Datrex Bar vs. Skippy Natural Peanut Butter

Datrex 2400 calorie bar
You get: One package containing twelve 200 calorie individually plastic wrapped pieces

Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Sugar, Salt, Water

• 2400 kcal per package.
• High energy value. Ready to eat.
• Non thirst provoking.
• Small and lightweight.
• All natural ingredients.
• No preservatives.
• Superior coconut flavor
• Tabletized and subpackaged for ease of rationing.
• USCG, Canadian CoastGuard and EC approved
• 3-5 year shelf life.

$7.50 or more per package plus $5.00 shipping

Skippy Natural Super Chunk 15 oz
You get: 15 oz of chunky peanut butter in a reusable jar

Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Palm Oil, Salt

• 2470 kcal per package
• High energy value. Ready to eat.
• Non thirst provoking
• Small and weighs 15oz
• All natural ingredients
• Superior peanut flavor
• Tabletized and subpackaged for ease of rationing. Nope, measure it out. Two Tbsp = 1 Datrex segment
• USCG, Canadian CoastGuard and EC approved. Nope, they won’t be there anyway
• 2 year shelf life,real food...rotate it out…make peanut butter s’mores in the good times

$2.00 per package…buy 6 instead

Just my opinion............

Never thought of it that way - Stable tasty food...MMM
Must it be super chunk?

( I'm adding some to the pantry)

I use a factory sealed 1-kg. jar of peanut butter as emergency rations in my vehicles. I should probably double that. You can hardly get a more concentrated food source. And the price point, as the OP notes, can't be beat.

I rotate the PB out of the cars every year and a half. Then, since it's cheapie stuff, it becomes treat food for the hounds. Dogs are crazy after PB.

I frown at the term 'natural' in this particular product since they've removed the peanut oil and replaced it with palm oil. A shelf life thing, perhaps? I'm not certain it's much better for you than hydrogenated vegetable oil. Then again, if I'm desperate enough to eat a lot of peanut butter, I'll be burning every possible calorie and LDL will hardly be a pressing concern.

It has to be smooth, by the way.

UUMMM Rea UUUMMM ly UUUMMM
UUMM Plea UUUMMM se UUUMMM give UUUMMM me UUMMM some UUUMMM water UUUMMM

Pete

You are comparing apples and oranges. Or, maybe, jerky vs. fresh meat. If you don't need long term storage, and rotating stock every two years clearly isn't, and the other attributes it provides, then survival rations, per se, make little sense. It's a product designed for a specific purpose and it fits that purpose well, a purpose that PB doesn't fit well, in the least.

As to PB not being thirst provoking, I'd have to say I definitely will have to disagree with that.

YMMV

Important factors: what are those calories comprised of, and what kind of calories do you need in a survival situation? Just having a full stomach is not the ultimate goal.

A diet of high carbs and low fat/protein is ideal for high energy situations. It is also ideal for times when water is extremely scarce. It sucks water out of your body to digest proteins and fats. In contrast, water is actually RELEASED into your body from the digestion of carbs. This has been very precisely studied and validated by Golden and Tipton in their excellent book "Essentials of Sea Survival".

In very cold conditions the extra energy packed in fats is certainly of great value, but you still need carbs if you're going to do much work, and you need plenty of water to digest the fat. The carbs are also the "kindling" that helps your metabolism burn the "big wood" of the fats. To be sure, native peoples in arctic regions subsist on a very low carb diet, but there is evidence to suggest they have developed genetic adaptations to this diet over many generations.

In most any survival situation, protein itself is the least important type of food. If the ordeal lasts long enough that protein is a factor, then a jar of peanut butter or a box of Datrex will be woefully inadequate anyway. You will have to consider finding a way to live off the land or sea.

I recently finished reading Nathaniel Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea" which details the wreck of the Essex in 1820. The survivors sailed in open whaleboats for 93 days and wound up eating their dead cohorts. The survivors said they were so weak they could barely stand, let alone do useful work to improve their lot. The protein & (minimal) fat kept them alive, and it was all they had, but a supply of carbs would have been most welcome. IIRC, Steven Callahan reported similarly.

So let's look at the details of Skippy and Datrex.

Skippy, 1.1 ounce serving:
180 calories - 16g fat, 6g carbs, 7g protein. Of those carbs, only 4g are actually energy; the other 2 are fiber.

Skippy yield, per ounce:
163.6 calories/ounce
14.5g fat/ounce
3.6g energy carbs/ounce
6.4g protein/ounce

The Datrex nutritional label is widely available on the internet but it only lists total carbs, with no breakdown between complex, simple (sugar), and fiber carbs. I called the company and spoke to one of their engineers. He gave me the carb breakdown and said that they are starting to print that breakdown on the labels.

Datrex, 1.48 ounce serving:
200 calories - 9g fat, 27g carbs, 3g protein. Of those carbs, 5g are sugars and approximately 2g are fiber, so you are getting about 25g of energy carbs.

