Apologies gentlemen for the long delay. What I thought would be a simple taste test ended up taking much longer as I tried to get as much information on the product as I could, and it just didn't happen. What I thought was a few weeks, apparently turned into months. Once again, apologies for the delay. Also, it seems Photobucket was invaded by a horrendous virus. As everything is beyond slow as Hell. This has been going on for the past 2 weeks, and others members have told me it's been a lot longer than that. Every time I try to access the site, my computer shuts itself down. Very frustrating. That means I can't post the photos I have of the product or of myself trying it out. As apparently ImageShack is suffering the same issue. Best thing to do is type the following below into your Image Search to get a good look at the product. I'll try to post pics. if one of those sites starts working, or if anyone can recommend a good free hosting site similar to those two, that will allow me to post pics. on CPF. So here's the review of....
The UST Emergency Food Ration Bars 2400 Calorie Per Bar:
Found this one day at Wal-Mart. Now right off the bat, I know these types of ration bars are not made with taste as the #1 priority. Not even the best tasting one out of all of them currently being made (the Tac-Bar with it's lemon flavor cake taste). These are made to be opened when things have really gone wrong, and gotten bad. Those who have done weekly testing of all the Emergency Food Ration bars out there, on YouTube, usually end up losing a pound or two after the week is over.
The UST variety is different than the others in that you could drive to your local Wal-Mart right now and pick these up in the camping section. The taste is indeed a hint of cinnamon and apples. Though, I'd have to say; not the good kind. And yes, I've been struggling to describe the texture of it. I'm sorry but the absolute closest thing I can come to is that the texture is like dehydrated and tightly compacted Halva. The variety without nuts or fruits inside of it. (And if you've never had this dessert popular in not just the Middle East but in Eastern Europe as well, I can't describe it.)
Properly made Halva is moist and breaks apart very easily. You will end up with tiny pieces of it stuck to your finger tips where you touched it. It's delicious and soft. Sometimes found in shops catering to Middle Eastern tastes. Always found in shops catering to Russian customers and republics that in the old days were slave territories of the former Soviet Union. You'll also find more reasonably priced caviar. (Seriously, Americans overpay for fish eggs to a ridiculous degree in other shops.) But back to the UST ration bars.
Vacuum packed. Good for 5 years, if stored properly. Can be used as an improvised brick if needed. Seriously, this thing could do major damage if you hit someone with it. That's how compacted down and dehydrated it is. In an odd way, you have to be on the verge of starvation, but with plenty of water around to eat this thing. Otherwise, you won't be able to get it down. Some have described what you get as a large cake with lines cut in it making up individual squares. Honestly, "Brick" really is a better descriptive word to use. And those lines are barely surface deep.
You can break the brick apart with your hands. And the lines do help a tiny bit. But you are not even remotely going to get a perfect square. Not even if you attempt to use a long and sharp knife to try to cut into the brick. And expect a whole ton of crumbs. You're going to want to put a paper towel underneath the brick to not waste any of it. Hope you've got strong teeth if you plan on biting into it. Otherwise, wrap your square piece in a paper towel and put that hammer you keep at your Bug Out Location (BOL) to good use. No I'm not joking.
For your BOB, you're better off with actual MREs. Though I recommend stripping them down the way soldiers often do. Basically out of the bag, open up the cardboard containers inside. Get rid of all the cardboard. Keep the accessory pak, spoon, Heater (if your MRE even came with one), main entree, dessert, drink mix pouch. Toss everything else. Do that to two more MREs. Then just put those stripped down contents into one MRE outer bag. Sew that shut. And now you've got three MREs inside a bag that held only one. And it's only a tiny bit thicker.
If you want the overall best ration bars, get the ones from Datrex. Those can be eaten without a gallon of water next to you. The bars are divided up on the inside into individual ones already and are individually wrapped. Plus, the taste is better than the UST ones. If you like the taste of lemon cake and want a ration bar that is genuinely a bit moist, there's the Tac-Bar.
So why bother with the UST variety? They're cheaper, if you buy the ones sold at Wal-Mart. And since they are sold there, you don't have to use a credit card to order them through the mail the way you would with the other ration bars. That can be a big plus to some out there. Not everyone has a credit card, a computer, or even a checking account for that matter. But everyone should have access to Emergency supplies. As we all know, bugging out isn't just because the end of the world has arrived. Sometimes it's about a massive weather disaster heading our way. Time to get out of Dodge and to your safe location (BOL). Or, time to hunker down in the cellar or basement with what you've got.
