Out of pure nostalgia I built a homemade C-Ration just like I had as a kid. Come along to see what's in my kit! Gear List Esbit Stove: amzn.to/4diEZdY Amazon Wish List: www.amazon.com...
@@dadbudgetadventures Surprise, Tactical Asia in the Philippines offers a copycat P38 and genuine US Shelby P38s as well as the larger P51, both in stainless steel.
When I was a lad and my Dad was stationed in Rota Spain. Our Scout troop was donated a bunch of cases of C rations (MCIs as noted here). We were really excited to be eating what the Marines ate. When we went on a weekend camp out we broke them out. Much to the chagrin of the leaders and chaperones, there were still cigarettes in the accessory packs! We also quickly figured out that if you threw the cans in the fire some would explode resulting is loud bangs and molten hot food flying about as unguided missiles! Ahhh the good old days!
My item of nostalgia is not a military item. My uncle enlisted in the navy. He came home from a tour when I was 10 and gave me his guitar. He realized very quickly on that first tour, there isn't much room for a guitar on a destroyer. That's when he started learning to play the harmonica. I have that guitar next to me on the couch right now, 35 years later.
My dad brought them home occasionally when he was active duty Air Force. He showed me how to use the small can of peanut butter as a small heat source to wam up the main entrée by lighting the oil on top of the peanut butter. You could then break the hard peanut butter as a type of peanut brittle.
We ate canned meat w/ mayo & sweet relish on camp trips, or at home on saltin crackers. Were we poor? I think not, due to the richness of those memories. I grew up poor, did not realize it until someone pointed out to me in high school. Everybody I knew had the things I had, therefore nothing to gage wealth by. Thanks for the memory. See you on the trail.
You inspired me to put together my own MRE. I put together a breakfast and a supper with 4 snacks, 4 drinks. Vacuum sealed in a single bag. It takes up about the same space as the MREs you buy. Perfect for the backpack. Dirt cheap too and i made sure everything would last longer than a year. Nice addition to my emergency supplies.
Grandmother made the world's greatest fruitcake. Folks that did not like fruit cake liked GrandMa's version. Around forty five (45) + years ago, I had a chance to consume Korean war vintage canned fruit cake along with some other products and Vietnam era items. I can honestly say that the canned fruitcake was decent. Not the equal of what GrandMa created each holiday season but good. Thank you, we are inspired to look at what canned fruit may be available in our local markets for the school emergency kits we are currently constructing.
Still have my p38 from c rations as a kid camping with my dad. He'd get them when we were station over sea to use camping all over Europe. Fond fond memories ❤. That was a great one...
The reason I love MRE'S and rations so much basically stems from being a child and my Mother packing my lunches for school. The mystery of what I get today always excited me, That combined with the numerous time capsules that have been sealed and are due to be opened up sometime in my lifetime have intrigued me and I can't get enough. Sounds strange but I've given it plenty of thought. Has to be that. That's the long version of why I dig these videos. I feel we all share that same feeling of being a kid opening up our lunchbox and seeing all kinds of cool sh*t!
@dadbudgetadventures brother, does that make sense or was I just being silly? I feel them lunchbox meals as kids sparked our interest in rations. Either way, I'm thankful to be a part of this community. Keep up the good work!
By the time of Vietnam, those rations were called MCI (as you showed) but still mistakenly called C Rats by the troops. I ate my share of them back then. I was one of the few who liked the ham and limas - whose nickname I will not type here. THE Holy Grail of C ratdom was to get both peaches and pound cake, either together or from separate meals. Eaten together, they were Nirvana. And worth their weight in gold, as trading material. We also had LRRP meals, which don't fit your rules because they were dehydrated. By 1971, there were very few MCIs that still had ciggies in them, most often green label Lucky Strikes or Chesterfields. They were trade items for us non-smokers. Oh, and I just "rememberized"...the chocolate discs in C Rats were known as John Wayne bars. Boy, does this take me back... (I was an Air Force pilot then, and flew 300 combat missions.)
Daddy blamed those for getting him hooked on cigarettes. He smoked Lucky Strikes until the day he had a triple bypass and the surgeon said if he was doing surgery, daddy had had his last cigarette. Mama kept him to it too!
Charcuterie idea: I just had a lovely small pouch of roasted peppers. Put them on a turkey sandwich, and it was wonderful, even some of the italian flavored oil. Same as in a jar, but just a portable shelf stable pouch.
@@dadbudgetadventures the brand was Amore. I bought in a discount store, but Amazon has em, so you can at least know what to look for: Amore grilled peppers. I suspect you can find lots of small charcuterie stable pouches like that...
