SOS Food Labs 185000826 Emergency 3600 Calorie Food Bar (Pack of 2)

I needed some emergency rations for my backpack.I will first list the other bars I tried and then tell you about these.The first ones I tried were the Datrex 3600:Although they came in a nice compact package the cookies crumbled very very easily, you need some kind of technique to open them up without them crumbling and I didn't feel like figuring out some method to doing this as it is too time consuming and if you are out hiking or backpacking you don't wont to have to fiddle with the packages. Also, although they didn't taste bad, they were very dry and crumbly. And although they advertise that they wont cause thirst...you would want to drink something while eating as they are very dry. So I threw these out.The next ones I tried were the Mainsty 3600:These were by far the worst. First of all once you open the package all the bars are exposed unlike the SOS or Datrex which have the bars individually wrapped within the main package. So the food will have to be placed in a bag or such to prevent the crumbs from getting in your pack. Also, they taste terrible. I couldn't even eat 1/3 of one bar. I threw them out immediately. If you need food in an emergency you want something that you can stomach. These were awful.Third I tried these SOS bars:They taste the best of all the ones I tried so far. They aren't crumbly or dry so don't make you thirsty or needing to drink something with them. They have a very slight oily texture which allows them not to be dry or crumbly. They are also in a nice compact package and within that they are individually wrapped. And the wrapping is very easy to get off without breaking the bars to pieces.So to sum up. These bars were by far the best of the ones I have tried. Plus in this 2 pack they are slightly cheaper than the other two. I highly recommend them

I'm disappointed. These are barely palatable sugar bars. In the case of an emergency, they're food, yes. But I'd prefer to stock emergency food that I can actually eat when the expiration date approaches. I would never eat this unless I'm starving. (Nor should I. It's very unhealthy.)More concerning is that the majority of energy comes from the sugar in this bar. Our bodies don't handle sugar well, storing only tiny amounts in the blood at any given time for fuel and converting the rest to fat or excreting it. Fat is what you want in the case of getting stranded somewhere and needing to survive without food. But I imagine this sugar bar would feel gross on an empty stomach. They could have sourced the ingredients from nutrient rich foods, or calorically-dense fats that can burn for a long time.This emergency bar is the embarrassment of my emergency stash. I bought into a "what if I need it tomorrow" fear and wasted my money something that will expire in a corner while the rest of my stash gets cycled into daily eating.On the positive note, this was vacuum sealed well. Good packaging and clear expiration dates.

I bought these as part of doing research for what to include in some emergency bags. They're great on a few things, but taste AWFUL. Great as a Plan C in your emergency kit, if you're unable to cook normal food and already ate all your peanut butter and energy bars.PROS:- Compact. These are very small, so you could keep a lot of them in a cabinet or car for emergencies, or easily carry one in a backpack among other gear as a backup in case you need them.- Shelf life. Can last up to 5 years in a big range of temperatures, which is great.- Cheap. $15 for 6 days of food (2 packages of 3 days each)? That's a steal, compared to eating Clif bars or something (which also aren't intended to meet all of your needs)CONS:- Taste terrible. I told myself I had to eat a whole bar in order to tell whether it was doable, and I got it down with a large amount of water. I couldn't imagine eating these for days on end, it had sort of a fatty, greasy, taste and texture to them that made me gag a bit while eating (and I'm not a picky eater). But of course, these are emergency rations and not an energy bar, so taste isn't a huge factor if it's getting you enough nutrients to avoid death or serious injury.- Packaging. The large bag is not resealable, so once you rip it open and eat 1 bar, you have 8 (individually wrapped) small bars just loose in your bag. Also, the individual wrapping on the bars seems to be a bit permeable, as they had a slick feeling to them, which makes it seem like they sweat a bit while in my cabinet for a year.So in conclusion, great for what they are, but definitely nothing more than emergency rations. Don't plan on using these as a meal replacement or energy bar.

This is a survival ration. Provides enough calories to keep you from starving to death for a couple days or so depending on how you divvy up the bars. Just needs to do what it advertises. Now as far as taste, I haven't eaten one yet. I do know they are like a cookie consistency. The smell reminds me of an oatmeal cookie to be honest.... but not quite a cookie....lol. I'm not a picky eater so I won't have an issue if I do need to eat these. The others on here complaining about it must be, and I feel for them when the time comes to use these. I had one shipped to me that was already open and I wasn't about to trust that since its food and all so I disposed of it after contacting seller because I sure wasn't about to eat it. Did smell it though lol hence my oatmeal cookie description. Seller made it right though and replaced the damage product.

Ordered these to keep in the truck in case we ever get stuck somewhere. They are a lot smaller than I thought they'd be and they taste pretty good, kinda reminds me of a butter cookie. these are an awesome buy, they take up less than half of the space of an MRE and they contain a three day supply for one person. I've hunted and backpacked for decades, and I spent 5 years in the Marine Corps including time in the war and I'd say this is the best survival food I've come across.