MRE Date Codes

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MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat, are a staple for American military servicemen and women worldwide. As many of you know, they’re also a well-known choice for disaster preparedness, due to their compact packaging, relatively long shelf life, and calorie-dense contents. However, if you haven’t had much hands-on experience with MREs, you may not know how to check their packaging date. It’s not labeled in the standard MM/DD/YY format found on most consumer goods, and you might not recognize it if you don’t know what to look for.

MRE date 3

 

First of all, why does it matter if you know an MRE’s packaging date—they last practically forever, right? Well, no, actually. When stored in ideal 50-degree conditions, most modern military-grade MREs have a claimed shelf life of approximately 60 months (5 years). At a more realistic 80 degrees, this lifespan drops to just 36 months (3 years). Some old-style MREs from the 1980s and ‘90s contained freeze-dried elements that increased shelf life to 10 years or more, but modern MREs are not freeze-dried and do not last as long. Knowing the packaging date on MREs (and the components inside) will help you to determine if they are still safe to consume. However, note that depending on storage temperature, manufacturing date, and ingredients used, certain MREs and components may go bad faster than others—so, only consume borderline expired MREs at your own risk.

MRE date

Now, let’s get to the actual dates. Standard military MREs will have a four-digit code either printed on the bag’s exterior or stamped/embossed into its seam. In the MRE pictured here from SoPakCo, it was printed clearly on the back: 0004. This is a format called the Julian date code, simplified as YDDD. The first number is the year of packaging, in this case, 0 denotes 2010. The next 3 numbers are the day, with 001 indicating January 1st and 365 indicating December 31st. So, in the case of our SoPakCo MRE, the 0004 date code means it was packaged on January 4th, 2010. We know it was stored in 70-80 degree conditions, so according to official guidelines this should be considered expired by a year or two. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s inedible—we tried the Carrot Pound Cake inside, and although it tasted a bit stale, we didn’t notice any ill effects from eating it (again, only try this at your own risk). Before 2003, date codes weren’t labeled on MREs’ exterior bag, so the only sure-fire way to date pre-2003 MREs is to open them and check the dates on interior components.

MRE date 2

Now that we mention the interior components, you’ll notice they also feature the same YDDD date format, and that the components will all have dates slightly earlier than the exterior 0004 date. The dates on contents of this SoPakCo MRE ranged from 9289 to 9335. In normal format, that’s October 16th, 2009 through December 1st, 2009.

There’s a lot more to be said about MREs, but this should give you the information you need to at least determine if they’re relatively safe to eat. Bon appetit!

Backup Water Source

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Let’s say there’s a natural disaster, riot, or other form of SHTF-style unrest that forces you to stay at home. If you’re adequately prepared and in a survival mindset, you’ve probably got some drinking water and other basic resources stored in a closet, cupboard, garage, or shed. However, if you’re stuck for a week, two weeks, or more without running water, your supplies may run out. Fortunately, there’s a large water source already in your home you may not have thought of using—your water heater.

Water heater

An ordinary home water heater generally has a capacity of 30-80 gallons, but some may exceed even this amount. Since it’s sealed in a metal container and refilled regularly as you use the hot water tap, this water should be relatively clean if your heater is in good working order.  Then again, it’s always best to be on the safe side and filter, boil, and/or purify this water before drinking it. This is highly recommended if your heater has been inactive for an extended period, since residual heat can provide an environment for bacteria growth. Also, water straight from the heater may not taste great, due to the precipitation of minerals from hard water and possible sediment in the tank. However, drinking from the water heater certainly better than dehydration if you’re out of other water sources.

Water heater 2

Here are the basic steps to drain your water heater:

  • At the first sign of a disaster, TURN OFF the electrical power, gas, and pilot light on the heater. Close the cold water inlet or fill valve to avoid floodwater and other contamination entering the tank.
  • When you need water, connect a clean hose to the water heater drain, and run it into a bucket, pot, or other container. Open the drain valve.
  • Open the pressure relief valve on the tank, and collect the water you need. Then shut both the drain and pressure relief valve until you need more water.
  • Filter, boil, or purify the water as needed.

Knots to Know: Bowline Knot

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Whether you’re rigging up a hammock, securing a snare line, or tying your boat down at the shore, it’s extremely important to know how to tie a knot that won’t slip or give way under tension. The bowline knot fits this task perfectly, and it’s a strong contender for the most important knot to know in survival scenarios. There’s a good reason the bowline has been called the king of all knots—it’s even said to date back as far as ancient Egypt.

