Arctic Field ration pack by Drytec. These ration packs are a complete game changer.
I can’t believe I’ve never used them before. They are perfect to keep in the car for emergencies, in your day bag for a day hike or grab a few for a weekend fishing.
These Arctic Field Ration packs by Drytec are designed for military use.
Drytec is a Norwegian company and we all know what conditions are thrown at the Norwegian Army so these Arctic day ration packs hold enough energy for arduous and cold environments.
Freeze dried meals are personally the best meals when out hiking. They have loads of energy and are fairly lightweight.
These NATO approved lightweight meals are design for challenging conditions and are sure to make your diet well balanced, with a sufficient amount of carbs, fat and protein.
Arctic Field Ration Pack – Menu 17 Review.
I’ve always seen these ration packs and I have never gotten around to reviewing them
After being sent a few of these meals by Basecamp Food I was really surprised just how great they are.
Content:
The package that the Arctic Field Ration comes in is durable, compact and waterproof.
The best before date is printed on the front and also noting the main meal and total energy value.
Whilst we are talking about best before dates, please note that the main meal will probably have a longer date than what is stamped on the packet.
The controlling date on the packet will be for the consumables with shorter shelf life i.e. Chocolate.
Opening up the packet you have the following inside:
- Real Field Meal Pasta Bolognaise
- Dark Chocolate
- Energy Bar
- Energy Drink
- Raisins
- Instant Coffee
- Chewing Gum
- Spicy Sauce
- Zip Lock Bag
- Spoon
The Real Field Meals are the same meals as the Real Turmat meals apart from bigger portions ( I struggled to eat the whole meal).
On arduous treks a well balanced diet is a must!
The meal pouch has a calorific content of 700kcal as apposed to 525kcal of the same Real Turmat meal.
As with all of the Drytec freeze-dried meals it was flavoursome, nutritious and full of energy for a hard day hiking.
As with all freeze-dried meals if you are in a cold climate after filling with boiling water sometimes your meal can be cold before the 8 minutes rehydration time is over. I’d recommend a food cosy to keep your meal pouch warm
The Chocolate energy bar and energy drink are from the Real on the go range from Drytec.
The Chocolate is a dark chocolate and the cranberry energy bar has 25% protein.
The energy drink is a great concept where water is added to the packet, the packet is sealed and then shaken and drank straight out of the pack.
Types of main meals available in the Arctic Field ration packs.
Currently the real field meals available from Drytec in the Arctic field ration packs are only fish or meat, no vegetarian or vegan meals in this range.
In general I really like these packs. Some people state they are a packaged whole meal including meal, snacks, coffee and drink.
Personally I couldn’t eat all of this in one setting.
I would space all of this out through the day after having one of the Real Turmat Breakfast meals or one of the light meals from Real Field Meal for breakfast.
Price.
In the U.K. one of the Arctic field ration packs costs £14.25 from Basecamp Food. Which when you think about it isn’t such a bad price.