# have you ever tried survival tabs rations



## Johncarter

I ran acrossthese pills they are supposedly a 15 day supply of food thats easily fully digested and weighs less than a pound
any one ever try them?


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## dukman

Interesting... I don't know what else to say about them


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## SurvivalNut

*survival tabs*

I'm skeptical. The math is deceptive or misleading or I'm just stupid. You take 12 tablets to get only 240 calories. That is really barely a survival ration. You probably get more calories when you are on life support.

I have used lifeboat rations on missions and they are tasty, I vary the flavors and they are filling, and the price is considerably cheaper per calorie than these survival tabs.

I keep lifeboat reations in my 72 hour kits and in my jeep.

I rotate them when I go backpacking.

Here is a link for lifeboat rations.

DATREX® 3600 Calorie Food Bar

To me these tabs are just a gimmick, but I am open to hearing from someone who has (wasted) their money on them.


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## Expeditioner

Not so sure about the "tabs". I have used the DATREX products and like them.


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## SurvivalNut

*tablets?*

The tablets thing has bugged me overnight so I kept thinking....then I remembered Malted Milk tablets my mom would send in my lunch to school in the 60's. I also know early combat pilot and Arctic expedition kits contained them.

I found Horlicks Malted Milk Tablets available at The Vermont Country Store
online, looks like a rebirth of the malted tablets, tho these are inported from Malaysia. Yeah, Malaysia.

I really am comfortable with the lifeboat rations, made by a couple diferent companies, and each is US Coast Guard Approved and they are aproved for Aircraft kits.

Sometimes in survival prep I get too much into toys and whiz bang gadgets.

To me these tablets do not meet a need and are too costly.

I'd rather carry a Snickers bar.

Just MHO


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## jebrown

I would not be surprised that Johncarter is a sales rep for the company selling these tablets.

Dukman Interesting... I don't know what else to say about them.

Allow me to say a few words please.
Lower food content in the stomach will not slow digestion.
All food is digested this is a scam by snake oil (tablet ) salesmen. This has been proven by Dr. Mehmet Oz who appears on Oprah Winfrey and his own medical show on the Discovery Channels.
Evolved from the Space Program. Not the NASA space program. They learned that there has to be at least a semi-solid food in the stomach. Originally they wanted to use vitamins and supplements but soon learned that it was not feasible.
The studies were controlled to provide the results they wanted.
I have never seen any truck driver use these tablets. Eating stops are used by truck drivers to rest and relax. They are like any other worker after working so many hours of work they want a break too.
Nutrition facts:
0% carbohydrate, protein 4g, iron 100%, niacin 100% total fat18%. These items taken with out fiber will help you all right, they will help you experience a case of diarrhea.
I doubt if any one making or marketing these tablets has any knowledge of diet and nutrition. They have a Doctor with out any certification in nutrition or a registered dietician who will endorse these tablets for a fee.
Bottom line is. These tablets have been around since the sixties, why are they not widely known? Why are they available on line and not in places that sell camping equipment and camping food?
If you doubt what I have said go to your local University or Hospital and obtain an opinion from a Registered Dietician.
At almost ever Red Cross Service Center or Mass Care Shelter that I have been to the local Health Department shows up and part of their routine is providing us with a book on nutritional needs and one on sanitation.


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## Expeditioner

All in all, I think we agree that the tabs are not a good idea. Canned foods, Freeze Dried, MREs, and the DATREX rations offer more bang for the buck. Every few weeks I do a 48 hour training evolution were I push myself to the limits. The food sources that I mention work just fine.


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## Canadian

What's wrong with good old fashioned food?


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## Johncarter

jebrown no I'm not affiliated with any internet or sales company the only business I'm in is lawn care I saw these while looking for some edible mushroom spawn(oyster and garden giant) and I ran across the pills and was interested do you think you could give a link to the Dr. Mehmet Oz and the NASA studies you mentioned

SurvivalNut it looks like the bars are about 4 times as expensive the 2400calorie DATREX bars are $4.36 each 10 of the tabs have 240 calories each 180 tabs for$23.95/18=$1.33 a day

I'm not saying they work I'm just asking why they wouldn't especially if they where used to stretch other food stuffs?


