Gear Review | Probar

Retail: $29 per dozen

Company: PROBAR
The Probar story begins with Jeff Coleman and Jules Lambert and their personal drive for real food.  Jeff found Probar while searching for a healthier lifestyle in Park City, Utah.  After stumbling upon Probar he eventually bought the company outright and hired Jules to introduce the company to a wider audience.  Being the passionate person Jules is, he took his family on a two year roadtrip across the country introducing people to the Probar experience.

The company has seen incredible success and is now a nationally recognized brand.  They feature several lines of product, each one embodying the Probar mission which is to create delicious, convenient, healthy, plant-based food products while maintaining a commitment to quality, sustainability, and fantastic taste.

the Review

Probar offers five different products, each serving a specific nutritional purpose. Casi and I enjoyed sampling and testing the five varieties and selected the two that really stood out to us. The review is of the following;
1. Probar Bolt Energy Chews (starts at $29.88 per dozen)
2. Probar Meal Whole Food (starts at $39.48 per dozen)

Features

Meal Whole Food Bars

  • 5-8g Fiber
  • 5-11g Protein
  • Certified Organic by QAI
  • Meal Replacement

Bolt ENERGY CHEWS

  • Organic Superfruit
  • Yerba Mate Caffeine in 2 Flavors
  • Electrolytes with B Vitamins
  • Excellent During-Activity Fuel

Probar BOLT Energy Chews

Casi and I were both very excited when we heard that Probar made these chews. They have made a perfect snack during grueling day hikes in the desert. Probar makes four flavors of Bolt energy chews; Berry Blast, Orange, Raspberry, and Strawberry. Casi is obsessed with the Strawberry chews while I liked the Orange and Berry Blast chews. 
I recently took these chews with me on a difficult hike up to Flatiron and they were a total lifesaver. I didn't eat breakfast before taking on the 1,000+ ft. climb up to the summit and I was really lacking energy about half way up the trail. I ate the entire pack (2 servings per pack) and almost immediately felt replenished. The best part, in my opinion, is that the chews are not too sweet and didn't give me a stomach ache even after eating two servings. I also really like that each serving adds an extra kick with 20mg of caffeine delivered from organic yerba mate.
The Takeaway:
The chews actually did what they said they would do. They provided me with a great boost of energy without being overly sugary. In my opinion they are a better version of the Clif Blocks. They didn't melt or get sticky on any of the hiking trips we took them on (full disclosure we've only taken them on winter desert hikes) and they are firmer than most styles of chews. I liked, didn't love, the taste although Casi stinking loves them.

Probar MEAL Bars

Okay, these bars are the real deal. Of all the product lines Probar offers, the Meal Bars are by far my favorite option. There are several reasons why these bars won me over so I'll just list them so it's easier to read; 
1. They are big. At 3 oz. they are bigger than an average sized snack bar.
2. Probar offers 12 different flavors. This is perfect for Casi and I because we tend to get sick of one particular flavor pretty quickly.
3. They are organic.
4. When you look at the bar you can actually identify what's in it. You can see nuts, chunks of chocolate or coconut, grains, and all the other real foods that go into making these bars.
5. Rich with calorie dense nutrition. Each bar contains anywhere from 5-8 grams of fiber and 5-11 grams of protein. I love that one bar can fill me up.
To sum it up, we both really liked these bars. They were hearty and tasty. I would carry these as either a snack if I need extra calories or as a meal replacement if I was on the go and didn't want to stop to eat lunch.

What We Liked

  1. The Taste:  After trying all the flavors, we can honestly say that we would be satisfied taking any flavor of bar or chew on the trail with us. With that being said, Casi's favorite meal bar was the Chocolate Coconut while I enjoyed the Superfood Slam. For the energy chews, I prefer the orange and Casi ate up all our Strawberry ones.
  2. The Availability:  Since Probar is a nationally renowned brand, I can find these bars at just about any food store I shop at.
  3. Real Food: Casi and I both love the fact that we could see what we were eating.  We really enjoy the chunky, dense texture of the Meal bars.  Oh, and the chews are certified organic, non-GMO, and gluten free!
  4. The Variety: I get bored of flavors very quickly and I was glad to see the wide variety of choices.  This is especially nice on extended backpacking trips!

What we didn't like

  1. Too Sweet:  At least for me.  Casi genuinely liked almost everything she tasted whereas I thought some of the Meal Bars were a little on the sweet side.  Having said that, it hasn't stopped me from packing them on every hike we've been on since November!

Conclusion

The real question is this; out of all the bars and goo's and chews out there would I choose Probar over the rest? The answer to that question for Casi is a resounding YES while my "yes" sounds more like a probably. Don't get me wrong here, the bars and chews really are delicious and satisfying but I guess I am still on the hunt for that one bar that I will forever love, although, that day may never come.

 

GearCameron JarmanComment