Bug Out Rations

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

When it comes to food for bugging out, there are many options that are nutritious, portable, and shelf-stable. 

I didn't mention "tastes good," did I? That was deliberate. The two biggest problems I have encountered when choosing bug out rations are their palatability and the amount of volume they occupy. This post will be a brief overview of what I believe are the best choices for bug out foods, with more detailed articles coming later. 

Survival Ration Bars

http://amzn.to/2tt3P46

Also known as "lifeboat rations", these are vacuum-sealed packages of bars of... well, I don't know if I'd call them food per se, but they meet Coast Guard standards of life-sustaining nutrition. 

• The Good News: They have a small form factor; have a five-year shelf life at room temperature or above, as they are designed to be stored in life rafts; and are inexpensive (about $12 for a 3600 Kilocalorie package).
  
  
• The Bad News: Flavors start at "not bad" and get worse; flavors are consistent throughout the package, which can result in appetite fatigue; Kcal ratings are based on being sedentary and waiting for rescue (1200 Kcals per day for three days) and not being active -- activity will double your calorie requirements. 

Chaplain Tim wrote an excellent series on survival ration bars on this blog, and since I agree with his assessments I feel no need to duplicate his efforts. Please go read his posts to learn more. 

Meals, Ready to Eat (MRE)

https://www.mreinfo.com/mres/#

If you're a prepper, you know what these are and likely have eaten at least one. If you haven't, these are high-calorie single meals with a lunch/dinner menu; I believe that at one point there was an omelet MRE and it was... not good. In fact, the flavor profile of MRE is such that they have been dubbed Meals Rejected by Everyone, although they do continue to improve over the years.

• The Good News: They come in a tough, watertight bag which protects the food from pests and weather; they stay good for at least 3.5 years when stored at room temperature; they are designed to provide an infantryman enough calories to fight; they are reasonably affordable at around $20 per meal. 
  
  
• The Bad News: Food taste and texture can be hit or miss; high amounts of protein and sodium in meals can result in dehydration and constipation if you don't drink enough water; at an average weight of 22 ounces and dimensions of 12"x8"x3", each meal is larger than an average hardcover book and nearly twice as heavy; breaking down an MRE into smaller elements greatly reduces its longevity. 

Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR)

https://www.mreinfo.com/other-us-rations/current-us-rations/humanitarian-daily-ration/

Not many people have heard of Humanitarian Daily Rations; the short version is that they are "like MREs, but for civilians" and are handed out at disasters or given to natives as a show of goodwill. Unlike MREs, HDRs provide a full day's worth of meals for an adult. Also unlike MREs, they are strictly vegetarian, although they are not vegan. Per mreinfo.com, "In order to provide the widest possible acceptance from the variety of potential consumers with diverse religious and dietary restrictions from around the world, the HDR contains no animal products or animal by-products, except that minimal amounts of dairy products are permitted. Alcohol and alcohol based ingredients are also banned."

I have not yet eaten one of these, but a friend of mine has, and I will include his review in the expanded article on HDRs. 

• The Good News: They contain an entire day's worth of food; they are less expensive than MREs (about $10 per HDR); their packaging is comparable to  that of MREs, so shelf stability and impermeability is similar; they are designed to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible. 
  
  
• The Bad News: Their taste is similar to MREs; vegetarian but not vegan is likely to make everyone unhappy; lack of animal proteins may result in lack of energy in high-activity situations; there is no chemical heater like MREs have. 

First Strike Rations (FSR)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Strike_Ration

First Strike Rations are relatively new, having been invented after the onset of the Second Gulf War. True to their name, they are a lightweight, high-calorie meal system that is meant to be carried by soldiers and Marines during the initial stages of war when odds are high that they will be beyond the reach of resupply for days. Because of this, the FSR is meant to be eaten by hand (although a spoon is supplied for convenience) and do not need heating to be palatable; pocket sandwiches, energy bars, and other finger foods predominate. Unlike MREs, they carry a full day's supply of food, including snacks and caffeine in various forms, and despite all this are approximately half the weight and dimension of the three MREs it would take to match its nutrition. 

There will be a greater review on FSRs, but I want to say that they have been an absolute game-changer for me when it comes to packing BOBs and GHBs. Furthermore, they taste good. I opened one at my LibertyCon demonstration to show its contents and I ate it on the way home the next day. While I wouldn't call it great cuisine, I enjoyed the taste of every component within the ration pack; at worst, it reminded me of a packed school lunch, and at best it was similar to tasty fast food. 

