I had the privilege of eating MREs in the desert for a year. (yeah!) Everything Bearpaw said is right on. They are designed to make you constipated. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
To add: as Bearpaw said, you must break them down. Take out the stuff you don't need. Sometimes I hike out in the desert for an overnighter. They are perfect for that. I just take the main meal, heater packet, and add whatever else I want that I don't have to cook, like cliff bars or gorp or something. Then I leave the stove, pot, fuel, and fuel cannister at home. I also take a little less toilet paper. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> For one night, and maybe even two, they can be a lot lighter and much easier. After that, it gets lighter to carry a stove and dehydrated food. They aren't dehydrated, so you are carrying water in them, but you can minimize this by only carrying the main meal.

Unless something has changed in the year since I got out, there are 24 different menus. They are split into two boxes (A and B). The A box has twelve different menus, and the B has 12 more. If you buy more than one box, make sure you don't get all A's or B's. I try and stay away from the vegetarian ones. Luckily the fingers of death have been discontinued. Iraq has helped to refresh the Military supply, so now only new ones are in circulation (in the military). My favorite is the Enchilada one with jalapeño cheese sauce. The chili-mac one is also good. If there is a cheese packet in one, put it in the main meal for a better taste. The peanut butter was good for the first 6 months, then I got tired of it, and stayed away. The crackers suck, but the wheat bread is good. The pound cake is also really good, especially the poppy-seed one. The lemon pound cake is also good. If there is rice, then heat both the rice and the main meal at the same time, in the same heater pouch. Put the rice in the main pouch afterwards. The same goes for the oriental noodles (except you don't have to heat the noodles, just put them in the meal). The pork chop is imitation pork, so it is ok to throw to the Iraqis <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. The beaf steak is good between the two wheat bread pieces supplied. I will add that out of the 24, some you will never like, some you will start out liking, but change after 6-7 months, and some you will start liking after 6-7 months of eating the other ones. I would say that it won't hurt to try them and see what you like. If you do this, remember that just because you don't like one, it doesn't mean you won't like another. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Good luck. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />