http://www.maydayindustries.com/mayday_food.html

As Stated a quick review of the MayDay 400Calorie Apple Cinn Ration bar. No affiliation to the company.


Recently I Purchased a 22 rifle and upon my first shooting with 2 friends my curiosity got the best of me and I aptly Brought along my ration bar to try out and see what they thought of it. Purposely Missing breakfast around lunch I was noticeably hungry just the way I wanted to be. Ripping it open I (with a deal of effort) dug a knife into it and cracked off a few small pieces handing them out.

On First impressions before eating it was rock hard dry and very crumbly with little scent, Not very impressive. Upon eating I noticed its Dryness was barely noticeable after a few chews with a great resemblance to shortbread cookies to which my other friend stated on his own aswell before I spoke. The flavor while not strong was pleasant and welcoming over what was originally expected. The claims of non thirst inducing seemed to stand well with me as after the first few chews it was more a paste then a expected Dry difficult mass of powder. I personally didnt feel the need to drink water even after a few more pieces but one friend did state he thought it was dry and infact did need water tho that didnt deter him from having seconds.

One friend declined more but did state it was decent and very edible unlike expected. Me and my other friend ate the rest of the bar at as equal of parts as I could break off which was very difficult. After eating roughly half the bar I was still a tad hungry tho not surprisingly as the mass of the bar is still low.

Overall for the 1.50$ price tag I consider it a great buy. While not considered food or filling at half a bar it will supplement what you gather with nutritional value. I cant Consider this Food on its own and Never did before I purchased or Tried the product. Now at 400 cals with 200 per its 2 bars the 3600 packs are the same sized out bars and are of the same size and values. To Consider Rationing these for multiple days even three as a staple food alone is ridiculous to me as many survival sites love to state.

When it comes down to it These bars are great supplements to gathered food but lacking on their own. For the same size I figure I can fit more days of proper Vitamin/mineral intake with Pills just minus the calories which are weak at best. After even more thinking I figured in a situation lacking in food I would ration the bar down to marble sized amounts per possible day if length of time looks bleak. With This in mind Intake of Vitamin/minerals would be reduced greatly including calories to a near useless amount. I figure with a Single Square a squirrel and few gathered greens you would happily survive 6 days with the 2400. Any longer and the amount of bars needed to be carried would exceed the practical.

For the size and values these bars offer I would highly suggest them for Vehicles such as Cars, Planes And Boats only. In Bug out bags and PSP's I would suggest putting the size towards more sustainable means to obtain meals and Multivitamins. For the Size of the 400 Calorie bar I can easily fit a heatsheet in my PSK which in my opinion is a easy choice towards a more reliable shelter/warmth capability.

If you been wondering about these the 1.50$ pricetag on the 400 cal bars is unbeatable for a taste test. I suggest getting it along with a few other items from a site you frequent to make up for the S&H. Im sure you will be surprised and pleased with them as I was. As a quick note many other companys use a lemon flavor which I have no experience with to make statements towards positive or negative.

I've had them,they taste like Crapola,however having eaten them,I would think it would be a Great motivator to practice the skills needed to aquire a More palatable solution for nutrition as well as getting rescued.One thing for sure,when you are down to eating those only,Your situation is in Critical Mode,at that point!

I think the issue is people expect them to be a willy wonka's meal in a stick of gum kinda thing instead of the realistic Dense Dry cookie it is. I personally had extremely low expectations after seeing so many people shoot them down in videos on youtube. After eating one I was surprised greatly how people could instantly write them off as bad. I honestly think the fact is people expect to much from everything these days. If you Expect a Pot roast from a sugar cookie you will be disappointed. If you expect a sugar cookie from a sugar cookie you wont be to far off or in great displeasure. No They are not the best things in the world but I can think of plenty things in grocery stores grosser to me that people love.

The Mayday Apple Cinn ration bars are actually quite expensive. If you need lots and lots of empty calories then its quite hard to beat ASDA Smart Value Custard Creams (400 grams). These will give you around 2000 Kcal for around $0.45.

I dont see how these can stand up to a ration bar when looking at more then empty calories and price. Can they store for 5 years? In High heat, Freezing cold, and wet conditions? Do they have any vitamin/mineral intake? Are they "non thirst inducing"?

Im not holding these up very high but Im not gonna dismiss them just cause its the sheep thing to do (pun).

I agree- ration bars are somewhat fortified with vitamins and minerals. They're also way less thirst provoking than a dry cookie. Plus the packaging is much more robust.

While I haven't tried the Mayday ones I can say I could absolutely wreck a block of Datrex bars! I abso-freakin'lutely love 'em, could eat them every day if they weren't so carby.

I'm pretty sure the reference to ASDA goodness was made tongue in custard filled cheek.

I'm interested in hearing what others say about the Datrex bars as I just bought some too. Do they actually taste good?

One of these days I'll sit down and do a taste test of the Mayday, Datrex and our locally made F.A.S.T. rations.

Rations are not the be all and end all but for trying to get the basic kit down to minimun size they work just fine.

If you buy the standard size Datrex bars they are really 2 days worth of calories unless you are sitting in a life raft.

Jenks

I am not sure I see the need for these specialized food items. I sprinkle Clif bars throughout my packs, along with Tonka bars and beef jerky. One feature of these brands is very robust packaging - others have this as well. When you go this route, you can choose flavors that actually appeal. Where weight and bulk is not a consideration, I go for canned goods that get recycled periodically.

Recently, I found a beef jerky package that had an expiration date in 2005. It tasted just fine - no digestive problems, although I wouldn't recommend keeping anything that far beyond its date as a general rule.

You guys are making me hungry! A shopping I will go. A shopping I will go. Hi ho the dairy-o. A shopping I will go!

Is there any other brand I should try?

I think the Luna Bars are intended for Women,as per the Mineral/Vitamin content,Regardless I had a Mint chip one that was Very tasty!