New Rat packs
- Thread starter stu1979uk
- Start date
Yes, I used them recently - very good, they even have a small bottle of tabasco sauce included.
The new ones from a few years ago were good too, a huge imrovement on the old compo, but these newer rat packs are well worthwhile.
The new ones from a few years ago were good too, a huge imrovement on the old compo, but these newer rat packs are well worthwhile.
packets of Vegemite, jam and Tabasco?
seriously...not a new idea.
Sounds like US MRE's, they've had Tabasco bottles in them for 20 years +
I still have a bottle from a pack I opened in 1998!
they had soft foil packs of main meals way back in the late eighties!
they also had soft foil packets of jelly (jam), peanut butter, and even cheese!
if it's new, the British Army are decades behind!
Really nothing out of the ordinary there, most of it you can buy in your local supermarket.
whats all the fuss about?
seriously...not a new idea.
Sounds like US MRE's, they've had Tabasco bottles in them for 20 years +
I still have a bottle from a pack I opened in 1998!
they had soft foil packs of main meals way back in the late eighties!
they also had soft foil packets of jelly (jam), peanut butter, and even cheese!
if it's new, the British Army are decades behind!
Really nothing out of the ordinary there, most of it you can buy in your local supermarket.
whats all the fuss about?
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if it's new, the British Army are decades behind!
Really nothing out of the ordinary there, most of it you can buy in your local supermarket.
whats all the fuss about?
True, true, but it was a pleasant shock to me a few years back though when I signed up again. No tins to top and tail etc.
A lot of good kit these days, except the hitec silver shadows -an improvement on plimsolls sure - but I was wearing these as fashionable footwear about town in the early 80's.
Excellent site this, wished I'd paid attention to it yonks ago.
Fair enough point, though I always preferred the tins.
Somehow the food seemed more real: minced beef, mashed potato, the steak and kidney pud, bacon grill, apple & apricot flakes, Rolo's, fruit pudding.....mmmmm!
the more recent foil packets always seemed to fatty and/or sweet.
I was issued plimsolls
Edit: I just noticed the sweets haven't changed!
:yelrotflm they look very familiar! useful for gluing the fore grip of the SA80 back in place!
Somehow the food seemed more real: minced beef, mashed potato, the steak and kidney pud, bacon grill, apple & apricot flakes, Rolo's, fruit pudding.....mmmmm!
the more recent foil packets always seemed to fatty and/or sweet.
I was issued plimsolls
Edit: I just noticed the sweets haven't changed!
:yelrotflm they look very familiar! useful for gluing the fore grip of the SA80 back in place!
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Hahahahaaa
You must have been an 80's squaddie too.
Plimsolls... pavement slappers, running in flippers would have made less noise.
I absolutely hate bacon grill (repeats more than the BBC), cheese possesed - food of the devil.
Tinned goulash though hmmmmm... Excellent.
I eventually became a Chef on leaving and "real" goulash just didn't cut it to be honest.
Rolos, I'd forgotten about them, and the "Shah's Bars", the Mars bars due to get sent out en masse to iran and then the Shah got deposed, so arabic mars bars went into the rat packs.
Now they get Yorkie bars with "Not for Civvies" on them instead of the "Not for Girls" campaign logo.
Oh and duvets in basic.... grumble, grumble.
You must have been an 80's squaddie too.
Plimsolls... pavement slappers, running in flippers would have made less noise.
I absolutely hate bacon grill (repeats more than the BBC), cheese possesed - food of the devil.
Tinned goulash though hmmmmm... Excellent.
I eventually became a Chef on leaving and "real" goulash just didn't cut it to be honest.
Rolos, I'd forgotten about them, and the "Shah's Bars", the Mars bars due to get sent out en masse to iran and then the Shah got deposed, so arabic mars bars went into the rat packs.
Now they get Yorkie bars with "Not for Civvies" on them instead of the "Not for Girls" campaign logo.
Oh and duvets in basic.... grumble, grumble.
Hahahahaaa
You must have been an 80's squaddie too.
Plimsolls... pavement slappers, running in flippers would have made less noise.
I absolutely hate bacon grill (repeats more than the BBC), cheese possesed - food of the devil.
Tinned goulash though hmmmmm... Excellent.
I eventually became a Chef on leaving and "real" goulash just didn't cut it to be honest.
Rolos, I'd forgotten about them, and the "Shah's Bars", the Mars bars due to get sent out en masse to iran and then the Shah got deposed, so arabic mars bars went into the rat packs.
Now they get Yorkie bars with "Not for Civvies" on them instead of the "Not for Girls" campaign logo.
