Posted: 2/28/2013 7:47:45 AM EDT
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For a get home bag (GHB) are Cliff bars a good idea?
If so, which ones taste the best? Where to buy? Is something else better? |
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Wal-Marts have a good selection, they are in the medical area. They last a long time but if you're going to store in your bag I would also suggest sealing the package up with a foodsaver or ziplock if you don't have one. The packages are not very tough and can easily get holes.
The wife and I have switched from the standard CB to the Clif Crunch bars. They taste really good but they are brittle. |
| I like the peanut butter ones as well as multiple chocolate varieties. What I am disappointed in is that I sent them an email a couple of weeks ago asking about heat tolerence and shelf life.......they never got back to me. Thinking they're a no-go for GHB in the summer months. |
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Quoted: I like the peanut butter ones as well as multiple chocolate varieties. What I am disappointed in is that I sent them an email a couple of weeks ago asking about heat tolerence and shelf life.......they never got back to me. Thinking they're a no-go for GHB in the summer months. Love the peanut butter ones. |
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I like the peanut butter ones as well as multiple chocolate varieties. What I am disappointed in is that I sent them an email a couple of weeks ago asking about heat tolerence and shelf life.......they never got back to me. Thinking they're a no-go for GHB in the summer months. They are fine in hot weather, actually a benefit vs powerbars or the like with a chocolate coating; nothing to really melt in the clif bars. I would however rotate them every year, if not every six months if you leave them in a car |
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I mix it up, most of them are pretty good, really moist compared to most bars available.
I always have a rotating stock of them because during work season I buy a box for the truck and eat one or two a day between meals. I think one is called white chocolate macadamia or something, those ones are really good with white frosting on them. The only ones I avoid are the all chocolate ones, they are a bit too much chocolate for me. |
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Nothing wrong with them. Don't let them get too cold though, especially if you have any dental work. They're pretty much like asphalt when cold.  I think just about any kinda bars are. I know the sweet and salty nut bars when cold will break your damn teeth 
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Nothing wrong with them. Don't let them get too cold though, especially if you have any dental work. They're pretty much like asphalt when cold. I've eaten them while winter camping in 20 below zero (F) temperatures. The key is to put them in your pants pocket for 30 minutes or so. I often layer a couple shirts, then a down vest and finally a down jacket over that. I put my water bottle and frozen snacks inside the pockets of the down vest where they thaw nicely. |
| My favorite is Oatmeal Raisin Walnut. I've been eating one for breakfast every morning for the last few years. It fills me up and I can make it to lunch without getting hungry. High in carbohydrates so it is ideal for an energy boost while hiking or hunting. I always have a couple of extra ones in every pack & vehicle. |
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I recently tried mountain house freeze dried packs....they taste great, provide a full meal, and last pretty much indefinitely.
Clif bars are great, but you need to rotate them out fairly often and don't offer a ton of nutrition for the long haul. If you are looking at an extended 'get home' excursion, look at MRE's or freeze dried type packs. I like having some food stuffed into my bag that will last me forever. 
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Nothing wrong with them. Don't let them get too cold though, especially if you have any dental work. They're pretty much like asphalt when cold. Agreed. They're all tasty but I especially like the fruit ones more than the chocolate. Less candy like so more palatable for me (especially when you may be eating a few during a long walk). Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: Quoted: Mac nut and white chocolate. Black cherry and almond. Just remember that they are junk carbs. Throw some real protein in or you will just stay hungry. It's whole oats and a thimble-full of cane sugar. Complex carbs don't get much better. EDIT: Not a worthwhile debate. I should have mentioned it's rolled oats and brown rice sugar. Not whole and cane. From a nutritional standpoint, it doesn't matter much. Both have the same GI impact of a sugar filled Coke. Get some dried fruit and protein. There are plenty of better sources of complex carbs. Just look to fruits and veg if you don't bother to read up on it yourself. |
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If planning on leaving bag out in the "elements", lifeboat-grade food bars might be worth a look too.
These are designed to endure wide temperature variances and not spoil or change texture. Texture is normally like a shortbread cookie (Lorna Doone?). Datrex, Mainstay, and others can offer 1200-3600 Calories per package depending on bar size. The Millenium Food Bars are 400 Calories per bar, and have a MUCH wider variety of flavors available. I do these type bars (esp the Milleniums) because of a food allergy to tree nuts, which pretty much takes most protein/meal bars off the list. |
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They're okay. When I was young and dumb I tried living off them for a weekend hiking trip. I also had some nuts and other lightweight foods like GORP. While I did well energy-wise, it was toooooo much fiber. I'll let you guess the results of that.
