A wonderful article written by our new friend Sam!

I was eagerly waiting for the day when my package of Boone Barrs would arrive in the mail. And today when they did, I inconspicuously pumped my fists in the air with excitement! I had heard a lot of good things about Boone Barrs, which to be honest made me more skeptical of the bars. I wanted to know if they could hold their weight in a match up against other energy/meal replacement bars like the cliff bar and the power bar (those are the two I had currently eaten the most of and had the best results with easy digestion and sustained energy.) I took to them with the eye and taste buds of a critic in order to give them a thorough test against the leading brand of bars. I had a Walnut Dark Chocolate Cranberry, a Mocha White Chocolate Cherry and a Coconut Almond at my fingertips and I had formulated a plan as to how I would test them. I started off by reading the ingredients list on each package. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the ingredients were unrefined and either organic or 100 % natural, with each bar containing around 400 calories (ideal for a standard meal and an increase in energy). Now it was time to taste test because organic is not always synonymous with being delicious and tasty… To my relief, I really enjoyed the Walnut Dark Chocolate Cranberry and the Coconut Almond; I liked the Mocha White Chocolate Cherry, however the espresso in it was not for me. Bear in mind the individual flavors of the bars are certainly a matter of personal taste. In my case I don’t love espresso.
One of the first things I noticed about the bars and liked was they don’t have the pasty thick quality of the leading brands of energy bars. I am a fan of the Boone Barr texture because when I eat a lot of meal replacement bars over the course of a race or paddling trip I find that the thicker and pastier the bar, the more my digestion system is fighting to process it, causing annoyance in the gastrointestinal department. However in the case of Boone Barr’s, the texture and overall taste should make the bar great, not only for day to day eating, but also a great option for those participating in endurance events where calories and wholesome ingredients are necessary. I look forward to pushing my limits and seeing how effective Boone Barrs can maintain a consistent energy level over a long period of time. Based on the ingredients I am expecting good, if not better performance outcomes than the current leading brands of energy/ meal replacement bars.
My name is Sam Ovett. I am a college student at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, GA. My everyday outdoor adventures include: raft guiding for Endless River Adventures in the summer time, whitewater Kayaking, and rock climbing. I have run 4 half marathons placing 1st in my age group in one and 3rd in another. I just completed my first 90 mile, 30 hour adventure race and am currently training for a 20 mile lake swim and a 137 mile paddle starting from the confluence of the Altamaha river in Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean. In my training for races like these I generally eat meals loaded with vegetables and good protein to provide me with a good nutritional platform off of which to push my body. However, during training I am unable to eat meals on the go so I have used everything from standard energy bars, to peanut butter rolled in tortillas with honey, to snickers bars (bad choice, you put junk in your body, you get junk out, i.e. poor performance), to trail mix and bags of granola. I am excited about Boone Barrs because they should provide the wholesome ingredients and calories needed in a convenient and easy to carry package. I look forward to continue testing this promising meal replacement bar.