I really like alot of the bars put out by Odwalla. Some of them *look* kind of interesting (superfood = compressed road apples) but they taste good and have a solid ingredient base.

Some Odwalla bars always get tossed in along with some Hammer gel and (now) a ProBar or two.

I got a cherry pie flavor Lara bar. I liked it. It is a bit tart and not sugary, and is chewy, not hard. My wife and son did not like it. The person on the phone said it is their most popular flavor.

I don't have the sweet tooth for most of the bars out there. There are two things I really like:
1. BALANCE Energy Crunch Mix. This is a great tasting substitute for gorp - a little healthier too. The Chocolate and Toffee mixes tast good, The Berry Crunch is awful!

2. CLIFF BAR Chocolate Almond Fudge. This is a satisfying brownie like bar. I like the texture, a little of the almond crunch, and the taste - without being overly sweet.

I have a budding addiction to Larabars that I've tempered so far by reminding myself how much they cost. Yikes.

Now, the $2.29 I've seen mentioned is a bit steeper than around here (New Mexico). Regular price at Wild Oats is $1.79, and they have been on sale a few times at $1.59. On top of that, when you buy a case of ANYTHING at Wild Oats they will bump 10% off the price (even if you mix flavors rather than just grab a case box off the shelf). That brings the unit cost down to about $1.43 plus tax. Not too bad for something that tastes so good.

The story behind Larabar is typical - she was on a backpacking trip and decided that the food she brought was gross and "why can't anyone make a bar that I like???", so after the trip she started experimenting. Usually the story includes a line about her burning through a dozen food processor motors - hehe - and finalizing the formulations.

Getting shelf life took a new wrapper technology, and then they were ready to sell.

No, I don't work for them. I just had a minor epiphany the very first bar I tried (banana cookie), and I spread the word when I can.

And, since $1.43 is still not that cheap, I of course have been experimenting with my own food processor now and then. :-)

Andrea
http://tenacity.net

I Consumed 5 Clif Bars/day on 12 day unsupported JMT trip last summer with no problems. they are edible in a wide range of temperatures and I get them for $.79 @ Costco Warehouse Stores. I'd love to know how to obtain them for the previously reported $.50-.60

Regarding water consumption with bars: The human body can only metabolize 7gm of carbohydrate/100ml water(referred to as The 7% Solution). (I don't know how this applies to protein and fats.) Therefore it should come as no surprise that you have to consume twice as much water with a 400 calorie bar than with a 200 calorie bar. This also means that if you eat over 70gm of carb/liter of water(or put this amt. of carb powder in your water) your body will dehydrate itself attempting to add fluid to your stomach until it's contents are diluted to 7%.

This is also why I don't understand gels. They are heavy (because they contain water) and you have to guess how much water to consume with the amount of gel that you have consumed to avoid going over 7%. I pre-measure $.25 baggies of Gatorade and toss one in each quart of water and I have a bottle of 7% solution ready to go. What could be simpler, lighter, cheaper, easier and more accurate?

Edited by Al_T.Tude on 06/27/2005 03:43:00 MDT.

Quoting you here... "My big gripe about the gel products is the packaging is awkward. I'd rather see the stuff in a tube with a cap (like toothpaste, pesto mix, or wasabi) and I could just take a hit off the tube when the urge strikes. A tube that held the equivalent of 3-4 gel packages would seem to be about right."

Have you seen the DIY food tubes that REI has? If you don't mind packaging them yourself this might be an option for you. I think the packaging weight might be more, but it is a reusable food tube that could be used again and again. They would probably hold several servings compared to the serving size of the original product.

Tim

Most posts here are concerned with taste and calories. But I find that not all calories are created equal.

My family finds that bars that have a significant amount of protein are more satisfying. We each ate two bars every morning for breakfast for 14 days on the Wonderland Trail, one upon waking, the second mid-morning. This kept us going until lunch (on occasion I would have liked a third bar, though).

Bars without significant protein do not keep us going until lunch.

We tried them all: Power bars, Clif bars, Balance bars, Luna, etc, and have a mild preference for Clif bars.

I make my own bars using a high energy cereal by Kelloggs called Vector. I'm not sure if you have it in the US but it is available up here in Canada. I add peanut butter, fruit and a few other ingredients to make my own energy bars.

Now if I had to buy bars I would have to say that Clif and Luna are my favs. I really like the Clif Carrot Cake bar.