NOT YOUR STANDARD MRE
Light & Compact
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.
Nutrient Dense
MCW rations contain significantly more protein and calories than their civilian counterparts.
Meals are perfectly suited for long duration, high exertion activity.
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.
CHOOSE YOUR MEAL PLAN
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Mountain House MCW Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Bundle
![Mountain House MCW Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Bundle]()
Rated 5.0 out of 5- Regular price
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$41.97 - Unit price
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Mountain House MCW Case Of 20
![Mountain House MCW Case Of 20]()
Rated 5.0 out of 5- Regular price
- $249.99
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$279.80 - Unit price
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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.
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 spaghetti you had on that hiking trip, Mountain House is instantly familiar to many Americans.
Well they didn't stop with happy couples eating on a mountain top. They did wars too. They still do. 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.
And while we're on the subject of protein; Mountain House even did the impossible: They made MRE eggs delicious.
I know what you're thinking. "There's no way in hell they made MRE eggs even remotely good." Normally you'd be right. But this is freeze dry we're talking about. When you master the freeze dry, you become a flavor god. The Western-Style Scrambled Eggs With Ham, Peppers & Cheese looks like you stole it out of a diner.
We have been dealers for Mountain House since 2014, I'm ashamed to say we didn't know about the powerful MCW/LRP until a month ago.
Well it turns out there was a reason for that. 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. Anyway 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. What can I say 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 2029, 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 turkey tetrazzini.
te·traz·zi·ni served over pasta with a cream sauce, often flavored with sherry, sprinkled with cheese, and browned in the oven.
And for that brief moment of Italian cheesy 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.