View Full Version : Top 5 'Energy Bars'
moonshiner
02-18-2009, 09:55
Just posting this for fun
List your top 5 specific energy bars that you like to take backpacking.
List bar name and flavor
Do not include candy bars in this list...feel free to make a top 5 candy bar list too
1. Probar- Superfood Slam
2. Clifbar-Chocolate Chip
3. Z Bar-Chocolate Chip
4. Builder Bar-Cookie's & Cream
5. Probar- Whole Berry Blast
max patch
02-18-2009, 10:29
Original Powerbar. Whatever flavor Costco is selling; right now a case is half peanut butter and half chocolate.
Snickers is probably still the most popular.
garlic08
02-18-2009, 10:33
Fig Newtons!
sbennett
02-18-2009, 10:34
No energy bar tastes as good as a Snickers...period.
And why do Luna bars taste better than Clif bars? Not that I've tried them or anything....
Fig Newtons!
With a slice of cheddar cheese. :banana
I gotta gree with the others, either Snickers or Fig Newtons. IMO, there's no need in paying a dollar or more for a single "energy bar" when you can get twice as many Snickers or almost an entire bag of Fig Newtons.
Lone Wolf
02-18-2009, 10:43
they all suck and all are overpriced for calories they have. PB&J is all you need
Frick Frack
02-18-2009, 10:44
Odawalla bars are awesome but kind of hard to find. Clif is a great/healthy bar. Soyjoys are great but way too small.
I do not care if I ever see another Snicker's again.....
max patch
02-18-2009, 10:44
I gotta gree with the others, either Snickers of Fig Newtons. IMO, there's no need in paying a dollar or more for a single "energy bar" when you can get twice as many Snickers or almost an entire bag of Fig Newtons.
Powerbars less than a buck at Costco and are basically just carbs.
Snickers taste great but have loads of bad fats.
I plan on keeping my heart for a while so the choice is easy.
skinewmexico
02-18-2009, 11:03
And why do Luna bars taste better than Clif bars? Not that I've tried them or anything....
Because they're made just for women! (do I smell another marketing scam?)
If I never ate another Clif or Luna bar, I would be ok with that. I really like Grab the Gold http://grabthegoldnow.stores.yahoo.net/snackbars.html
Because they're made just for women! (do I smell another marketing scam?)Marketing scam from an energy bar manufacturer? No way! I, for one, am appalled. :eek: :p
figs with pb and mms.. YUM. i can eat alot of those puppies. I have heard Odwalla is good but have never tried them.
I prefer dried fruits and leathers to energy bars. Especially dried apricots, apple slices, and figs. For a quick boost I prefer Gu or Clif's Shot or PowerGel gels. All washed down with about a third Nalgene of H20. However, I do take a multi-vitamin and some nutrition supplements everyday.
jersey joe
02-18-2009, 11:57
Snickers is probably still the most popular.
Absolutely...SNICKERS!
Find me one that is friendly to those with braces and we will see......the only "bar" I have found that is soft was Luna Tea Cake - and those are near impossible to find anymore.
I have yet to find an energy bar I can stomach. They sit like rocks in my tummy. No thanks.
I eat regular food instead. Just who I am. If I want fatty/fiber/protein I will eat Baker's Breakfast Cookies (made here in Wa.) but the fat is too high except for certain trips.
calculating infinity
02-18-2009, 15:52
builders bars
cliff bars
larabars
luna bars
powerbar
I knew this was going to happen. Discussing food/nutrition, whether it be labeled as energy, health, nutritional, or candy bars, or something else is like wading into a discussion on politics or religion. Watch out for those unexpected deep holes in the bottom of the river! What U R finding Moonshiner is not everyone defines energy and candy bar the way U do. Even though, yes, U can recieve energy from a Snickers bar, I would venture to guess that U, like myself, would not define Snickers as anything else but a candy bar. And, some, so called energy bars R nothing more than overpriced glorified candy bars.
