Preppers Shop UK 24 Hour Ration Pack Review

I recently purchased three, British army style 24 hour ration packs from Preppers Shop UK. What follows is a review of the packs I received.
24 hour ration packs are ideal for camping, walking and bushcrafting although they can be an expensive way to buy food. The offer of £9.99 at preppers shop seemed like very good value for money and so I was keen to find out if they lived up their description.

[@GSCARFF]

The Preppers shop isn’t too far from me I have been down when they were in Newquay and also now in Wadebridge .. the Newquay shop was very well stocked with good quality bushcraft gear and ex military gear and clothing… after the move it’s now a very poor small selection of surplus although if you see the online ads you’d think it was a massive warehouse.. all the ration packs are made up from constituent parts in boxes on the shelves and it’s a shame they are not sending out what they promise and advertise .. the staff were always friendly and helpful though but the lack of gear makes it very uninteresting and not worth a visit unless they have now got all the stock out

[@MrJimneale]

Ration packs are great for hiking, camping and bushcraft. A buddy and me walked the North Downs Way Farnham-Dover over 5 days, using rations. We did get fed up with the tuna pasta and the bean salad though! I remember the old ones back in the 00's had yorkie bars, with "Not For Civvies" written on them too. I've not used the Preppers shop, I've always been able to source genuine issue rations through various means.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

I remember them, back when you had 'cheese possessed'. (cheese processed).

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@dogdadoutdoors In a tin, just like everything else! And margarine and jam in squeezy tubes. God, I'm old...

[@seasoldier3902]

Informative review. Constructive critique. Unless you have a contact in the Armed Services or cadet forces obtaining ORPs that are in date will be difficult as you know. The price of the meals is really affordable compared to other suppliers. I make up my own "Rat Paks" when going walkabout. With a bit of thought, research, and imagination, it can produce some delish meals! However, no infamous "biscuits brown AB" or "dead fly biscuits!" These were ideally broken up, mixed with the powdered soups, and flavoured with chilli/curry powder!

[@dogdadoutdoors]

I love my biscuits brown and biscuits fruit, they were taken out of ration packs for a while but came back. great with a little tube of jam or peanut butter you sometimes get too.

[@jontout]

I've bought individual vegetarian breakfast meal packs and found them to be cheaper and better than the "dried hiking meals" available on the high street, especially when eaten with a pack of instant mash. Due to not eating meat there wasn't much of an option and less chance of the order being fulfilled incorrectly.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

Definitely less options for a veggie. I am tempted to try the huel meals, have you tried them?

[@marksadventures3889]

I was alright with mine. I got what I ordered and due to the price I wasn't expecting brand new produce as I saw it as a clearance price. I know they last for ages and just what I got it was worth it to me - I didn't get all day Breakfast as I always cook myself a brekkie - even if it's boiled eggs or poached and a couple of Bacon butts. For long cycle rides when I get to leave the saddle and I've set up camp I just want to eat and shower or wash and collapse into my pit. Percy admin complete in the morning I'm packed and eat quick before setting off, sometimes I hit a local cafe for a full English and pint o' tea before a full days ride. For camps on foot in the woods I'm cooking from scratch. the biscuits haven't improved any but the curry was okay. Now planning another - Holyhead to Hull. I will be cycling around 179 miles (287 km). I will not have a back up bike or team for this. Training is feeling hard.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

That's a long old ride!

[@NicholasTyrrell77]

Ate a sausage and beans UK ration pack that expired in... 2004. I know, silly but it was ok actually

[@dogdadoutdoors]

There is a decent chance it will be OK, its just I wouldn't want to find out it isn't either before I ate it, when its all I have with me or after I ate it and I'm out on the hills miles from the nearest loo!

[@oscar38]

Great to see you on KZbin again 😊

[@dogdadoutdoors]

Thanks! 😊

[@NicholasTyrrell77]

Predominantly, my rations consist of Pemmican and cupOsoups.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

Must admit I had to look Pemmican up, I've not seen that for sale here.

[@simonwinwood]

❤ great review. i will avoid Prepper's Shop. a little more than half the calories promised for the price. that's no accident.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

It is certainly a big discrepancy! I wouldn't say as a whole they are terrible though, I purchased a new rucksack from them at the same time and I'm thrilled with that.

[@kurtsteiner8384]

Are these genuine ration packs, or skmething they have made up to fit. Genuine nato and mod, would have much more content in them, also mod and nato pattern numbers, i guess they dont have any of these.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

They are made up from genuine MOD and UN ration components, but they assemble the packs themselves if that makes sense.

[@noofynumbskull]

Mre uk are pretty good

[@dogdadoutdoors]

Had a look at them this evening, lots of variety there.

[@davidneal6920]

Probably way better than New Zealand Army Ration Pack of 1992. Now those were not cool.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

Rations have definitely come a long way. It amazes me how much variety there is.

[@SurviveandThrive395]

They know exactly what they are doing. They always mark down their prices but the original RRP is totally overpriced so you think you are getting a good deal but you’re not. Crooks. Yes MRE pouches can last well past bbe but this depends on how they are stored. Prepper shop keep stating that these are good for 20 years but this is misleading. Crooks. Stick to suppliers who know what they’re talking about and have experience using the gear.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

I did get a bag (new) from them at a fantastic price too. The manufacturer sells it for over a £100, Preppers shop were selling for £55, so I was happy with that!

[@noofynumbskull]

Prepper shop sorry to say not that great very slow and something always out of stock

[@dogdadoutdoors]

They arrived in good time for me, I can't complain about that. Just the description on this item was off.

