While cleaning out my vintage minivan, I ran across some Clif bars which I had stored under the front sat and opened one. It was noticeably drier than normal, obviously losing moisture due to the frequent high daily temperatures in the interior. As the deterioration of the trim of this vehicle will attest, it was typically parked in the open, exposed to the blazing SoCal sun. The bar was edible, but I would have preferred a nice cup of tea in which I could have dunked the bar to restore moisture. The bar had a sell by date of June, 2002. Had it been stored in better conditions, I doubt it would have been noticeably altered at all.

Any other experiences with archaeological Clif Bars?

I've found kitchen bugs in one of my BOB's, long stored at home, once. Zip lock bag and the Cliff-bar pack itself didn't help to stop them from chewing through and feasting inside. The Nature Valley's Trail Mix bars on the other hand, in the same BOB were perfectly intact. I guess that's because they have natural honey as an ingredient and probably a better packaging. They are my preferred emergency food for long storage and EDC now:



- Trail Mix is packaged in smaller serving amount for quick snack on the go without crumbling around;
- it can be easily forced into a preferred shape right in the package to save space in the pack or other container, also without crumbling;
- it has a bit more calories per once 2x(140cal/1.2oz)=280 vs 240=1x(240cal/2.4oz) in 1 Cliff;
- and its taste is way better than any of Cliff's flavors.

Just a followup. My dog sniffed out one of the bars from my antique stash, bit through the wrapper, and walked away. I have never seen her reject any food-like substance before, ever, and she has been with us for fifteen years.

I don't know, Alex - it sounds like Nature Valley Trail Mix bars were rejected by bugs, natural honey or not. None of this stuff has a taste that is anything like a gourmet treat, but they do work in a pinch/ I find my home mixed trail mix much better than the commercial stuff - one part walnuts, one part almonds, one part pecans, two parts raisins - consume the mix fairly soon, there are no preservatives.

Not with Clif Bars, but I found 2 very old Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bars in the bottom of my old Sac Millet that I hiked with as a teenager. These were Vietnam war era so about 30 years old, sold at places like REI. Dry and a bit crumbly, but delicious in ~2008. They were still wrapped in an old Ziploc so I wasn't too worries about infestations.

I like Cliff Bars, take them hiking often, but for longer term storage in the car and BOB, I keep Millennium Bars. I initially found out about them because they were packaged in some MRE's I had. I've since seen them from multiple online sources. They have a 5 year shelf life, are foil vacuum packed, and although they are a little dry, they come in many flavors for variety. They have a consistency similar to lifeboat rations.

One source for example is Cheaper Than Dirt:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/product/F...CFcQDOgod_j0AfQ

The only Millenium Bars I really like are the coconut ones. All the rest are like eating slightly softened sugar cubes. NOTE: I have virtually no sweet tooth at all.

I find that clif bars are noticeably drier and harder after only about six or seven months. And they are kept in the house at temp around 68.

Cliff Bars are great, but they just aren't packaged for long term storage. I take them for day hikes all the time, but I don't think the material they use for the sleeve they are packed in is very high quality. The Millennium Bars, are in some kind of foil/poly hybrid material, the way MRE's are packaged, and they seem to be designed better for long storage under widely varying conditions. Lifeboat rations are like that too.

I'm not a big fan of Cliff Bars, either. The macadamian one is pretty good. At least Cliff Bars, if you like them, is something you would rotate without much trouble. Carry 'em for a couple months, then eat them and replace.

Clif bars are what you might call a "food-like substance." I like them for a quick energy boost when out biking or hiking - good for about twenty miles or so when pedaling. I find that they keep pretty well, hidden in the deep recesses of my pack. Interesting that others have a different experience.

But every now and then, you need to stop for real food - chocolate!

I haven't tried the Natural Valley trail mix, but their other bars are generally much better tasting than clif bar. Heck at least they look like food, unlike clif bar which looks like a blob of goo from ground up horse feed and old leather shoes.

Although be careful the chewey bars become bricks below freezing, almost chipped a tooth on one. Clif bar will be harder but still soft enough to chew.

I have it on good authority that only NEW leather shoes are used in the production of Clif bars...

Actually, for what they are, they serve rather well as back up chow. Just don't eat them regularly.

Yeah, I eat them as quick energy boost while on ski lift, clif bar isn't the best tasting but isn't the worst either, I've certainly had worse.

But there an advantage to not being the best, I actually use them for what they are bought for, instead of late night snacks...

Oh and the wrapper on clif bar feels like those recycled plastic (I think Lay's chip used them at one stage but changed after many complaints), so that might be one of the reasons for short shelf life.

All these commercial energy, protein bars are a triumph of marketing over substance with a premium price to match. Bake your own, just throw the ingredients into a bowl, stir then bake. Once cool, vacuum seal or mylar bag them up with an oxygen absorber and save about 4/5th of what you would have paid for a commercial product.

Too much upfront cost.