• The Good News: A full day's worth of food in a package slightly larger than a single MRE; easy to eat on the move / one-handed; plenty of snacks, goodies, and caffeine; the food tastes good.
  
  
• The Bad News: If you want a hot meal you will be disappointed, as heating  pocket sandwiches doesn't do much and hot applesauce is disgusting; the lighter-weight packaging which reduces weight and volume also cuts the shelf life; an individual FSR costs about $30-$35; buying a case of 9 gives you a better per-unit cost (sometimes as low as $15 each) but the case costs over $130. 

Which of the three-letter ration packs (MRE, HDR, FSR) would you like to see reviewed first?

Miscellaneous Updates

Since this is my 201^st article on this blog, I'm going to update a few of my previous posts.

Emergency Ration Bars

I wrote a few reviews of some emergencyration bars that I found on Amazon this last summer. I recently had a reason to break a few of them out and eat them and found a few more data points:

• Below 40°F or so, both the Quake Kare ER Bar and SOSFood Lab bars became hard as rocks. I'm not sure if it is the palm oil or some other ingredient, but I found that I had to carry them in a pocket next to my body for a while to warm them up enough to be able to bite a chuck off. 
• Opaque packaging is good for storage (it keeps the light from breaking down certain chemicals), but bad for customer quality assurance. I got one 3-day bar that had been in the oven a bit too long and was almost burnt. It was enough to change the taste, but fortunately not bad enough to make it inedible. 
• Part of the US Coast Guard certification for emergency rations requires that at least 25% of the rations have to be mixable with water. This is to provide a source of food for infants or someone who can't open their mouth due to injury. I ground up a “meal's” worth of one of the bars and made a gruel out of it to test. The taste was the same and while it wouldn't go through a straw, I could eat it with a spoon without problems. 

Vehicle Recovery

In part 2 of my series, I covered various chains, cables, and straps for towing a vehicle. My pickup recently decided that it needed a new starter (with no warning) while I was in a gas station, so I had to go home and get the big truck to drag the miscreant home so I could work on it.

I kept a nylon tow strap in the pickup and a good chain in the big truck. The helper who was steering my pickup while I drove the big truck managed to break both of them. I had to improvise and use a heavy tie-down strap to make it the last half mile.

• The tow strap met its end when it went slack and the towed pickup's front tire ran over it. This has been eliminated for future towing by the purchase of a spring-loaded tow strap that will not go slack and hit the ground. I'm sure that I'll get a chance to use it some time this winter. 
• The chain snapped when my helper stomped on the brakes. Since the big truck weighs a little more than twice what the pickup does, the pickup's brakes weren't going to stop both vehicles. This can only be prevented by further training of my helper (or finding a different helper). As I mentioned in the original article, chain is easy to repair once you have the time and tools. 

Blisters

I discussed how to prevent blisters on your feet a few years ago and recommended that you learn how to treat them, but I never got around to giving the simple treatment. Fall is convention time around here and I've had to teach a few friends how to take care of blisters caused by costume shoes that don't quite fit right. 

Blisters don't just happen to your feet, either. One of my newer co-workers has limited experience with a shovel and hasn't learned that gloves are good things to wear. His first two weeks were painful, but he's starting to develop some calluses.

If you do end up getting a blister, they're not hard to take care of properly. Small blisters will heal themselves if you leave them alone, but the bigger ones will need to be drained to make walking or using your hands possible again. Here's how it's done:

1. Leave the skin covering the blister intact. Don't tear off the loose skin, it's best to leave it there to protect the flesh underneath. 
2. Clean the blister with soap and water. Antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer is best if you have them around. 
3. Find a sharp needle or pin (I've used fish hooks when that's all I had) and sterilize it with hand sanitizer or alcohol. Don't use a flame unless it is your only option, you run the risk of getting soot on the needle and into the blister. 
4. Puncture the blister in several places along the edge where the loose skin meets the good skin. If you feel pain, you're digging into the good skin. 
5. Lightly press on the blister to squeeze out the liquid. Blot it dry with gauze or clean cloth. 
6. Apply a layer of antibacterial ointment (if you have it) to the blister. 
7. Cover the blister with a non-stick bandage. Change the bandage at least once a day until the flesh under the blister has hardened and dried into new skin. 

