MRE's suck....10 years in the army, actually they are tolorable, but you're looking at well over a full day's calories in one package.  That and the military uses them to plug you up in the field, therefore, you can go a couple of days without using that scratch paper ;)  (toilet paper for those of you "scratching" your heads) One thing to keep in mind about MRE's is that they ARE NOT dehydrated.  You just heat them and open the package, no water necessary, therefore weigh alot more than standard backpacking foods.  I'm not sure about buying them on the net, I think I had my fill of them before I got out of the army, so I haven't bought any.  I would be leary of buying some that are old, first off they got better with time, not as in aging, but as in better quality meals, the ones from the late 80's are actually pretty nasty.  and there is nothing more stomach turning than opening an MRE that has gotten too hot on a shelf and gone bad, it will turn your stomach for a week :D, just keep all those things in mind.  I am planning on carrying in Mountain House meals when I come in may, a week worth of MREs for 2 people, Hmmm, lets see, about 1.5-2 lbs a piece, 2-3 3 meals a day, 7 days... do the math, thats a bunch of extra weight when there are plenty of other options.

my $0.02 :D

Jeff