Hiking and mountain climbing consumes a lot more calories than you might imagine, so you'll get hungry quickly. At times like these, you need "on-the-go food" that can be easily eaten without cooking to satisfy your hunger. Of course, regular bread or rice balls from a convenience store are fine, but we recommend products designed with mountain climbing in mind that are as light as possible and will efficiently charge you with the energy you need for your climb
So this time, I've picked out five of the latest field foods that have caught my eye recently, and I'd like to actually test them out to see which ones are the most delicious, easiest to eat, and most nutritious!
table of contents
- The 5 latest trending snacks
- Test environment and field test results
- Review of each product
- Enemochi: Recommended for all hikers, from leisurely hikes to fastpacking! If you love mochi, this is it!
- Rice puree: Recommended for hikers who want to eat while walking!
- MANA BAR: Recommended for all hikers, from leisurely hikes to fastpacking! If you like sweet things, this is it!
- Pure Dates Chocolat: If you're looking for something to enjoy with coffee on the mountaintop, this is the one to go for!
- WHOLE BAR: For hikers who want to enjoy a variety of flavors
- Summary: My personal recommendation is "Enemochi Walnut Flavor"
The 5 latest trending snacks
From the mountain climbing food available on the market, I focused on the following three points that I personally considered important, and ultimately selected five products to test while eating them on actual mountain climbs
- High-energy foods (mountain climbing burns a lot of calories, especially on long hikes)
- Contains Palatinose® (slow carbohydrate absorption)
- Something delicious (rewarding yourself when you're tired is important for your mental health!)
Test environment and field test results
Here are five products that caught our eye and the results of our taste test:
| Features | Delicious and easy to eat "mochi" snacks | Delicious and easy to eat "Hanpen" on the go | A high-calorie energy bar that you can eat in no time | Craft chocolate with fragrant dates | Flavorful fruit bars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product name | Cerro Torre Co., Ltd. Enemoti | Minato Health Foods Rice Puree | MANA BAR | NATURE THING Pure Dates Chocolate | NATURE THING WHOLE BAR |
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| Flavor | Walnut mochi | Ome flavor | Apple Cinnamon | The Cacao | South Indian Curry |
| Calories (Kcal) | 149 | 108 | 186 | 152 | 137 |
| Contents (g) | 40 | 40 | 45 | 35 | 40 |
| Calories per gram (Kcal/g) | 3.7 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Reference price | 313 yen | 262 yen | 388 yen | 450 yen | 298 yen |
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| Outdoor Gearzine Review | |||||
| calorie | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Deliciousness | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Ease of eating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| price | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Personal favorite | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
Review of each product
Enemochi: Recommended for all hikers, from leisurely hikes to fastpacking! If you love mochi, this is it!
What was good about this ◎
- Natural and delicious!
- Sufficient amount of energy
- Contains Palatinose® to prevent blood sugar levels from rising
What I'm curious about △
- There are no drawbacks to this
Taste impressions
- Walnut mochi has a delicious walnut flavor and texture
- The amazake flavor has the delicious taste of amazake, so anyone who likes amazake will love it!
Rice puree: Recommended for hikers who want to eat while walking!
What was good about this ◎
- Easy to eat
- delicious!
- Digestion seems to be good too
What I'm curious about △
- Low energy content of 100 Calories
Taste impressions
- The green plum flavor is sour and energizing. Delicious!
- The mitarashi dango flavor is a sweet and salty one that people who like it will love
MANA BAR: Recommended for all hikers, from leisurely hikes to fastpacking! If you like sweet things, this is it!
What was good about this ◎
- Despite its appearance, it has an easy-to-eat texture (it's not dry!)
- The most energy-rich of the five
- There are many delicious flavors
What I'm curious about △
- Priced at nearly 400 yen
Taste impressions
- The apple cinnamon flavor was the most delicious of all the flavors tested!
- The white macadamia flavor has a nice macadamia flavor and is delicious
- The shiso and bonito flavor is a rare taste with the aroma of bonito broth. It is a rare find among the many sweet-tasting on-the-go foods!
Pure Dates Chocolat: If you're looking for something to enjoy with coffee on the mountaintop, this is the one to go for!
What was good about this ◎
- The deliciousness of sugar-free craft chocolate
- Delicious and flavorful dried fruits
- Perfect match with coffee
- Delicious and packaged to the point that it can be given as a gift
What I'm curious about △
- The high price of 450 yen
- It's a bit difficult to eat while moving around
Taste impressions
- The Cacao has the flavor of high-quality chocolate and goes well with coffee, scotch, and more
- The Rum & Fif flavor tastes like a fig-flavored fruit bar
- The Banana & Pecan Nuts flavor has a chocolate banana flavor, but also has a strong date and cocoa flavor
WHOLE BAR: For hikers who want to enjoy a variety of flavors
What was good about this ◎
- Every flavor is delicious
- A good balance of taste, energy and price
What I'm curious about △
- Difficulty eating (swallowing) while walking
Taste impressions
- The South Indian Curry flavor has a good balance of spices and dried fruits, and the aroma of spices makes it an invigorating and unique flavor. I love it
- The Peanut Butter Chai flavor tastes like you're drinking chai, and I personally love it!
- The Dates & Pistachio flavor has a strong date flavor
- The Cacao & Fig flavor has a strong fig flavor
Summary: My personal recommendation is "Enemochi Walnut Flavor"
After tasting and reviewing five different snacks, the one I most wanted to take with me was Enemochi Walnut Flavor
The deciding factors were sufficient energy content, low blood sugar level, deliciousness, and ease of eating. Taste was especially important, and it helped me persevere when I was feeling down (as it does for everyone)
Coming in a close second is "MANA BAR Apple Cinnamon Flavor." It's easier to eat, tastier, and has more energy than Enemochi, but it doesn't contain Palatinose®, so I chose it as the runner-up. I ate it during a tough mountain hike, and it was extremely effective
Coming in third place is "NATURE THING Pure Dates Chocolate The Cacao Flavor." Rather than eating them while moving around, I think it would be best enjoyed with coffee on the summit. They're also perfect as a snack with whiskey at the campsite. They're also highly nutritious, so that might be a good way to eat them
The other two points are also excellent, and I think the most important thing is to choose snacks that suit your tastes and are perfect for your mountain trip
I hope this review of this field food will be helpful when you make your purchase
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Haruki Murakami
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