[@allanfuller8144]

YES ! THE PREPPER SHOP ARE VERY SLOW , JUST CANCELLED MY ORDER TODAY

[@GLEN1061]

Ration packs are a dumb idea in my opinion, the packaging and complexity are all negatives, packing food for a conventional three meal a day eating pattern for the outdoors / prepping is expensive and stupidly inefficient! There are better ways to do this especially for civilians in the "Real World"!

[@dogdadoutdoors]

What do you suggest?

[@GLEN1061]

@@dogdadoutdoors Reading numerous, eye-witness accounts, Boer Commando during the Boer War survived on Rusks, Maize Meal, Coffee and Biltong! All lightweight Ration components, they also sometimes hunted game or acquired beef cattle to supplement. In contrast the Commonwealth Troops were loaded down with heavy tin cans, beef on the hoof, field kitchens and a complex, inefficient rationing systems that still left many troopers constantly starving and dehydrated for days or weeks on end. During the Pacific War the US Army created a true Special Forces unit called the “Alamo Scouts” their missions of four and five day (sometimes longer) duration were almost exclusively reconnaissance tasks in the South West Pacific. Inserted by submarine, Catalina or more frequently by PT Boat, these teams travelled amazingly light for the length of time they spent in the bush. Frequent reference is made to the simple “fruit & nut mix” they carried almost exclusively in lieu of conventional rations. The modern version of this fruit & nut mix is now known widely as “Scroggin”, “Gorp” and “Trail Mix” some version of which is used by hikers and climbers the World over! We can read and learn from the many soldier accounts of the universal practice of “Field Stripping” conventional Ration Packs to get rid of all the “useless stuff”! This practice saves weight, saves bulk, creates simplicity within their personal fighting system but wastes a lot of money! Please remember Defence Organisations everywhere including both Public and Privately funded regard complex, pre-packaged field rations to be the most expensive, most inefficient way to feed people. This is why in my opinion it is not a good idea to create a model styled completely on these military ration types. The modern issue US “First Strike” Ration was developed to reduce the weight, complexity, cost, shelf-life issues and packaging found in conventional ration models. The “First Strike” is the type of ration I would suggest emulating if you are going to build this stuff! The UK among others have also recently started to introduce similar ration types. What if you were to limit your Ration Pack design to say six items, what would you select? How would you package it?

[@GLEN1061]

@@dogdadoutdoors Reading numerous, eye-witness accounts, Boer Commando during the Boer War survived on Rusks, Maize Meal, Coffee and Biltong! All lightweight Ration components, they also sometimes hunted game or acquired beef cattle to supplement. In contrast the Commonwealth Troops were loaded down with heavy tin cans, beef on the hoof, field kitchens and a complex, inefficient rationing systems that still left many troopers constantly starving and dehydrated for days or weeks on end. During the Pacific War the US Army created a true Special Forces unit called the “Alamo Scouts” their missions of four and five day (sometimes longer) duration were almost exclusively reconnaissance tasks in the South West Pacific. Inserted by submarine, Catalina or more frequently by PT Boat these teams travelled amazingly light for the length of time they spent in the bush. Frequent reference is made to the simple “fruit & nut mix” they carried almost exclusively in lieu of conventional rations. The modern version of this fruit & nut mix is now known widely as “SCROGGIN”, “GORP” and “Trail Mix” some version of which is used by hikers and climbers the World over! We can read and learn from many soldier accounts of the universal practice of “Field Stripping” conventional Ration Packs to get rid of all the “useless sh*t”! Saves weight, saves bulk, creates simplicity within their personal fighting system but wastes a lot of money! Please remember Defence Organisations everywhere including both Public and Private funded regard pre-packaged field rations to be the most expensive, most inefficient way to feed their people. This is why in my opinion it is not a good idea to create a model styled completely on these ration types. The modern issue US “First Strike” Ration was developed to reduce the weight, complexity, cost, shelf-life issues and packaging found in conventional ration models. The “First Strike” is the type of ration I would suggest emulating if you are going to build this stuff! The UK among others have also recently started to introduce similar ration types. What if you were to limit your Ration Pack design to say (random) six items, what would you select? How would you package it?

[@GLEN1061]

@@dogdadoutdoors This guy at nixieworks says it all for me:- IMPORTANT FACTORS WHEN CHOOSING RATIONS Calorie-to-weight ratio. Calories represent the raw energy required by your body to do work. Hence the more calories you can get out of one ounce of food, the better it is. Obtainability. How easy can you sustainably get this stuff? Yeah MREs are high speed and all, but can you grow MREs in your backyard? Can you buy them at the local farmer's market? On a long enough timeline spent in austere conditions in which supply lines have failed and the lights have gone out, everything that you or your neighbors cannot make yourself is going to get progressively rarer, more expensive, and may become entirely unavailable. Have a plan to feed yourself when you can't buy shit from the grocery store anymore.

[@dogdadoutdoors]

@@GLEN1061 So you are talking about a complete collapse of society. I agree that would require an entirely different solution in the long-term. But for many people, arguably most, the need for food outside is outside of that scenario. Hiking, camping, fishing etc. Even in the prepping scenario, there are many use cases for rations, emergency supplies for your car, your bug-out bag and even during a complete collapse as you transition from shop bought to home grown.

[@leemichel8199]

I find that packing my own rations works out better ,although I have a lot of poaches from rat packs that need eating ,so I will most likely be using them at the end of the month meet up God bless you and your family and happy camping 🏕 😀 😊 🙏. Lee

[@dogdadoutdoors]

That's definitely an option. I'm thinking about trying those Huel ready meals as they work out quite a bit cheaper. It's just the convenience of ration packs is good and I'm not exactly a fussy eater!