View Full Version : Trail bars
Hi everyone! I was wondering if making my own trail bars for some of my mail drops would be cheaper than buying them. Has anyone worked the figures on it already? I'm going to be looking at that soon and wondered if anyone already did. Along the same lines, I am looking for good recipes for trail bars -- anyone have any they might want to share with me? Thanks a ton!! Have a great day!!:sun
Blissful
10-04-2007, 19:52
The cookbook ATC sells had recipes for trail bars. But I found them heavy to carry and pretty sweet. We had them a few times but then I quit eating them. I liked the Sunbelt bars. Wally world sells them. Most bang for the buck, I thought, in weight, calories and carbs provided. There may be better ones out there though.
Here is an Alton Brown, Good Eats recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31335,00.html) that I would like to try some time. Looked like a solid recipe on TV and of course you can adjust to suit your own tastes.
Appalachian Tater
10-04-2007, 20:11
It would be fun to make bars and you could probably find or improvise a recipe that is better than what you can buy but it probably wouldn't be cheaper, maybe more expensive.
warraghiyagey
10-04-2007, 20:17
I've found that for the money (sometimes you can get them for a dollar at the Dollar Store - but they're usually $1.69) the Power Bar is great. I have one about 20 minutes before I head up the bigger mountains (especially Maine/NH) and they give me a huge boost.
They're relatively light and probably less weight and sweet as was mentioned.
But it would be cool to try to make some. Hope this helps.
It would be fun to make bars and you could probably find or improvise a recipe that is better than what you can buy but it probably wouldn't be cheaper, maybe more expensive.
I'd be surprised if you couldn't make them cheaper if you made a reasonably large batch.
I have a recipe for a mostly raw bar, sweetened with honey. If you're interested, let me know! I'll PM to you :)
Pacific Tortuga
10-04-2007, 22:05
I need to get my priorities straight, I was thinking of Dot's or the Doyle. :o
Survivor Dave
10-04-2007, 22:22
Here is an Alton Brown, Good Eats recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31335,00.html) that I would like to try some time. Looked like a solid recipe on TV and of course you can adjust to suit your own tastes.
Although this recipe is good, actually really good, it is work to make only 16 total bars. Another drawback is that the shelflife of the bars is only about a week in an airtight container. They didn't last that long here at home or on the Trail. I found them to give me a great deal of energy for hiking though.
Survivor Dave
[QUOTE=Survivor Dave;419953]Although this recipe is good, actually really good, it is work to make only 16 total bars. Another drawback is that the shelflife of the bars is only about a week in an airtight container. They didn't last that long here at home or on the Trail. I found them to give me a great deal of energy for hiking though.
I hadn't noticed the relatively short shelf life. That is rather disappointing, though I do wonder how conservative that is.
LostInSpace
10-04-2007, 22:56
My favorite is Bear Valley Pemmican - Fruit and Nut. I order a dozen at a time from REI and get a 10% discount. The cost works out to about $1.00 per bar. Based on a calories to cost ratio, these bars beat out everything else. Although I have made plenty of trail bars using Sarbar's recipe, I doube that on a calories/cost basis, the homemade ones save me very much.
Flush2wice
10-04-2007, 22:58
I need to get my priorities straight, I was thinking of Dot's or the Doyle. :o
No doubt- Dot's and the Doyle.
I think Sarbar has some recipes on her website. She seems to be health minded, don't know about cost.
take-a-knee
10-04-2007, 23:56
I like the Cliff Builder's bars, 270 cal/20gm of protein.
Also the Met/Rx Big 100 Colassal, 400 cal/31gm protein.
Both are available at Walmart.
Jim Adams
10-05-2007, 01:53
I need to get my priorities straight, I was thinking of Dot's or the Doyle. :o
Yeah, I was thinking the Dog Patch Saloon.:cool:
geek
humunuku
10-05-2007, 12:49
Both are available at Walmart.
Walmart is bad - don't support them.
There were some recipes in Backpacker an couple months back (the green issue) They are good, but only last a week before mold shows up...they taste great and fill ya up, so eating a whole batch in a few days shouldn't be an issue, but mail dropping them may not work out too well
Critterman
10-06-2007, 08:37
I like the oatmeal cookie recipe under the lid on Quaker Oats. They taste better than any energy bar and work just as well for me.
Dang it...I was thinking this thread was about the bars you belly up to, not the one's you put in your belly.;)
well...I saw at my store that I can get a bar that has 120 cals for 1 oz for less than 25 cents each....BUT it only has 2 Grams of protien.....so...if I cary those what can I use that is cheap to add more protien to my system?? thanks...Garth
take-a-knee
10-15-2007, 15:13
well...I saw at my store that I can get a bar that has 120 cals for 1 oz for less than 25 cents each....BUT it only has 2 Grams of protien.....so...if I cary those what can I use that is cheap to add more protien to my system?? thanks...Garth
Probably nothing, the protein is what runs up the cost of just about anything. Probably the cheapest protein source will be beans (or any legume) and bread (preferably whole grain). They have to be eaten together (mutual supplementation) to obtain complete protein, and you'll have to slow cook the beans (read, lots of time and fuel). Those Cliff Builder bars are the cheapest protein source I know of. Protein consumed at the same time as simple carbs slows the absorption of the latter, resulting in less of an insulin spike. This results in a more constant blood sugar level and less stored as fat.
Dang it...I was thinking this thread was about the bars you belly up to, not the one's you put in your belly.;)
Me too! When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of a bar in Dalton, MA that is right on the trail and came in handy on a section hike a couple of years ago. Cannot recall the name though.