My favorite pieces of military nostalgia are from my Grandpa. He was a truck master Sargent in Korea. When I started turning wrenches, he gave me the firing pin out of an M1 Grand for a small pin punch he had used for many years. And a small wrench that he claimed was the 1 wrench needed to fix everything under the hood of a jeep. A few people have commented over the years that the wrench was to take the hood off. They are both in my work toolbox to this day.
I really couldn't guess what was in a C-ration. I assumed it was more of an essential pack (GORP, pilot crackers or hardtack, stuff like that) rather than hearty food. Now I know, thanks! I'd eat all of this. Preferably not under combat conditions! This vid piqued my curiosity further so I perused a wiki entry on the genesis and evolution of the c-ration. So many menus. Cigs really were included. Wild, but makes sense for the time. Some of my old MRE accessory kits include/d a pepper packet and a teeny tiny hot pepper sauce bottle along with the rest that you showed. Took me entirely too long to recognize that little packet as toilet paper. I have some with that in it. Gave me a chuckle to see you include the candy cigarettes. the candy cigarettes are the nostalgia item for me. It was a big deal for my toddler self to be taken to the store to buy a carton of candy cigarettes. I think it was a pack of 8 boxes. White skinny sticks with red tips. This was definitely a gateway desire for smoking. I wanted to, planned on it, then by the time I was 9 discovered I was allergic to cigarette smoke (headache, nausea, irritability). Still am, but fortunately not as prevalent to walk into a cloud of smoke these days compared to the 80s. Fond memory for that basic candy.
It’s amazing how we had that era where parents would buy us something to simulate smoking. No wonder we have so many smokers from the last few generations.
I love these videos. These have become an addiction. My wife and myself are planning crazy camping adventures and are totally inspired to make our own MREs now. Thanks Dad
While I don't have any real piece of military equipment or kit to hold onto, I have a bit of a somber piece from my Grandfather who fought in Vietnam. When I turned 18, he gave me his dad's old revolver, and his own 1911. While he didn't say it, I know why he gave me those. The war he saw wasn't one with a set line, and that was his way of telling me that it's my job to protect my family. He's an old fart now, barely able to take a wizz straight much less shoot straight anymore, but I grew up on that man's stories, and that's the best piece I have to remember. Ironically, he's the reason I'm not in the military, with how my grades went in High School.
You were holding a TP roll. Yep, I spent 21 years in the Air Force during the 70s - 90s and lived on C-rats before MREs. Your accessory kit left out the P-38 can opener and the 4 cigarette pack. I remember an old timer teaching me to use the peanut butter as a heat source because the Trioxane tablets routinely degraded to the point of useless. I miss the apricot jelly and crackers. The spaghetti and meatballs were the best. Don’t miss the minced meat. Anyone besides me remember the spice cake can? Great fun, thanks for the trip down memory lane.😢
HA! Nailed it! I had a co-worker who's father was in the Nav. He would give the kid (my co-worker) MRE's to take to school (fifth grade...) for lunch. (Uh....Yeah....about that...) When I was in the Nav, on the Enterprise, we had some (1960's...?) MRE's. They didn't look good, but still tasted alright! (surprise surprise!) I like the "Candy Sticks"! That was a real nice touch! Now I gotta go find some! I always liked "That rich MarlHurl taste"🤑
The one really cool thing I love about the sea-ration idea is that if you wanted you could cook it in the can. No need to break out the cook pot, just crack open the can with your P38 and set it right over the fire. Would need gloves or something to pick it up after, but no mess in the cook pot and keeps it open for drinking. Loved this one, thanks for the ride along. 🍻
I actually addressed that when shooting the video but it got cut in the editing. Some things had to go because I didn’t want it to be too long. Great point though. Thanks for mentioning it.
@@dadbudgetadventures My dad was in the Seabees, before he met my mom and long before I was born, and even though he never really talked much about it when I was growing up, it gave me a healthy interest in military ingenuity, which the Sea Ration really highlights in many ways. For a candy suggestion, if you havent seen or tried them, I REALLY like the Honees Menthol Eucalyptus, they are listed as cough drops but sell in the candy aisle at Winco here, they are really an in between, not fully candy but not a medicated cough drop, great to clear the sinuses or help with a cough or a little sweet treat. They live in all my kits. Thanks again, great video!
