Suggestions for Oat-Based Bars?

[Greg Mihalik]

PowerBar "improved" the Harvest line from oats to nuts, sugar, soy, and sugar.

Does anyone know of other bars where the first ingredient is Oats?

Thanks.

[BlackHatGuy]

Bobo's Oat Bars. They're pretty good too.

http://bobosoatbars.com

[Greg Mihalik]

Thanks Doug. I've got some on order.

I also found BearNaked bars locally.

There is hope.

[Greg Mihalik]

Got the "Bear Naked" bars. Got the Bobo's bars.

Bear Naked are 2 ounce bars, 250 calories, 110 Fat, 116 Carb, 36 Protein, for 44/46/14. I find the bars sweeter than I am used to, and have a higher fat content, but I adjusted without GI issues. They are quite moist and chewable. I can walk fast and eat with no problem. At 125cal/ounce, $1.10 each ($0.55/ounce) they work for me economically, nutritionally, and consumability.

Bobo's are 3 ounce bars, 360 cal for Cranberry Orange and 380 calories for Chocolate Almond. The Cranberry is 100 Fat, 232 Carb, 24 Protein, for 28/64/7.
They are not overly sweet. The F/C/P ratio is close to what I'm used to. The Cranberry was moist enough to eat slowly. The Chocolate Almond required water to get it down, while sitting. (Expiration is October 15th. I've queried Bobo's about "freshness".)

360 to 380 calories is a lot to eat all at once. I'm not a fan with breaking them in half. To much futzing around. Plus I'd have to adjust my "feed cycle" to get a desired 125 calories per hour. It could be done, but this old dog …

Last, Bobo's are 125 calories/ounce and $2.16 each ($0.72/ounce), a 33% premium over the Bear Naked bars.

I eat 4 to 5 bars a day on the trail (and other stuff as well), so "desirability" and cost are important to me.

I'm going with Bear Naked.
Cheap, moist, chewable, tasty.

YMMV

Edit to Add:
Bobo's has been very responsive. Several emails today, and a box of product on the way. Customer Service!

[Greg Mihalik]

Today, as promised, I got a box of Bobo's Chocolate Almond hot off the press.

For me, they are to dry. (My wife concurs.) It would be difficult to eat while hiking. Stopped, with a water bottle in hand, quite doable.

I also got a couple of "Originals", and a few PB&J. Although not as dry as the Chocolate Almond, they are also to dry for me. (My wife concurs.)

These bars pack 380 calories into 3 ounces, of which 220 (they claim) are carbohydrates. 380/3 = 126 calories per ounce.

The Cranberry Orange are far easier to eat, and are going to Washington with me. They are moist, and the taste is a welcome change.

So, I have a bunch of bars that don't work for me. They Might work for you.
If you'd like to try Chocolate Almond, Original, or PB&J, I'll be happy to send you a couple. Or if you want to pay postage, a case of 12, mix and match.

PM or direct to greg attt smgm dottt org.

[Kenneth Keating]

Try these, I really enjoy them.

https://bigsurbar.com

[Steve Thompson]

My favorite bars are Probar meal bars, about 350 calories each. They have a variety of flavors, preference for me being any of the berry ones.

[JCH]

I'm a fan of the Bobo Oat bars. A local grocer carries (nearly?) every flavor and I've tried about 8 different ones (honestly, some of the flavors just don't interest me). I agree that the Chocolate Almond is a bit dry, as are the other Gluten Free offerings I have tried. Also agree those go down best with some water/coffee. I have found several flavors that have been consistently moist and appealing, Original, Coconut, Cinnamon Raisin. I really appreciate that they are not overly sweet and neither are the flavors overpowering. These 3 are great in the morning and have never been unappealing at any time of the day. They make a good addition to ProBars, Lara bars.

[BlackHatGuy]

Not sure if they conform to your dietary preferences as they don't have a lot of protein, but I came across Erin Baker's Breakfast Cookie in a local store recently and bought a few to try. They're pretty moist and pretty tasty, and they have oats as the first ingredient. Happy to send you a couple if you think you'd like to try them. http://erinbakers.com [choose 'Original Breakfast Cookie' under products]

[Greg Mihalik]

I've settled into Bear Naked bars and Odwalla bars. They are readily available (WalMart), cheap ($1 each), have a variety of flavors, and are portioned well for me and my eating schedule. Bear bars are 250 calories in a F/C/P mix of 110/124/36 calories, or 44/50/14 percent. Seemingly a little high in fat, they work well for me. Odwalla bars are 210 calories in a mix of 50/144/20 calories, or 24/71/10 percent. (Odwalla bars vary significantly in F/C/P ratios, so read the labels.) By alternating the two brands and their many flavors I get the calories in a variety of tastes and textures that stays interesting throughout the day. I prefer the crunchy texture of the Bear Bars to the cookie like texture of the Odwallas, but both go down with easily all day long.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Love Erin's cookies. I met her back in the day, when she was just starting out. The cookies are sooo good! They used to have a retail store at their factory in Bellingham too…..

[Bill Giles]

I ate a Bear Naked Almond Cranberry bar today and the flavor reminded me of Christmas fruitcake. So, has any one considered fruitcake as a calorie dense, shelf stable trail food?

[ed dzierzak]

I do remember a thread on one of the forums. I'll see if I can find it. Multipurpose too! Can always be used to drive tent stakes! Added – http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=11339

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