Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 24
Loc: San Francisco, CA
I prefer Mojo Bar from Clif. Usually crave more savory then sweet and most other bars are on the sweet side. The Nature Valley Sweet and Salty brand are pretty good too.
Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 245
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
I've consumed a lot of energy bars in my day (training for marathons etc). In my experience the most important thing about eating energy bars is variety. If you have to consume any significant quantity of one type of bar your enjoyment of the trip is going to go down. I can eat one cliff bar or one power bar a day, not more. And if I have to be eating them again tomorrow then I want to switch both flavors and brands. Why brands? Because all bars from the same brand have pretty much the same texture and that gets tiresome.
The latest new thing is probar. I tried one the other day and they taste good and have every indication of being more nutritious because they are not baked. They are essentially fruits and nuts pressed together into a bar. Since they are less processed I would guess that they are better for me. But they are not cheap and at the end of the day you have to ask yourself, "gee, why don't I just pack the dried fruits and nuts myself?".
Here's another thing to consider. Different energy bars are designed for different purposes. Power bars, for instance, are aimed at distance runners who are running out of energy during a long race. As a result they are mostly carbs, not the simplest carbs (pure sugar) but a slightly more complex carb made from rice. Other bars like the probar have lots of nuts which means fats and proteins. Now you need all three to hike: carbs, fats, and proteins. But they digest differently. If you need to fuel up quick you need a high carb bar. So I might eat a power bar when I begin to feel shaky because that will get sugars to my muscles quickly. If I eat a bar with more fats like a probar then I will need some time for it to digest.
Registered: 03/17/03
Posts: 501
Loc: Puget Sound, Washington
Ender beat me to it. I was going to menation that this topic has been covered before and someone pointed out that when you match up the nutrients and sorted other things in all of the power bars and meal-replacement bars, Snickers came out near the top just the same.
My wife and oldest daughter found me something called "golean"bars.Like an energy bar dipped in chopped nuts.12g of protein 6g fiber all natural.Taste good, and very filling.Lot of vitamins added.Not quite as filling as a cliff, but maybe a bit better taste.
I like Pemmican bars; they're big & brownie-like, very filling, but not too sweet. They have lots of calories and fiber, but like many other energy bars they can get heavy if you pack too many per day. I eat them more often for lunch than for dessert.
Do Snickers count as energy bars? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
Absolutely <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />; Though, I'm partial to BabyRuths, sometimes Snickers find their way into my pack too.
Clif bars were the first I found that I liked, though I prefer the ones without chocolate. It just never seems to taste right. Oatmeal Raisin Walnut and Black Cherry Almond are my two personal favorites of the ones I have tried.
I also like the Balance Bar Bares and most other Balance Bars.
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3293
Loc: Portland, OR
I mostly eat food rather than bars, but I usually pack some Nature Valley granola bars. I have tried Clif bars and like 'em well enough - but they seem mighty pricey to me at a buck a throw.
On a long hike I often put in one or two Bear Valley Pemmican bars as my backup emergency rations. These are a bit dry with a slightly grainy texture, but they are incredibly filling and very nutritious, and one bar equals about half a full meal.
Lara Bars 100% organic, Jocalat which have one non organic ingredient, Pemmican bars, Lifeboat ration bars, mostly coconut <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> the rest freeze and taste like old tires to me, after trying the above Cliff bars taste way too sweet to me <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
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PEPPER SPRAY AIN'T BRAINS IN A CAN!
I agree with Earthling here. One of the tastiest energy bars I've eaten recently is the Cherry Pie Lara Bar. Absolutely Delicious!! You've all got to try it.
I also like ProBar, especially the SuperFood. It has a full days supply of vegetables along with about 60 other ingredients, uses whole food (no processing), uses 100% raw ingredience, is 95% organic, and is 100% vegan. It tastes like Rasberry/Chocolate, has 17 grams of good fats, is almost 4 oz (twice the size of Clif but also costs twice as much), and is the most complete bar I've eaten. Tasteeee <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Edited by jasonlivy (04/26/0812:47 AM)
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Believe, then you will Understand...
Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
I generally prefer Clif bars, but I try not to make them a regular habit, and I save them for strenuous times. One good point is the stout packaging. Their wrappers live forever in the bottom of my pack, etc. without abrading and wearing tlhrough. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
“Won't the chocolate coating of Snickers bars melt on summer backpacks?”
Nope. Not the Marathon Snicker’s bar. I’ve eaten this in 100F heat. These are very good. There are 3 different flavors. They’re cheapest in bulk at Sam’s Club ($0.70 each).
When it’s hot, the chocolate still stays together even when taking the wrapper off. They have a 14g protein and a 28g protein version. I think the 14g one tastes the best. See http://www.snickersmarathon.com/products/energy.asp?bar=1b for nutri info.
One trick I've learned for melted Snickers bars... when you fill up your water bottle with cool water, throw the Snickers bar in there, wrapper and all. After a few minutes in the cool water, the chocolate cools down enough and becomes hard again. Then you can open the Snickers without fear of getting a chocolate moustache <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
“Won't the chocolate coating of Snickers bars melt on summer backpacks?”
Nope. Not the Marathon Snicker’s bar. I’ve eaten this in 100F heat. These are very good. There are 3 different flavors. They’re cheapest in bulk at Sam’s Club ($0.70 each).
When it’s hot, the chocolate still stays together even when taking the wrapper off. They have a 14g protein and a 28g protein version. I think the 14g one tastes the best. See http://www.snickersmarathon.com/products/energy.asp?bar=1b for nutri info.
Why isn’t this thread in the food section?
-Barry
I was just thinking the same thing BarryP, wow, great minds do think alike, even if one of them still wears boots <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
I think Mars makes them with their Tropical Chocolate formula which has mor wax in it to keep the chocolate from melting in the heat, like the old Heresey's bars in US Army rations <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
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PEPPER SPRAY AIN'T BRAINS IN A CAN!
Calories: 350 Total Fat: 17g Sodium: 30mg Potassium: 150mg Total Carbs: 46g -Fiber: 6g -sugar: 30g Protein: 9g
All the ingredients are raw, are hand mixed (unprocessed), formed into the squares then packaged. These ingredients comprise a 4 oz. bar. Pretty amazing.
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Believe, then you will Understand...
I like Tigers milk bars and clif. But I can't eat any of them too often. I also sometimes make my own with rolled oats, a little whole wheat flour, brown rice syrup and either choc. chips or dried blueberries. Pretty good but don't keep very long.
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