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 just getting back into backpacking after a hiatus during college. I backpack in Sierras as well as other National Forests closer to Los Angeles. I also spend time in the California deserts and the mountains and coast of Northern California. 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 (29 bars weighed together and divided by 29 - including packaging)	3.2 oz (91 g) range of 2.6 - 3.7 oz (74 - 105 g)
Wrapper weight	less than .1 oz (3 g)
MSRP	none listed (approx. $3.50 US per bar based on several online distributors)
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!

Please see my Initial Report and my Field Report for further details on these bars.

Reminder: ProBar made some changes to their product after my Initial and Field Reports were written and because of this those reports are written based on the original bars. Each of those reports contains an addendum which speaks specifically to the new bars.

Field Conditions (back to top)

The new ProBars came with me on an overnight backpacking trip in Sequoia National Park (unfortunately I got sick on this trip, so I think I only ate one). Elevations ranged from approximately 7,000 to almost 10,000 ft (2100 to 3000 m). Temperatures were mild ranging from approximately 50 to 75 F (10 to 25 C). I have also used the new ProBars on day hikes around the Los Angeles are. Elevations here range from sea level up to about 300 ft (100 m) and temperatures are always mild and hover around 70 F (20 C). I have also used the ProBars as a meal replacement for everyday use.

Field Test (back to top)

Taste
I like the new taste of the ProBars. Honestly, I can't really distinguish the taste between the old ProBars and the new "Original Blend" ProBars (which do have slightly different ingredients). I also still stand by my original statement that the "Berry Blast" really isn't a BLAST of berries. I do like the addition of berries and I prefer this bar slightly to the original. I would also like to see a sweeter option- maybe a chocolate blast? I also find the two bars to be pretty similar in taste and would like to see some variation. I could never use the ProBars as my sole snack food for hiking because it just doesn't offer enough variety for me. It does taste better than your average energy bar, but I still can't eat the same thing every day.

Packaging
I'm completely sold on the new packaging of the ProBars. This was my biggest complaint in my previous two reports and it's been totally rectified. I don't really have anything bad to say about the packaging now.

Use in the Field
ProBars have worked as well as any other energy bar in the field for me. When they're stored in a warm place (like my pants pocket) the bar will get slightly softened, but it's still perfectly edible and it still tastes fine. I find that ProBars give me enough energy to make it through the day whether I'm eating one for breakfast before work, or on the trail. When I eat a ProBar on the trail I often split one with my husband so I don't have to save an open package for later. Half of a ProBar is just about right for a quick snack while I'm on the go.

Summary (back to top)

Overall I'm very satisfied with using ProBars for hiking and everyday snacking. They're tasty and I'll probably continue to buy them. I also think they're moving in the right direction by coming out with more flavors- I hope they continue this trend. Right now, I will have to supplement my snack cabinet with other energy bars (or more likely other snacks) in addition to ProBars because I just need some more variety.

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and ProBar for including me on this test.

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

Long Term Report

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