We were still eating C-Rations when I joined the Army, by the second year, our supply sergeant got us the interim left-over Vietnam LRRP Ration packs, which were dehydrated meals to which you had to add boiling water - also the first place I ever found a granola bar, which weren't a common food item then. They weighed a lot less than the C-Rats, but you had to have a lot of water to reconstitute them - if you didn't put enough water in, they would pull water from the lining of your stomach and you would get the cramps. By the 3rd year in, the first MREs arrived - so I went from, cans to dehydrated to retort meals in one hitch. In the C-Rats, I personally liked the chopped ham and eggs, which was like Quiche in a Can. The worst were undoubtedly the Ham and Lima Beans, also known by a fairly obscene nickname. Spaghetti was good, and thicker as you remembered, but not a great meal for breakfast on a cold and icy North Carolina morning when you had to eat cold before moving out. I remember also being fond of a canned pound cake that came in the rats. I just missed the cigarettes in the C-Rations. I've never been a smoker, but the older soldiers and sergeants missed them even if they didn't smoke, as they established a strong and vibrant barter economy between the non-smokers and smokers - the smokers would trade the choicest items from the C-Rats for those smokes. The canned peanut butter was interesting, and like the instant coffee packet was used as a staple in a lot of recipes. Combine the coffee packet, the sugar packet, the creamer packet, a spoonful of canned peanut butter, and the occasional hot chocolate packet, and you had Ranger Coffee! The peanut butter can also made a fun improvised mortar when tossed into a 50 gallon burn barrel on the edge of a drop zone. You threw it in and ran before it showered molten peanut butter on everyone crowded around trying to stay warm. I traded a German infantryman for his mess kit, which could hold up to 4 cans and when filled with water and put over a flame or other heat source, acted as a double boiler that let you heat the cans safely even when still sealed. I carried that instead of my own for a while but it was pretty large and heavy, probably great for motorized troops. I remember the Germans also had a little liquor packet in their C-Rats, a little pouch about the size of an Otter Pop that contained either vodka, schnapps, or whiskey. We were amazed at the level of trust the German Army placed in their soldiers by doing that, we would have completely abused that privilege. Fun video!
Re: storage, for the MRES, I stand them up in boxes I get from other purchases. It works quite well, and I keep similar meals together. Yes, I've started making them to have on hand for emergencies and campouts. I live in the hurricane corridor, in an old neighborhood, and we lose power semi-regularly. Your wife is lovely and I'd love to see more of her. Y'all remind me of me and my long- suffering spouse.
Hi DBA! Dating myself a bit here, but the last time I ate C rations was 41 years ago on a Scout trip. We spent the weekend on a little island out on one of the TVA lakes. That first night, we got into the rations and ate our fill. Later that night, around the fire, there was plenty of storytelling, foul farting, and laughing till our sides hurt.
I loved me my C-rations in boot and AIT where it was the only time period I had them issued. For personal security, I won't mention where I served but I didn't do field duty during my service. I can't remember the entres now, too long ago, but there were a couple I didn't care for. The cardboard box torn up and burned supplied enough fire to heat up the can. Folded back the lid for a handle after opening with the P38 (John Wayne) that came in a few boxes of a case. I still have my first JW opener on a key ring.
How does that work? I have to know what made them so much better because c-rats were the only thing made for the military that was better than civilian options.
I had never heard of C-Rations, so this was a fun history experience. If weight and space aren't at a premium, this kit looks like a great way to do diy MRE's. It's durable and is probably better for shelf life.
Really enjoyed this. We had C and K rations around when I was growing up. The meals I remember the most were ham slices, chicken and noodles, chili with meat and beans, and of course the spaghetti. I never got to open the package with the chiclets and John Wayne paper. My brothers and cousins would fight over the chiclets and hard candy or Tootsie Rolls, so my parents or uncles took possession of those. My parents didn't smoke but would save the cigarettes for friends and neighbors who did. I really liked the canned pineapple and fruit salad, and the pound cake was excellent. I can remember in the early eighties when C rats were replaced by MREs, and there was a lot of complaining from the grunts and Marines who actually had to use them in the field. Thanks again, looking forward to the next one.
FYI A small dash of baking soda will take the bitter out of the coffee. If you taste the baking soda you used too much. 1/4 tsp for a 12 cup pot gives you an idea of how little you need per cup.
Loved the video!! I bought a bunch of P38's from the surplus store and put them in my bags. I'm going to have to find the 'dessert', coffee candy is my favorite.