Datrex yield, per ounce:
135.1 calories/ounce
6.1g fat/ounce
16.9g energy carbs/ounce
2.0g protein/ounce

So Datrex gives you a calorie ratio much better suited to an active survival situation, especially if water is scarce. If you are certain that your situation will be cold and stationary, Skippy might be a better choice. But IMO food with a profile similar to Datrex is a better fuel.

Of course you can come up with other foods that offer the calorie profile of Datrex. The value added by Datrex seems to be the tough packaging and long shelf life. I am not strictly a Datrex fan, but I feel there is more to be considered than just calories and cost.

I have no connection with or financial interest in Skippy, Datrex, or Amazon.

This is a very helpful analysis, thanks, Glock-A-Roo!



I tested Datrex, ER Bars and Mainstay before settling on Mainstay for this purpose (food for short-term emergencies) and storage regime (long-term storage, relatively rough handling and extremes of temperature). Mainstay was picked based on my kids and my wife finding it the most palatable of the options, but now I wish I'd done an analysis like yours.

My BoBs both have a one pound jar of peanut butter. Quick, ready to eat, tastes good, can be eaten with a spoon. In a pinch, can use the peanut oil to start a fire.

That and DW is allergic to wheat.

I agree with Doug.
When was the last time you sat down and ate plain P.B. without
needing something to drink !!!!!

Maybe I'm just a weirdo but I love Datrex bars! I'd rather eat them than nearly any candy bar, nutrition aside.

Ditto!
And as Glockaroo points out, nutritionally it's pretty bad on you. I mean, Mayo is pretty calorically dense. Of course, no point being prepared when you have that fatal heart attack on your third bottle of a Mayo-only diet (shuddering - I hate mayo).

I get generic, store brand, creamy peanut butter. With preservatives it lasts for, well ... I've never sen it deteriorate. It may separate a bit, and the flavor gets bland in the long run, but I've had peanut butter that was stored for ten years in a kitchen cabinet, not refrigerated, and it wasn't bad. Picky eaters might turn up their nose but if you're hungry, in a survival situation, it works.

I suspect that it would still be eatable for years more.

Most of the survival foods, Datrex and MREs, and similar, tend to remain eatable for years after their 'expiration dates'. You lose flavor and, possibly, nutrition but they still swallow and keep the legs pumping.

Excellent research! I always get into trouble on this forum when I'm on vacation and it's raining.
What if I put the PB on hardtack or a cracker? Got carbs and still way cheap.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 saltine cracker
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 3
Calories 13
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0.34g 1%
Saturated Fat 0.05g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.037g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.21g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Potassium 5mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.13g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0%
Sugars 0.01g
Protein 0.28g

OK, maybe I stretched a little on that point....try putting PB on apple slices

> I always get into trouble on this forum when I'm on vacation and it's raining.
What if I put the PB on hardtack or a cracker? <

>on apple slices<

Drizzled with honey too! mmMMM!

Let's slather Skippy on a hunk of Datrex! <insert Homer Simpson drool sound here>

I would really hope that my food stocks will include a variety of suitable foods, including both peanut butter and a Datrex-like food bar, so that I can eat a reasonable variety...

I love crunchy Skippy. I was really bummed when we couldn't get it for a while here (some recall IIRC). It doesn't make me thirsty, but I seem to have a real tolerance to not feeling thirsty under just about any circumstance (probably a dangerous thing).

Skippy and sockeye salmon sandwiches <more Homer drooling>

Having been on a low carb diet for the better part of 2 years now, I question the conventional wisdom of needing carbs for energy. Fat is a much more dense source of energy.

I have never experienced an issue with running out of energy, and it is just not a problem for the majority of the millions of people who are low carbing it.

Me, I would go for the PB. I don't think PB causes thirst though. It may cause some dry mouth because of the nature of the food which might lead to a desire to drink.

I suspect the reason the peanut oil is replaced with some other oil is that peanut oil is valuable.

It is true that carbohydrates contain a small amount of water (that is what the hydrate part means) but the amount is small enough that it probably does not make all that much difference.

I think peanut butter is a good survival food but I have to agree with Doug_Ritter that it is thirst provoking. It is also high in salt. So don't depend on it if it is likely that water is going to be critically short.

Florida, with a high groundwater, heavy rains, and lots of surface water is not likely to be in short supply. The water will need treatment but there is seldom any shortage.

If you are buying a ration for storage in a life raft pack on a airplane or boat that operated primarily over salt water, a situation where there is a good chance you are going to start short of fresh water and only have it get dearer as time wears on, you are going to want to go with the Datrex.

If you are more far more likely to be in a situation where drinking water will be plentiful you might save a bit of money by including more peanut butter and less Datrex.

It seems wise to always include some amount of ration that doesn't induce thirst or demand water to eat.

Does PB go well on gator?

Ditto. I didn't want to be the first guy to mention it (because I usually am :/) but I once read a summary of a study that indicated that even marathon runners and endurance athletes may be better off "fat loading" than "carb loading." Still, for survival rations I will admit that fat could turn rancid and might be harder to store. I like to keep things like Vienna Sausage, pouch tuna, Kipper snacks, Spam, nuts, mayo packets & jerky around. They're all foods that last and things that fit my normal eating style.