I then found these at REI: BEAR VALLEY which worked out well; as long as you rotate them. High calories for the weight. I think the ideal combination would be some Datrex rations (last 5 years even in the heat), some Clif bars for taste, and some of those Bear Valley bars. Throw in a few packets of nuts and/or some raisins and you're good to go. Add a pack of multi-vitamins to offset any missing nutrients and it ought to help. Being as I can't eat any of those foods right now due to new food allergies (no dairy or soy), I make do with other things. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Mac nut and white chocolate. Black cherry and almond. Just remember that they are junk carbs. Throw some real protein in or you will just stay hungry. It's whole oats and a thimble-full of cane sugar. Complex carbs don't get much better. EDIT: Not a worthwhile debate. I should have mentioned it's rolled oats and brown rice sugar. Not whole and cane. From a nutritional standpoint, it doesn't matter much. Both have the same GI impact of a sugar filled Coke. Get some dried fruit and protein. There are plenty of better sources of complex carbs. Just look to fruits and veg if you don't bother to read up on it yourself. Rolled oats are just flattened whole oats. And yes, cane sugar is used. But brown rice syrup is still a derived from... brown rice, a very whole grain. Not sure what you're missing. Certainly dried fruit and nuts or jerky is nutritionally preferable, but in terms of something I can buy for .89 and throw in my pack for a few weeks, Clif is tough to beat. |
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They're good, but they only keep about a year. Had some two year old ones in a BOB and they were edible but clearly past their prime. This. I like Clif Bars, but for a bob or ghb, the shelf life is too short for what you pay. You'd be better off buying grocery store granola bars. |
| Thanks for the info everybody! My wife bought the last two boxes of Clif bars available to the local WalMart last night and they do taste good. The problem is that they are 6 months old already, according to the date on the boxes. After trying them we will buy more and rotate often. Vehicles get up to 130 degrees F in the summer here!!!! |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Mac nut and white chocolate. Black cherry and almond. Just remember that they are junk carbs. Throw some real protein in or you will just stay hungry. It's whole oats and a thimble-full of cane sugar. Complex carbs don't get much better. EDIT: Not a worthwhile debate. I should have mentioned it's rolled oats and brown rice sugar. Not whole and cane. From a nutritional standpoint, it doesn't matter much. Both have the same GI impact of a sugar filled Coke. Get some dried fruit and protein. There are plenty of better sources of complex carbs. Just look to fruits and veg if you don't bother to read up on it yourself. Rolled oats are just flattened whole oats. And yes, cane sugar is used. But brown rice syrup is still a derived from... brown rice, a very whole grain. Not sure what you're missing. Certainly dried fruit and nuts or jerky is nutritionally preferable, but in terms of something I can buy for .89 and throw in my pack for a few weeks, Clif is tough to beat. Not missing anything. Rolled oats are not the same. Are brown and white rice the same? Is a sweet potato the same as a potato chip? Cane sugar is not used. I just get annoyed with bad information being passed off as good counsel. I have no idea where you are getting your information from. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy alternative in the bulk aisle of any given store. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy meal replacement. Promoting something that is almost 100% carbs with minor junk soy protein thrown in and isn't nutritionally optimal as a meal replacement is bad counsel. Promoting something that will leave them hungry in 30 minutes is also bad counsel. There isn't much point in us debating each other. There is no debate. Rolled oats and rice sugar have the GI impact of a full sugar coke. If you are willing to advise emergency rations as a six pack of coke, that is your business. It's hard for someone like me not to disagree wholeheartedly. It's a terrible meal replacement but a decent way to replenish lost glycogen stores. To make it a meal, you need balance. Being in the health food aisle and coming in a brown wrapper does not equal "healthy". |
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Not missing anything. Rolled oats are not the same. Are brown and white rice the same? Is a sweet potato the same as a potato chip? Cane sugar is not used. I just get annoyed with bad information being passed off as good counsel. I have no idea where you are getting your information from. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy alternative in the bulk aisle of any given store. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy meal replacement. Promoting something that is almost 100% carbs with minor junk soy protein thrown in and isn't nutritionally optimal as a meal replacement is bad counsel. Promoting something that will leave them hungry in 30 minutes is also bad counsel. There isn't much point in us debating each other. There is no debate. Rolled oats and rice sugar have the GI impact of a full sugar coke. If you are willing to advise emergency rations as a six pack of coke, that is your business. It's hard for someone like me not to disagree wholeheartedly. It's a terrible meal replacement but a decent way to replenish lost glycogen stores. To make it a meal, you need balance. Being in the health food aisle and coming in a brown wrapper does not equal "healthy". um, as a matter of fact white rice and brown rice are the same thing. the only difference is white rice has the germ and bran layer removed. they come from the same plant. so to answer that question, yes, they are the same. same grain just processed differently. for a get home bag they are more than acceptable. we arent talking about a BOB that you have to live off of for days. the average human can live 3 days or more without food so clif bars are just fine for a quick pick me up on your way home. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Mac nut and white chocolate. Black cherry and almond. Just remember that they are junk carbs. Throw some real protein in or you will just stay hungry. It's whole oats and a thimble-full of cane sugar. Complex carbs don't get much better. EDIT: Not a worthwhile debate. I should have mentioned it's rolled oats and brown rice sugar. Not whole and cane. From a nutritional standpoint, it doesn't matter much. Both have the same GI impact of a sugar filled Coke. Get some dried fruit and protein. There are plenty of better sources of complex carbs. Just look to fruits and veg if you don't bother to read up on it yourself. Rolled oats are just flattened whole oats. And yes, cane sugar is used. But brown rice syrup is still a derived from... brown rice, a very whole grain. Not sure what you're missing. Certainly dried fruit and nuts or jerky is nutritionally preferable, but in terms of something I can buy for .89 and throw in my pack for a few weeks, Clif is tough to beat. Not missing anything. Rolled oats are not the same. Are brown and white rice the same? Is a sweet potato the same as a potato chip? Cane sugar is not used. I just get annoyed with bad information being passed off as good counsel. I have no idea where you are getting your information from. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy alternative in the bulk aisle of any given store. It's not that hard to come up with a healthy meal replacement. Promoting something that is almost 100% carbs with minor junk soy protein thrown in and isn't nutritionally optimal as a meal replacement is bad counsel. Promoting something that will leave them hungry in 30 minutes is also bad counsel. There isn't much point in us debating each other. There is no debate. Rolled oats and rice sugar have the GI impact of a full sugar coke. If you are willing to advise emergency rations as a six pack of coke, that is your business. It's hard for someone like me not to disagree wholeheartedly. It's a terrible meal replacement but a decent way to replenish lost glycogen stores. To make it a meal, you need balance. Being in the health food aisle and coming in a brown wrapper does not equal "healthy". I misread/misspoke about cane sugar; it's ten different kinds of cane syrup. Beyond that, I'm waiting on an explanation of how rolled oats are to whole oats as white rice is to brown rice. Arguing from a glycemic index perspective, a clif bar is going to be turned into glucose and amino acids the same way a bunch of dried figs and jerky will. But if the aim is to "get home", I'd rather have the easy to grab, quick to digest item in hand with my blood glucose a little higher a little sooner. This isn't a health food topic, but again, you could do a hell of a lot worse. Is it really that hard to believe that "healthy" things can be bought in packages at the store? OP: Good for you. Enjoy your Clif Bars. They work for some of the finest endurance athletes in the world, so I imagine they'll do you just fine in your BOB.
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They're okay. When I was young and dumb I tried living off them for a weekend hiking trip. I also had some nuts and other lightweight foods like GORP. While I did well energy-wise, it was toooooo much fiber. I'll let you guess the results of that. I then found these at REI: BEAR VALLEY which worked out well; as long as you rotate them. High calories for the weight. I think the ideal combination would be some Datrex rations (last 5 years even in the heat), some Clif bars for taste, and some of those Bear Valley bars. Throw in a few packets of nuts and/or some raisins and you're good to go. Add a pack of multi-vitamins to offset any missing nutrients and it ought to help. Being as I can't eat any of those foods right now due to new food allergies (no dairy or soy), I make do with other things. Try Larabars, made mostly from dates. The are dairy/soy/gluten free, kosher, vegan and non-GMO. Coconut creme pie is my favorite foillowed by pecan pie and cashew chew. I pack Datrex, Mainstay or SOS "life raft" bars along with CLIF bars. THise are good for quick energy but there's no reason not to pack a few MRE's and Mountain House to make sure you stay full. |
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They're okay. When I was young and dumb I tried living off them for a weekend hiking trip. I also had some nuts and other lightweight foods like GORP. While I did well energy-wise, it was toooooo much fiber. I'll let you guess the results of that. I then found these at REI: BEAR VALLEY which worked out well; as long as you rotate them. High calories for the weight. I think the ideal combination would be some Datrex rations (last 5 years even in the heat), some Clif bars for taste, and some of those Bear Valley bars. Throw in a few packets of nuts and/or some raisins and you're good to go. Add a pack of multi-vitamins to offset any missing nutrients and it ought to help. Being as I can't eat any of those foods right now due to new food allergies (no dairy or soy), I make do with other things. Try Larabars, made mostly from dates. The are dairy/soy/gluten free, kosher, vegan and non-GMO. Coconut creme pie is my favorite foillowed by pecan pie and cashew chew. I pack Datrex, Mainstay or SOS "life raft" bars along with CLIF bars. THise are good for quick energy but there's no reason not to pack a few MRE's and Mountain House to make sure you stay full. I have discovered the goodness of Larabars, and stock a few in my car kits.  I also have some nuts and raisins, as well as some stuff that the boy can eat (he's allergic to nuts). Not easy to accommodate all of us, but being as it's more of a day pack than anything, it's manageable.
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If you live near a Trader Joes, they have pretty good prices and selection. So you can buy one of each, give it a try, and stock up on the ones you like. I keep the Mainstay bars in my car since they are designed to withstand wide temperature variations. Keep other food as well but that gets rotated. |