Estate Sale Purchase - Late 80's Prepper

[Scott-GA]

After examining the Accessory Packet last evening (previous post), I decided to get to the bottom of the "Resealed Brown Bag MRE's" mystery...

While I was pretty sure that most of those resealed MRE's had had freeze dried Pork or Beef Patties inserted inside of them...

...there were these 3 oddballs. OK... odder-balls: Lasagna (F/D), Beef Stew (F/D) & Chicken/Rice (F/D).

The Lasagna (F/D) drew the short straw. It was time for an autopsy.

First item removed: Accessory Packet A

Next, Brownie, Chocolate Covered

Fruit Mix

Cocoa Beverage Powder, Type 1

Crackers

Spoon

...and last, the guest of honor, a Mountain House Lasagna Freeze Dried Meal. Does 8933321D equate to a date code? 333rd day of 1989 or...?

I imagine the remaining two MRE's in the above pictures also have a Mountain House Meal inside.

Scott

[Scott-GA]

Today I pulled out all the MRE components of the Lasagna (F/D) resealed brown bag meal.

It appears that this MRE was opened, the heavier main course was removed, the Mountain House Lasagagna was inserted into the bag and then the bag was resealed. Other than the meal swap, it is assumed the rest of the brown bag's original contents stayed in the bag.

If that assumtion is correct, perhaps the contents will give some indication of the age of the original MRE.

First off, this is Menu 8 and, although the meal's name was scribbled over with a permanent black marker, I can read "Beef, Diced With Gravy".

The MRE Menu page of MRE Info indicates that this menu was available from 1981 to 1987.

There is a Large "8" printed on the sides of this brown bag.

The MRE Bag Design page of MRE Info indicate that the large menu numbers were added to sides of the bags in 1988.

Hmmm... OK there's a descrepancy in my example between those two facts. Is it 1987 or 1988?

That's about all the information that can be gleaned from the brown outer bag... Let's see what the interior components tell us.

I find no information on the Brownie, Chocolate Covered package other than a "6" printed a bit under the manufacturer's information (Sterling Bakery of San Antonio, TX)

I find no information on the Crackers package other than a "1" printed a bit under the manufacturer's information (SO-PAK-CO, Inc of Mullins, SC)

I find no information on the Accessory Packet A package.

I find no informaiton on the Cocoa Beverage Powder Type 1 package.

The plastic spoon is white with a "W-like" indentation on the end of the handle vs. a pointed end of the handle.

On the Freeze Dried Fruit Mix package (manufactured by Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc of Albany, OR) I see "T031 TIM" printed in very small ink letters on a corner of the package.

As I researched the vintage Mountain House meals that were a part of this Estate Sale, a represntative from Mountain House sent me a Date Code chart that starts in 1970 with an "A" for the prefix and ends in 1988 with a "U" for the prefix. If Oregan Freeze Dry used that same system (I'm guessing they did) I think that would date the Fruit Mix as January 31, 1987.

It's looking like this is a 1987 meal based on the Fruit Mix date code and the "Diced Beef" menu. I'm not sure what to make of the Large "8" printed on the sides of the bag which the bag design page indicates didn't start until 1988.

What say you MREinfo Gurus?

Scott

[Amelieee1]

Today I pulled out all the MRE components of the Lasagna (F/D) resealed brown bag meal.

It appears that this MRE was opened, the heavier main course was removed, the Mountain House Lasagagna was inserted into the bag and then the bag was resealed. Other than the meal swap, it is assumed the rest of the brown bag's original contents stayed in the bag.

If that assumtion is correct, perhaps the contents will give some indication of the age of the original MRE.

First off, this is Menu 8 and, although the meal's name was scribbled over with a permanent black marker, I can read "Beef, Diced With Gravy".

The MRE Menu page of MRE Info indicates that this menu was available from 1981 to 1987.

There is a Large "8" printed on the sides of this brown bag.

The MRE Bag Design page of MRE Info indicate that the large menu numbers were added to sides of the bags in 1988.

Hmmm... OK there's a descrepancy in my example between those two facts. Is it 1987 or 1988?

That's about all the information that can be gleaned from the brown outer bag... Let's see what the interior components tell us.

I find no information on the Brownie, Chocolate Covered package other than a "6" printed a bit under the manufacturer's information (Sterling Bakery of San Antonio, TX)

I find no information on the Crackers package other than a "1" printed a bit under the manufacturer's information (SO-PAK-CO, Inc of Mullins, SC)

I find no information on the Accessory Packet A package.

I find no informaiton on the Cocoa Beverage Powder Type 1 package.

The plastic spoon is white with a "W-like" indentation on the end of the handle vs. a pointed end of the handle.

On the Freeze Dried Fruit Mix package (manufactured by Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc of Albany, OR) I see "T031 TIM" printed in very small ink letters on a corner of the package.

As I researched the vintage Mountain House meals that were a part of this Estate Sale, a represntative from Mountain House sent me a Date Code chart that starts in 1970 with an "A" for the prefix and ends in 1988 with a "U" for the prefix. If Oregan Freeze Dry used that same system (I'm guessing they did) I think that would date the Fruit Mix as January 31, 1987.

It's looking like this is a 1987 meal based on the Fruit Mix date code and the "Diced Beef" menu. I'm not sure what to make of the Large "8" printed on the sides of the bag which the bag design page indicates didn't start until 1988.

What say you MREinfo Gurus?

Scott

I've never had a vintage cocoa without the date stamped onto one of the edges. Curious