I also find that eating 300 calories of a food fairly high in fat satisfies my hunger a lot better than a similar amount of most high carb foods.

I have a question: Should I be thinking that protein is questionable for my long-term stores, or only start thinking that way if there isn't enough water available? I've always had a balanced diet as my LT food storage goal.

For short-term supplies, I usually take PB, jerky and/or nut and fruit trailmix for snacks, but I also pack Cliff bars or some other power or meal replacement bars for just-in case rations.

I can picture myself striding into the swamp with nothing but a jar of peanut butter, butter knife, and loaf of white bread to find out. LOL.

Some people use peanut butter in cooking and with meats, peanut butter pork and chicken get good reviews, but I've never liked it as a cooking ingredient. Peanut butter on crackers or bread, on celery or a banana, or in a PB&J, or course, is how I like it.

If anyone would like to come down here and see how slathering a gator's tail in peanut butter and taking a bite goes I think I can find a gator, there are a few locally. I'll provide the peanut butter, as long as you like creamy, and bread, as long as you like wheat. Bring your own butter knife.

I think people need to adapt the supplies and equipment to their own situation. I've a cousin who lives on the edge of a desert and he claims he would never go hungry in it. Roots, eatable plants, small game, and insects are, according to him, plentiful. Water is another thing altogether.

My post had become long enough without going into a detailed discussion of fat vs. carb for energy. Suffice to say, both will work but there is a difference between "workable" and "optimal". In a survival situation you have precious little control over many important factors, so it is a good move to optimize factors you can control, i.e. your emergency food stash. Look for some of Marc Twight's material on food strategies for high altitude alpinism, it is helpful.

From Golden & Tipton, p. 171:

"Historically, fat has been a favorite constituent of such rations because of its high energy density and flavor. To maintain blood glucose levels, however, a high carbohydrate diet rather than a high fat diet is the preferred way of providing energy..."

Read their book, it is extremely detailed and well researched. Golden is a MD and PhD with over 30 years in the British navy studying sea survival and survival physiology. Tipton is a PhD having over 20 years experience with Britain's Naval Medicine Institute.

Fat loading vs carb loading is not the issue here, nor is "optimal" (whatever choice of that term you mean) energy, or the low carb diet. All of these concepts assume that you are in a "normal" environment where water is readily available. Items like Datrix were designed for survival at sea. That requires some energy (potentially to keep warm or to maintain brain function) while essentially inactive. Water is assumed to be in short supply (since at sea it usually is). The amount of water required to DIGEST the carbs is significantly less than that required for fats or proteins. Even the type of carbs is an important choice for this use. It has nothing to do with how dry your mouth feels after you have eaten the food.

For most long term food storage problems, Datrix is not the best choice. For some short term problems like flying (where you might easily be stranded in a low water situation) or at sea, where you will certainly have a shortage of water the Datrix is far preferable. These survival foods are designed to use little water to digest, be easy on the gut, last for a long time in bad storage conditions (have you ever opened a lifeboat on a tropical cruise?), and with rough handling (like the seat pack of an ejection seat). They must also meet the needs of people with common food alergys (say peanuts) and religeous preferences. You may make your own selections there.

The Skippy or Datrix question cannot be answered without knowing what situation you are in. In my car in Florida (as Art pointed out) the Skippy is just great(although I prefer The Peanut Butter Company Bee's Knees). In my Cessna flying over Arizona (or even much of the great plains) I would be much better off with Datrix bars.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I went back and re-read this section in the Golden/Tipton book. My initial post was not quite accurate on this point. Both carbohydrates and fats release water into the body when metabolized, it is protein that is the water hog when digested. I didn't want my post to mislead anyone.

Protein digestion yields urea which is toxic and it takes a fair amount of water to clear urea from the body. Carbs provide easy energy faster and are recommended by Golden/Tipton over fats & protein.

Metabolizing carbs & fats can yield 300-500mL of available water per day. Combined with a survival water ration of 500mL, this additional metabolic water can be a significant factor in surviving dehydration.

Nobody's mentioned jelly. I need jelly too dangit! What's the shelf life on it? I don't need bread as I'll put it on crackers, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, etc., so I'll find something that stores longer than bread, but I got to have jelly!

All good points, and there are situational considerations as you and others point out. Dehydration for example; where I live, I am far more likely to drown than die of dehydration. Even rudimentary purification equipment would prevent dehydration in most of this state. Remember too that peanut butter is about 50% carbs and 50% protein. Two Tbls of PB spread on an ounce of hardtack or bannock, the carb content about triples to 75% carbs/25% protein.

I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist. The main point of my original post was that PB is portable, shelf-stabil, and provides a whole lot of food energy and flexibility at less than 20% of the cost of similar calories in those coconut food bars.

Jelly stores well until opened. Honey stored pretty much indefinitely but required extra care for kids and immune-compromised.