|
|
 |
Guest - Not logged in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Luna Sports Moons Energy Chews > Test Report by Jo Ann MoffiPhoto Courtesy of LUNAbar Website
Product Information Manufacturer: Clif Bar & Co. Year of Manufacture: 2007 Made In: U.S.A. URL: http://www.lunabar.com/ MSRP: N/A Flavours: Pomegranate, Blueberry, and Watermelon Listed Weight: 30 g (1.05 oz) for one single serve packet Actual Weight: 32 g (0.9 oz) for one single serve packet INITIAL REPORT Date: January 20, 2008 Item Received: January 16, 2008 I received six single serving packages of the LUNA Sport Moons, two of each flavour. Each single serving packet contains 12 Moons. The packaging opens at the top left hand corner via its serrated cut line. The LUNA Sport literature enclosed with the package and the packaging outlines the following features for the Moons:
The LUNA Sport Moons are designed to replace energy and electrolytes during activity lasting an hour or more. The recommended consumption rate is one package for each hour of activity. Each Moon is smaller in size than other brands of energy chews to fit a woman's smaller mouth. The Moons are certified organic, although I couldn't find how much of the ingredients are organic. I plan on consuming the Moons while hiking, running, snowshoeing, snowboarding and for gym-based workouts. I will be checking on the taste, texture, ease of use, packability, durability, and appropriateness to the activity while consuming the Moons. Since there is such a limited amount of product to test, I didn't taste test the Moons for the sake of the initial report. I will be saving them to use in my upcoming activities over the next few weeks. FIELD REPORT Date: April 29, 2008 About 2 weeks after the first batch of LUNA Sport Moons arrived, another package came from the manufacturer with an additional 2 packages of individual serving packages in each flavour for a total of 12 packages of product. Yay! All but 4 packets were consumed over the past three months. Testing Conditions and Locations: The weather has been ideal this winter; we've had heavy snowfall during the week with the weekends sunny and clear. The temperatures ranged from -10 to 23 C (14 to 73 F) for the weekends over the course of the Field Report period. During the week is a different story. Snow accumulation has been up to 0.6 m (2 ft) in less than 12 hours on a couple of occasions. We've also had frigid temperatures dropping to -29 C (-20 F) with winds blowing out of the east at 33 km/h (20 mph). I generally avoid doing much physical activity outdoors on those days. Locations I consumed the Moons were in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and the Hiawatha Highlands in the Algoma region, just outside of Sault Ste. Marie. This area has many linked trails meandering through red and white pine old-growth forests and dense boreal stands of jack pine and spruce linked by a network of rivers, lakes, and wetlands. I also took them with me when ice hiking on Lake Superior near Batchewana Bay, Ontario. Elevations range from 225 to 315 m (738 to 1033 ft) above sea level. I used the LUNA Sport Moons snowshoeing, hiking, and running over the past three months. The snowshoeing and hiking excursions were generally from 1-3 hours long. I didn't keep track of the snowshoeing mileage as we were meandering along trails that weren't necessarily marked and sometimes making our own trails. Hikes were from 4 to 7 km (2.5 to 4.4 mi) long and runs were just under 4 km (2.5 mi). Since I have 4 packages left, I consumed 8 packages over the past 12 weeks. Before Consuming the Moons: I carried the Moons either in the top pocket of my backpack while snowshoeing and hiking or in a jacket or pants pocket while running. The packaging was easy to open - both the lower and upper edges of the packaging was serrated so that I could tear the package easily anywhere along its length. The packaging was then easily stowed back in my pack or pocket until I could dispose of it. Consuming the Moons: Although each flavour of the Moons had its own unique taste, I didn't favour any one over the others. I equally enjoyed all three. They weren't over powering nor were the flavours too weak. They have a texture similar to that of a Gummi Bear candy (a small rubbery-textured candy in the shape of a bear). I consumed the moons on a couple of my runs, but at 4 km (2.5 mi) I found the runs were much to short to necessitate the need for an energy chew. I didn't notice any appreciable difference between a run where I ate the moons and one that I didn't. I used these runs as more of a test for the consistency of the Moons at various temperatures. On -16 C (3 F) day, I took the Moons out of the packaging at home and put them in an outside pocket so that they would be more exposed to the cold. They remained chewy, but the outside did get a bit tougher. After a few seconds of resting against the inside of my cheek, the Moons warmed and were easily chewed. I also noted that on the runs it was difficult to continue running and chew at the same time. It made breathing harder to do as I am primarily a mouth breather during aerobic activity. The Moons are much more suited to a longer snowshoe or hike. I ate the other 6 packages while either snowshoeing or hiking. I didn't feel drained nor did I notice any appreciable hunger after a hike or snowshoe that I ate the Moons on. I am very happy to say the Moons are a nice alternative to eating an energy bar or other such trail snack. They provide me with an adequate amount of energy without making me feel bloated or too full. I would definitely consider the Moons as a snack choice for my future backpacking and hiking trips. Likes: Easily opened packaging Taste of all flavours Dislikes: None! This concludes my Field Report. Thank you to BackpackGearTest and Clif Bar & Co. for the opportunity to test the LUNA Sport Moons. Read more gear reviews by Jo Ann Moffi Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Luna Sports Moons Energy Chews > Test Report by Jo Ann Moffi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
