hey guys! I picked up a block of Mainstay bars at the surplus store on the weekend. I've always wanted to try them and find out if it's something our family will like. (I don't stock up on food for the panty unless I know it's something we're going to eat.)

My question is - how long do they last once they're open? Are they individually wrapped inside the big block? Can I just reseal them n a zip lock bag?

Teach me, oh Wise Ones!

Mainstay ration bars are not individual wrapped but I think that the Daytrex ones are.

These rations once opened and then re-stored in a air tight contained such as biscuit tin should last 1-2 years.

These ration bars are really just empty calories and lack the nutrients for long term health. They are also expensive to purchase for what they are.

They typically cost around £5-6 excluding shipping in the UK.
They are acceptable with regard to taste but do not compare to something like All Butter Shortbread such as McAlisters
shortbread fingers I can purchase for £0.39 per 150grams or £1.95 for 750grams for 3900 Kcal.

I then just vacuum seal 5 x 150 gram pkts then place in a sealed mylar bag with an oxygen absorber.

Maineprepper wasn't impressed with the Mainstay rations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyUyxeoeM4

Thanks Liath. I've read mixed reviews on them but figured I'd give them a try. I don't like shortcake, but the rest of the family does. I think I paid $7 for it, which does seem high, unless the shelf life or nutritional value is better. Wasn't sure about keeping them after they-re opened, but I guess they're either going to be a hit or not, so I really don't need to worry about storage after it's open. It's either going to be eaten or composted.

They are inedible and inert to begin with, so their shelf life should last into the next century and still be safe. Lemony flavored cardboard I say. And try to have more water on hand than your ration may allow too. Its a slow gnaw without something to wash it down.

Last summer I tried making bread by grinding up a Datrex and using it as 1/3 of the flour in a loaf of baked wheat bread. It made a lemony lumpish loaf that didn't quite rise enough. With some trial and error I might get the proportions right to make lemon cake. The intent was probably pretty close to what folks have done in times of no food, when they add sawdust to a bit or remaining flour. When I'm bored enough to try again I might chip off some more from the Datrex block and try again.

Well... that answers that. LOL! I detest shortbread to begin with, and comparing Mainstay bars to it is the nicest thing anyone has said about Mainstay. I don't even want to try them now. LOL! (Exactly why I only ever buy one of something if we're trying it for the first time.)

We're always on the hunt for snacks to bulk up our underweight kid, and he loves anything even remotely related to the military, so hopefully it won't be $7 down the drain. He mowed down a power bar from a US MRE on the weekend, and even though it was chocolate, it barely got a passing grade. I think the exact quote was "Meh."

Have you tried the Datrex bars? They're really tasty IMO.

Every once in a while some of my energy bars go into hiding, not to emerge until well after their "sell by" dates, sometimes by five to ten years. They have all tasted at least fairly good, and have caused no problems. After all, I am here to relate this. Specific brands have been Tanka (buffalo jerky) and Clif (undifferentiated chemical compounds). I think the mylar wrapping has a good deal to do with these products remaining edible. I would suspect that most of the many other items packaged in the same manner would survive equally long.

As I understand the situation, "sell by"or "best by" dates do not relate to nutrition or nutritional value, but only to taste.

Haven't got any Daytrex retailers around here, and these Mainstays are only making their first appearance too, which is why I took the chance of buying one.

We're big fans of Cliff bars here! Chocolate chip and Peanut Butter Crunch are our favorites.

I don't care for Datrex bars. Mainstay bars are fairly popular in the chaosmagnet family and I keep a small stash in each BOB. ER Bars aren't too bad but we liked Mainstay much better.

Living proof that everyone's taste buds are different!

To each their own for sure. I actually like the taste and consistency of MRE shortbread. And Tania is ok but expensive. Which just goes to show develop your own taste and don't rely on mine, its all good.

I think you made a good purchase.

We keep a 3600 cal Daytrex block in each vehicle, and a 1200 cal Mayday food bar in each backpack. They last a long time, and taste way better than pine bark or nightcrawlers. Who cares about long-term nutrition? You're lost in the woods and you need carbs for energy! And at $7.00?...a big ol' burger costs that much.

When there is nothing else, we have Daytrex or Mayday.

That's what I was thinking, Byrd. They cost about the same as a MH meal, but are way more calorie dense, and it sounds like they last forever and will stand up to being stored in the vehicle or family BOB well. All good things in my book. But...

Taste test tomorrow after school!

Apparently I still have baby brain. I bought Daytrex 2400, not Mainstay. At any rate, we tried them today and they're a hit. I liked them too, except for the dry, crumblieness. They killed my hunger pretty quick though.

The inner wrapping is like Saran wrap and I'm doubtful that they'll make it through a 1-2 year shelf life, but who knows.

At 200 calories a bar, they're more nutritionally dense than granola and Clif bars, but $8 for 12 makes them more expensive than granola bars and in the same ballpark as Clif bars.

They're OK but I'm on the fence about buying more. I don't think they're in much danger in the pantry but we'll see how the troops take to them.

Like Am_Fear_Liath_Mor said, you can make up your own shelf-stable food supply from less expensive grocery store items.

The advantage of Datrex, Mayday, and Mainstay (haven't tried that brand) is very long shelf life, and their claim to not induce thirst when consumed.

Wasa flatbread, natural peanut butter, jerky, aseptic packed tuna or salmon, dried raisins or currants make good choices.

Any meal or snack is more filling and nutritionally complete if it contains complex carbs, good fat, and protein.

Datrex claims a one year shelf life for their rations once the outer bag is open, so long as the individual wrapping is intact. I don't know why they wouldn't keep nearly that long- they're relatively dry, so AG is very low.

I broke up one block of Datrex bars and sealed each individually, but my sealer is a commercial chamber vacuum machine. Not sure if a Foodsaver would work as well.

I haven't tried those specific brands you mentioned, but some of the other ones I've tried would no doubt retain their original flavor and freshness for 3 to 4 centuries. That doesn't say much for their original flavor and freshness...

Okay, just broke the mylar on my Datrex 3600 (coconut cookies) pack. Not bad flavor, but definitely not complete nutrition.
Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Cane Sugar, Water, Coconut and Salt.

I'm looking at these as a way to increase calories in my 96 hour kit and extend other nutrition sources so the kit will go longer than 96 hours. Plan is to add two Datrex 3600 packs to the food cooler in my truck's 96 hour kit. With the food already in the cooler (MRE's/freeze dried entree's and canned soup), the kit should be good for 10 days +/-. I would not put myself on a Datrex diet, that would get very old, very fast.

They're not meant to be complete nutrition but rather a survival food. I wouldn't want to live on 'em either.

I stock up on nutritional supplements, which I can eat everyday without refrigeration or heating, and rotate the stock.

Jeanette Isabelle