A few of these UST ration bars on your preparedness shelves at home or at your BOL can help you survive. Just ah.... Yeah.... Make sure this less-than-great tasting ration bar is not the only thing you have to eat. As an Emergency food source, it's average compared to the other Emergency ration bars out there. With one big advantage: Easily available right now. No need for a C.C., no need to order online, no need to wait. Hop in your vehicle and drive to Wally World to get a few of these before there's a disaster.
The UST Emergency Food Ration Bars 2400 Calorie Per Bar:
Found this one day at Wal-Mart. Now right off the bat, I know these types of ration bars are not made with taste as the #1 priority. Not even the best tasting one out of all of them currently being made (the Tac-Bar with it's lemon flavor cake taste). These are made to be opened when things have really gone wrong, and gotten bad. Those who have done weekly testing of all the Emergency Food Ration bars out there, on YouTube, usually end up losing a pound or two after the week is over.
The UST variety is different than the others in that you could drive to your local Wal-Mart right now and pick these up in the camping section. The taste is indeed a hint of cinnamon and apples. Though, I'd have to say; not the good kind. And yes, I've been struggling to describe the texture of it. I'm sorry but the absolute closest thing I can come to is that the texture is like dehydrated and tightly compacted Halva. The variety without nuts or fruits inside of it. (And if you've never had this dessert popular in not just the Middle East but in Eastern Europe as well, I can't describe it.)
Properly made Halva is moist and breaks apart very easily. You will end up with tiny pieces of it stuck to your finger tips where you touched it. It's delicious and soft. Sometimes found in shops catering to Middle Eastern tastes. Always found in shops catering to Russian customers and republics that in the old days were slave territories of the former Soviet Union. You'll also find more reasonably priced caviar. (Seriously, Americans overpay for fish eggs to a ridiculous degree in other shops.) But back to the UST ration bars.
Vacuum packed. Good for 5 years, if stored properly. Can be used as an improvised brick if needed. Seriously, this thing could do major damage if you hit someone with it. That's how compacted down and dehydrated it is. In an odd way, you have to be on the verge of starvation, but with plenty of water around to eat this thing. Otherwise, you won't be able to get it down. Some have described what you get as a large cake with lines cut in it making up individual squares. Honestly, "Brick" really is a better descriptive word to use. And those lines are barely surface deep.
You can break the brick apart with your hands. And the lines do help a tiny bit. But you are not even remotely going to get a perfect square. Not even if you attempt to use a long and sharp knife to try to cut into the brick. And expect a whole ton of crumbs. You're going to want to put a paper towel underneath the brick to not waste any of it. Hope you've got strong teeth if you plan on biting into it. Otherwise, wrap your square piece in a paper towel and put that hammer you keep at your Bug Out Location (BOL) to good use. No I'm not joking.
For your BOB, you're better off with actual MREs. Though I recommend stripping them down the way soldiers often do. Basically out of the bag, open up the cardboard containers inside. Get rid of all the cardboard. Keep the accessory pak, spoon, Heater (if your MRE even came with one), main entree, dessert, drink mix pouch. Toss everything else. Do that to two more MREs. Then just put those stripped down contents into one MRE outer bag. Sew that shut. And now you've got three MREs inside a bag that held only one. And it's only a tiny bit thicker.
If you want the overall best ration bars, get the ones from Datrex. Those can be eaten without a gallon of water next to you. The bars are divided up on the inside into individual ones already and are individually wrapped. Plus, the taste is better than the UST ones. If you like the taste of lemon cake and want a ration bar that is genuinely a bit moist, there's the Tac-Bar.
So why bother with the UST variety? They're cheaper, if you buy the ones sold at Wal-Mart. And since they are sold there, you don't have to use a credit card to order them through the mail the way you would with the other ration bars. That can be a big plus to some out there. Not everyone has a credit card, a computer, or even a checking account for that matter. But everyone should have access to Emergency supplies. As we all know, bugging out isn't just because the end of the world has arrived. Sometimes it's about a massive weather disaster heading our way. Time to get out of Dodge and to your safe location (BOL). Or, time to hunker down in the cellar or basement with what you've got.
A few of these UST ration bars on your preparedness shelves at home or at your BOL can help you survive. Just ah.... Yeah.... Make sure this less-than-great tasting ration bar is not the only thing you have to eat. As an Emergency food source, it's average compared to the other Emergency ration bars out there. With one big advantage: Easily available right now. No need for a C.C., no need to order online, no need to wait. Hop in your vehicle and drive to Wally World to get a few of these before there's a disaster.
