The League Against Ration Packs
- Thread starter Steve M
- Start date
I've never even thought about getting one until reading the latter parts of this thread...
...I'll have a look on the bay though.
...I'll have a look on the bay though.
Just to chip in...
...I don't see why anyone would be offended by the "playing soldiers" bit - especially services/ex services and their friends and family.
Personally I thought "our boys" had slightly thicker skin than being sensitive to what people thought about rat packs and their relationship to bushcraft.
Anyway, I just thought I needed to point out that it really wasn't an offensive comment. The only military types (that I've met personally) I can think of being insulted by such a comment, are the ones who served for a few weeks in a barracks and were kicked out, given a discharge after injury or just couldn't hack it yet want to portray the bullet-spitting SAS/pathfinder/para/commando/whatever image... oh, and the ones who never actually served at all - but they don't count.
Sorry BS ,thats the problem with reading too fast. I actually read your post incorrectly.
So ignore my response.
For the record I am ex services although a long time ago
GS
Ratpacks :You_Rock_
Bigshot, there is a website that tells you exactly what is in each country's rat packs,they all have different menus too.Having tried all the mod ones the only thing I would say is don't eat the treacle pudding,it's far more useful as a spare sole for your shoes.In fact the squaddie name for it is "tank trackpad" if you can get a hole through it to screw it on.
Also for a laugh go to ARRSE and search ration pack,hilarious.
Also for a laugh go to ARRSE and search ration pack,hilarious.
Just to save me unpacking one
Google is your friend
In 2001, each 24 hour 1-man ORP came in a small brown corrugated cardboard box, with the full menu listings printed on the bottom (GP A-G, H, K, S, V, P, sundries and variants). Each box contains the following:
1 x Breakfast meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Main meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Dessert meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Soup, powdered form, in sachet (varying flavours; Beef & Tomato, vegetable, Cream of mushroom, etc, manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
1 x Meat Pate, such Turkey and Herbs, Chicken and Herbs, etc (in small, ring pull opening, can)
1 x Oatmeal block (A slight exaggeration! It is really just a small Oatmeal biscuit, in metallic green foil packet)
1 packet x Biscuit Browns (approximately 6 in metallic green packet)
1 packet x Fruit Biscuits (approximately 6 in metallic pink or green packet)
1 x Milk chocolate bar (usually a bar manufactured by "A. Gandola & C. S.p.A. of Italy", but sometimes a brand called "Duncans of (Bellishill) Scotland")
1 x Milk chocolate with raisins and cereal bar (usually a brand called "Duncans of (Bellishill) Scotland")
1 packet of Boiled sweets (various fruit flavours, manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
1 packet of Wrigley?s chewing gum (usually Wrigley?s Extra, but sometimes a smaller packet of Wrigley?s chewing gum in tablet-like form)
1 x Drinking chocolate mix sachet (manufactured by "Eurogran of Kalundborg")
2 x Coffee sachets (manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
2 x Beverage whitener sachets, for coffee (manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
4 x Instant white tea sachets (manufactured by "Premier Brands")
8 x Sugar sachets (Manufactured by "Single Service")
1 x Orange or Lemon drink powder sachet (manufactured by "Eurogran of Kalundborg")
1 x Vegetable stock drink sachet (manufactured by "Single Service")
1 packet x Kleenex Tissues (manufactured by "Kleenex")
6 x Water purifying tablets
10 x Water/windproof matches with striker (matches and striker sealed in separate polythene compartments, to prevent accidental striking during packing, handling, and transportation)
Variants to GP menus content, circa 2001 (i.e., vegetarian, hot climate and cold climate):
2 x Orange or Lemon drink powder sachets (in hot climate ORPs, instead of just 1)
1 x Rolled Oats Mix sachets (in cold climate ORPs)
1 x Kendal Mintcake bar (in hot climate ORPs)
1 x Vegetarian pate, such as Spinach and Lentils (in vegetarian ORPs, instead of meat)
1 x Vegetarian cheese Oatcakes (in vegetarian ORPs, instead of Biscuit Browns, sealed in a metallic yellow packet, approximately 4)
This is just one menu taken from a website,but it gives you an idea of the quantity of useful and tasty goodies in there
GS
Google is your friend
In 2001, each 24 hour 1-man ORP came in a small brown corrugated cardboard box, with the full menu listings printed on the bottom (GP A-G, H, K, S, V, P, sundries and variants). Each box contains the following:
1 x Breakfast meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Main meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Dessert meal (in foil boil-in-a-bag packet, encased in a sealed polythene bag for added protection)
1 x Soup, powdered form, in sachet (varying flavours; Beef & Tomato, vegetable, Cream of mushroom, etc, manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
1 x Meat Pate, such Turkey and Herbs, Chicken and Herbs, etc (in small, ring pull opening, can)
1 x Oatmeal block (A slight exaggeration! It is really just a small Oatmeal biscuit, in metallic green foil packet)
1 packet x Biscuit Browns (approximately 6 in metallic green packet)