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## SurvivalNut

*bad product*



Johncarter said:


> SurvivalNut it looks like the bars are about 4 times as expensive the 2400calorie DATREX bars are $4.36 each 10 of the tabs have 240 calories each 180 tabs for$23.95/18=$1.33 a dayQUOTE]
> 
> Johncarter, your math is still wrong. The fine print on the pills says you have to take 12 pills to achieve the 100% vitamin level. That also bears fact that 12 pills have to be taken to achieve 240 calories.
> 
> 1 3600 lifeboat ration (datrex) costs $6.29 or 1.75 cents per calorie.
> 
> 1 bottle of pills (180) (12=240 calories/180=3600 calories) costs $23.95 or 6.6 cents per calorie.
> 
> I checked the tablets on other websites and they more clearly say 12 tablets = 240 calories TOTAL. I can't survive on 240 calories per day. Can you?
> 
> These pills are just a marketing gimmick. A hack job. Theft! THEY ARE MESSING WITH YOUR SURVIVAL.
> 
> Yes, real food is better. These tablets are garbage. Don't waste your money.
> 
> I don't like flaming posts, not my intent, I just feel very strongly these pills are an overpriced dried milk product.


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## Expeditioner

The Datrex products can be found for cheaper. An 18 count bag of Blue Ration Datrex costs around $34. You are looking at just under $2.00 a bar. The per serving cost goes down even more if you buy a case.

The biggest difference (IMHO) is that DATREX is USCG approved.


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## Magus

I like those vanilla flavored cubes,just don't eat the whole package like my niece did,thinking they were cookies!there's not enough pepto bismol on earth to stop what happens next! :O


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## jebrown

Johncarter 
Pardon my reference. On this and other forums sales reps sign on then post 3 – 5 times as you did then tout there product by saying ‘Hey look at what I found on the net.”. If you stay here long enough you will see it happen. I did not mean to offend you. If I did I apologize.
The NASA research took place in the late1950’s and early 1960’s. I don’t know of any link to theses studies. I took two semesters of medical related diet and nutrition in the early1980’s. The studies were talked about in my text book. One of my fellow students Grandfather worked on that study and the student talked about it for an entire class. If it wasn’t for the fellow student I probably wouldn’t remember it.
As for Dr. Oz check the websites for the Discovery Channel or Oprah Winfrey as he has a show on the Discovery Channel and appears on Oprah quite often.
They could work as a supplement, but how well would take an independent study by someone not on the company payroll. Also what is their quality control? Is it being monitored by an outside source? In the event of a disaster do you really want you and your family depend on an unknown? They may be legitimate and have excellent quality but without knowing I wouldn’t take a chance. Also as I said there is a strong chance of diarrhea. 
I have been to shelters and seen people show up with hands full of dietary supplements. One of the most popular is vitamin C. They don’t want to catch a cold from the other shelter occupants. Some actually break out their pills and it looks like they have a pharmacy with them. They become too dependent on pills rather than proper nutrition. Along with the increase in the number of supplements is the stress from being in a shelter with “so many people that they know nothing about” that the pills and stress leads to diarrhea. These are usually the ones who set up as close to the restroom as possible.
They body needs mass in the stomach, food. If it isn’t there it will react to having no food and starts metabolizing accordingly. It does not know that the supplements provide needed nutrition.
It reacts to the amount of food that it receives. They talked about weight loss. Part of that was the body utilizing food stored in the body as it wasn’t getting enough food.


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## BurtB

I have never heard of such pills. I wouldn't think for a second that you could live on these tabs alone but it may help you go through less food as quickly. 

SurvivalNut, you say that your mom used to pack them in your school lunch everyday? What was her reasoning?


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## SurvivalNut

BurtB said:


> I have never heard of such pills. I wouldn't think for a second that you could live on these tabs alone but it may help you go through less food as quickly.
> 
> SurvivalNut, you say that your mom used to pack them in your school lunch everyday? What was her reasoning?


Malted Milk tablets were a common item in survival and iron rations in WWII. These tablets were sold in little bottles in the 50's and 60's as a lunch time treat.

I can't blame her on turning me into a SurvivalNut. I am resonsible for that myself.

The tablets are being remarketed as a nostolgic item, but are made in Malaysia now. I think I'll pass on that memory


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## Expeditioner

Magus said:


> I like those vanilla flavored cubes,just don't eat the whole package like my niece did,thinking they were cookies!there's not enough pepto bismol on earth to stop what happens next! :O


LOL......my youngest son did the same thing. We were out fishing and I needed to use up some of my older supplies up so I took a pack along. He ate the pack on the drive up to the stream. Yep there is not enough pepto for what happenes next.......................


