BackpackGearTest
  Guest - Not logged in 

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Clif Shot Roks > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith

CLIF SHOT ROKS
BY NANCY GRIFFITH
OWNER REVIEW

November 07, 2010

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Nancy Griffith
EMAIL: bkpkrgirlATyahooDOTcom
AGE: 44
LOCATION: Northern California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 6" (1.68 m)
WEIGHT: 130 lb (59.00 kg)

My outdoor experience began in high school with involvement in a local canoeing/camping group called Canoe Trails. The culmination was a 10-day canoe voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania. I have completed all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. My typical trip now is in the Sierra Nevada in California and is from a few days to a week long. I carry a light to mid-weight load, use a tent, stove and hiking poles.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Roks
Photo courtesy of Clif
Manufacturer: Clif Bar & Co.
Year of Manufacture: 2010
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.clifbar.com
MSRP: Not Listed
Listed Weight: 70 g (2.5 oz) of Roks per package
Measured Weight: 2.6 oz (74 g) in package
Flavors Available: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
I've tried: Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Clif Shot Roks are a package of 10 individual bite-sized pieces of protein energy bar covered in a candy-like protective coating. Due to the protein content they are primarily for post-workout recovery. None of the flavors contain caffeine. They contain dairy and are thus not vegan. They are certified kosher dairy.

Ingredients:
The nutrition information varies slightly for each flavor but each package has 4.5 grams of fat, 270 calories and 20 g of protein. They contain between 46 - 49 % organic ingredients.

Chocolate:
INGREDIENTS: Clif Protein Blend TM (Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Glycerine, Inulin Syrup (Chicory Root Extract), Almond Butter, Natural Flavors, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin, Organic Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Confectioners Glaze, Salt, Organic Corn Starch, Colored with Caramel Color and Beta Carotene, Soy Lecithin, Carnauba Wax.

Peanut butter:
INGREDIENTS: Clif Protein Blend TM (Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Glycerine, Inulin Syrup (Chicory Root Extract), Organic Peanut Butter, Oat Flour, Natural Flavors, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin, Salt, Organic Corn Starch, Confectioners Glaze, Soy Lecithin, Colored with Caramel Color and Beta Carotene, Carnauba Wax.

FIELD USE

2010 was my year to focus on variety in my backpacking diet. With plans to do a 10-day trip in late summer, I wanted to provide plenty of food options. One idea was to try new snack ideas and I noticed that Clif had this new product with protein. I used them on several day hikes and backpacking trips to give a quick energy boost. Overall I've consumed them on 5 backpacking trips for a total of 20 days and on multiple day hikes and mountain bike rides.

Some examples include the following trips.

Backpacking:
Mumford Bar Trail, Sierra Nevada, California; 2 days; 13 mi (21 km); 2,640 to 5,360 ft (805 to 1634 m) elevation; 53 to 90 F (12 to 32 C)

Desolation Wilderness, Sierra Nevada, California; 3 days; 19.5 mi (31.4 km); 6,560 to 8,220 ft (2,000 to 2,505 m) elevation; 40 to 80 F (4 to 27 C)

Wonderland Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington; 10 days; 100 mi (161 km); 2,600 to 7,200 ft (792 to 2,195 m) elevation; 32 to 62 F (0 to 17 C)

I like products that contain protein since creating my backpacking menu can be challenging in that area. I love peanut butter and peanut flavored products and opted for that one and also gave Chocolate a try. I'm not a real fan of cookie dough flavors, so I haven't tried that one.

Taste, Size & Texture:
I liked both the Chocolate and Peanut Butter flavors with Peanut Butter being my favorite overall. The most glaring deficiency to me in the taste category is that the Roks are not offered in a malted milk flavor. The appearance reminds me very much of malted milk balls and I LOVE vanilla malt, so I'm hoping that Clif will see the light and add this flavor.

Each bag contains 10 Roks. I found them to be filling and never ate an entire package at one sitting by myself. My husband and I often shared a bag or I ate a bag over a period of the entire day or over a few days. I really like the individual Roks size for this purpose. I was able to fold the open bag over and keep the remaining Roks contained until I had eaten or shared them all.

The texture is chewy with a thin candy-like coating layer on the outside. I found them to be perfect for using in the heat because they didn't melt or soften to any noticeable degree. I used them in cooler weather (but not freezing) and found them to be more firm but once they were in my mouth for a few seconds, they again became soft and chewy. They provided a good amount of satisfaction both with the chewiness and with the protein content. They are not overly sweet but made a nice dessert in the evening.

Packaging:
The size of the package made it fairly easy to pack but it is not nearly as compact as a bar or gel. The bag was easy to open and when opened provided a hole large enough to get an individual Rok out without pouring out the entire bag. Unlike Clif's patented litter leash on their gels, this package does not have an easy way to contain the portion of the bag that is torn off when opened. I had to be very careful to make sure that I placed the tear tab in a secure spot or else it could be easily lost (and become litter).

SUMMARY

The Clif Shot Roks are a convenient and tasty way to get protein in my backpacking diet. The individual bite-sized portions make it easy to snack while on the move and to share with friends.

THEY GOT IT RIGHT

Tasty flavor
Convenient size of each Rok
Chewy texture

NEEDS IMPROVING

Package is not compact
It is easy to lose the tear tab
I would love to see a Vanilla Malt flavor

SIGNATURE

Nancy Griffith

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Read more gear reviews by Nancy Griffith

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Clif Shot Roks > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith



Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.



All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson