No water means 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.
MCW rations contain significantly more protein and calories than their civilian counterparts.
Meals are perfectly suited for long duration, high exertion activity.
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.
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.
Oh, and 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. 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.
Mountain House, 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.
The stars aligned for us, and right as we discovered the LRP there was a big lot of meals available...
So you can guess who has a 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 2033, 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 Mama Bianchi's kitchen. Just like it was in the old country.
supoyb!
GOD I WISH THEY WEREN'T DISCONTINUED
MOUNTAIN HOOOOUSE
WHERE ARE MY MCWS?
The only one I had was the one that wasn't fully airtight, likely a slow leak from factory sealing. Heated it up one night with some hot water, let it sit, damn thing hit the spot and then some. I figured I'd be hungry again in a few hours and sure enough I was able to power through chores for the evening with no problem.
tl;dr gud food, came in clutch, great for poverty survival
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.
Super compact!
