREs, you might find someone who thinks about it like I do. I look at a case of MREs as being around $60 - that's pretty close to what you can buy them for on eBay. So If you wanted to trade an RCIR for 6 MREs, to my way of thinking, that's $30 for an RCIR. That's a little on the high side of what I'd personally like to pay, but other people might not feel that way.

As far as breaking one open and trying it, I'd definitely recommend you do that right away so you can be sure that #1 - the food is still good and #2 - you actually like the food and can eat it in an emergency. You don't want to be stuck in an emergency situation and find that your food is either spoiled or unappetizing.

Yeah, and if you don't like it you can sell them to me on the cheap.

I think I paid something close to $22 after shipping for the RCIR I bought from France FWIW.

OK thanks for the answers on that. My next question is if i've got these in the trunk of the car through the summer, along with the emergency water, some MRE's, various other freeze dried things - how well will they hold up? My intuition tells me I shouldn't have them in a space that gets really hot, but these things are designed to go through god knows what and where right? The gulf is not a cool, breezy place.

I can't really speak to RCIRs but as far as rations like the MREs, those have held up really well for me in my car. I know high-heat (summertime in the car heat) is supposed to shorten an MRE's life, but I once kept a few MREs in my car for three years. When I finally tried them, they were still perfectly good.

I'd probably recommend you rotate your rations out of the car at least every year (if possible and if you remember) :-) but if you don't do that, at least try to eat one every year or two to make sure they're still good.

I haven't been on this wonderfull forum for a long time due to moving to my new home, but now I have more time to read all the postings and finding very interesting subjects. And occassionaly make some comments.

What is the excange rate of a RCIR? Or of any other ration such as the EPA, the British or Dutch?
I think the answer is easy. Most ration offer food and drinks for a period of 24 hours. They have two larger main entrees and a bunch of crackers, cheese and/or meat, marmelade, sweets and drinks.
So one package can ustain a soldier for 24 hours.
If you want MRE's to sustain you for 24 hours ,you need 3 packages. Although 3 MRE's contain 3 main entrees, they are significant smaller than those in -for example- the EPA.
I have to admit that MRE's are better tasting than other rations. But they are not rare.

I think a 3:1 exchange ratio is very reasonable.

Oh, did I mention I will soon receive a bunch of CZECH combat rations???

I bought some of mine @ ebay....and I was lucky to get it from a local (US) and cheap.... $20 with S/H....

With heat be careful,remember most of the RCIR's entrees are canned and the heat can mess up cans.....
But open one and enjoy it!!!!
If you don't like them...let me know ...lol

my first RCIR i ever got was out of the KONGO (africa). i guess it was there about 1-2 month at a soldiers tent. everything was fine - except the chocolate and fruit bars. all other were just "fine".

RCIR are really the best tasting rations world wide. even better than our german EPAs. (sometimes )

daphoto wrote: I have 6 French RCIR rations that I had shipped at hideous expense from France, to add to my "earthquake kit" that expire in October 2009. I'm wondering what these things are worth (supposedly 6 MRE's ea. I read somewhere) because when the dollar amount for shipping was converted to Euros I got hosed and it cost me a small fortune. Finding these things was incredibly hard and I had to go through E-bay Canada. Anyway, just wondering what people think. I'm tempted to break one open before the next catastrophe strikes but am holding off for now. The Beef with carrots looks pretty good!

Don´t worry about the expiring date!

That´s what is inside a French RCIR.



A RCIR is a 24hrs ration, so it should equal 2-3 MREs. As a breakfast is unusal in France, there are just a coffee au laite set and some sweet crackers. Pate, cheese, soup, worlds best caramel bonbons, fruir bars and two entrees with a "two-times-single-use" tommy cooker:






RCIR rations are very delicious - French cuisine

Read/see my Back from escape about more...

oops, I feel a little bit ashamed...
About one-and-a-half year ago I bought 40 RCIRS for only 200 euro.
I was up to my nose in these French rations. They are actually very good, but everything gets boring after awhile
Now most are gone, eaten by me and some traded with norge.

Time to change menu, so tomorrow I will receive 25 Dutch combat rations (the breakfast/lunch packet + 2 entree cans/pouches).
Not to mention the 12 Czech ration I will receive very soon...