In your experience, are MREs good for the cost? I hear different things.
It 100% comes down to which ones you get. There's a bean chili one that's more delicious than what makes sense that I'll shill for without hesitation. There's a spaghetti one that sucks on its own and then one other tomato sauce one that also sucks on its own, but they're really good if you mix them together. A lot of MRE entrees are okayish, and there are a bunch that I hate, but different people will have different takes on them, especially with different food standards thresholds.
I unironically recommend Steve1989MREinfo on Youtube to get a better idea; just be mindful of picking out videos for MREs that are in current use, because he will review any MRE from any nation, any year, any special supply requirement (cold/tropical/emergency/patrol).
He's the Bob Ross of MREs if Bob Ross was a gym bro and occasionally subjected himself to horror food like the vomlett and current Chinese rations for our amusement. No joke, the in-date Chinese pork chow mein almost killed him.
As for the cost, it depends on what you can get, on top of when and where you get it. It also depends on how much you enjoy them (taste and funsies) and how much you value having emergency supplies on hand. The cost alone does prevent me from recommending them as a total diet replacement for an already shittier diet, though. Last I checked, they were $12 per complete unit pack with entree, FRH, drink mixes, sides, sweets and condiments. If you have any military connections, you
might be able to get a deal on a number of different types of boxes.
I don't know if they've changed this aspect of them but they're not really good for your digestion to subsist on for a long period of time.
That's part of my plan, seeing as how he's become incapable of solid shits. Maybe it'll even out into something in the middle. If not, MREs do come with maltitol gum that will get things moving.