I placed one of the ProBars on the dashboard of my car for two full days, enduring temperatures up to (at least) 160 F/71 C. Through the wrapper I could feel that the bar had lost its structural integrity, and most likely would be a gooey mess if I had opened it on the spot. Once cooled to room temperature, it regained a solid form with no visible ill effects, except for the melted carob chips. When I ate the ProBar, I didn't notice any off flavors.

The other heat test I performed was to gradually heat one of the bars, using an upside-down fish tank as a mini-greenhouse. At about 90 F/32 C, the carob chips had started to melt. At 100 F/38 C, the bar was beginning to soften, and by 110 F/43 C, the ProBar lost solidity and I had to eat it while holding it in the wrapper, otherwise the carob and other ingredients would have gotten all over my hands.

The ProBars have accompanied me on two overnighters and my (usually) weekly dayhikes. I have grown used to the taste, though it still reminds me of an average granola.

My first overnighter was hiking the Jordan River Pathway in Michigan, an 18 mile/30 km round-trip hike that had me climbing and descending hills the whole first day and a fair deal of the second. We had arrived at the trailhead after eating an early lunch, but I was starting to wear out a few miles into the hike. I ate one of the bars, and afterward I felt better and it kept me going for quite a bit longer. I had to eat another ProBar in the early evening, to help me with the final push to the campground.

The second day I only consumed one bar, towards the end of the day. While eating one of the ProBars, an almond became dislodged and fell to the ground, taking a corner of the bar with it. With a careful eye on the consistency of the bar, I've managed to avoid this problem since.

Another thing that I found out on this trip is that I needed to find a better place to store the bars than at the bottom of my food bag. The ProBars quickly became smushed, and I had to be careful when opening the package to ensure that there were no loose pieces that would fall out. When they aren't on the bottom of the food bag they fare a little bit better, though when backpacking they still tend to get beaten up a bit, no matter where I put them.

My second overnighter was a 12 mile/19 km round trip hike to the Blind Lake campground at Pinckney Recreation Area (part of the state park system) in Michigan. This hike was relatively easy, and with 1 ProBar each day, I didn't feel drained at all.

My dayhikes have varied from two to six miles (3 to 9.5 km) at Michigan state parks, with flat to mildly hilly terrain. The ProBar has kept my energy levels up during all of these hikes.

While I'm still not overly excited about the ProBar's taste, on the trail it's not too bad. Through testing I've verified that I am indeed addicted to chocolate, and that I need some real chocolate in addition to the ProBar to keep me mentally and physically going on the long haul. As an addendum to this report, I have purchased some additional ProBars (they are the same mixture as the original bars that I received) to take along on a 12 night trip to Isle Royale, to see how I fare with them in the long term. I initially considered bringing two bars per day, but space, weight, and the confirmation that *I* need at least one chocolatey snack per day has brought me down to testing one bar per day for ten consecutive days. The addendum to this report will be filed around August 19.

On the nutritional end, the ProBar fulfilled its promises, providing me with the additional energy I needed during my hikes.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised that the ProBars turned out to be a food that I could eat for at least eight days straight, if not more. On my 12 night trip to Isle Royale I brought along 10 ProBars, to see if it would be one of the foods that I quickly tire of and end up not eating after a few days.

The first few days they weren't bad, but on the days where I had a more strenuous hike I found that I was just wolfing the whole thing down. On one particularly demanding day, I had two bars, and on another I split an extra bar with my husband (Scott didn't want a whole bar since he doesn't like raisins). In most cases the ProBars were a mid-morning snack, and they did seem to do a good job of helping me keep my energy up.

For future trips that are more than overnighters or long weekends, I would definitely take the ProBar with me. Realistically, I will probably bring other energy bars as well for a variety of flavor, but the ProBar has proven to be an asset in my pack.

ProBar Original Blend V. 1.1 and Whole Berry Blast

To date I've only tested the bars on a dayhike and with 'at home' use. The Original Blend and Whole Berry Blast have properties very similar to the V. 1.0 bar. Both have served as a breakfast and kept me satiated until lunch, and have helped me keep my energy up on a dayhike. The only factor that currently distinguishes the new bars from the first ones I received is the taste. Over the next few months I will be testing these bars in more strenuous activities, and will be able to report in greater detail.

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Probar > Becki Stacy > Field Report