I met the guys from Zyro, Powerbar’s UK distributors at the Etape Caledonia cycling event in Pitlochry a few weeks back, and came back with samples of their new Natural Energy Bars to test.
I haven’t written them up as they’ve been in either my pack or my mouth, and with only one of each flavour left (and today, just one in total) on the trip on Monday, I thought I’d better get a photie.
PowerBar makes you think of sweaty folk, muscley folk, stern folk challenging both themselves and the patience of their friends, and the same goes for all “sports fuel” from whatever brand.
Or, it has often been that way, but times have changed, with more regular folk carry energy foods into the hills or indeed wherever. I was heartily sick of textureless sugary bars and drink mixes long ago. I went to Nuun tablets in my bottle and beef jerky in my pocket until I got a taste for the Honey Stinger gear, which is both fuel and enjoyable.
PowerBar have stepped up with the ordinary-human-friendly Natural Energy Bars, a mix of oats, fruit, pumpkin seeds and honey with other bits and pieces stuck in to give different flavours, Cacoa Crunch, Strawberry& Cranberry and the surprise addition; Sweet’n Salty Seeds & Pretzels“. I know how often I’ve craved something not-sugary on a trip, and usually Babybel or Pepperami hits the spot, but this is a refreshing (is salty refreshing?) change, so good job PowerBar.
The texture makes them feel like proper food, the flavours really are very good and I’ve had no digestion issues with them. The natural aspect is being pushed, good ingredients with no added crap or chemicals.
Whether or not you want or need sports bars is something for you, your dietitian and perhaps your aspirations, but for me it’s just compact, easy stowed on-the-move grub to keep my legs going. I like eating them when I’m out, and they seem to do the job. But it’s not a substitute, it’s just an addition to my Babybel and jerky.
Anyway, these bars were tasty. I’ll be buying some more.
Would just like to say thank you, once again.
This is one blog I really do enjoy to read – and look at…
Keep up the great work!
Slighty off topic (umm, i havent had one of those for years) how are you getting on with the ‘Fizan Compact Ultralite trekking poles’. you still happy with them?
i’m going gear shopping tomorrow.
and yeah as above, this blog rocks the cocks off all others!
That’s awfy nice, bless you good people :o)
Fizans are good, they’ve been out a couple of times recently.
The lack of plastic collars and the like is issue-free, they are getting slightly scraped, but nothing to affect performance.
Topics? Still taste the same, but oddly, are softer…
Have to say Imake m own bars from a Hugh Fearnly-Whitingstall receipe, real simple and easy to vary.
Get a bit bored with commercial bars,
Aye, I get bored with all the regular food too. I had a Stoats porridge bar for the firts time in months on the last trip and I enjoyed it again.
DIY is the way to go, bars as well as dinners. I keep thinking “When I’ve got time”, but as I’ve stsrted eyeing up PotNoodle in-a-mug for the sake of something different I’ll maybe have to get on with it.
making your own food takes time. all the spare time i have is spent on the A82 stuck in traffic!
my time away is grabbed out of thin air and an hour making flapjack is an hour closer to being back at work. Actually, i’m really not an organised person if the truth be known. This is Summed up by the hefty amount of snickers bars consumed over the last 6 months and not a flapjack in sight!
Time is my sworn enemy too :o)
Hmm I’m tempted to go down the DIY dehydrated meals route – there’s only so much beef stew, chicken dopiaza etc wayfarers stuff that a boy can eat and the Turmat stuff starts getting pricey by the time you’ve stocked up for a trip of any length…
The meals are expensive, I used to keep stock, not any more.
T
I’ll try again with that. They look better than the old jaw breaking, filling extracting, solid bars of old that used up more energy trying to chew em than you got from the bar itself, lol. Personally i get some great coconut and cherry flapjacks for 19p from a local shop and never get bored (or injured by em)
Aye, these are nice and chewy!
I wish you hadn’t said flapjack, that would go nice with my cuppa right now.
They go with everything though, going to watch that metal concert at vue cinema tonight and in my pocket will be a couple of flapjacks.
I had flapjacks tonight too :o)
I regularly check out Phil Werner’s site – sectionhiker.com – and there’s a really good Logan Bread recipe which is highly calorific for the weight and apparently tastes really good. Some of the ingredients are a little tough to source but still feasible. Also, have a look at the rather odd accusation that I am an advertising executive for Met-Rx when I ask about Big 100 Colossal bars…
That brings me onto another point. One of the Israeli lads had a few of these Big 100 Bars and they tasted ok (the apple one was like bubblegum but the caramel one was alright) and I guess they’re an easy way to get calories into you (500 per bar) but I am concerned about what I eat so did not really want to be stuffing additives and preservatives into me. That said, I am a busy lad so I don’t always have time to go out and bake Logan Bread all the time especially if a hill trip is last minute.
Psychic timing there!
We made a slab of porridgey fruity whatnot for the hills last night and it’s great.
We’ll try a few more mixes and I’ll maybe write it up. Less time consuming that we feared too.
Home baking rocks!