Datrex 3600 Calorie Emergency Food Bar

This is the food bar that lives in my truck kit and in every go bag I build. It is not a meal, it does not taste like much beyond coconut, and that is the point: it is 3,600 calories of shelf-stable energy that takes no water, no stove, and no thinking.

What it is

One vacuum-sealed foil package holds 18 ready-to-eat bars at 200 calories each. Datrex makes these for lifeboats and liferafts, and this package carries U.S. Coast Guard approval number 160.046/8/0. The bars are formulated to be non-thirst provoking, so you aren't burning through your water supply to get food down, which is the real reason I pick these over a granola bar from the gas station. Rationed at one bar every 4 to 6 hours, one package stretches about three days for one person at roughly 1,200 calories a day.

Straight talk

These are made from enriched wheat flour, vegetable shortening (palm oil), cane sugar, water, and natural coconut flavoring, so they are not gluten-free and they are not a long-term diet. They are the bridge that keeps you moving until you get to real food. Shelf life is typically 5 years; check the best-by date on the package and rotate it when you swap your car kit each season.

Specs

• One package: 18 bars, 3,600 calories total (200 per bar)
• USCG approved, #160.046/8/0
• Vacuum-sealed foil, typically 5-year shelf life (verify date on package)
• Ready to eat, no preparation, non-thirst provoking
• Weight: about 1.8 lb
• Ingredients: enriched wheat flour, vegetable shortening (palm oil), cane sugar, water, natural coconut flavoring

Put one in the car, one in the boat, and one in each go bag. Pair it with Datrex water pouches and you have the bare minimum covered for 72 hours.

Stand Ready. Stay Unbreakable.
— Reuben