I'm hoping I can get at least another 199 articles in the next few years, just to make my total a nice even 400. That will also mean that nothing drastic has happened, and that's always a good thing to hope for.

Emergency Rations Test #5: SOS Brand

The SOS brand comes in a few different forms and flavors, so I just decided to roll them all together into one review since they're all made by the same company in Doral, FL.

Like the previous brands, I used these to replace a meal or two a day for a couple of days during my hectic spring season at work. I'm either driving or sitting in a field for most of my weekdays during spring, and don't have access to food other than what I can throw in my lunchbox. Chips and sandwiches gets boring, and I don't have time to cook after a 14 hour day at work, so this was an easy test for me.

Also like the other tests, I bought these with my own money. The makers and sellers have not given me anything nor are they aware that I am doing this comparison. All photos are my own work.

Information
I found two different forms of SOS bars, the individually wrapped “New Millennium” bars (on the top) and the more traditional 3600 Calorie packages (on the bottom).

• All of the bars are the same size, which leads me to believe that they all come out of the same machines. Being about 5 inches long, 1.5 inches wide and 0.5 inches thick, they are easy to eat.
• The bars are all made with the same base ingredients; sugar, flour, palm/soy/cottonseed oil shortenings, corn starch, coconut, flavoring and various preservatives and vitamins.
• They contain wheat, coconut, and soy for those of us with food sensitivities.
• Like most other brands, each bar is a "meal" and 3 bars will get you through a day.
• The 3600 Calorie packs consist of 9 individually wrapped, 400 Calorie bars inside a heavy plastic/Mylar, vacuum-sealed pouch. There's no breaking off pieces to get a “meal” this way, and they're easy to dole out to others.
• The 3600 Calorie packs are designed for a 72-hour kit and cost $8.44 on Amazon. That breaks down to $2.81 per day or $0.94 per “meal”.
• Theses have a US Coast Guard number (either a contract number or an approval number), so they have the minimum 5 year shelf-life and temperature rating.
• The “New Millennium” bars were a bit more expensive. I got a mixed flavors box of 18 individually wrapped bars (that's 6 days' worth) for $27.90. That makes $4.65 per day, or $1.55 per meal, which is slightly cheaper than a “Cliff Bar” commonly sold in outdoor shops ($1.58 apiece on Amazon).
• The New Millennium bars come in Lemon, Coconut, Tropical Fruit, Cherry, Vanilla, and Blueberry flavors.

Testing

• Not thirst-provoking. 
• Has a slightly oily texture (likely from the palm oil).
• Not as hard as most of the other bars I've tried. Very easy to bite into.
• I'm not positive, but I suspect that the flavoring may be sprayed on the base bars after they come out of the oven. The flavors just seemed to be stronger on one side.
• There was very little variation in the color of the different flavored bars, which tells me that they have a fairly tight QA system in place.
• The flavors of the New Millennium bars are actually quite good. The cherry flavor was fairly strong and sweet, most of the others were lighter in flavor but still distinct.
• Coconut is the “default” flavor of the 3600 Calorie packs, but they do have a cinnamon flavored version that I haven't opened yet. I may save that one for my truck bag.
• The bars were filling enough that I didn't get hungry between my normal meal times.
• All of the packages that I got had been manufactured within the last 4 months, so there is still plenty of shelf-life left.
• Packaging was sturdy, and none of the vacuum-sealed packages had been breached in shipping. They have good vacuum pumps as well - it's very easy to see the edges of the bars through the plastic.

Verdict
I like the shape and size of the bars. The fact that they use an inner wrapper to keep them separate inside the larger packs makes it easier to portion the bars out, which can be important if you have children or childish adults who like to complain about what someone else gets.

At less than a buck per bar in the larger packages, these would work as snacks on a normal day. They're more filling than a candy bar or doughnut, and cheaper than some of both. They're also probably better for you.

The variety of flavors and individual wrapping of the New Millennium bars makes them worth the extra price to me. Boredom is dangerous, so variety in your food is a good thing.

I would like to see them switch to a resealable pouch which would make storing an opened package a lot more convenient.

Of the five brands I tested in this batch, and adding the UST Emergency Food Ration bar that I reviewed a while back, this is the best brand so far. Not quite the cheapest, but the variety and quality make up for it.

I heartily recommend this brand for inclusion in 72-hour bags or vehicle bags.

