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Bug Out Food Option – Nutrition Bars

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In my bug-out bags I carry a few “nutrition” bars to fill a gap between meals. From reading many threads on survival & preparedness forums – carrying these bars in bug out/”get me home” kits is quite common. I put nutrition in quotes as for the most part – many of these bars are advertised as “good for you” when in reality they are glorified candy bars.

I have had my own favorites that I keep around – and decided to get several others a try and report the finding here.

I went to a couple of my local grocery and department stores and gathered up a selection – here’s what I found:

These 6 food bars are by far not the only ones available – these are just the ones I selected.

Here is a breakdown of the bars – specifically listing calories, fat, protein, and carbs.

1. Power Bar Triple Threat – Caramel Peanut Fusion        (230 calories / 9 grams fat / 10 grams protein / 31 grams carbohydrates)
2. thinkThin – Creamy Peanut Butter     (230 calories / 8 grams fat / 20 grams protein / 22 grams carbohydrates)
3. Tiger’s Milk- Protein Rich     (140 calories / 5 grams fat / 6 grams protein / 18 grams carbohydrates)
4. Balance Gold – Carmel Nut  Blast     (210 calories / 7 grams fat / 15 grams protein / 23 grams carbohydrates)
5. Power Bar  – Protein Plus     (300 calories / 6 grams fat / 23 grams protein / 39 grams carbohydrates)
6. Clif Bar Energy Bar - Crunchy Peanut Butter     (250 calories / 6 grams fat / 11 grams protein / 42 grams carbohydrates)

All the bars ran between $.89 – $2.00. To me  – as a bug out food to get you through until you access a cache or a larger supply – calories are King. All off these other the the Tigers Milk contains between 210 and 300 calories.

Honestly – I had planned a pretty extravagant break down and list of all the characteristics with a performance chart for each – eventually coming up with a winner. Most of them are pretty evenly matched – I think the reality is any of these would do well – taste may be the deciding factor.

Here are a few observations:

• The Power Bar Triple Threat bar has more calories per ounce than the others. The Tiger’s Milk bar runs a distant second. The Power Bar Protein Plusis noticeably heavier than the others. Something to consider when packing a bag that you may  have to carry.
• All bars had expiration dates on them.  Purchased on the 9th of October – expiration dates ranges from 3/2011 (Clif Bar) to 7/2011 (thinkThin).  I think it’s safe to say that 6-9 months is a decedent shelf life considering the purpose. 
• I purposely stayed away from fiber bars like FiberOne – as they can cause some issues with “having to go to the bathroom”. Not good in a survival situation.

Between myself and my oldest son – we carried out the taste test.  Here is how they faired – rank from best to worst:

1. Power Bar Triple Threat – Caramel Peanut Fusion Very tasty- excellent overall flavor
2. Tiger’s Milk – taste great & very satisfying – a close second
3. Clif Bar Energy Bar - Crunchy Peanut Butter Not bad – wholesome flavor and texture – I liked it more than my son
4. Balance Gold - Carmel Nut  Blast  OK – not that great
5. Power Bar  - Protein Plus Pretty bad – pass on this one
6. thinkThin – Creamy Peanut Butter I wanted to rip my taste buds out – absolutely gross

So the 2 big winners were the Power Bar Triple Threat and the Tiger’s Milk. Both were excellent. Running around $1.00 each – not too expensive.

Something to consider: the Snickers Bar.

The Snickers Bar has 280 calories / 14 grams fat / 4 grams protein / 35 grams carbohydrates. Comparing and looking for food items for your bug out/get me home bag – why not the Snickers Bar?

Taste is great – an all American favorite. 280 calories is right in line with the “nutrition” bars in this post. Cost is awesome – as you can often find these bars on sale for .50 – .75 cents. Also – they are readily available at almost any gas station or corner store.

What is your favorite bug out/get me home kit food?

Take care all -

Rourke

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