The bowline is essentially a way to attach a free end of rope or cord to a solid object. The process for tying a bowline has been simplified as “into the hole, around the tree, then back out the hole again” and is demonstrated well in this video from HowCast:

If you try this method a few times, and remember the saying “into the hole, around the tree, then back out the hole again” you’ll have the technique down in no time. Tie the bowline around a post or tree, then give it a hard yank—if you’ve tied the knot correctly, it will tighten instead of slipping. This is extremely useful for setting up a hammock, stringing up a bear bag, or a number of other tasks.

The Dangers of Pre-Made Survival Kits

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Let’s face it: if you’re planning to survive in the wild, you’re going to need more than the contents of a breath mint tin to do so properly. And if all your survival gear had to fit in a handheld tin, you’d probably build it yourself from scratch, agonizing over every square millimeter of space. Nevertheless, pre-fabricated “all in one” pocket-sized survival kits have become popular in the last few years, mostly as a feel-good gimmick for amateur campers and hikers who’ll never really use them.

So, if you did have to survive using only a pre-made kit, how would you do? This video from Wranglerstar on YouTube provides a humorous take on the actual quality of a pre-made survival tin. To be fair, that the kit the host tests is a “Terminator Genisys” movie promotional item included with Schwarzkopf brand hair products (yes, that’s right, a hair gel company’s survival kit). It’s not exactly a high-dollar item, but it’s still pretty funny to watch the results of this so-called survival kit.

What can we learn from this? First, you’ll want to build a proper survival kit or bug-out bag, since the contents of a mint tin are not going to get you very far. Secondly, just because something says “Survival Kit” doesn’t mean it’s to be trusted. Finally, don’t get your survival products from a company that sells hair gel! Otherwise, you’ll be left stranded and praying for rescue—but at least your hair will look spiffy.

CCI Low-Noise 22 LR HP Ammo

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In a survival situation, the last thing you want to do is scare off the game you’re hunting with the crack of a muzzle report, since it could make the difference between a hearty meal and an empty dinner table. However, it’s equally important to have enough stopping power to bring down said game, otherwise you might as well be using a slingshot—silent, but not nearly as effective. CCI Ammunition has achieved a happy medium between these two goals, with their Quiet-22 Segmented Hollow-Points.

The CCI Quiet-22 ammo considerably reduces muzzle noise, with up to 75% less perceived noise than a regular 22 LR round. However, it also retains excellent power, with a segmented bullet that splits into three pieces on impact. This creates three wound channels, and brings down small game with ease. You might be thinking there’s a trade-off here, but CCI says the new round retains the excellent accuracy and reliability you’d expect from standard 22 LR ammunition. However, because it’s a low-velocity round, you may have to cycle your weapon manually if you use it in a semi-automatic rifle. Still, with a 75% noise reduction, it’s something worth considering.

Here’s a quick video of the Quiet-22’s sound level compared to standard 22 LR and CCI 22 Short:

For more information on the CCI Quiet-22 Ammunition, visit http://www.cci-ammunition.com/

Browning X-Bolt Varmint Stalker Rifle

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Although we’ve previously sung the praises of a reliable .22 LR rifle for survival purposes, sometimes you need something with a little more oomph. Browning recently launched a new variant in their X-Bolt line of rifles, the Varmint Stalker, and it fits this task nicely. It’s available in 204 Ruger, 223 Rem., 243 Win., and 308 Win. calibers with a 24″ barrel length, as well as 22-250 Rem. in a 26” barrel length.

Browning Varmint Stalker

On top of these versatile caliber choices, it has Mossy Oak® Brush® camouflage and a heavy sporter contour barrel in non-reflective matte blued finish. If you’re trying to stay concealed in the woods, both those items could come in handy. Other standard features found on all X-Bolt rifles include a detachable rotary magazine, adjustable Feather Trigger, 60° bolt lift, bolt unlock button and Inflex Technology recoil pad.

If you’re looking for a flexible bolt-action rifle to add to your survival kit, visit http://www.browning.com/ for more information on the new X-Bolt Varmint Hunter.

Understanding the Risks of Mountaineering

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Ever climbed a precarious mountain or hung unsupported from a rock face? Even if you haven’t, it’s easy to see that there’s plenty of danger involved in this activity—without any danger, it probably wouldn’t be much fun. However, examining the danger behind more extreme versions of mountaineering can help those of us who prefer mild hiking and climbing to avoid injury. After all, if you know when, where, and how most advanced climbers get hurt, you can better avoid those situations while surviving in mountainous terrain.

Experienced climber Steph Abegg has compiled a series of charts to show mountain climbing injury rates, locations and more. Below, we’ll be breaking them down and explaining what an average survivalist or outdoorsman can learn from the data.

Mountaineering

First, we see that over the last 60 years, mountaineering deaths have been declining steadily, but injuries have remained fairly constant. Even with the improvements in technology, gear, and communications since the 1950s, climbers are still getting hurt.