Emergency Rations Test #4: Grizzly Gear

Grizzly Gear Emergency Rations are a new-to-me brand, but I added them to the batch because they were in the same price range as the other brands I was ordering. This is the fourth brand tested with one more to go in this series; if there are any other brands any of you would like to see tested, please let me know in the comments here or on our Facebook page and I'll see about setting up another series of tests in the near future.

I tested these the same way I am testing all of the various emergency rations: by using them to replace a meal or two during my spring hectic period at work. I'm out in a field or driving a truck for 12-14 hours a day (when it's not raining) and have to pack a lunch anyway, so this is an easy test for me. Having something quick and easy to eat comes in handy, even if it's not an emergency -- I can be lazy when it comes to food.

Information

Photo my own work

• This one is a 3600 Calorie bar that is scored into 9 pieces of 400 Calories each. By eating 3 pieces a day, it will provide 1200 Calories per day for 3 days.
• The ingredients are fairly simple: flour, vegetable oil, sugar, corn starch, corn syrup, flavor, color, and preservatives.
• This is one of the few brands that doesn't use palm oil, if that is a concern for you.
• No soy, dairy, or nuts, but it is wheat-based for those who have wheat or gluten issues.
• USCG approved, so it meets the temperature and shelf-life requirements.
• The nutritional content is from the enriched flour and meets the USRDA of several vitamins and minerals.
• Halal and Kosher, this brand is suitable for giving to people with religious dietary restrictions.
• I bought my test product through Amazon for $11.95 which breaks down to about $4.00 per day or $1.33 per piece. You can get them for less from the manufacturer/distributor by buying them in cases of ten for $64.99 ($6.50 per pack, which makes it $2.17 per day or $0.72 per meal) if you can catch them in stock. That's cheaper than a meal at any fast-food restaurant I know!

Testing

• The package was tougher than some of the other brands and difficult to tear open. This also means that it is less likely to lose its vacuum seal due to accidental punctures.
• The pack I received was manufactured two months before I got it, so it still had its full five-year shelf life left.
• The scoring on the bar was deeper than that on the E.R. Bar I reviewed two weeks ago, making it easier to break evenly into more uniform pieces.
• The flavor was a light lemon, sweet and palatable.
• Not dry or thirst-provoking and it held together well.
• The pieces weren't as filling as some of the other brands.
• There were clumps of granulated sugar in some of the pieces, evidence that the recipe wasn't mixed well enough.

Verdict

• This one falls in the middle of the pack. The flavor and texture were good, but this ration bar meets the definition of the “$10.00 cookie”.
• For a 72-hour pack or life-boat ration it would work well, but there isn't anything that really stands out about it.
• I liked the quality packaging, but it could be improved by the addition of a resealable closure.
• I was not impressed by biting into semi-solid chunks of granulated sugar as I was trying to eat the pieces. Quality control seems to be a rare commodity these days.
• I can only recommend buying this brand if  I also give the caveat that it is neither the cheapest nor the best. It will work, but the makers need to fix their mixers.

Emergency Rations Test #3: Datrex Bars

Datrex Bars have been around for years; the company was founded in 1970. I recall seeing them advertised decades ago and had fairly high expectations for this brand. Generally, a product doesn't stay on the market this long unless it is suitable for the intended purpose.

I tested these the same way I am testing all of the various emergency rations, by using them to replace a meal or two during my spring hectic period at work. I'm out in a field or driving a truck for 12-14 hours a day (when it's not raining) and have to pack a lunch anyway, so this is an easy test for me.

Information

• Datrex sells their rations in two packages, white and blue.
• Each blue pack contains 18 small bars that are individually shrink-wrapped inside a foil and plastic bag. The white packs contain 12 bars, wrapped the same way. The bars are each about the size of a hotel bar of soap, or two Zippo lighters side by side.
• I bought a two-pack (blue) of Datrex bars from Amazon for $22.51. That breaks down to $11.26 per pack, and since each pack is intended to last three days, that's $3.75 per day or $1.25 per meal. You can get them cheaper directly from the manufacturer if you buy them by the case.
• Each bar provides 200 Calories. The instructions are to eat six of them a day, for a total of 1200 Calories per day.
• Ingredients are simple: flour, palm oil, sugar, water, coconut, salt.
• US Coast Guard approved, so they are safe to store in extreme temperatures and have a five-year shelf-life.