Oh and duvets in basic.... grumble, grumble.
I was TA early 90's!
Did my basic training at Bassingbourne,
yup issued Plimsolls(but no one wore them), 58 gear, SLR, tin helmet etc etc!
also we had Blankets in basic training!!
most of the group decided to sleep in our 58 sleeping bags on the floor next to the well made beds, a few of us got caught.
I remember the cheese! from a huge tin (i agree not nice!) we had it in white bread sandwiches a lot, with the issue margarine!
and those monster tea bags! for 8 men was it?
somehow I missed the goulash
though we might have had it delivered, they always did nice stewsI forgot about the Mars bars
I remember once i was trying to cut down my kit so i only took one mess tin...bad mistake!
we were bought hayboxes with a really nice sunday lunch roast pork with the trimmings!
afters was apple pie and custard.
I could never turn down a roast with pudding!
i made sure the pork was dumped in the middle,with the trimmings one side and the pie and custard the other, so the apple went with the pork!
it worked until the gravy mixed with the custard
always carry 2 mess tins....always carry 2 mess tins....always carry 2 mess tins..always carry 2 mess tins....
Love it!!!
I still have my mess tins, with a bog roll impaled through the tube on the smaller one's handle. Stops them rattling and you don't have to search for the bum fodder.
Remember the old style rectangular beer towel/mats that folk sewed into their jeans at one time(??), I have one of them wrapped around the dixies.
And it all fits into an old cloth bank bag. That lot fits 58 or even 95 pattern webbing kidney pouches.
Ahhhh nostalgia...
I still have my mess tins, with a bog roll impaled through the tube on the smaller one's handle. Stops them rattling and you don't have to search for the bum fodder.
Remember the old style rectangular beer towel/mats that folk sewed into their jeans at one time(??), I have one of them wrapped around the dixies.
And it all fits into an old cloth bank bag. That lot fits 58 or even 95 pattern webbing kidney pouches.
Ahhhh nostalgia...
better than the issue 6 sheets of tracing paper eh?
Yup went to the odd pub and remember seeing squaddies hiding them under their civvies.
I remember Carlsberg being very much sought after because of the green/yellow camo effect!
shows how old I am! when someone showed me PLCE webbing for the first time i was thinking, "but there's no space for the wash kit and boot polish"
shows how old I am! when someone showed me PLCE webbing for the first time i was thinking, "but there's no space for the wash kit and boot polish"
Hahahahaaaa
I asked where the clip on bum roll was!!
"What's a bum roll?"...
Just as well I never asked for the chinese fighting suit!!
the new menus are certainly nicer to eat than the older menus.
the pasta dishes are very nice as is the curry and rice.
not a new idea no - but its good to break up the diet a little.
don't get too excited about the tubes of jam and vegemite - they aren't great imo.
i love the little tabasco bottles - they are a great.
the packs of nuts are also a great idea - good to munch on.
never had the muesli myself but i thought that was quite a good inclusion too.
the new powder drinks aren't as good as the old ones though - i really liked the old orange powder - great stuff!
andy
the pasta dishes are very nice as is the curry and rice.
not a new idea no - but its good to break up the diet a little.
don't get too excited about the tubes of jam and vegemite - they aren't great imo.
i love the little tabasco bottles - they are a great.
the packs of nuts are also a great idea - good to munch on.
never had the muesli myself but i thought that was quite a good inclusion too.
the new powder drinks aren't as good as the old ones though - i really liked the old orange powder - great stuff!
andy
I was lucky enough to try the vegetarian and halal rat packs the other year and was quite impressed with them.
Like Rappleby says you can get the same ingerdients at most shops as they use branded names these days.
Like Rappleby says you can get the same ingerdients at most shops as they use branded names these days.
Eric_Methven
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Memories!.... When I joined up I was issued with hairy battle dress and hairy shirts and a hairy greatcoat. I was ACC and I remember all the different types of compo. 10 man packs were my favourite - tiffin bars Mmmmm....
I'm not saying I'm old or anything, but I was duty cook at the last supper!
I'm not saying I'm old or anything, but I was duty cook at the last supper!
ACC had the hardest course in the Army; the cook's course.
More folk have passed SAS selection...
10 man rat packs were fab, even if all the contents weren't used it was "written off" as having been used.
My Grandparents cupboards were never empty.
The new ones are fab. Tabasco, vegemite, curry's choccy, chewing gum.
Main meals aren't much different from the old ones, but tastier
Main meals aren't much different from the old ones, but tastier
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