Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	24
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Weight	140 lbs (64 kg)
Email address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Newbie. I’ve been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I'm starting to get back into backpacking after a hiatus during college. I recently moved to Southern California and so far I've only backpacked in the Angeles National Forest but I'm planning on branching out to other low elevation mountain areas; the California desert; and the high Sierra in the summer months. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I am a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also do a mix of short and long day hikes in and around Los Angeles.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	ProBar
Manufacturer URL	www.theprobar.com
Year of Manufacture	2005
Listed Weight (I assume this is the bar only)	3 oz (85 g)
Average Actual Weight (all bars weighed and divided by total # of bars - including packaging)	3.2 oz (91 g) range of 2.6 - 3.7 oz (74 - 105 g)
Servings	2 servings per bar
Dimensions (in package) Dimensions (bar only)	4.25" x 6" (11 cm x 15 cm) 3" x 3"(8 cm x 8 cm)
Expiration Date	none listed (website mentions "naturally long shelf life")
MSRP	$3.50 US per bar
Product Description (from website)	The ProBar is the only bar to provide the combined nutrition and delicious flavor of 17 whole foods and is 100% vegan. The ingredients are blended, not baked, in order to retain the highest level of vital nutrients possible. This means that you finally get a sports nutrition bar that tastes like real food!

This is the 2nd of two reports on the ProBars. For more information on nutrition and ingredients please see my Initial Report. According to the ProBar website, it looks like the bars have been reformulated slightly. Please see my ingredient list in my Initial Report for the ProBars I tested. Also, it looks like new flavors may be on the way!

Testing Situations (back to top)

I have eaten the ProBars in day hikes, backpacks, and in everyday activities. I found that even after three months and three boxes of ProBars I still like them. I think that’s a testament to the diversity of flavors in each bar. I still feel like the dominant flavor is peanut butter as there’s a taste of it in every bite. Other predominant flavors are raisins and carob chips (which I didn’t even realize weren’t chocolate at first). There are many other whole nuts and seeds in the bars; for a complete list, see my Initial Report.

Field Conditions

I have eaten these bars as a meal replacement in every day conditions at sea level during relatively inactive workdays. As well as on hikes of up to 10 miles (16 km) in one day. Hikes were in mountains and chaparral from around sea level to 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Below I will outline a representative sample of specific “tests”.

Average Workday in Los Angeles – sea level – 70 F (20 C)

I have eaten a ProBar on several occasions as a go-to breakfast when I either a) run out of milk and can’t eat cereal or b) am running so late that I don’t have time for said cereal. On such occasions I have turned to the ProBar and it has risen to the occasion. In the materials I received with the ProBar it recommended that when eating the ProBar as a meal replacement that you pair it with soy milk and a piece of fruit. I don’t drink soy milk, but when I have eaten a ProBar as a meal, I either drink regular milk or water. This seems to be fine for me. A ProBar is just about the right amount of food I need to carry me over until lunch (I have also eaten a ProBar as a lunch replacement and this satisfied my hunger until dinner).

A Long, Strenuous Day Hike in the San Bernardino National Forest – up to 9,000 ft (2,700 m) – around 60 F (15 C)

This was around a 7 hour day hike, and a strenuous one for me. For the trip I brought lots of water, a sandwich lunch, some jerky, and 2 ProBars. I ate the first ProBar as a pre-lunch snack. I found it easy to stow the bar in my cargo pocket while I walked. At some point fairly early on in the hike I took it out, ate part of it, and then re-stowed it to eat later. When I was ready for another snack, I took it out again. This worked out well for me and I was able to push off lunch for a little while to get some more miles in. The wrapper worked reasonably well in storing the ProBar for later use, although I still have the same gripe I mentioned in my Initial Report about it being difficult to open the package without destroying it.

Later in the hike and after lunch I had a sweet tooth and decided to use my ProBar to satisfy it (while it’s definitely not overly sweet, there is some “chocolate”). By this time it was late afternoon, around 4:00 or so, and I found that my Probar had slightly melted. I had stored this one tossed in the bottom of my daypack. I figured this was a safe place for it since the water in the bladder also in my pack should have kept things relatively cool, and it wasn’t that warm out at all (it may have gotten up to 65 F/20 C). But I think the ProBar may have gotten lodged next to my back on the very bottom. Regardless it was still edible, and the taste did not suffer due to its more malleable state. The ProBar did stick to the wrapper and some of the stickiness stayed stuck on the wrapper instead of the ProBar. Nonetheless it was still yummy and satisfied my need for something a little sweet.

