On my last trip I was thinking about lightening ideas, as always. One thing I always bring and bring home (fortunately) is emergency rations. The just in case extra food. I tend to add extra trail mix since it is dense in calories. But I was thinking that what I really would like is something like a bar that is almost all fat, very little protein and some carbs. And can be carried over and over for years.

Back in the days when I use to pore over paper catalogs of gear I remember there use to be stuff like that. Bacon bars seem to stick in my mind.

Anyone have any things like this that they use?

Thanks,

Pemmican sounds like what you are describing.

After thinking about it a long time, I quit carrying extra food. Going hungry for a day or two isn't a health risk. Plus, I always seem to have a bit left over anyway, even without planning--it seems unlikely that an emergency would happen just as I'd eaten the last bit of food on the last day, leaving no chance to stretch my supplies.

This is probably not something I would carry in my pack but it sounds like what you are talking about.

They're called Datrex Compressed Food Emergency Ration. The particular one I have is 3600 cals total. It is seperated into 18 individual bars compressed into one brick. Each bar has 200 cal, 3 grams protein, 21 g carbs, 10 g of fat. And on it says to eat one bar every 4 hours in an emergency situation. Bad thing about though is this little brick weighs 24 ounces.

You're probably fine in the summer if you don't carry e-rats, provided that you don't mind suffering. I wouldn't try that in winter or at high altitude. Food is your heat source. Hypotherm is a no go.

I've had to go hungry when I had to take a two day detour around a snowed in pass. I doubt I was physically harmed, but going light on food for a day and half while burning a lot of calories was no fun at all.

At 3600 cal for 24 oz, that's 150 cal/oz which is pretty good density, between typical carbs and fats..

From experience 2400 calories is probably as much as I could force myself to eat in one day.

The 2400 calorie version is about 1 pound. I also looked at some trail mixes. The calorie to weight ratio is about the same. You just need to make up a mix that emphasises fat and has less protein to at least match Datrex.

The below is an interesting option. The package is a 15 day supply but they told me that if properly stored an open package should last several years: http://www.unlimitedawakening.com/SURV.html

If you were willing to live on these this could be one more step down the path to ultralight bliss (or is that looneyness?)

Mark,

I've seen those discs before, they definitely look pretty interesting. Have you ever tried those Datrex things, the ingredients are the following:

* Wheat Flour
* Vegetable Shortening
* Granulated Sugar
* Salt
* Water
* Coconut Flavoring

I might open mine up and try it, I had actually forgotten about it until this topic came up.

man. I'm having flashbacks of the original powerbar... remember malt-nut? Yuk! I guess when you need the calories though. You probably burn more calories trying to chew the darn thing though. ;-)

If you looking for almost 100% fat emergency bar, why not to think about fatback bacon?
It have almost 100% of fat, a lot of calories as well as you can store ready to eat around year, if properly prepared.
I dont sure about commercial names of this product in USA, but in Europe it mostly known as Lardo, Szalonna, Speck(Rückenspeck) or Salo(in Russia or Ukraine)
I believe, that you may buy it in any russian/ukrainian/hungary or german foods stores.
Once properly prepared, its very good as survival food or just to eat it when you wish.
Currently, I still have one piece of Salo in my fridge, stored for 13 months in a glass jar with the salted water. And its still very OK.

Edited by abk2006 on 10/17/2009 20:46:10 MDT.

So if one could stomach these for the length of a backpacking trip, are there any reasons for not making this a primary (sole?) food source other than taste (I've never tried any of them) and monotony? I can definitely be an "eat to live" rather than a "live to eat" hiker and so could probably be happy enough with these if there are no health or performance reasons to not be.

Pros: Good calorie/weight ratio, zero prep. time, zero stove/fuel/cook equip. weight, "bombproof"/long shelf life, size?(I can't find this)

Cons? Nutrition?

****DATREX****
Serving Size 2 bars (76 g)
Servings per Container: 9
Amount per serving
Calories 400 cal.
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20 g 52%
Cholesterol 0.756 mg 0%
Sodium 1.5 mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 42 g 105%
Protein 6 g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Ingredients:
Wheat flour, Vegetable Shortening, Cane Sugar, Water, Coconut, and Salt.


****MAINSTAY****
Serving Size: 1 bar (2.67 oz\76g)
Servings per Container: 9
Amount per serving
Calories 400
Calories from Fat 210
% Daily Value*
Total Fat23g 36%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 0 g 0%
Sodium23mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates46g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Sugars 14g
Protein3g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Vitamin A 50% Vitamin C 60%
Calcium 50% Iron 10%

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Ingredients:
Enriched Flour, (Added Vitamins A, B-1, B-2, D, E, B-6, B-12, Niacin, Iron, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Phosphorous), Vegetable Shortening, (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils), Granulated Sugar, Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Natural Lemon Flavor, Artificial Butter Flavor, Artificial Vanilla Flavor, (Tartrazine, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40), Artificial Color, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Gamma/Delta Tocopherols as a natural antioxicant.


****S.O.S.****
Serving Size .161 lbs (73 g)
Servings per Container - 9
Amount per serving
Calories 400
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28 g 43%
Saturated Fat 10 g 40%
Mono Unsaturated Fat 7 g 27%
Poly-Unsaturated Fat 9 g 33%
Sodium 48 mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 41 g 14%
Protein 5%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 15%
Thiamin 15% Riboflavin 15%
Niacin 15%

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Ingredients:
Wheat Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Cane and Corn Sugars, Dried Coconut, Corn Starch, and Corn Syrup. Additives Used: Ascorbyl Palmitate, and lecithin as Antioxidants; Calcium Propionate as Antimycotic; Citric Acid, Guar Gum and Salt as Formulation Aids; and Multi-Vitamin Premix.


Thanks.

JohnA
(Edited the DATREX info. to match the serving size of the other two.)

Edited by JohnA on 11/20/2009 08:59:11 MST.

> if one could stomach these for the length of a backpacking trip,
That could be difficult - unless you were somewhere like the Antarctic. A diet of lard and Dehi mashed potato has been used there. But I think you would have a vitamin deficiency after a while.

Anyhow, while the Datrex sounds OK, the Mainstay and the SOS have a few too many artificial ingredients for my taste.

Cheers