French 24hr Ration Pack

[resnikov]

Got hold of a French 24hr Ration Pack so thought I would show what is in it.

The box is 30 x 16 x 7.5 cm (l,w,h) and comes wrapped in plastic. The menu is in both French and English on the box so making it easier to see what you have got in it.
Mine is Menu 3.

Pull tab to open:

Contents

List of contents:

1. Poultry Tabbouleh
2. Lamb Stew and Vegtables
3. Salted and Sweet Biscuits
4. Tissues
5. Sardines Fillets
6. Processed Cheese
7. Fruit Jelly
8. Muesli
9. Caramels
10. Nougat
11. Soup
12. Powder Drink
13. Chocolate Bar
14. Reheating Kit
15. Brew Kit

Brew Kit:

1. Coffee
2. Hot Chocolate
3. Green Tea with mint
4. Sugar
5. Salt and Pepper

Reheating Kit:

1. Box
2. Matches
3. Fuel tablets
4. Water Purifying Tablets
5. Refuse Bag
6. Gripping Lever
7. stove

I'm quite impressed with this so far but I have yet to try and eat it. I will update this thread when I do.

 

[Humpback]

I've had a couple of these rations from Surplus & Outdoors at Kidderminster just to compare. I opened one to have a look at the contents and was very impressed with the contents and decided to try one item, as you do, then another. Anyway one binge later I now have one ration pack left. The food is nice and varied with a continental slant such that I now canoe on the right

 

[British Red]

That looks very nice - more so than the modern rat pack I would say - and better quality than the old compo tins

 

[BigM]

Can I preempt the reviewer and tell you that French rat packs are delicious. I ate dozens of them when serving in Chad and they were a welcome change from our own ones. There's some lovely tuna and pasta salad and other things. I was told that they used to come with some cigarettes, but that's no longer the case. Anyway, thumbs up for the French ration pack.

 

[tiger stacker]

NO Gauloise however PROCESSED CHEESE............. Where is the wee rew bottle of wine too ?

 

[IanM]

If you have seen 'Water' with Micheal Cain you will know that a real French ration pack has a bottle of St. Emilion "To refresh the most cynical palette". At 10:30 in the YouTube clip below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izZ9zVqgfEY&feature=relmfu

 

[rik_uk3]

Not as good as the old French packs, they had a quarter bottle of wine in them

 

[HillBill]

Where did you get it from mate?

 

[rik_uk3]

Bill there is a fella on ebay periodically who sells rat packs from all over the place, Poland, Russia, France etc.

 

[sargey]

Not as good as the old French packs, they had a quarter bottle of wine in them

i think you'll find the wine is issued separately! there were french rations that used to come with a pack of unfiltered cigarrettes and a wee bottle of brandy if that's what you're thinking of.....

the trick with the barquettes (main meal dish) is not to open it too early in the cooking process. especially in cold weather. dig a wee trench with the heel of your boot, light your esbit block, or two, and drop it in the hole. (use a couple of pebbles if the ground's too frozen to dig, you may need a separate windbreak.) cook the barquette like a steak. keep turning it over every few minutes. give it a shake to let the heated sauce permeate round the inside of the can. then when your esbit is almost burnt down to nothing, carefully peel back the lid, be wary of jets of escaping steam. give it a final stir.

failure to comply with the above instructions will result in a burnt patch of food in the bottom centre of the can whilst food in the ends is still frozen solid!

the field biscuits used to be called pain de guerre. i spose "war-bread" is insufficiently PC nowadays!

is that an actual esbit stove in there? or just the blocks? back in my day we never used to get the stove, we just had to demerde.

cheers, and.

 

[multi]

I always thought green tea was an american favourite rather than french.

 

[Corso]

usmcpro used to sell them

 

[Humpback]

Ah urban myth eh!
The packs I have a foldable stove esbit tablets and a little meal tin holder/handle.
I don't use the esbit stove preferring to heat in boiling water before opening.
The two flavours of biscuit are more-ish.
Alan

 

[HillBill]

Cheers Rik.

Bill there is a fella on ebay periodically who sells rat packs from all over the place, Poland, Russia, France etc.

 

[Twodogs]

Here you go mate ,

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...e-french-nato-approved-individual-474552.html

 

[santaman2000]

I always thought green tea was an american favourite rather than french.

No. We always thought it was an Oriental thing. The favorite American tea is sweetened (to a syruppy sweet) ice tea served in pint sized glasses and with a bottomless re-fill.

 

[HillBill]

Cheers mate. Not cheap are they

Here you go mate ,

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...e-french-nato-approved-individual-474552.html

 

[Twodogs]

Yes after you had them on issue ,,,, lol or shooting fresh ,,, keep your powder dry mate

Twodogs

 

[Capt.Nice]

Hey fellows Iam for the south and we believe in our sweet tea ice cold but not syruppy you wouldnt believe how great it teast after cutting grass in temps in the 90s and humitiy in the 80s then setting on the front poarch and enjoying the tea and breeze.

 

[Wilderbeast]

Bitterly disappointed, was hoping for a bottle of Chateau-Neuf Du Pape, a tin of Fois Gras and a crusty stick with some Brie!