My Hiking Life: Trail Food

Wild Zora - website info:

All our products are grain-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, MSG-free, and milk-free (except the cheese recipe) and never added sugar. Our meats come from pasture raised animals with no added hormones, antibiotics, or nitrites (except those naturally occurring). Each package contains a full serving of certified-organic fruits and veggies. Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Bars are a great-tasting and healthy snack providing balanced nutrition because they are made with REAL FOOD; they are a Paleo-friendly and allergen-free with options for those with gluten, grain, dairy, nut, soy, or nightshade allergies; and they provide long-lasting energy without added sugar for travel, workouts, or outdoor adventures.

Nutrition Facts:

My Choices

Beef Kale Tomato Basil

Beef Kale Tomato Chili Pepper

Lamb Rosemary Turmeric

Beef Kale Parmesan Tomato Basil

Pre-AT Hike Testing 2017

I have tried each of these items and find them to be flavorful along with providing reasonable fat and protein without excess sugar. The Beef Chili Pepper shown has the highest amount of sugar at 8 grams, the highest I really want in a product. I do appreciate the grass fed beef without antibiotics or hormones and the organic fruits and vegetables. The packages are a bit large for the product but they do lay flat and fit nicely in my pockets. Given the flavor and nutrition, my expectations are that I will be able to enjoy these foods for a entire thru hike.

Post-AT Hike Results 2017

I consistently enjoyed the flavor of

Lamb Rosemary Turmeric

Beef Kale Parmesan Tomato Basil

Even though I enjoyed the flavors at first on the 5+ month hike I found I grew tired of the

Beef Kale Tomato Basil

Beef Kale Tomato Chili Pepper

Bottom line is on my next hike I will only include those flavors that I enjoy in the long run.

Gopals - website info:

Made with Organic Seeds
Ingredients:
Organic Sunflower Seeds, Nutritional Yeast and Stone Ground Himalayan Crystal Salt.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size 1 oz (28g), Serv. Per. Cont. 2 Amount per Serving: Calories 154, Fat Cal 91, Total Fat 13g(20%), Saturated Fat 2g (10%), Trans Fat 0g (0%), Cholesterol 0g (0%), Sodium 160mg (7%), Total Carbohydrate 6g (2%), Dietary Fiber 1g (4%), Sugars 0g, Protein 8g, Vitamin A (0%), Vitamin C (0%), Calcium (2%), Iron (25%), Copper (20%), Magnesium (40%), Manganese (45%), Selenium (8%) Percent Daily Value are based on a 2000 Calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower, depending on your calorie needs.

My Choices

Pumpkin Seed Cheesy Sprouties

Pumpkin Seed Orginal Sprouties

Pumpkin Seed Savory Sprouties

Sunflower Seed Cheesy Sprouties

Sunflower Seed Orginal Sprouties

Sunflower Seed Savory Sprouties

Pre-Hike Testing 2017

What I enjoy about these foods is the salty flavors. They are high in fat and protein with sugars in the zero range. The packages have enough to be filling while maintaining convenience for packing. Once again given the flavor and nutrition, my expectations are that I will be able to enjoy these foods for a entire thru hike.

Post-AT Hike Results 2017

I consistently enjoyed the flavor of

Pumpkin Seed Cheesy Sprouties

Sunflower Seed Cheesy Sprouties

I found I was looking for the Cheesy packs in my resupply boxes and disappointed if there weren't any. The Cheesy flavor proved delicious throughout the entire 5+ month hike. I will use the Cheesy Sprouties on future hikes. While the Original flavor seemed to have developed a stale taste. The Savory flavor made me cough from the spicy dust in the package, plus the flavor simply was lack luster in the long run.

Organic Prairie - website info:

Sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and organic spices deliver savory satisfaction with every bite. There's also a little bit of salt, some celery and garlic, and just a hint of honey to help set off the flavors in our delicious, 100% grassfed beef.

Nutrition Facts:

My Choices

Mighty Bar Cranberry & Sunflower Seeds

Mighty Bar Bacon & Apple

Mighty Bar Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper

Pre-Hike Testing 2017

I like each of these bars, finding them satisfying without growing tired of the taste. I do appreciate the organic grass fed beef without antibiotics or hormones and the organic fruits and nuts. The packages are a nice size and fit comfortably in my pockets. Given the flavor and nutrition, my expectations are that I will be able to enjoy these foods for a entire thru hike.

Post-AT Hike Results 2017

I consistently enjoyed the flavor of each and every bar. I enjoyed these every day and never left them in a hiker box. These bars kept well and had a consistently good taste throughout my hike. These bars are a definite for future hikes.

GoMacro - website info:

Ingredients: Organic Cashews, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Ancient Seed Blend (Organic Puffed Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Flax, Organic Hemp Hearts), Organic Crystallized Ginger (Organic Ginger, Organic Cane Sugar), Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Apple Fiber, Organic Dried Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Lemon Juice Powder, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Natural Lemon Flavor. Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and other nuts. May contain pit or nutshell fragments.

Nutrition Facts:

Amount/Serving %DV*
Serving Size: 40g 1
Calories: 180
Calories From Fat: 90
Total Fat 10g 15%
Trans Fat 0g
Sodium 10mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sat. Fat 0g 0%
Choles. 0mg 0%
Total Carb 20g 7%
Sugars 7g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 2%
Iron 4%
*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

My Choices

Ginger Lemon

Almond Apricot

Carmel Coconut

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt

Blueberry Lavender

Pre-Hike Testing 2017

These bars are a pleasant treat that I look forward to on the trail. Each one is flavorful in it's own way. The Almond Apricot has the most sugar at 8g. During the TRT hike last summer these bars were a welcome addition to my food sack. I expect that I will be able to mix and match for a good variety making these bars last for a full thru hike.

Post-AT Hike Results 2017

I consistently enjoyed the flavor of

Ginger Lemon

Blueberry Lavender

Chocolate Peanut Butter

These three flavors are the clear winners for consistent delicious taste. I will use them in future hikes. The other flavors became lack luster over the months on the trail.

Honey Stinger - website info:

The sweet and spicy combination of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, almonds, honey and apples with a dash of sea salt and roasted serrano peppers will not disappoint. Low in sugar and densely packed with gluten free, non-GMO ingredients, this bar is bound to satisfy your snacking hunger.

Nutrition Facts:

My Choice

Stinger Nuts, Seeds & Roasted Serrano

Pre-Hike Testing 2017

While not truly an Organic product it is non-GMO, I feel it is worthy of the tail diet because of the high fat and protein plus sea salt, organic honey and apple. The Roasted Serrano Bar has the least amount of sugar in the Stinger bar line as of this writing. I enjoy the zesty spice and warmth of the Serrano peppers in this bar, which is unusual in nutrition bars. This bar will be a nice addition to my trail diet with it's uniqueness that offsets other flavors in my trail diet. I am anticipating that I will be able to enjoy the Serrano pepper flavor for the entire thru hike.

Post-AT Hike Results 2017

These bars started to have a stale taste later in the hike. I bought them in bulk just like all the other food prior to the hike. I then loaded them into my resupply boxes for my Quartermaster to ship at the appropriate times. The boxes were staged in my living room in a temperature controlled environment. These bars did not seem to hold up in the long run as far as quality taste. I will not be using this oil future hikes.