Backpack Meal Trials – Meal Bars

I like the idea of meal bar. No fuss, no muss, easy to eat and prepare. The catch is, can you find one that doesn’t require a half gallon of water to wash down.

Back in my early Army days, we had the old dark green MREs. They were straight up nasty, and you would try to create a better meal by combining some of the contents to get a paleatble portion.

We used to make this delicacy called the John Wayne bar. There was a plain compressed granola bar, that was the consistency of an MDF panel. Once you started eating it the consistency changed to sawdust. To get “John Wayne” we would doctor it up with peanut butter and then sprinkle with coco powder. Definitely improved the taste, but you better have a full canteen to wash that down.

First Up: ProBar Meal Bar Peanut Butter

Cost:  $2.67/bar if you buy in bulk at Amazon.  I picked out several to try as singles at my local Whole Foods (only place I have seen them) for about $3.40 a bar.  *NOTE:  adding the Justin’s Cashew Butter increases the price about $1.20/bar.

Servings per package: 1

Caloric density: 380 cal alone (115 cal/oz), 580 cal with Justin’s Butter pack (129 cal/oz)

Package weight: 0.205 lb alone, 0.280 with Justin’s Maple Cashew Butter pack

Preparation: Cold/no-cook

The ProBar Meal Bar was not dry at all, and tasted good on its own. I added a packet of Justin’s Maple Cashew butter to jump the caloric content up by 200 cals, and that combination was terrific.

This would be a good option for breakfast, snack or lunch. I am not sure if it is sturdy enough to be a stand-alone dinner meal after a hike back to the tent, but could definitely be a portion of that meal.

From a taste, simplicity, and portability judgment alone this backcountry meal is a winner and will find a place in my pack this year.

Next up: Greenbelly Meal 2Go

Cost: $8.66 per package from Amazon.  I am not sure if you can buy singles, as I received this in a three package variety set.

Servings per package: 1

Caloric density: 645 cal or 100 cal/oz

Package weight: 0.405 lb

Preparation: Cold/no-cook

Sticking with the no-prep meal bar, I was really looking forward to the Greenbelly Meal 2Go bar. This product has some great reviews, and I used those to choose the peanut butter apricot bar for this trial.
These come in a re-sealable pouch with two bars, so this could easily be used a a snack throughout the day.

I found the taste to be good, and the texture was somewhat like a very dense rice crispy treat. I did find that I needed more water to fully consume the bar than the ProBar.

These were good, and I can recommend them to provide some variability to a no-cook meal plan.

Conclusions and Observations:  I think a packet or two of Justin’s Cashew butter or similar product to jump the caloric density of the Greenbelly bar may be a good thing.  These addtions would make it a full meal checking in at over 1,000 cals.   I could see this as a valid option to replace a cooked meal back at camp.   I did find the cost of the Greenbelly to be a bit steep in comparison to the ProBar.

My pack will have the ProBar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars in it this fall for daytime snacking.  These would also be a good breakfast to start the day.  I will carry the remaining two Greenbelly meals supplemented with nut butter as a no-cook camp meal.