But I'll give U some of my energy bars:
1) Kind Plus - Mango Macadamia, Passion Fruit Macadamia
2) Boomi Bars - Cashew Almond, Perfect pumpkin
3) Pro Bar - Whole Berry Blast
4) Raw Revolution - Coconut and Agave, Spirulina and Cashew, Cashew and Agave
5) Bumble Bars - Awesome Apricot, Lushus Lemon, Almond, Cashew
6) Nutiva or 365 Organic - Hempseed bars
7) Eat Natural - Macadmia and Fruit Bar
8) Odwalla - Superfood, Sweet and Salty Almond
9) Organic(that's the manufacturer) - Active Greens, Omega-3 Flax
10) Oskri - Sesame w/ ?, many types,
the goat
02-18-2009, 17:35
promax bars
& protein plus bars.
Probars are pricey but best flavor to me (SuperSlam...oh yeah)
ClifBars are OK, but not cheap either
These Chunks (http://www.bulkwholefoods.com/natural_bulk_foods_chunks-c-1_105.html) are tasty and way more affordable
These are the only ones I find memorably good.
Probars are pricey but best flavor to me (SuperSlam...oh yeah)
ClifBars are OK, but not cheap either
These Chunks (http://www.bulkwholefoods.com/natural_bulk_foods_chunks-c-1_105.html) are tasty and way more affordable
These are the only ones I find memorably good.
Probars are not so bad when you start comparing $/calorie and not $/bar. Even better when you buy in batches of 12 at REI and get 20% off.
fenderbenderfc
02-19-2009, 16:16
Snickers Marathon
Balance Cookie Dough
MetRx
All good. I eat power bars like crazy for mountian biking.
Probars are not so bad when you start comparing $/calorie and not $/bar. Even better when you buy in batches of 12 at REI and get 20% off.
Good to know REI has them.
More bang for the buck is true, and tastier.
Seaver's Fried Pies are 350 calories for .50, but no protein. Plenty of fat and sugar though. Food City in Damascus.
Snickers, Fig Newtons and GORP
Seaver's Fried Pies are 350 calories for .50, but no protein. Plenty of fat and sugar though. Food City in Damascus.
A fried pie and a hunk of cheese. There ya go :D
take-a-knee
02-19-2009, 17:47
Zone Bars
Cliff Builder Bars
Most of the rest I've looked at are candy bars sprinkled with vitamins, they have very little protein in them (just like a candy bar)
Surplusman
02-19-2009, 18:14
I like Clif bars. They were easy to get at the local supermarket and they tasted good.
However, after a while, the texture of them began to remind me of critter droppings you find in the middle of the trail. Nevertheless, I would still get them.
The fig newtons sound like a good idea too. Apparently Earl Shaffer liked them. I'm no Earl Shaffer (no pith helmet) but I think I'm going to take some along on my next hike.
I like the Pay Day PRO bars http://www.hersheys.com/payday/products/paydaypro.asp better than Clif or original PowerBar. I also like Fig Newtons - for a hard dayhike I'll often just have these two and water or G2.
Probars for $2.00?
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/order.html
npoles91
02-23-2009, 14:52
1. Cliff Bar--Cool Mint Chip
2. Cliff Builder's Bar--Chocolate Mint
3. Power Bar--Triple Threat Caramel Chocolate
4. MetRx--Cookie Dough
5. Cliff Bar--Cherry Almond?
Snickers is the best though...but i'm guessing it'd be considered a candy bar
Jack Tarlin
02-23-2009, 19:17
The original poster very specifically said he wanted to talk about energy bars and NOT candy bars, but since so many folks have decided to ignore this request, I guess I'm allowed to say this:
The whole energy bar thing is a shuck and a scam. Why pay $3.79 for something when you can pay .89 for something with the same calories, the same sugar rush, and did I mention it actually tastes good, as opposed to a Mocha flavored bath mat?
