Vintage RCIR

[Yowie]

Hi guys just picked this bad boy up on Ebay Australia:

Still in its original wrapping.
There does not seem to be any internal explosions or leaks.
What are the chances any of It is edible?
Does anyone want it for there collection? If not I will open it up and see how it has held up over the last 18 years

Yowie

[cavguy]

The French rations are not really know for their longevity! The pull top cans combined with plain plastic wrapping, for some components, presents a problem especially when the rations are stored in high heat areas.

[housil]

I agree with cavguy.

[Ruleryak]

I'd wager that the candy and biscuits are "edible"

[Unimproved]

I'd wager that the candy and biscuits are "edible"

But if you want to stay in the land of the living I wouldn't even come close to the cheese.

[Yowie]

That all sounds like good advice .
I was pretty sure it would all be past its best but I will open it up and see how everything has aged.
Maybe the loud dogs across the street can be my taste testers

[Yowie]

Hi all, I scored a rare Saturday night off and I am sitting here watching the Wallabies play the Lions at rugby , and thought I would show you what was inside this.
With trepidation I slit the cellophane wrapper with my new crocodile knife and....
The biggest surprise was that the box is two piece not a folding lid like all the other RCIR's I have seen.

No surprises, no smells everything seems ok

However not all is good....

Milk drink?, Soup and chocolate.These guys are sticky, something has leaked..

Surprisingly the leaker is the last thing I would have suspected...

The hard candies/ boiled lollies seem to have decomposed (I thought these were indestructible)

None of the sticky items seem to be spoiled though.

Main meals: Beef and potatoes, chicken and legumes? Both tins seem perfect, no bulges or dents

By the way I hope our francophone friends will translate any guesses I get wrong. Us colonials only speak two languages english and bad english

matches, salt and pepper, puri tabs, crackers, hot chocolate and cafe syphilis?

Wait wait I looked twice its Cafe lyophilise, my bad

Nougat, sugar cubes, orange pate?, gum and toffees

The toffee's are a bit distorted, and the sugar cube's wrapping is discolored, however the nougat feels almost liquid and the photo does not show it but gum is the color of old false teeth. Think I will stay away from that.

Processed cheese, and fillets of mackerel

If anyone had asked me to guess, these would have been the two items I would have said that would be off. but both tins like the main and undamaged and seem airtight.
Mind you i am not brave enough to try them. (Authors note, If anyone feels brave enough to taste test any of the above tins, I am willing to mail them free of charge. If not I will open them and smell test and photograph the contents later)
Finally....

Stove, fuel, can holder and tissues

Like the box, this is interesting, all of these are French made including the fuel. My other RCIR's have had a folding stove but they were ESBIT branded (German, correct me if I am wrong). The stove is made of heavier metal and the handle is prefolded.

All in all so far this has been the most interesting $11 AUD ( 7.74 Euro's) I have spent in awhile, nice to see what the progression has been over the years.
If no one is crazy enough to take me up on my offer I will open it all up later

[housil]

Wow - you really opened that part of rations history

I´m not surpriesed an 18 years olds ration to be spoiled (at all). The cold war style EPa´s were good for +20

If not I will open it up and see how it has held up over the last 18 years

Please make sure you don´t do that inside!!!!

[Yowie]

Wow I just checked out your link housil. That Epa was edible after 20 yrs? It looks pretty good in the photos.
Do you think these main meals might be ok to eat?

[norge]

those rcirs are the same that we had in lebanon 1995
even down there when those rations was fresh the hard candy melted.
but i have to say it was extreme hot.
normaly we had had them down in the shelters in case of bomb raids
but when we rotated the rations and water (every 2nd month)
we used them in field for chow,and everything was good.

a few years ago i had a few cans of main meals from the rcir from 1978
but they was starting to leak so i had to throw them...

cheers ken,norway btw thank you for the back to the history lane