Mil-Spec Mountain House

Designed for extended patrols and harsh environments,the MCW/LRP ration is rarely available on the open market.
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations
Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations

Mountain House MCW Long Range Patrol Rations

Rated 5.0 out of 5
Based on 87 reviews
Sale price$13.99 USD
/

  • Low stock - 2 items left
  • Backordered, shipping soon
Meal
Qty

1. Add 8-16 (check package) ounces of hot water (~⅓ canteen cup) to pouch
2. Stir, wait ~5-10 minutes until fully rehydrated
3. Hot water can be added in stages to keep food hot.

• Meals should be fully hydrated per the official instructions, and left to fully absorb the water.
• Eating too fast can mess with your mood, your metabolism, and your digestive system. Pace yourself and eat at a normal speed.
• Rehydrating the meal just means that the meal is rehydrated. You are still in charge of hydrating yourself. Make sure to drink adequate water.
• Minimize exposure to direct sunlight and temperatures above 75°F to maximize shelf life. Like most things, if stored in a dry cool place it will last longer. Proprietary Mountain House packaging preserves flavor until 2032, and viable calories beyond that.

A full PDF document of the nutrition facts can be found here

Not Your Granddady's MRE

Nutrient Dense

MCW rations contain significantly more protein and calories than their civilian counterparts, in a smaller package too.

Meals are perfectly suited for long duration, high exertion activity.

Light & Compact

No water means virtually no weight. Each MCW ration weighs in at 5 oz or less; approximately the same weight as an empty PMAG.

Pouches are vacuum sealed into a tight brick, with no extra bulk or packaging.

Any Environment

Mountain House's freeze drying expertise and propriety packaging ensures best in class stability and shelf life.

Rations last 10+ years and are resistant to extreme temperatures.

buy in bulk

Have A Favorite Flavor? Good.

Get bulk cases of your main meal of choice before they go away — Ships FREE to the continental USA
Browse Available Meals
Limited Quantities
$259.99 USD
meal, cold weather, long range patrol

A Brief History of the MCW

The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol or "LRP ration" (pronounced "lurp") is a U.S. Army freeze-dried field ration. It was developed in 1964 during the Vietnam War (1959–75) for use by a special group of SF soldiers, the LRRPs.

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols were small, silent, and heavily armed teams which ventured deep in VC-held territory. More often than not, 4-5 men were tasked with shadowing large formations of VC regulars.

To do this effectively, they had to be light, fast, and well fed. Bulky canned MCI rations (formerly known as C rations) proved too heavy for extended missions on foot. In fact, they were worse than heavy...

Imagine having to break out a can opener and lay out silverware while knee deep in a moonlit Cambodian Vietnamese swamp.

The MCI rations were loud. Really loud. The tin cans clanked so badly that soldiers routinely stacked them inside socks to deaden the noise.

So put yourself in the shoes of the LRRP. You get sent deep into enemy territory, each meal in your kit weighs 2.7 lbs. You're carrying nearly 60lbs of food. You're clanking. You're angry. You're really f*#@ing exhausted.

This is unacceptable.

In response to these concerns, a new ration was developed. The Food Packet, Individual, Combat (FPIC). Inspired by NASA’s astronaut meals, FPICs were a first generation freeze dried combat ration.

Weighing in at 11 oz, it was dramatically lighter than the wet canned meals, although it was ultimately doomed by shoddy packaging. Out of this project came the LRP. A lighter weight, humidity proof version of the FPIC. Specially made for the boys pranking the Viet Cong every weekend.

They were smaller than standard rations, but had enough calories to keep LRRPs going. More importantly, they were minimally packaged, fast to prepare, and easy to eat.

A Domain Expert In Freeze Dried Food

Mountain House is synonymous with high quality freeze dried food. Whether it's emergency meals in your basement, or that chili mac you had on that hiking trip, Mountain House is instantly familiar to many Americans.

They didn't stop with happy couples eating on a mountain top. They do wars. The modern incarnation of the LRP main meal is now several generations removed from Vietnam.

Enter the modern MCW/LRP main meal. The centerpiece of current issue US Long Range Patrol and Meal Cold Weather rations.

Weighing in at 5 oz or less, the modern LRP/MCW is exceptionally resistant to extreme temperatures. It will remain shelf stable for 10+ years, thanks to Mountain House's proprietary packaging, and freeze dry expertise. Built for high intensity exercise, each main contains absurd quantities of protein, up to 43g per serving.

Yes, that's double most protein shakes.

LRP rations only enter the market when there's a DOD contract overrun. Previously, you couldn't buy them at all—Mountain House had to petition for the ability to legally sell overruns. Now, Mountain house has discontinued the MCW for good.

The stars aligned for us, and we were already very fond of Mountain House's catalog. Just not too fond of the decision to discontinue their best product.

So we took every last bit of the run that we could get and crammed our warehouse full of the finest freeze-dried combat rations ever to grace God's green Earth. No other ration lets you fit 40 days of food in a duffel bag.

Thanks to Mountain House's "brick pack" packaging and proprietary barrier film, the LRPs far exceed government requirements. Flavor will be preserved until 2032, and the calories themselves will last long after that. 20 years from now you can cut open your LRP and be greeted by the satisfying hiss of depressurization and the delightful smell of your favorite mountain house meal.

And for that brief moment of flavorful bliss, the wasteland of post-apocalyptic North America will be filled with the aroma of 'spaghet or Turkey Tetrazzini from Mama Bianchi's kitchen. Just like it was in the old country.

Preparing the MCW

Click the button below to view a tutorial
average rating 5.0 out of 5
Based on 87 reviews
  • 5 Stars
    84 Reviews
  • 4 Stars
    3 Reviews
  • 3 Stars
    0 Reviews
  • 2 Stars
    0 Reviews
  • 1 Star
    0 Reviews
100% of reviewers would recommend this product to a friend
Customer photos and videos
87 Reviews
Reviewed by Zane S.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Tasty

They're way more compact than regular camping freeze dried and have lots of calories, I wish they were available more often or just what mountain house would sell to everyone.

Loading...
Was this helpful?
Reviewed by JOSEPH G.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Nice.

Super compact!

Loading...
Was this helpful?
Reviewed by Brian H.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Should have bought more

Great website with awesome gear. I wish I’d bought more of the LRRP rations.

Loading...
Was this helpful?
Reviewed by A
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Perfect for camping

Light as air and take up no space in your pack. Looking forward to using these during hunting season.

Loading...
Was this helpful?
Reviewed by John F.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Smol pkg

Smol but good. Thanks uncle Tony for da spicy meataball

Loading...
Was this helpful?

Recently viewed