Eversafe MRE Full Meal Kit with Heater - Single Sample (Civilian MRE)

I bought four sample packs (two of this one and two of another civilian brand) for easy meal preparation during a 30-hour race I was supporting. After I bought them, I read reviews about the "authentic military" MREs that said they were much better than the civilian versions. I was worried at that point about these. Well, I have to say, my worries were soon set aside when it came to eating these (my first time eating MREs). Everything you could possibly need is in the pack - everything from a spoon, napkin, salt/pepper and wet wipe to the heater, main dish, drink, coffee, and snacks and sides. Only thing missing is water to make the heater work and hydrate the drinks. The main dish DOES NOT need hydration - it has all the sauce in the pack of food already.Between these two brands, I believe they use the same manufacturer for at least some of the food as the packs look nearly identical if not exactly the same. So I will review both here. I first had the "rib shaped barbecue flavor pork patty" and before I prepared it, I had flash-backs to the gross McRib sandwich that had more fat strips than meat (I haven't eaten at McDonald's in over 10 years). After I prepared this, I opened it and it looked sketchy but I dove in. The patty was extremely tender and easily "scooped" up in bites with the included spoon. It tasted AWESOME, and was so tender. I always worry about this sort of thing because even at restaurants I get hard pieces. But this had none and I would eat one again right now if I had it. It had some liquid in the pack that was good for scooping up with the patty. I even drank the remaining juices.The other one I got was "asian style beef strips with vegetables" which also has a name that makes it sound really gross. I heated this longer than recommended to make sure it was piping hot. When I opened the pack, the asian food aromas filled my nose. I took a bite and have to say, again, the meat was cooked perfectly and was so tender. The flavor was awesome on its own, and I did add a little salt and pepper (included) to it for some extra kick in flavor. Amazing.The packs also include things like flat bread and a brownie and M&Ms. These are good eats. There is also instant coffee in both, as well as a powdered sports drink (I just filled the pouch with water and drank out of there. One had apple sauce, and the other had a cappuccino drink that you pour hot water into.Overall - extremely impressed by both civilian brands (I'll place this same review on the other). I am curious about the "authentic military" MREs which I might buy next to try, but I anticipate buying a brick of both this and the other civilian brand. I am an avid camper and have used every kind of cooking method there is (open fire, wood stove, white gas stove, canister stove, alcohol stove, even cooking with the sun. For the ease of use of these and the comforts these MREs give that I usually don't take otherwise, I plan to try this on my next backpacking trip to judge whether any weight difference matters of not. You have to pack that trash out with these and there is a lot, but I anticipate opening them and taking only what I need out of there for camping (for example, just 1 spoon or my camping spoon, leaving the napkins, and powdered sports drinks that I take a bulk back of if I take it at all).Good product here - and I will buy more!

Civilian MRE from EverSafe, Review:Shipping: Fast shipping, MRE came wrapped in a bubble mailer inside a box.Packaging: Clear, thick plastic bag with peel opening. Waterproof and easy to open by hand.Contents:(1) List of MRE contents and overall nutritional facts and ingredients. Very nice, as you can see what your MRE contains without having to open it, with the exception of the condiments included in the utensil pack.(2) Flameless bag heater to cook the entree, which can be eaten cold if preferred. Just add water. Instructions are clear and easy to read, and include pictures.(3) Strawberry Dairyshake Powder. Comes in a bag you add water to and then is designed to be re-sealed so you can mix it.(4) Entree: Spaghetti with meat and sauce.(5) Package of thick, roughly 4x4 inch crackers.(6) Full size bag of Tropical Skittles candy.(7) Small packet of Tabasco sauce(8) Utensil Packet: Napkins, plastic spoon, packet of instant coffee and creamer, moist towelette, and packets of sugar, pepper and salt.PROS: List of MRE's contents visible without opening the package -this is not something all sellers provide. Includes utensils and a flameless heater. This is a civilian MRE and is complete with entree, side dish (or snack), dessert and two drinks along with the means of preparing and eating them.CONS: The only item with a labeled expiration date was the Skittles candy, which expires in January 2013. Product description says the "use by" date is 11/01/14. No jelly or peanut butter to go with the crackers, which would be fine if the entree was something more like a soup or chili that would be tasty eaten with the crackers. No listed information concerning the contents of the utensil pack. I am not totally sure what I am supposed to put the Tabasco sauce on.OTHER: Product picture of contents does not appear to match what was received (no peanut butter, not as much food, different color utensil). The contents do, however, match the product description. A date on the list of contents in the MRE reads "Rev 10/25/2011." I am not sure if that means that was the date this MRE was made (in which case it is nearly a year old at the time of purchase) or it was an expiration date and this MRE is expired.Will update if I find out anything more about the dates/expiration/use by date of the MRE I received.

It's a nice sample, good for camping or if you just feel like eating one. There's not much variety since it's a civilian edition. It's, however, a very easy meal to eat.The main meals are really easy to cook up. A very very little amount of water is needed to cook. However, the smell coming off from the chemical reaction with the heater and the water is not very pleasant. Once you lay it aside to cook, keep away from it. As for the taste, it's something you expect out of a microwave food. I had the pesto pasta and the Asian beef with vegetables. The texture is very normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Meals are, however, a little bit on the salty side. Food's good. Not great. Decently tasting food.The cornbread is surprisingly moist. Also a little salty. Tasy and filling.The wheat breads are also moist too. They're a bit more on the plain side, but they go well with the snacks that's provided like the peanut butter or the applesauce. The peanut butter is dense and creamy. It's not too sweet and tastes pretty good.The applesauce with raspberry puree is very sweet and tasty. Maybe a little too sweet, but it goes well with the bread.M&M's are M&M's, you should know what they're like. The powder drink mix is pretty boring in taste. Perhaps put a little less water than the suggested amount to make it a bit sweeter. Not much else.There's lots of potential trash to be made from the meal due to the many separate bags, but they can all be put into the large clear plastic bag it comes in.If I had to choose ready to eat meals for camping, I'd go with these.