1 packet x Fruit Biscuits (approximately 6 in metallic pink or green packet)
1 x Milk chocolate bar (usually a bar manufactured by "A. Gandola & C. S.p.A. of Italy", but sometimes a brand called "Duncans of (Bellishill) Scotland")
1 x Milk chocolate with raisins and cereal bar (usually a brand called "Duncans of (Bellishill) Scotland")
1 packet of Boiled sweets (various fruit flavours, manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
1 packet of Wrigley?s chewing gum (usually Wrigley?s Extra, but sometimes a smaller packet of Wrigley?s chewing gum in tablet-like form)
1 x Drinking chocolate mix sachet (manufactured by "Eurogran of Kalundborg")
2 x Coffee sachets (manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
2 x Beverage whitener sachets, for coffee (manufactured by "Chequer Foods Ltd")
4 x Instant white tea sachets (manufactured by "Premier Brands")
8 x Sugar sachets (Manufactured by "Single Service")
1 x Orange or Lemon drink powder sachet (manufactured by "Eurogran of Kalundborg")
1 x Vegetable stock drink sachet (manufactured by "Single Service")
1 packet x Kleenex Tissues (manufactured by "Kleenex")
6 x Water purifying tablets
10 x Water/windproof matches with striker (matches and striker sealed in separate polythene compartments, to prevent accidental striking during packing, handling, and transportation)
Variants to GP menus content, circa 2001 (i.e., vegetarian, hot climate and cold climate):
2 x Orange or Lemon drink powder sachets (in hot climate ORPs, instead of just 1)
1 x Rolled Oats Mix sachets (in cold climate ORPs)
1 x Kendal Mintcake bar (in hot climate ORPs)
1 x Vegetarian pate, such as Spinach and Lentils (in vegetarian ORPs, instead of meat)
1 x Vegetarian cheese Oatcakes (in vegetarian ORPs, instead of Biscuit Browns, sealed in a metallic yellow packet, approximately 4)
This is just one menu taken from a website,but it gives you an idea of the quantity of useful and tasty goodies in there
GS
Why is [a long shelf life] actually useful for bushcrafting?
Because you can buy 'em cheap in bulk and stick 'em in the back of the cupboard. If you decide on a spur-of-the-moment trip, you can just grab your bag and go, without having to go shopping for provisions first.
Now that is the one reason I'd bother with rat packs.
I'm very much one for going on the spur of the moment, and if there's one less thing to think about (getting to a supermarket) having a rat pack to hand would be useful.
As for the contents list - thanks for searching and posting. Can't say I've ever lost any sleep wondering about it, but it's an interesting read.
I was sort of surprised to see boiled sweets and the likes in there. Makes sense though. From a purely military perspective I can definitely see the benefit of the treats like that, not only the sugar fix but the psychological effects of having things like that to snack on through the day would probably make for better soldiers (I know having snacky things in my pockets extends my hiking range considerably, be it on snow or dry land)
OK, I accept that viewpoint, but I guess I was not trying to replicate the exact contents, more to replicate (or exceed) the nutritional content. I'm unlikely to eat two bars of chocolate a day and I don't eat tissues, for instance
If I wanted meat paste 
I think I'd be less inclined to buy it by the tin/jar.Ration packs seems like a way of eating without engaging in cooking to me, which is an unfortunate thing to miss out on (in my opinion), but I accept that some people wish to spend their time doing other things, and that's absolutely fine.
Sorry, I didn't intend to cause any offence by mentioning "playing soldiers", I just think that some people enjoy looking at bushcraft in that way, each to their own.
I take issue with this, because you can easily buy seperate ingredients with long shelf lives in bulk and make big savings, and just prepare your own "ration packs" to keep handy for those spur of the moment things, while customising them to your taste.
I can see the appeal of tins of meat paste etc if I was living in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust or otherwise starving to death, but I wouldn't eat that kind of muck in my day to day life so it seems incongruous to subject myself to it just because im camping for fun in the woods for a couple of days....
I also can't see any situation in the UK where you would die of starvation before being rescued or dying of exposure/injury, so even carrying a military ration pack "just incase" is a waste of time in my humble opinion.
I take issue with this, because you can easily buy seperate ingredients with long shelf lives in bulk and make big savings, and just prepare your own "ration packs" to keep handy for those spur of the moment things, while customising them to your taste.
I can see the appeal of tins of meat paste etc if I was living in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust or otherwise starving to death, but I wouldn't eat that kind of muck in my day to day life so it seems incongruous to subject myself to it just because im camping for fun in the woods for a couple of days....
I also can't see any situation in the UK where you would die of starvation before being rescued or dying of exposure/injury, so even carrying a military ration pack "just incase" is a waste of time in my humble opinion.
Then again; some of us who have lived off them for a while like to relive old memories of the taste and the swapping of contents