Testing

• The outer packaging on both of the packs that I received had lost their vacuum seal, rendering them useless.
• The inner wrapper on each bar is a tight shrink-wrap. While this is a good way to keep them separated, it is not air-tight.
• The inner wrapping is a pain to get off of the bars without destroying the bar. Due to the loss of vacuum seal, I'm not sure if the bars I received were normal or not. They were very dry and crumbly, falling apart as I tried to unwrap them.
• The texture of the bars is coarse and hard, coarse enough that you can feel lumps through the outer packaging. This may be part of the reason they lost their vacuum seal - the coarse texture creates wear points.
• The taste was awful - think burnt, dry oatmeal, thirst-provoking and hard to choke down. These are going into the bird feeder. 
• I want to believe that the breached packaging caused them to go stale, but would have to buy a sealed pack to see if it is any better and I'm not sure I want to take the chance of getting more useless rations. If I can buy some at a store where I can be assured that the vacuum seal is intact, perhaps I will update this test.

Verdict

• Poor packaging means that this is a poor choice for emergency rations. I looked through other reviews on Amazon and a few other places, and found that it is common to receive them with breached vacuum seals.
• Given the negative reviews I've found online as well as my own experience, the outer packaging needs to be rethought or their quality control needs to be slapped with a clue-by-four. 
• Amazon may be convenient for purchasing things like this, but the importance of having an intact vacuum seal means that they are best bought from a source where you can inspect them before purchase. Always check the packaging before accepting anything that is supposed to be vacuum sealed and when you do your periodic check of your supplies! Amazon doesn't like to handle returns on food items, so I have some expensive bird feed now.
• I like the simple ingredients and the individual inner wrapping. Once the package is opened, the individual bars are easy to dole out and carry in a pocket or pouch.
• However, the taste is terrible.
• I cannot recommend this brand. 

Emergency Rations Test #2: ER Bars

Test #2 is done! I tested these the same way I am testing all of the various emergency rations, by using them to replace a meal or two during my spring hectic period at work. I'm out in a field or driving a truck for 12-14 hours a day (when it's not raining) and have to pack a lunch anyway, so this is an easy test for me. I'm also usually tired in the mornings and don't grab a proper breakfast, so having something that doesn't require cooking that is also filling and nutritious makes my life a bit simpler.

Information
This is the ER Bar, from Quake Kare in St. Louis, MO. At $6.14 per package, this one comes to $2.05/day, which is cheaper than coffee and a donut from most shops, and these are better for you nutritionally. I snapped a picture of an unopened package next to an open and half-eaten one, with one portion turned on edge to give some sense of the thickness.

Photo my own work

The ER Bars come vacuum-sealed inside a resealable pouch, and it is a single block that is scored so you can break it into six pieces. (If you look at the package on the left, you can see the scoring because of the vacuum seal.) Each piece or portion will provide around 400 Calories* and the maker suggests eating two portions ($1.03 each) per day to make the bar stretch for 3 days. Personally, I'd rather carry an extra bar or two and eat three times a day for 1200 Calories; that's closer to a "normal" diet and would provide the extra energy that I will need. Remember, I live in the northern half of the USA, and it takes extra energy just to stay warm about half of each year up here.

*There is a reason that I capitalize the "C". Standard physics/chemistry notation uses a lower-case "c" to denote a calorie (the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius) and a upper-case "C" to denote a kilocalorie, 1000 calories. The kilocalorie is a more convenient unit to work with when dealing with anything outside of a lab.

Testing

• The ration bar is compressed and slightly dry. The scoring to mark individual portions is only on one side of the bar, so getting it to break cleanly at the line was a challenge. There was a slight tendency for the edges to crumble or flake off, but nothing severe.
• Even though the portions were slightly dry, they were not thirst-provoking. I normally have to wash down most food with some sort of beverage, but these were OK to eat by themselves. The texture was finely grained, and nothing stuck to my teeth or coated my mouth or throat.
• The portions may appear small, but they were filling enough to ease any hunger pangs I may have suffered. This is good for morale, since nobody is happy when they're hungry. It was quite easy to survive until the next meal, even if I didn't eat a real meal until evening.
• The flavor is sweet, but not strong enough for me to identify as any particular fruit or spice. (I will admit that my taste buds are less than perfect; 35 years of smoking tobacco tends to kill them off.) "Pleasant and agreeable" is the best way I can describe the taste.
• The ingredients are fairly simple; wheat flour, palm oil, sugar, corn syrup (sugar), soy flour, cornstarch, flavoring, dextrose (another sugar), colors, preservatives, and vitamins. Note the wheat and soy content if you have food allergies! There are no animal fats, coconut, or nuts to set off sensitive stomachs, though.
• Coast Guard approved, so it has a 5-year shelf-life and can handle temperature extremes from -22 to 149 °F. This makes it a good candidate for storage in a car or cache.
• The resealable pouch works very well. It was nice being able to reseal the leftovers and not have to worry about dust and other things getting on my food. Once the ration bar is gone, the pouch would be handy for storing other things that I might want to keep dry (tinder, socks, etc.) and it was one of the sturdier packages of the various brands I'm testing.
• I bought a pack of four of this brand, and all four arrived in good condition with the vacuum seals still intact. "Manufactured on" dates were within the last six months, so they still had most of  their five-year shelf-life left.

