Pine Tree Meals

Many will have heard the famous saying in regards to the basics of outdoor preparation that you must factor in “Bullets, Beans and Bandages”. It stands for the proposition that your initial steps in preparation must include food/water, firearms/training and medical supplies/first aid know-how.

In my former professional life as an outdoor instructor and practitioner, one of the major considerations I had to take into account for any group I took into remote areas was what they ate and drank. Any of you that know me personally, will also know that whilst I’m not a heavy chap, I am quite a big one, so food and drink rank pretty highly on my list before I undertake any outdoor jaunt; I don’t like being hungry!

Takeaway

When you’re out in the sticks putting in full days of activity, you want food that will nourish you, strengthen you, revitalise you and possibly even taste really good! When pondering how much or little to carry, err on the side of taking a little more than you think you need. A reasonable goal is 2500 to 4500 calories per person per day, depending on your size, weight and exertion level. On the other hand, you need to not overdo it, and a common blunder is to pack too much food, forcing you to lug unwanted bulk and weight.

In the past, military ‘Meals Ready to Eat’ have left much to be desired, although the newer versions are somewhat more palatable! Pine Tree MRE packs contain all the daily calories and nutrition you may need for a 24-hour period and actually taste pretty darn fine too! For one PT MRE main course, you will also need just a few millimetres of water to warm it up in 12-15-minutes to enjoy a hot meal in places where it is not usually suitable to cook with a gas stove; more on that shortly….

Weighing in at 500-800g for the entire pack (dependant on the type) the Pine Tree MRE packs are priced at £9.99 (one meal) and £15.99 (two meals) and contain a full day’s rations. There are numerous ‘main course options’, such Chicken Tikka Masala with Chickpeas, Meatball Pasta in Tomato sauce, Beef Steak & Vegetable Stew, Lamb Casserole, Beef Chilli Con Carne, and Chicken and Mushroom Pasta in Creamy sauce, but a sample £15.99 pack will contain:

• Two large main courses pouches
• Two FRH heater
• Light breakfast (Biscuits and jam)
• Chocolate bar
• Water purification tablets
• Matches
• Wet wipe
• Dry tissue
• Coffee sachets
• Tea bag
• Salt and pepper sachets
• Sugar
• Chewing gum or sweets

All the packs come with full instructions, and the ‘FRH Heater’ included is an awesome addition; the flameless ration heater, or FRH, is a water-activated exothermic chemical heater included with Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs), used to heat the food. US military specifications for the heater require that it be capable of raising the temperature of an 8-ounce (226.8g) meal by 100 °F (56 °C) in 12-minutes, and that it has no visible flame. The ration heater contains finely powdered magnesium metal, alloyed with a small amount of iron, and table salt. To activate the reaction, a small amount of water is added, and the boiling point of water is quickly reached as the reaction proceeds; full instructions for use are again given in each Pine Tree MRE.

For more information on Pine Tree MREs please visit www.ptmre.com. If you’d prefer classic US MREs or military rations from other countries, then drop them a line, as they’ll be able to help you out with those too!