P38 can opener!!! My granddad came back from world war II with a cigar box full of can openers because there was a can opener in every sea ration he ever had . My granddad would not eat anything that resembled a C ration because it reminded him of world war II . I've never had a C ration
Thank you for sharing! Glad to see a different version(cardboard box) compared to the Mylar bags choice. So happy about some of these items in this one!!! Specifically, the Nudge coffee bomb/rounds, because I recently bought one of the purple tinned(vanilla latte) ones myself. They did seem very sugary when I have tried a few, which i was super glad about because i'm not a coffee fan. I love that you chose Chef Boyardee spaghetti & meatballs & that has childhood memories for me. The fact that you talked about the syrupy peaches was nice because of the "homey" feel. I love the fact that you put candy cigarettes/sticks in this one because I used to love those as a child too.
When l was in the USMC late 70's.. we occasionally got c-rats from late Vietnam or Korean war...had mini pack of cigarettes. The accessories pack had a little packet of chicklets and a toothpick.. Also there was a very hard chocolate cookie we called Gorilla cookies. My favorite main meal was turkey loaf....
I grew up in the sticks and we didn’t have access to the c rations but did use a fair bit of military gear. Always remember the old green canvas military sleeping bags in our bush camps. No matter if you washed them or whatever they always had a permanent musty smell like old canvas. Was at my dad’s place a while back cleaning out sheds to help him move and ran into some of them. Still smelled just like when I was a kid 😅
On the canned meat. It’s hard to get into the canned meat for me as well but one thing that is pretty doable is the canned chicken breast. Drain it off and put sweet chilly sauce on it. Even better on rice. Very probable and easy
Funny you mention the sleeping bags. I had a couple of those and that smell is the strongest connection to those. They weren’t terribly warm or comfortable but they did the job. But that smell reminds me of camping.
I could taste that spaghetti and the peaches through the screen! Great stuff. As we move into hurricane preparedness season here in the South, I thought of DBA's meals once again as a great option for that.
@@dadbudgetadventures I agree. My favorite was the ham & egg loaf thing. Even the beef chunks and potatoes weren't bad once you scraped off all that orange grease.
I just bought a bunch of the Nudge Coffee Bombs at Grocery Outlet for $0.50 cents per tin! I love those things and can’t believe I got them so cheap, it pays to be an observant shopper 😊
I've heard those peaches were put there by a man in a factory downtown. If I had my little way, I'd eat peaches every day (= I have my grandfather's canteen from WWII and I keep it as a reminder and a tie to a great man from a great generation. I always wish I had more time with him. Thank you Mr. L.!
I recently came across a product that might fit your needs for these MRE videos. Solo cakes, they are a canned cake with pastry filling. I've tried both the raspberry and the almond. I recommend them. I got them from Amazon but it's hard where I live, to find speciality items locally. As for your accessory kit, the original ones came with a pack of cigarettes. Funnily enough, the ones I build for emergency situations do too (nothing makes a stressful situation worse than a grumpy smoker.... maybe a drug addict) I'd also include a packet of hot sauce. A lot of prepackaged food is kind of bland. A packet of peanut butter can also go a long way (Justin's peanut butter has some nice flavours). My MREs usually include a sachet of hot chocolate, you can either drink it on it's own or mix it with your coffee.
Ha! The c and K rations of past I remember these at the beginning of my service we used these type longer than USA, before MRE.. Much luv from Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, Tokyo Japan(retired 2017 after 28 years In service)
Thank you, Sir, for your service As soon as you said you made a C-ration, I was thinking, what about the cigarettes 😂 The "cigarettes" at the end Brilliant!
Thanks for another way to make a homemade MREs. You may want to consider peaches packed in juice instead of heavy syrup. That was funny about the candy cigarettes or candy sticks. I remember that candy as a kid. I never saw the Underwood corned beef. Our stores only carry the Deviled ham and chicken spreads.
The peaches I picked up were chosen because of the can size but I would definitely like to find them in juice or light syrup. But some might want that heavy syrup. Just kinda depends on what you need.
Wasn't there cigarettes issued in MRE's back in the day. My grandpa didn't smoke so he was real popular giving his away. He was a farmer and didn't want to set fire to his fields so that is why he didn't smoke. He was drafted into WW2 in his 20's and met my grandma at some kind of military dance. She was a nurse.
I left home at a very young age so I lost all my military items. My family tossed anything that wasn’t valuable to them. My canteen kit and knife was my favorite.
Looked like you were eating corned beef, try the Underwood chicken spread if you can find it. Also, check out small local international grocers grocers. A good item we found while living overseas was canned white cheddar cheese. I think it was from England, maybe.
I bought a 1965 mess kit that I keep in my backpack for when go to work so if I don't have a plate or bowl I all ways have one lol I'll never get rid of it.
My Dad was Air Force so I grew up with Flight Rations. C rations but with a can of fruit juice my favorite was pineapple. The canned maple nut cake was a favorite of most freinds. I liked the turkey loaf and the beans and franks for the entre. The chocolate covered brownies were edible, the fruit cake wasn't.