Most thru-hikers take a multi-vitamin daily, in order to help make up with deficiencies in their diet. In so doing, they generally supply themselves with most of what they'd get by consuming a designer high end "energy bar."
So you can have a Balance Bar or a Met Rx or something similar and spend $3.79 every time you do so......or you can have two Snickers Bars and a couple of vitamins, all for about $1.50 less per day.
In other words, you'll get the same energy boost, you'll eat something that actually tastes good, and you'll save hundreds of bucks over your trip by NOT buying over-priced "energy" foods.
So the answer to the original question......what's the "best" energy bar?
Their isn't one. They're all a ripoff.
the goat
02-23-2009, 19:42
The original poster very specifically said he wanted to talk about energy bars and NOT candy bars, but since so many folks have decided to ignore this request, I guess I'm allowed to say this:
The whole energy bar thing is a shuck and a scam. Why pay $3.79 for something when you can pay .89 for something with the same calories, the same sugar rush, and did I mention it actually tastes good, as opposed to a Mocha flavored bath mat?
Most thru-hikers take a multi-vitamin daily, in order to help make up with deficiencies in their diet. In so doing, they generally supply themselves with most of what they'd get by consuming a designer high end "energy bar."
So you can have a Balance Bar or a Met Rx or something similar and spend $3.79 every time you do so......or you can have two Snickers Bars and a couple of vitamins, all for about $1.50 less per day.
In other words, you'll get the same energy boost, you'll eat something that actually tastes good, and you'll save hundreds of bucks over your trip by NOT buying over-priced "energy" foods.
So the answer to the original question......what's the "best" energy bar?
Their isn't one. They're all a ripoff.
i pay $0.89/ per bar for promax at trader joe's. i know most energy bars taste like ass, but their "nutty butter crisp" really tastes good....kinda like a butterfinger. it's all natural, it's got 300 calories & 20g protein + a lot of vitamins, minerals & antioxidants.
frankly, i eat them for the protein & because they taste good; everything else is just a bonus.
i'll bring one to the warmer and see if i can get you to try it.:D
Jack Tarlin
02-23-2009, 19:48
Sure I'll try it, once anyway, and if you can get 'em at .89 a piece, go for it. Problem is that most folks buy en route while hiking, usually in small stores, and they're paying three or four times as much as you are. Which I think is nuts.
the goat
02-23-2009, 20:12
Sure I'll try it, once anyway, and if you can get 'em at .89 a piece, go for it. Problem is that most folks buy en route while hiking, usually in small stores, and they're paying three or four times as much as you are. Which I think is nuts.
i agree, they're a high-ticket item in trail stores, especially when you're buying a week's supply at once. not to mention that everyone i've tried with the exception of the above, does taste like eating dirt.
#1 - Bear Valley Meal Pack Bars, esp. carob cocoa http://www.mealpack.com/products.html
#2 - Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Fruit & Nut (Costco)
#3 - Snickers
#5 - PayDay
#4 - Powerbar, Clif Bar, Balance Bar (In no particular order)
So the answer to the original question......what's the "best" energy bar?
Their isn't one. They're all a ripoff.
We are all entitled to an opinion. But I don't share yours.
hopefulhiker
02-24-2009, 10:55
I used the Snickers bars.. They became sort of like a drug.. I took the multivitamins.. and also ate a bunch of homemade GORP.. different though, with butterscotch, coconut, walnuts.... People would give me the power bars, and cliff bars because they were sick of eating them...
One time, I took a bag of marshmellows and when I got to camp all that was left was a messy,sticky, white goop... I gave it to a hiker named Tapeworm, who licked it out of the plastic bag....
Dicentra
02-24-2009, 14:28
Find me one that is friendly to those with braces and we will see......the only "bar" I have found that is soft was Luna Tea Cake - and those are near impossible to find anymore.
Remind me! I've been stocking up. They've had them for 1/2 price at the Grocery Outlet by me pretty regularly. I'll bring ya some!
Thanks....sounds like my suspicions that they are disappearing is right then, Di.