Munk Pack Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes
Munk Pack's all natural, gluten free, non-GMO, kosher, vegan
pouches of squeezable oatmeal and fruit.
Andrew Buskov
Initial Report: March 09, 2015
Long Term Report: May 24, 2015
Tester
Biographical
Information:
| Name: |
Andrew Buskov |
| Age: |
40
|
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight: |
207 lbs (94 kg)
|
| Email: |
Rescue(at)Corridor9(dot)net |
| City, State Zip |
Madisonville, Kentucky
USA |
Backpacking
Background:
I’ve been backpacking for nearly 25 years, and have slowly started
developing my ideal style. I’ve gotten my pack weight down to roughly
20 - 25 lbs (9.1 - 11.3 kg) before water, and am finally at a
comfortable place. Day hiking is nice, but getting out over multiple
nights is
really what I enjoy. I like to take my time and view the scenery as
opposed to hiking hard. I also like being comfortable and insist on an
air mattress. I usually tent or hammock, but stay in shelters when
needed.
 Product
Information:
| Item: |
Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes
|
| Manufacturer: |
Munk Pack
|
| Website |
www.munkpack.com |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2015 |
| MSRP: |
N/A
|
| Listed Weight: |
Net Wt. 4.2 oz (119 g)
|
| Actual Weight: |
4.2 - 4.3 oz (119 - 122 g)
|
| Flavors: |
Blueberry Acai Flax, Raspberry
Coconut, Apple Quinoa Cinnamon
|
Product Description:
(From reading manufacturer's website and product
information)
Munk Pack grew out of the most simple of concepts; to create great
tasting,
packable, healthy, real food without out the fillers, syrups, sugars,
and additives found in most snacks and power bars. Their line of
Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes is the realization of that concept. These
squeezes aim provide those on the go with a wonderful alternative to
the
usual, a packable tasty whole grain oatmeal fruit squeeze. They are
designed with minimum packaging for minimum waste.
Product
Impressions:
 After
arriving home from work early late last week, my wife presented me with
a very neatly packaged Munk Pack box that Brown Santa left upon my
doorstep. It was easily apparent as soon as I opened the box that this
company was not only dedicated to healthy eating, but also doing their
part to provide a better world. The nine packaged Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze
packs were very carefully packaged in recyclable paper material. The
only part that didn't appear to be recyclable was the fruit
packages themselves, though this is also a question I have posed to the
manufacturer. I'm definitely not a green-freak, and not everything in
my house gets recycled properly. However, when I think about the world
I want to leave for my six year old son, I tend to purchase products
from
companies who actively try to limit waste and landfill clutter.
 Okay, so on to
the tasty stuff... I have to admit, I couldn't help myself after
opening
the
box and seeing exactly what was inside. It took all of 8 seconds before
I popped open one of the Raspberry Coconut packages and took my first
cautiously anticipated sip. See, while I'd love to say that I'm all
about healthy eating, the layer of extra natural warmth around my
midsection serves as a reminder otherwise. Because of this, I'm always
cautious about trying new "healthy" alternatives to my usual diet. In
my past experiences, healthy foods flavorings often sound great, but
generally taste anything but great. This was most definitely not the
case with the Munk Pack line of foods. As a matter of fact, I'm sipping
on one of the Blueberry Acai Flax pouches as I write this. In short,
so far, this stuff tastes awesome!
Not only is the oatmeal inside nice and creamy, the all-natural fruit
that is used still has a bit of a pulpy consistency. I can clearly
taste most of the fruit that is used in the ingredients. For example,
while the package says Blueberry Acai Flax, I can taste the banana, as
well as the apple, that are also ingredients. Mind you, they in no way
overpower the Blueberry & Acai flavoring. However, at least for me,
the hint of additional flavors leaves me wanting more. I truly can't
say that I actually notice the oatmeal at all, either in taste or
texture. This is actually kind of nice for me. While I enjoy my oatmeal
uncooked, overcooked, sweet and flavored, or plain, the idea of sipping
a grain through a makeshift straw was still something that was
unnatural to me.
The fruit squeeze mixture is packed in a Cheer Pack pouch. With its
resealable straw-style closure, tamper evident top, and collapsible
foil packaging, this looks like a backpackers dream all the way around.
I can have, and have had, a tasty treat anytime throughout the day that
I don't have to eat
it
all at one time. It's easy to tell which pouch I've opened should I
decide to
save it for later. Plus, I can neatly collapse the packaging after I've
finished with the product as shown by the photo on the left. The only
issue I have so far with the
product
is that it's imported. I'd much rather see "Made in the USA" stamped
instead of "Product of Canada". By the way, the blueberry pack that I
was slurping
on earlier, you can see in the picture that there wasn't much left
after I finished. Black tape
not included.
Long Term Report: May 24, 2015
Testing Locations & Conditions:
Throughout the testing period I was able to test the Munk Pack Oatmeal
Fruit Squeezes on 3 different backpacking trips for a total of 7 days
of hiking. Each of the trips was in the western Kentucky area on
beautiful days with zero rain, and temperatures in the low-mid 60's F
(17's C). In addition to the ones that were consumed on the trip, 3 of
them were consumed while writing the field report and sharing with the
family to get their take on the product.
Summary:
WOW! This item really is a backpackers dream. Throughout the entire
testing period I found it hard not to grab one of these on the way out
the door multiple times. I needed to save them for when I was hiking
and backpacking, but the Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes are very convenient and
taste wonderful. I loved the consistency, flavor, convenience,
packability, and limited waste that was left over after I consumed the
product. Even after eating them for 3 days in a row on one of my trips,
I never grew tired of the taste. I was indeed able to close the package
and "sip" on it multiple times throughout the day. At no point in time
did I feel that the product tasted differently than when I originally
opened the package. In addition, the product didn't leak or crumble
inside my cargo pockets or my pack pouches like other trail goodies
have in the past.
As mentioned, I did let my two kids and wife sample a couple during the
testing period. My son (six years old) loved the taste of all the
flavors and didn't seem bothered by the consistency at all. He's used
to drinking from spout pouches as we often purchase apple sauce
and other fruit smoothies in this style container. He said he "definitely wanted more during
our next camping trip." My daughter (14 going on know-it-all), the
picky / weak stomach / "ewwww that's nasty" one, liked the flavor but
not the consistency. Once she realized that it was oatmeal in pouch she
started gagging. This was after she smiled stating that that she liked
the taste though. Chalk it up to wishy-washy teenage drama. My wife
liked the taste as well, but wasn't too keen on the consistency either.
She mentioned that she'd eat it again if she had a hankering for the
taste, but it wasn't something she'd regularly pack for camping trips.
As mentioned above though, I love them and will likely purchase some
in the future for my own outings. The sense of tang (not Tang the
drink) coupled with the sweet flavors of fruit wash over the tongue
leaving me wanting for more.
I was, however, bothered by the lack of customer service that the
company provided, or in fact didn't provide. Not one of my questions
that were sent to the company were answered. I don't even know if the
company received them as I never received any response from the company
at all. When dealing with food products there needs to be some
sort of communication with concerned purchasers. This didn't sit well
with me...
Pros
|
Cons
|
Great taste
Very packable
Little waste
Smooth consistency
Wonderful flavor options
Resealable
Convenient
|
Zero communication from company
when emailed with questions and comments.
|
I'd like to thank Munk Pack and
BackpackGearTest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test the
whole line of Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes.
Read more gear reviews by Andrew Buskov
|
