[HorseSoldier]

But this is about Field Rations... my dad said that some camps in theater Vietnam had the ability to make freeze dried LRP Rations... Does anyone know anything about how hard it would be for both sides of the war to be making local versions of Field Rations?

I hadn't heard that any of the LRP or Indigenous Ration packs were made in theater in SVN, but given the sheer size of the US organization there I could see it being possible.

For freeze-dried stuff in T2K I see two problems. First, it requires large and specialized equipment -- this might be a work around that some units can manage with know how and some under employed DISCOM maintenance types during those long post-nuke winters.

The second problem is that the process is energy intensive, and requires electricity. This is unlike older methods where the energy requirements are lower and may be effectively free, plus minus some very minimal infrastructure (sun/wind drying) or can be met with energy sources besides electricity (i.e. wood fired ovens or smoke houses).

So the packs can definately be setup with a meat jerky, bread and vegies... the three staples. I know that you can make cornbread that can be stored for long hauls... i just don't know how to make hard tack.

Hard tack is pretty dirt simple to make -- simple dough (no fat, to prevent issues with it going rancid) and bake to dryness. Haven't tried it, but apparently right out of the over the texture and feel isn't quite right, but once they cool you've got stuff that any 18th or 19th century veteran would recognize (and probably like, assuming your version lacks the weevil content of the originals . . .).