Datrex Emergency Rations

This is what it says about them:

Approved by the U.S. Coast Guard
Manufactured Date April 2010
Expiration Date is April 2015

Each white ration package weighs 1 pound and consists of 12 bars of compressed concentrated food,which is enough food to last one person over 2 days.
They taste somewhat like a shortbread cookie and are very filling.

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Cane Sugar, Water, Coconut, and Salt.

# All natural ingredients.
# No preservatives.
# Energy Value: 2400 kcal
# High energy value.
# Ready to eat.
# Non thirst provoking.
# Small and lightweight.
# 5 year shelf life.
# Each white ration measures 3.5" x 3" x 2.5" and weighs 1 pound each.
# Take these on hiking and camping trips or put them in storage for emergencies.

For $5.00 a pack, it really doesn't seem like that bad of a deal for what they are.

I kept some in my camper shell for years. I opened them after, like 10 years and they were edible. Kind of sweet, not really nasty tasting at all. (The foil wrap was unbroken.)

I keep a bar in my BOB now.

IMO even if they lose any nutritional value, in an emergency they are better than nothing.

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They get old (boring) fast.  

Useful, but not something you want to live on for more than a week.  Great BOB food though if you're looking to save room and weight.

Even if they would get tiresome after eating a couple, it's nice to know that they hold their shelf life well and work like they should.  Would be good for a BOB that you planned to use for only a couple days and needed to travel light.  Could work well for hunting, too, I guess.

I think the only thing holding me back from buying any is the silly-ass shipping cost.  I'll try to find somewhere to get them cheaper.

We carry these on our boat when we head offshore.

The ones we tried differed mainly in taste.

From memory -
Mayday - Apple-Cinnamon like taste - sort of.
Mainstay - Lemon like taste - sort of.
Datrex - Coconut like taste - sort of.
ER Bar - Lemon-Vanilla like taste - sort of

I ordered one each of the 2,400 bars from different places to have the family try before ordering for BOBs and boat.

Mayday followed by ER Bar were voted "Least likely to make me gag" but YMMV.

Also, we found that the foil wrapping was not very abrasion restraint.  I vacuum them all now to provide extra protection.

was a member on here that did a week on just these, to see how well they worked. lots of pics and a good write up. let me see if i can find the thread...

linky
ETA link

They will keep you alive..... but taste like shit.

little tan rifle, you were asking about the membership, well being able to see the archives is one of the benefits.

So does fasting.

Their main advantage is that they last half of forever.

forget them.......look up millenium fruit flavored ration bars......not as big and bulky, 9 different flavors(tried them all and they taste great)  coastguard approved and have a shelf life of five years

+1000

Have had good service and pricing from here.

Buy the gross for the best price.

I've not researched other prices recently, but in just a quick look-see, they were still best per bar.

Only 400 calories per bar. Is that good or bad compared to others?

Thank goodness it's not an either ration bars or starving proposition in most cases.  But that was their intent.

The main purpose of these ration bars tends to be cannibalism avoidance in lifeboats.   Oops, I meant to say they provide the maximum number of ration portions, in the smallest space with the longest storage life in a non climate controlled environment, protected by damage resistant yet easily accessible packaging, while requiring no preparation other than unwrapping before consuming.  Taste and consumer satisfaction was a secondary consideration.

I have about a dozen 12 packs of Datrex bars.  Used to keep a pack in each of the vehicles, but I went with something else that doesn't necessitate breaking the seal on 12 rations to get at one bar.  Now I keep them strictly as last ditch or pass-out items.  

Better than having to eat the neighbors (or the neighbors having to eat me) seems to cover how I feel about them.

Those are very very good, especially when you haven't had anything to eat in a few days. But seriously, they do taste very good, at least I think so.

Link

Same price here but shipping is cheaper

Not if you order 7lbs or more.