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Tanka Bar

rated 4.0 of 5 stars
photo: Tanka Bar nutrition bar

Great tasting bar that stays with you for quite awhile. Love to take a couple with me on a hike.

Pros

  • Excellent flavor, especially the spicy pepper blend
  • 7g of protein and 70 calories
  • No nitrates, and hormone free

I am not usually a big meat eater, but I was getting tired of the same old hiking food, like the shots, Gu packets, etc.  so I decided to try these buffalo bars. They are easy to slip into a pocket or hip belt pocket and I love the flavor. They are not too sweet and they add a needed variety to my stash of food in my pack.

I have shared them with several of my hiking buddies and now we are all buying them by the box load! I also keep a couple in my desk at work for emergency snacks.  They are always the first item I pack for a hike after my cheese and crackers.  

Source: ordered it online

Useful clean protein on the go, but drippy packaging.

Pros

  • Clean bison protein
  • Decent flavor
  • Filling

Cons

  • Product is wet out the package.
  • Product can drip when you open it--bad for bear country

This bar is essentially pemmican—the native people's travel mix of ground meat, rendered fat, and a little fruit. This version is an option for people who want a high protein, evolutionarily appropriate trail food (via something like the Paleo diet), though I probably will not buy it again.

I believe the bar was 7g each of protein (bison meat) and fat (rendered bison fat) and 1.5g of sugars (ground cranberries), with a few spices like garlic and salt. I felt great immediately after eating it and had a few hours of sustained energy, but the mixture of animal protein and highly acidic fruit sugar from the cranberries left with me with a sour stomach for about the same amount of time. 

Pros:

  • Interesting flavor
  • Hardcore hit of protein and fat for very long-lasting energy
  • Ethically produced with benefits to a Native American family
  • No chemicals and not over-processed
  • Paleo-diet friendly (only a pro if that's your thing)


Cons:

  • Freakin' spendy—over $3 per little 15g bar
  • Very greasy to the touch--definitely needs to be stored in a package
  • Very greasy mouth-feel. Didn't really bother me but would gross out some people.
  • Bad food combining (animal protein and sugar) can make for funky digestion
  • Comes out of the package wet, and can drip meat juice on you or your pack if you're not careful--definitely a con in bear country

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: About $3/bar at Sunflower market

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Specs

Price MSRP: $2.80
Historic Range: $0.93-$16.80
Reviewers Paid: $3.00
Weight 1 ounce (28.4 grams) per bar
Calories 70 per bar
Product Details from Tanka »

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