Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

When I first tried a Probar, I though I had finally found the "perfect trail bar" to challenge the venerable Bear Valley Pemmican Bar. It packs smaller, weighs slightly less, performs just as well, and tastes much better in a somewhat moister "brick"

When I opened the package, I thought briefly a birdfeed company had mistakenly packaged a block of suet in the wrapper. But being a typical hungry hiker, I tentatively tried the Berry flavored Probar, and found it was actually quite good, much better tasting than the Pemmican Bars I have always favored. Half a bar, and my hunger was extinguished for another few miles. I have since tried the original and bananna flavored Probars as well. The bananna may be my favorite, with the berry a close second.

This link shows a blow-by-blow comparison of Bear Valley vs. Probars.

http://www.rei.com/ComparisonChartDisplay.do?type=User&storeId=8000&vcat=REI_SEARCH

As you can see, both are comparable in terms of overall weight, calories, carbs, and fiber. Bear Valley Pemmican clearly wins in terms of protein and postassium. Probars are the winner for fats and (in my experience) flavor. The noticeably higher sodium in BVP's may or may not be an issue for various hikers.

I would definitely give probars a 5, except for cost. At more than twice the price of Bear Valley's products, they still only get my 4. But they will definitely begin to augment my summer maildrops for those days when my stomach and taste buds can't handle another Pemmican Bar.

Edited by Bearpaw on 02/23/2007 17:17:36 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

After reading Shawn's review I went to Probar's website. I was impressed so I ordered a case of bars from Amazon.com (cheapest I could find with a cursory search). I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh taste, moistness and overall excellent flavor.

According to the company these have a shelf-life of one year but can also be frozen to extend that shelf-life. I purchased the berry flavor and look forward to trying the others.

The true test will be on the trail. I've tried many bars but after consuming them on a long trip they all start tasting the same and I often can't eat them. I think I left 30 Cliff Bars in the hiker box at Muir Trail Ranch a few years back! I'm thinking this might just be my perfect bar!

Rating: 5 / 5

After reading the other reviews, I decided to try them on a night hike in the Grand Canyon. The berry probars did very well and kept me going over 16 miles. I like the taste, weight, size and the sustained energy.

Edited by mrschurr on 03/14/2007 11:02:42 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

I'm not sure if there is merit to the Raw Food claims of some people but I've had very good results with ProBars.

On one peak bagging trip I was near bonking when I took 20 minutes off to eat a ProBar and down some water. When I got up I just hoped I felt good enough to summit (12,000 footer). I was surprised to find I felt quite strong and enjoyed the rest of the day.

I really trust these on hard days.

PS - They taste good too.

Rating: 5 / 5

These bars are amazing. I just finished hiking the PCT and any time I managed to get my hands on these bars I devoured them. My favourite flavour was Lemon Cranberry, and least favourite was Apple-Cinnamon. The others were pretty tasty too. I haven't had the BV ones though, so I can't compare.

I admit that the price is a bit off-putting, but sometimes it's more important to have something you'll actually eat!

Rating: 5 / 5

I was about to write my own review of these wonderbars, when Shawn beat me to it. I have been enjoying these 350 calorie bars for about 3 months and have been using them as my lunch on the trail. They are great at packing a lot of cals into a small 50 gram package. The taste is great and the variety of flavors allows me to avoid boredom for at least 4 days on the trail before repeating the same flavor.

Give them try!

Rating: 5 / 5

The Probars are the only nutrition bars I have tried that I really like. The first bite tastes good, the second bite tastes better, and each bite thereafter tastes even better---by the time I take the last bite, I want to eat another bar! There are seven different flavors, and I like all of them except for the Koka Moka flavor (people who love cocoa might like the Koka Moka). They provide me with plenty of energy when I eat them on the trail (the various flavours range from 350 to 400 calories each, which makes for an excellent calorie-to-weight ratio). They do cost more than other nutrition bars, but I personally don't mind to pay a premium price for a premium product. I actually want to eat these bars, and that is something I can't say about all the other brands of nutrition bars I have tried. Do yourself a favour and try a Probar soon!

Rating: 5 / 5

Pro Bar has managed to combine good taste, high calories, and a very filling energy bar all into one which makes this a great snack to throw in my backpack for all of my hikes. Little on the pricey side though, I cringe every time I buy more then one

Edited by fairweather8588 on 03/22/2008 10:43:18 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

If you don't make your own bar-like foods, this is the next best thing. ProBars, in all flavors, are the Jaguar X8 of food bars. They're dense, super tasty, and pretty expensive. If you mix, say, 1-2 real food meals a day with gorp and a few Bear Valley MealPacks and ProBars, you'd eat very well indeed with little food fatigue.

The balance of nutrients seems spot-on, and they're physically quite small. Best bar I've used so far...sparingly, due to cost!

(EDIT: Except their new(er) Sweet & Savory line. All thoroughly disgusting! 1 out of 5!) :-)

Edited by atomick on 07/16/2008 17:54:36 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

I'd truly give a 4.5/5 just due to the high price. Well, they say you get what you pay for.
And this is true with probar.

They've been my staple (Art's OG, Superfood, and Berry) for a year now and I can say that they are one of the best tasting and nutritionally fulfilling bars that I've come across thus far. Also a nice caloric punch for the weight. My lady and I swear by them for the mid-day pickmeup on the trail.
BTW we buy em by the case to save a penny. They also freeze if someone needed to extend shelf life.