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## 10101

Seems rather expensive for so little nutrition......I would invest in other "real" food.


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## Firefly

Looks like something you'd see on an old Jetsons cartoon episode, quaint but I would NOT trust these for survival. Probably be better off with a bunch of Little Debbie brownies


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## Boris

*hmmm....*

survival nut, maybe yu can help, but it seems thesewere originally developed for special forces operators. i have tried them, and they taste......ok, but you will be better off with DATREX bars or something like that. there is another mfg, but i ca't remember just now. the only real helpful thing in this case would be the bottle. it fits in a canteen pouch and you mght could carry water or something else in it. if you get the runs in SHTF situation, your problems just went out the roof. losing water like that without replacing it is no good.


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## Expeditioner

Mainstay also make a survival ration that is supposed to be similar to the Datrex rations. Never tried the Mainstay products so I have no idea how they would compare.


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## endurance

I've had a few lifeboat rations (just out of curiousity, not out of need) and the Mainstays taste pretty good, but make sure you have plenty of water available. They're drier than the sahara. I heard the main advantage of the Datrex is that the bars are already broken up into single serving pieces and individually wrapped so they stay fresher over the course of the three days after the package is opened. 

I've run across some UN emergency food rations in Surplus store and they're basically a large fig newton. Tasty, nice texture, but if I recall, the price per calorie made them a complete rip off. I'd rather get some MRE crackers and peanut butter or cheese spread if I'm looking for a snack-like food. They're a much better value per calorie.

Also, I do recall there was one that was chocolate. Well, it claimed to be chocolate, but the properties of chocolate and that bar were vastly different. From the texture, perhaps they meant chalk-like.  Personally, after my experience, I'd stick to mainstay or datrex.


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## SurvivalNut

Boris said:


> survival nut, maybe yu can help, but it seems thesewere originally developed for special forces operators.


First a quick disclaimer. Was not a Special Forces guy. Don't want to pretend to give the impression or dishonor those who are ultimate warriors for our freedom. Those guys are tough. I had it easy.

I was in the Field Artillery. Spent a lot of time humping a ruck and following Light Infantry as a Forward Observer. After Retiring did a lot of SAR work and I currently enjoy ATV'ing and a lifetime of backpacking.

I have never stopped and taken the time to prep big meals. I like MRE's. You just stuff the crap in every pocket or zipper and you just munch all day/night long. In any activity, you can just cop a mini meal in 1 minute.

Variety counts. MRE's have a lot of variety. Lifeboat rats, snickers bars, pouch tuna, dried cranberries or fruit, fruit leather, granola bars. Always something different to break the patrol monotony, or something to trade with the other guys. Can't stand chewing gum. I used to eat a packet of kool aid a day, dry.

I still pilfer salt, pepper and sugar packets from McDonalds. I am just insane is all.

Drove me nuts on missions with Brits. If you turned your back on them for 30 seconds, they would be squatting down brewing tea before you knew what happened. Crap, too late! Take 10 boys. Don't know where thay kept the stove, but they pulled it out and had it running in a blink of an eye.

Oh yea, tablets,

Anyway, for the tablets, when in the field, I never ate 3 or 4000 calories a day. I pigged out before and after.

These tablets are just another snack in the pocket to me. I'd use them, but not rely on them.

I pack my 72 hour kit rations like I am going on a mission. Variety, junkfood, munchies.

Hope this helps.


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## sailaway

I am building up to a three month supply of nonperishable food for my family that will last up to a year on the shelf, as the dates come up I plan on donating them to the local food bank. I agree with Canadian, what's wrong with good old food. I also realize the crap in a can isn't that nutritious so I also have a 6 month supply of my vitamin regimine to help keep me healthy.


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## Expeditioner

sailaway said:


> I am building up to a three month supply of nonperishable food for my family that will last up to a year on the shelf, as the dates come up I plan on donating them to the local food bank. I agree with Canadian, what's wrong with good old food. I also realize the crap in a can isn't that nutritious so I also have a 6 month supply of my vitamin regimine to help keep me healthy.


Nothing wrong with good old food......the Datrex and the Mainstay are nice for a BOB because you get a calorie dense food source in a small package.


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## The_Blob

does anybody have the weight for a datrex bar? (either one)


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