SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
A friend of mine recently sent some Bear Valley food bars for me to try out. They come in 4 flavors: Carab-Cocoa Pemmican, Sesame Lemon, Fruit Nut, and Coconut Almond and pack a walloping 400+ calories each, with a caloric density of about 100 calories per oz. I’ve read lots of glowing reviews of these bars from other backpackers and publications, but I think they taste like cardboard. Frankly, I’d give these bars a pass and bring along some extra walnuts on your next hike instead.
Disclosure: The author owns this product and received it as a gift from a personal friend.
I've eaten these bars for more than 20 years my favorite being the Fruit Nut,and still love them!
On my last section hike of the PCT I ate these bars exclusively for Lunch for 6 days and was never disappointed in the way my body accepted them and used up their calories..I just made sure I varied the flavors so I did not get tired of eating the same thing day after day which so many young hikers on the PCT make the mistake of doing with those instant salt/soup/noodle packaged stuff.
They go well with Liptons Orange Pekoe Tea, or as I prefer now, a 100% White Tea with Orange Blossoms,Mmmmmm loaded with anti-oxidents and other good stuff, $18 for 50 round tea bags. That is expensive but the leaves are very rare only available for picking two days out of the entire year…
I'm old enough to remember the real Pemmican Cakes they sold at L.L.Bean and they weren't half as bad, but you had to like Bacon tasting burps a lot.. I sure miss Kendall's mint Cakes as well..Satisfied that sweet tooth every time..Can only get them overseas now I believe. REI used to carry them years ago.. I carried the same Cake for almost two years before I ate it all up..
This story reminds me, I gotta buy some for my next section hike on the Pinhoti Trail,,thanks for writing the story…
Where can I buy them? My local REI stopped selling them.
Hi Lisa,
We were looking for the MealPack bars too, I finally found the website mealpack.com. It appears that they are “in the process of changing ownership and suggest to check back in a few short months”.
I found these in a health food store I worked in in the 80’s, yes, the 1980’s. Employee discount and all made me an addict. The Fruit & Nut was the one we carried. I discovered the others later in life.
They are not an acquired taste, but, don’t expect the sugary honeyed sweetness found in modern bars. If you plan on these while out camping/hiking, be aware of the created thirst factor.
Meal replacement, perhaps, but definitely eating a quarter ove a few hours will keep you going until settled in.
I started including a Bear Valley Fruit and nut or carob bar in my gear close to 30 years ago on long wilderness trips where economy of weight and space was critical, ie. breaking my toothbrush in half to save space. On two week trips kayaking the Queen Charlotte Islands, climbing the Coast Range of BC, canoeing in the NW Territories I found it essential I could pretty much go all day on 1/2 of a bar in a pinch when others around me ran out of gas on their granola or freeze dried meals. It’s a “stick to the ribs” convenient food.
The company is out of business.