 
Verdict
I would be content to carry this brand of emergency rations in a get-home or bug-out bag. They meet my minimum requirements of tasting good, alleviating hunger, not costing much, and being fit to store anywhere. I will probably add one of the left-over packs to my truck bag and another will be cached in my wife's car.

Emergency Rations Test #1: The Survival Tabs

The first test is done! This week I will be discussing The Survival Tabs (TST). I tested these the same way I am testing all of the various emergency rations, by using them to replace a meal or two during my spring hectic period at work. I'm out in a field or driving a truck for 12-14 hours a day (when it's not raining) and have to pack a lunch anyway, so this is an easy test for me.

Information

For the full hype, visit their web site or read the pamphlet enclosed with the tabs when you buy them. Here's a synopsis:

• TST was developed back in the 1970s for NASA.
• They contain 100% of the recommended daily allowance of 15 vitamins and minerals, with an emphasis on the B vitamins.
• They have a 25 year shelf-life.
• Gluten free and non-GMO.
• Lightweight and easy to carry.

I've seen these advertised for years and have been looking forward to trying them out, so when I got a chance to get some through Amazon I took it. An eight-day supply of food for $24.95, with free shipping outside of Amazon Prime (they send them USPS), breaks down to $3.12 per day - less than the cost of a cheeseburger at most places. I expected to get a mix of the four flavors that they make, but they must have been out of chocolate because I only got the vanilla, butterscotch, and strawberry.

The tabs came in resealable foil pouches with 12 tabs per pouch. The instructions were to “eat” one tab every hour for 12 hours to get what you need for a day. I do like the resealable pouch for something that contains food meant to be consumed over a period of time; it keeps bugs and dirt out of my food.

Here's the back of a package (from their website)

https://thesurvivaltabs.com/

As you can see, a day's worth of TST (12 tabs) only provides 240 calories. That's great if you're trying to lose weight, but nowhere near enough to sustain an active adult. They claim a person could live for a month or more on nothing but their tabs... which isn't saying a whole lot, since you can survive about three weeks without any food at all. This was the first indication that these were a poor choice.

They mention that their tabs provide enough nutrients to maintain “dexterity, stamina, and coordination”, but fail to mention mobility and strength. When you consider that they were developed for a space program where the astronauts were crammed into a capsule about the size of a VW Beetle for a mission that lasted about two weeks, having a food supply that was totally absorbed and created little to no solid waste was a major plus. Working in micro-gravity, or on the moon, would require fewer calories than doing the same work on Earth, so having roughly 10% of a normal daily caloric intake wouldn't be as much of a problem. The emphasis on the B vitamins is similar to the energy drinks you'll find on store shelves, as they give you a boost in energy similar to caffeine.

Here's what the tabs look like, with a quarter in the center for scale. I turned one of them on edge so you could get an idea of how thick they are. Given their size and shape, I think that packaging them in a tube would save space over the pouch.

Testing
The tabs were disappointing on several levels:

• They are not filling. "Low volume" means that your stomach is still going to be mostly empty after eating them, which means they lack the morale-boosting potential of most emergency rations.
• The milk solids base may provide protein, but it also has the coating effect of milk on your mouth and throat. While not exactly thirst-provoking, they do require water to wash the film of milk out of your mouth.
• The residue tends to stick to dental work. I have fillings and felt like I needed to brush my teeth after chewing one of these.
• The flavor marked on the bag is meaningless. The milk solids overpower any attempt they may have made to add flavor, with the strawberry being the only one I could taste at all. Think of a dry, weak milkshake and you'll get the idea.
• The manufacturer is unknown. “Distributed by” does not mean “Made by”, and I like to know where my food, especially emergency food, comes from. I don't trust food from certain foreign countries due to bad experiences and food poisoning in the past.

