Cooking Grub from the ration pack!

[riflemangundy]

Troops could some give me a quick run down on cooking the grub/meal packs in the ration pack!! can they be boiled in water in a metal mug or do they have to be emptied into a metal mug or mess tin? how long time wise????? Heard the term GORP yesterday,, any ideas on what it means!!!!!!!!
also how to put up a bivvi!!!
looking for the basic's here alright!!!!

IN A BIG RUSH SO ALL HELP NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks
Ass in the Grass!!!!!!!!!!

[Goldie fish]

Did you not do any basic traning? It depends on the age of Ration Pack you are given. Some require a mess tin.

[ZULU]

The last ration packs I used had chemical heaters for the meals. Brilliant yokes!

[concussion]

Did you not do any basic traning?

Ditto to that!!

The breakfast, main meal and dessert are all precooked and can be eaten cold if neccessary. The rest, noodles, soup, coffee, tea and hot chocolate all require hot water.

The usual way if heating water is mess tins and hexi tabs. Place hexi-stove (fold out metal stand - issued along with tabs) on ground and put 2 tabs in - light them and put the smaller mess tin on top with enough (ie a mugful for just hot drinks or about 1/2 an inch if your cooking a meal) water in it. Put meal in(do not remove from pouch!!!) , place larger mess tin on top and heat. Take it out, squidge it around and if its not cooked through, put it back in. Add hexis as required.

Basically, nothing you eat should have to touch the mess tins except the noodles (though the new ones can now be cooked in their packet ). However, seeing as all that boiling water is to be used for soup, tea etc. make damn sure their spotlessly clean at all times!

Putting up a bivvi takes a bit of practice and depends on location. You can bungee/tie two corners of the basha/poncho/whatever waterproof sheet you have to trees and peg the bottom corners into the ground or tie some paracord between 2 trees, drape the bivvi over length-ways and peg in 4 corners and the sides. Have your sleeping bag rolled up in your waterproof bivvi bag so you can just pull it out and throw it down on your roll-mat.


Finally, find out who you're going with and get some information and a demonstration on the ground!!!

[riflemangundy]

basic!

Lads my basic was all class roon,, **** we did ICBM's didnt see a set of webbing for 2 years after!!! the basic of soldiering arent high on the list in my unit,, well there weren't until now!!! tryin to bring in some basic fieldcraft i.e rations bivvi camo!!! they'll prob refuse to put on camo tho!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the comments wil take as many as i can!!

[Docman]

we did ICBM's didnt see a set of webbing for 2 years after!!! the basic of soldiering arent high on the list in my unit,

ICBMs??? Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles??? or do you mean PLCE?

As for soldiering, what is the point of a unit if it doesn't do soldiering? Maybe they should all join the scouts?

Troops could some give me a quick run down on cooking the grub/meal packs in the ration pack!! can they be boiled in water in a metal mug or do they have to be emptied into a metal mug or mess tin? how long time wise????? Heard the term GORP yesterday,, any ideas on what it means!!!!!!!!
also how to put up a bivvi!!!
looking for the basic's here alright!!!!

You boil it in whatever you have. Advantage of a metal mug is that you only have to carry that and can use it for cooking and eating. You CAN empty the Ration into the mug if you have to but it gets very messy and isn't worth the trouble. It is boil in the bag after all. Don't time it, just check it every now and again to see if it is hot enough. Use the boiled water for noodles, tea, chocolate, whatever.

GORP - Good old raisins & peanuts - I had to check google for it as I had never heard it before either.

Bivi - Many ways of putting it up. Usual method is to attach 2 bungees to either side and attach the bungees to trees. Tie down the sides with tent pegs. You could use string instead of bungees. There are other ways but keep it simple for the mo.