ProBar Attributes (back to top)

Flax Seeds

In my Initial Report I said that I was unclear why ProBar included whole flax seeds in their product because I was under the impression that flax seeds only provided nutritional value in their ground form. I sent an email as a regular consumer to ProBar to inquire about this (I didn’t tell them that I was a BGT tester). I got this response from them a few days later:

“Flax seeds need only be broken open. Any method will do. Blending them in a smoothie, grinding them in coffee grinder, and yes, for most of us, chewing fresh whole seeds. Fresh whole seeds are the best way to ingest flax, but they must be properly chewed up.”

I guess I am satisfied with their answer since I have no way to find out whether or not I am actually “properly chewing” the flax seeds. I will take their word and attempt to chew my ProBars fully. Though I would still prefer the bar contain ground flax seeds.

Bar Durability

In my Initial Report I said that I would put a bar in my purse and leave it there for the three-month test period so it could get sufficiently smashed around. I found that after three months, the bar has kept its original shape fairly well. It seems to be slightly melted and smooshed. But it held up pretty well and it’s still in one piece; and of course, perfectly edible.

Bar Storage

The majority of my bars were stored on the bottom shelf of my pantry. They are as fresh today as they were when I first got them. The pantry was a sufficient semi-long term storage solution for me (note: my apartment probably never got above 75 F/20 C).

I also stored a bar in my fridge and a bar in my freezer. At some point during the testing period the bar in the freezer fell out and shattered on my kitchen floor. The bag didn’t break and upon defrosting the bar it was still edible (but more like gorp than a bar). I didn’t even attempt to eat the bar while frozen; it was much too hard and I value my teeth far too much. The bar in my fridge survived intact. The bar was edible at the refrigerated temperature, but I much prefer them at room temperature.

I also left a bar open but still in the wrapper (folded over) for several weeks. Then moved the bar to my counter (sans wrapper) where I left it for several more weeks to see if it would spoil or mold or get stale. None of the above happened. It appears to be the same as when I first opened it.

Bar Wrapper

Here’s where the glowing review ends. I’m not crazy about the wrapper. It serves its purpose and it is very lightweight, but I don’t like that it’s oversized. The ProBar website says that it’s oversized so you can eat half a bar (one serving) and then easily save the rest for later in the original packaging. But for me it’s just a lot of extra material. It makes the bars difficult to stack on one another because the wrappers are slippery and “baggy”. In addition, there’s extra air inside the wrapper (they’re not vacuum sealed) so that makes the bar bigger than it needs to be. The wrapper is also somewhat delicate. If I wanted to save the wrapper to store a partial bar I had to be careful not to rip it to shreds when I opened the bar. But all things considered, not liking the wrapper is a minor quibble to have with the product.

Are ProBars my favorite snack?

I think so. So far, they are superior to other “energy” bars I’ve tried. I like the all-natural taste. It somehow seems wrong that a brown bar tastes like key lime pie. When I eat a ProBar I can see what I’m eating and it tastes like what it looks like. The only thing I’ve turned to in my ‘snack pack’ on the trail before the ProBar is jerky, and that’s just because sometimes I need something salty. Surprisingly, I’ve turned to the ProBar when I needed a sweet snack. Even the small amount of carob chips in the bar is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth (a mild one anyway). I will buy ProBars again in the future; and I think that’s a testament to their taste since I’ve just eaten 36 bars.

Having said all that, I would never rely on ProBars as my only snack. I need variety in what I eat; even for a weekend trip. I will still bring a salty snack and a sweet or chocolate snack with me on all my backpacking trips. The ProBar definitely isn't salty, and while it provides a small chocolate fix, it won't cut it for a trip of any substantial length (i.e. more than a day).

Summary (back to top)

What I like

Wholesome taste (in a good way)
Variety of ingredients
A healthy snack

What I don’t like

Bulky wrapper
Minor tendency to get soft or melt slightly

Updated Information (back to top)

ProBar has made several updates since this field report was written. Please see my Initial Report for specific details about all these changes. No changes were made to the report above. In addition to the statements added to the original Initial and Field Reports, a Long Term Report will be written in two months.

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and to ProBar for the opportunity to review this tasty item.

Read more reviews of Probar gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Pope

Field Report

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