Mountaineering

Next, we learn that falling or slipping on rock, snow, or ice is the most common cause of injury. This one is mostly common sense, but it’s also surprising that nearly half of the injuries were caused by other rarer factors like falling rocks and lightning strikes.

Mountaineering

Also surprisingly, injuries were spread almost equally throughout experience levels. You might expect a veteran mountain climber to be more adept at avoiding danger, but at the same time, they tend to take on much more difficult terrain and conditions because they think they can handle it.

Mountaineering

Here’s an analysis of the most common injuries, most of which are to be expected. However, if you know how to apply a splint and treat lacerations in the field before you go mountaineering, you’ll greatly improve your odds of making it home safe.

Mountaineering

Finally, we learn that you’re almost as likely to get hurt descending a mountain as you are ascending it. Apparently the phrase “all downhill from here” doesn’t necessarily mean safety for mountain climbers. This is also important from a mindset standpoint—when you’re on the way down the mountain, there’s a tendency to get complacent and make dangerous mistakes.

If you spend a lot of time in mountainous terrain, or you may need to do so to survive in the future, it’s worth thinking about these mountaineering facts. Although climbing accidents are rare in the grand scheme of things, if you bear in mind it can happen to anyone, and prepare to handle injuries that may occur, you’ll be much safer out there.

100-Function Multi-Tool

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We’ve all heard the phrase “too much of a good thing”, and every man knows that tools are a very good thing. Plus, any multi-tool owner can tell you that combining many tools into a single package is a great idea. So, what happens when you take it too far? This incredible 100-function “mother of all Swiss Army knives” is what happens.

Originally made in Germany way back in 1880 as a display piece for J.S. Holler & Co’s cutlery store in New York, this insane amalgamation of tools actually predates the Swiss Army Knife by 11 years. Not only that, but it contains just about every tool imaginable, including a cheese fork, piano tuner, butter knife, mechanical pencil, cigar cutter, and even a fully functional .22-cailber pistol. See what we mean by excess?

Sure, this tool wasn’t meant to be used or carried around in a pocket, but it did set the stage for the Schweizer Offiziersmesser (Swiss Officer’s Knife) and multi-tool of today. It’s also a great example of why sometimes, there is such a thing as too many tools.

Home-Made Bug Out Truck

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We’ve always liked expedition vehicles, since they’re pretty much the ultimate survival assets on four (or six) wheels. They can overcome almost any kind of terrain, they’re built to be tough and highly reliable, and they are often jam-packed with supplies and tools for the road ahead. If you’re looking for an expedition vehicle, you can pay six figures to have one made to order, or—if you’re mechanically inclined—you can start with a common truck platform and build the rest yourself.

Land Rover expedition vehicle

After considering these two options, Expedition Portal forum user Taurunum chose the latter, and built his 1988 Land Rover Discovery into a proper home on wheels. The 4×4 turbo-diesel Land Rover itself is a seriously capable machine, seeing widespread use by the U.K.’s military and other organizations worldwide. On top of this, Mr. Taurunum added a utility box, numerous locking compartments, armored bumpers, a winch, auxiliary lights, and a pop-up rooftop tent.

You can read more about this expedition vehicle setup here on Bring a Trailer, or click here to see a gallery with more photos of this cool rig.

Land Rover Discovery home made bugout truck

So, what would your ultimate bug out truck look like? If you’ve already built one, or are working on a project, post it in the comments below.

How to Build a Swedish Torch

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Sustaining a fire is all about the proportion of fuel to oxygen. Too much of one and not enough of the other, and your fire will quickly fizzle. That’s why we’re always interested to see creative solutions for feeding a campfire efficiently. If you haven’t already seen our article on the Dakota Fire Hole, that’s a great example of this principle.

Today, we wanted to share another technique, the Swedish Torch. Also called Schwedenfeuer or Swedish Log Candle, it differs from ordinary campfires in that it uses a single large piece of timber as its fuel. If you’re in a location where you can cut down or find a sizable fallen tree, and you have a saw or axe handy, give it a shot some time.

Swedish torch logs

Essentially, you’ll need to stand a section of a log on end, and cut 4 to 6 deep vertical grooves into it with a saw. The video below uses a chainsaw for quick cuts, but this can easily be done with a hand saw. (Alternatively, you can split the log into quarters with an axe, and bind the quarters together near the base.)

Then, shove some tinder material into the grooves, set some kindling on top of the log, and light it. The Swedish torch log will eventually start to burn from the inside out, and air will be drawn into the grooves at the base, sustaining it. You even get a nice flat-top cooking platform for a skillet!