You've probably heard that freeze-dried meals can last for decades as long as they remain sealed in a cool, dry environment. But have you ever wondered what it'd be like to travel 35 years into the future and see exactly how well these dehydrated meals stand the test of time? The iron-stomached YouTuber Steve1989MREInfo set out to answer this question. He got his hands on a Mountain House civilian MRE that was produced in 1981, opened it up, and sampled the contents.

You'll find Mountain House freeze-dried meals in most camping/hunting/outdoor stores today, but you might not know that the company has been producing meals like these for more than 50 years. Mountain House has been supplying the U.S. Armed Forces with meals since the Vietnam War, and began offering similar meals to civilians in 1969.

The meal in the following video came in a plain bag labeled as “Meal 6 – Chicken Stew”. It contains the following items:

• Freeze-dried chicken stew (2 servings)
• Pilot bread crackers
• Fig Newton cookies
• Lemonade powder
• Cocoa powder
• Salt, pepper, a napkin, and a spoon

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We're frankly impressed that everything in this ration has held up so well despite its age. It's one thing to hear Mountain House guarantee that its meals will remain fresh for 30 years, and another thing to see actual proof. That's a good sign for those of us who've been stockpiling freeze-dried meals for emergencies.

Written by Patrick McCarthy