Verdict

• This product may have a place on the shelf of a bomb shelter or other sealed space where toilet facilities are limited, but for the everyday prepper they're almost worthless. 
• The 25-year shelf-life is a plus, since most emergency rations only tout a five-year shelf-life. 
• If you are even the least bit lactose intolerant, avoid these for the obvious reason that they are almost all milk solids.

I mentioned in my previous post that nutritional deficiencies take weeks or months to develop in a person that has been eating a balanced diet, so give these tabs a pass and spend the money on a bottle of quality multi-vitamins instead. 

Product Review: UST Emergency Food Ration Bars

While wandering through a Wal-Mart a while ago, I noticed that they carried UST emergency food bars in the camping section (next to the freeze-dried meals). Since they were a brand and flavor (apples and cinnamon instead of the normal lemon or coconut) I wasn't familiar with, I picked up a few to test and add to a 72 hour bag I'm building for a family member.

The Numbers
This is a typical 2400 Calorie emergency bar, vacuum-sealed in heavy foil and scored to allow you to break it into 6 pieces. Shelf-life is five years, with the production date and expiration date clearly marked on the back of the package. Since the whole bar weighs 18 ounces, each meal is about three ounces. I say "about" because the pieces aren't going to break perfectly square along the scored lines. The six pieces are designed to allow you two meals a day for three days or three meals a day for two days, depending on your activity level. Each piece, or meal, provides 400 Calories (160 from fats) and 100% of the Daily Value of:

Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Iron, Copper, Calcium, Zinc, and Iodine

as well as 7 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Basically, each meal is the same as taking a multi-vitamin.

The Ingredients
Enriched flour (wheat and malted barley) is the main ingredient, followed by various sugars, flavors, soy solids, and nutritional additives. It is made in Jacksonville, FL, so the quality assurance should be a step or two higher than any of the stuff coming in from overseas. It does contain wheat and soy, so those with food sensitivities should take notice.

The Testing
I didn't really care to go on an exclusive diet of this for three days just to write about it, so instead I added it to my normal daily menu in place of breakfast. Quick, easy, and nutritional; sounds like breakfast to me. The bonus of not needing to take my daily multi-vitamin didn't hurt either. I'm not a morning person, so little things like remembering to take my vitamins can be a chore.

The Results

• The texture is slightly dry and crumbly, but not thirst-provoking. I could eat it without any liquids, which is rare (my throat is messed up from an old injury). The flavor is mild and definitely apples and cinnamon. Autumn means pumpkin spice everything to some folks, but it means apple season to me. 
• The meal-sized portion was quite filling. I didn't feel hungry even though it was only 3 ounces of food. I had no problem making it to lunch time without being hungry. 
• Cost was a factor in my test. Since the whole bar was just under $5.00, I was eating breakfast for less than 85 cents a day. A single donut costs more than that and won't fill you up. Some of the other brands cost twice as much for a slightly larger package, so I'm OK with the pricing. 
• Weight is also a factor. At 18 ounces, I can carry more of these in a pack than I can MREs or freeze-dried meals. 
• The vacuum sealing makes them as hard as a board, so be careful where you put them in your pack. Even after I opened the package, the bar stayed hard for the six days it took me to finish it off. Closing the package was accomplished by rolling the foil closed along the top where I had opened it. A quart or larger zipper-seal bag would be a handy storage place for it in a pack. 
• I noticed no issues with my stomach or intestines during the test. One meal a day of something a body is not used to can often create havoc in the digestive tract. That was not an issue with this brand.

Summary

A cheaper alternative to the Datrex and Mainstay emergency bars that have been on the market for years, the UST emergency bar does what it advertises at a good price. Being available on a store shelf instead of having to be ordered and paid for online has OPSEC value for me. I like paying cash and leaving no record of my prepping purchases. I will be picking up more of them when I see them on the shelf.

Editor's Note: It is worth noting that eating this bar for 3 meals a day only yields a caloric intake of 1200 calories. An active adult female needs twice these calories daily, and an active adult male needs even more. To get the most out of these ration bars, you will either need to be sedentary (in which case the male is still likely to be quite hungry), or carry double the rations.