The trick is to start your cooking and then put up your bivi. When Bivi is up, the meal should be cooked, bung in the noodles and eat your meal, noodles should be cooked by the time you eaten your main meal - concurrent activity. Thing is all about time. NCOs and officers will be pushing for time to get out on patrols. Having been doing this for a while, they will have their bivi out and meal eaten in 30 mins while you are still trying to figure out your bivi an hour later. You need to move quick.

[Goldie fish]

Pppppp

[Goldie fish]

Indeed, the Noodles are designed to be eaten like crisps.... Though I havent tried it myself.

[concussion]

They're pretty good!!

The downside of the new noodles is the flavour sachets (that I've seen) are either hot & sour or soy...nasty. Bring back chicken noodles, even better when made up with chicken soup

[Connaught Stranger]

Lads my basic was all class roon,, **** we did ICBM's didnt see a set of webbing for 2 years after!!! the basic of soldiering arent high on the list in my unit,, well there weren't until now!!! tryin to bring in some basic fieldcraft i.e rations bivvi camo!!! they'll prob refuse to put on camo tho!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the comments wil take as many as i can!!

Without trying to embarrass anybody, which part of the country is your unit located in?

No names or numbers just North, South, East or West.

Sounds Piss Poor if you dont know the basics of cooking Rat Packs and putting up a Bivvie

Connaught Stranger

[womble]

Rations.
When setting up the hexi, or gas cooker if you have one, ensure it is in a protected area, i.e. not out in the middle of the breeze blowing through the area you are in. You can scrape a bit of a hole if you want to put it in. also ensure to clear the area around it, you don't want to set the wood on fire because of the dry leaves lying around, also I once saw a blank round get cooked off literally by a hexi cooker.
To get the hexi burning, break it in half and light the middle of the hexi, there is a protective wax coating around the block's to make them waterproof.
You really do need to use two hexi block's, one only won't get enough heat. The more hexi you use the dirtier the bottom of you mess tin will get.
Don't ever throw the hot water from cooking away, use it to make a brew, you will need it on a cold day, the noodles and cuppa soup are a nice combination.
I find a nice supliment to the rations to be a packet of instant mashed potato, that could be because I am a country lad though.
Don't forget a spoon.

Bivi.
Docman's point of getting the grub on and then waiting for it to cook while putting up the bivi is excellent.
Don't have that much experience here but remember to think about where you put the bivi, check to make sure if it rains the hill behind you isn't going to drain into your bivi.
check the ground below your kip mat, don't want to be sleeping on a big rock now do you.

[ZULU]

Tear open top of chemical heater.

Place the boil in bag inside making sure the two pads are flat to one side of the pouch.

Add the little sachet of water that comes supplied or add some of your own water

Fold bag and set down making sure pad is underneath the boil in bag.

Wait 6-10min

Take out, open and eat.

Use rubber band to keep chem heater pouch closed and shove down smock to act as hotwater bottle!!!

[spudula]

Lads my basic was all class roon,, **** we did ICBM's didnt see a set of webbing for 2 years after!!! the basic of soldiering arent high on the list in my unit,, well there weren't until now!!! tryin to bring in some basic fieldcraft i.e rations bivvi camo!!! they'll prob refuse to put on camo tho!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the comments wil take as many as i can!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA............................ ....

ONLY IN THE BAGS IS THIS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dazzler]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA............................ ....

ONLY IN THE BAGS IS THIS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Play nice!!!

I have never actually constructed a Bivi either (I am a 2 star) but I think I have a fair Idea.

Also the Cooking cant be too bad because well I am fairly good at cooking anyway. I will finally get to do it soon as well!!!! and on my Bday no less!!! Cant wait!!!!

[Docman]

Lads my basic was all class roon,, **** we did ICBM's didnt see a set of webbing for 2 years after!!! the basic of soldiering arent high on the list in my unit,, well there weren't until now!!! tryin to bring in some basic fieldcraft i.e rations bivvi camo!!! they'll prob refuse to put on camo tho!!!!!!!!!

All too common in the RDF unfortunately