Great video! Thanks to you and your videos I found myself cruising the food aisles at Ollie's and Big Lots lots yesterday looking for potential kit building options! I told my wife that DBA would probably use that! Lol!
Very fun concept. One critique though... For nostalgia purposes you should have flipped all the cans over and opened the bottoms with a P38 or P51 can opener. Food tastes better after some frustration and a couple drops of your own blood go into it. 😁✌️
I enlisted in the army in 1983. We ate C Rats from Vietnam era forever. Then we did some training with the Air Force and they handed us the first MREs…we had no idea what they were. My first was the “hot dogs”, basically Vienna sausages. Still working for the army after 41 years I miss the C Rats.
My guess for the mystery item is toilet paper...I keep a partial roll in a Ziploc bag for when I go fishing. Never had to us it. I have used it while hunting and usually find a gopher hole or something similar
Great video, I kept slipping into memories. Just terrible TP,until that is all you had to use. I still have my Grandfather’s Springfield bayonet,my father’s navy utility folder and my issued MK 3 dive knife.
Love your videos like this to bring back memories. 4:46 Did you include the Tobasco Sauce? I loved the little jars...4:03 John Wayne TP, It's ruff, tough and dosen't take "crap" from anyone.
@@dadbudgetadventures family dollar sells a jalapeño valveta in a squeeable pouch that is decent. But likely too big for a chili mac scenario unless you're making it for a few people and you have what would amount to atleast two MRE chili macs.
I used these as a Boy Scout. We would crack the can and put it in the water to heat the food and eat out of the can and use the water for coffee (hot chocolate since we were kids). The B unit was the best with assorted chocolates or cookies or whatever random things that were in it
It’s a great idea but I have deliberately avoided doing MREs for dietary restrictions. I don’t know enough about the parameters and would likely get it wrong.
Lots of fond memories (I’m 60) growing up as a kid with some of your items in your kit! One of my favorite things my dad gave me as a kid, that I still have, is my red Swiss Army knife.❤️ Also, I hope you enjoyed your special delivery from Amazon this week. I tried to order the alcohol stove but for some reason Amazon wouldn’t allow me to order so I got the next item on your list. I appreciate and enjoy your videos as well as my wife and daughter. We also love your lovely wife! God bless. PS, May also do video(s) on emergency communications, backup power or even stories from times when you were a LEO. Thank you for your service as well!
And make sure to pack a can opener or original p38 GI issue mini hand crank opener, in case those modern flip top cans snap off, just turn it upside down and start cranking away.
Actually, the Chef Boyardee company did have a military rations contract for WW2 which they started in 1942. Technically, you have exactly that however it's the recipe itself that changed as the company changed hands over the years. Chef Boyardee was the spot on choice
Adding to that, always happy to see another great video. The more I watch your videos the more envious I am of US grocery options compared to Australia, particularly with individually wrapped and single serve items.
Idea/question/survey: since you are already hearing water for coffee/tea, how about a sub series, where "ready to eat" is replaced by "add hot water"? Don't replace the current MRE series but add a set where adding hot water is allowed... Opens up quite a large set of options currently not possible, and could easily allow you to revisit all of the places, and try new items. Essentially beyond the obvious ramen/cupofnoodles/oatmeal/camping things.... Like freezedried soups (Japanese), , and other long shelf stable items worth being considered by ruled out due to Ready rule. Call it the "I'm in Hot Water" series...
Hey DBA! This is a great idea. I've always wanted to try C-Rations since I first saw Steve 1989 eat one... now if you can find one of those tiny bottles of Tabasco for your accessories kit...
If you’re really looking for a coffee flavored candy, the Asian markets should have Kopiko candy that is individually packaged for a bucks a bag or even a plastic container full of them. I’ve seen black coffee flavored and cappuccino flavor
Just an fyi - roosters chicken sells their moist towlettes by themselves. 1000 towlettes in $20 (ask me how i know this, lol). They are a lrger size and have a lot of liquid in each pack. Write the food description on each can with a sharpie or paint pen. I bought a 4 color, 4 of each, paint pen kit that is very good, off of amazon for $8. I like canned peaches too, but you can also get the smaller cans of canned pineapple. Something else that would be perfect for these is bakers brand chocolate bars. I get the 60% cacao bars for just over $2 a piece off of amazon. Thank you for the great video.
Canned cinnamon roll or cinnamon bun I don’t remember what they called it. I bought a C-rat from an army navy surplus store back in like 1982 to take on a camping trip and I remember loving that part.
