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The outdoor sports enthusiast continues to be well served by the variety of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), freeze-dried meals and other foodstuffs specifically designed to offer compromise-free nutrition in the camping and hiking grounds of the country.

Technology has also significantly advanced the safety, portability and availability of hydration for the wanderer afield.

For the army/navy retailer, not only are these products essential as part of any outdoor sports program, but military surplus canteens, field mess kits, portable stoves and utensils are also key components of an overall sales strategy which runs the gamut from tents to P-38s.

Although freeze-dried foods are lighter in weight and make more sense for some camping excursions, they also require hot water and some degree of preparation time.

The MRE, an army/navy store staple, requires no preparation and is fully edible right out of the box. The average MRE also enjoys a shelf life of about three years, which makes them less troublesome to inventorize. MREs are available in full-course kits or in separate packages of entrees, desserts, appetizers and snacks. Retailers can assemble custom packs and offer them as supplemental sales to other camping products.

MREs have always been big business for Major Surplus of Gardena, California. But supply has always been a problem since they had relied on surplus MREs from the government’s official supplier.

But Major now meets their MRE stock needs through a private label program, purchasing from a supplier that makes MREs for the commercial market with government-spec quality, according to Major’s Steve Adkisson.

Demand is way up, says Adkisson.

“Maybe it’s due to recessionary fears, but sales are strong. We have a full crew assembling MRE kits all day long to meet demand,” said Adkisson.