Initial Report

Probar - Nutty Banana Boom
Initial Report
June 1, 2006

Personal Biographical Information:

Name: Ken Bigelow
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.8 m)
Weight: 205 lbs (93 kg)
Email address: krb84108 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Backpacking Background:

I was first dragged on a backpacking trip eight years ago and have been addicted to it ever since. My adventures vary in length from a weekend to over two weeks. I am slowly shifting my backpacking style to a lightweight approach. I recently upgraded to a hammock to reduce weight. From spring through fall I typically backpack in the mountains or desert, while in winter I often go snowshoeing. I typically see a wide variety of climates ranging from 10 F (-12 C) with snow to 90 F (32 C) and sunny with just about everything in between.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Probar, LLC
Website: theprobar.com/
Listed Weight (on package exterior): 3 oz (85 g)
Average Measured Weight: 3.2 oz (91 g)
Year Produced: 2006
Flavored Tested: Nutty Banana Boom
Packaged Dimensions: 6 in x 3.5 in (15 cm x 9 cm)
Energy Bar Dimensions: 3 in x 3in (8 cm x 8 cm)
MSRP: None listed (approximately $3 US/bar based on numerous retailers)

Product Description & Initial Impressions:

I received two boxes of Probars (each box contains 12 individually wrapped energy bars) for testing. Each bar is packaged in a sealed wrapper with an expiration date, the manufacturer’s name & logo, the flavor and some small illustrations relating to the flavor (bananas and peanuts). The back contains the energy bar’s nutritional facts, the ingredients, allergy information and some contact information (website included) for Probar. At the time of this report, the Banana Nutty Boom flavor is not noted on the website (that I could see). It does look similar to the two flavors listed which is what I expected after browsing Probar’s easy to navigate website.

A 12-Pack of Probars

Opening up a Nutty Banana Boom reveals a square bar with numerous ingredients blended together, but still discernable. After exposing the bar to the air I immediately could smell a strong scent of banana, nuts and something (probably a mix of multiple ingredients) that I was unable to place. The combined odor was not unpleasant in any way.

An Open Nutty Banana Boom Probar

For the Health Nuts:

Nutritional Facts

Calories	400
Calories from Fat	190
	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value Based on 2,000 Calorie Diet
Total Fat	21 g	32
Saturated Fat	6 g	28
Trans Fat	0 g	-
Cholesterol	0 mg	0
Sodium	40 mg	-
Potassium	150 mg	4
Total Carbohydrate	47 g	16
Dietary Fiber	7 g	27
Sugars	19 g	-
Protein	19 g	-
Omega 3	670 mg
Omega 6	590 mg

Ingredients:

Natural unsalted peanut butter (peanuts), organic brown rice syrup, organic barley malt syrup, fruit & nut mix (organic raisins, organic sunflower seeds, juice sweetened papaya, juiced sweetened pineapple, dates, cashews, unsweetened coconut, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts), granola mix (oats, grape concentrate, expeller pressed canola oil, almonds, oat brand, natural orange oil, natural vitamin E), granola mix (organic oats, organic evaporated cane juice, organic expeller pressed canola oil, crisp rice (organic brown rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic molasses, sea salt), organic flax seeds, organic oats solids, hemp seed), granola (rolled oats, raisins, corn flakes (milled corn, evaporated cane juice, barley malt syrup), rolled rye, organic brown crisp rice (organic brown rice, organic malted barley syrup), almonds, apples, epasote, organic cardamom seed, organic fennel seed, organic fenugreek seed, organic nutmeg), organic sunflower seeds, chopped dates (dates, oat flour), organic banana chips, organic unsweetened coconut, organic flax seeds, raw cashews, organic brown sesame seeds, carob chips (whole grain malted barley and corn, fractionated palm kernel oil, carob powder, soy lecithin), raw almonds, natural banana flavor.

Testing Location:

I go hiking/camping or backpacking in Utah almost every weekend from the spring through the fall and will eat the Probars on every trip until the supply runs out. I plan on venturing into Bryce Canyon National Park or Cedar Mesa before the end of June. In the summer months I’ll be backpacking in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains almost every weekend. The terrain will vary greatly and will include wet and muddy corridors, slickrock, steep and rocky terrain as well as plain old dirt paths. Temperatures should range from 30 F (-1 C) to 90 F (32 C). I will likely see all types of weather ranging from heavy rain to sunny. The elevations experienced should be between 4,000 ft (1,200 m) and 11,000 ft (3,300 m).

Testing Plan:

Probars are claimed to be an all natural, 100% vegan energy bar with 15 whole blended foods. They are supposed to provide sports nutrition and act as a meal replacement. My waistline will testify that I am by no means a health nut, but I do run out of gas while hiking/backpacking if I do not digest enough nutrients to keep going. On the trail I typically skip both breakfast and lunch electing to just snack throughout the day. The Nutty Banana Boom flavored Probar will probably serve as two meals for me. If they do not supply me with an energy boost I am going to hit the wall in the afternoon. Will the Probars provide me with enough energy to hike all day long? Can I handle eating only Probars until dinnertime? Will eating them create an urgent need for water?

Does the new flavor taste good? While I’m no connoisseur of food, my waistline alone should stand as a testament that I know good food (and indulge in it) when I eat it. Does eating it evoke my gag reaction? Will I find myself craving a Probar when I’m no longer on the trail? Does eating one bar fill me up or will it leave my stomach needing additional sustenance? Will I require more than one bar to halt my hunger?

Will this new flavor disagree with my intestinal track? Will it sit well in my stomach or will it need immediate expulsion? Will eating a Probar leave an aftertaste that stays with me all day long? Can I pick out or remove any ingredients I don’t want to eat (i.e. specific nuts, seeds, etc.)? Will the Probars melt in their package on warm days? Will freezing the Probars kill any flavors? Can the package be quickly and easily opened? Will the bar crumble or fall apart when stored in my pack with my other gear free to squish it?

Thanks to Probar and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to participate in testing the Nutty Banana Boom Flavored energy bar.

Read more reviews of Probar gear
Read more gear reviews by Ken Bigelow

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Probar Nutty Banana Boom > Ken Bigelow > Initial Report

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