# Survival Tabs: Anybody Tried Them?



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I am thinking about buying 2 of these. It's a 30 day total supply of nutrients that'll keep you semi-full and packed with lots of vitamins and some carbohydrates n protein. It's for one person. It'll cost me $45 but it has at least a 10 year shelf life.

Each serving (approximately 20 calories per tablet or 240 calories per day)
_4g Protein, 30g Carbohydrate, 12g Fat, 3g Saturated, 140mg sodium, 12g Sugars, 4g Protein, Vit A 100%, Vit C 100%, Thiamin (B1)100%, Riboflavin (B2) 100%, Niacin 100%, Vitamin D 100%, Pyridoxine HCL (B6) 100%, Folic Acid 100%, Vitamin B12 100%, Iodine 100%, Panthothenic Acid (B5) 100%, Zinc 100%, Manganese 100%._










I figure when SHTF these are better than nothing. It'll keep me alive and if food gets scarce, I can eat what I have and eat a few tabs. And for a 10 year shelf life, I can't lose! Has anyone tried these?


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## BasecampUSA (Dec 26, 2010)

I'll bet your belly-button will rub on your backbone so bad that people around you will think you are sawing logs! 

But... I'll bet my good friend Steve Callahan would have liked them (and some fresh water) when he was drifting across the Atlantic ocean for 76 days in a rubber raft after his yacht sank ! 

(BTW - I have something similar in my sailboat for emergencies) 

- BC


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## SurvivalNut (Nov 13, 2008)

*Survival Tabs*

here's a link to a similar discussion that ran on this site a few years ago, it might have some info for your decision:

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f32/have-you-ever-tried-survival-tabs-rations-1233/

I don't have any new info.....


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## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

SurvivalNut said:


> here's a link to a similar discussion that ran on this site a few years ago, it might have some info for your decision:
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f32/have-you-ever-tried-survival-tabs-rations-1233/
> 
> I don't have any new info.....


I took a link out of that old post for those bars. They have a 5 year shelf life. I got to check into if they are still available. My survival store has been out for 3 weeks.

DATREX® 3600 Calorie Food Bar


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I took a link out of that old post for those bars. They have a 5 year shelf life. I got to check into if they are still available. My survival store has been out for 3 weeks.
> 
> DATREX® 3600 Calorie Food Bar


My hubby has some of these in his bag in the car. We opened one and tried it when he bought them. He thought they were okay ... me, ehhhhh, not so much. But then again he will take an MRE hunting with him ... I'll go hungry and just eat when I get home. "Desirable Flavor" is relative, I guess ...

That said, I am ready, willing and able to admit that if it was all I had for a couple of days it would probably taste pretty darn good ... 

Irritated, I would be really interested in knowing how you like the stuff in your first post if you go ahead and get them. Thanks!


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I took a link out of that old post for those bars. They have a 5 year shelf life. I got to check into if they are still available. My survival store has been out for 3 weeks.
> 
> DATREX® 3600 Calorie Food Bar


Try Millenium Bars-they have 5 (or so) different flavors, decently priced by several suppliers. Or try putting honey,peanut butter, or jelly on any of the bars if available...


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I just had to share these... :lolsmash:

the taste of SCIENCE!






the top of my mouth is all bloody and raw






delicious, nutritious, and easy to store!






GET OFF MY LAND!


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## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I laughed the entire time from the girl in the background...


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I am thinking about buying 2 of these. It's a 30 day total supply of nutrients that'll keep you semi-full and packed with lots of vitamins and some carbohydrates n protein. It's for one person. It'll cost me $45 but it has at least a 10 year shelf life.
> 
> Each serving (approximately 20 calories per tablet or 240 calories per day)
> _4g Protein, 30g Carbohydrate, 12g Fat, 3g Saturated, 140mg sodium, 12g Sugars, 4g Protein, Vit A 100%, Vit C 100%, Thiamin (B1)100%, Riboflavin (B2) 100%, Niacin 100%, Vitamin D 100%, Pyridoxine HCL (B6) 100%, Folic Acid 100%, Vitamin B12 100%, Iodine 100%, Panthothenic Acid (B5) 100%, Zinc 100%, Manganese 100%._
> ...


But apparently you will slowly lose your mind!
That was too darned funny! But I would have to say that a few with each meal would supply more vitamins and other things that any scavenged food might be lacking--just watch out for the raw bloody mouth and the hole in your cheek.


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## JohnMonk (Jan 24, 2014)

I have been using tabs for years, in fact i carry them everyday as a snack. They give a great balance of vitamins and nutrients. And when hiking, even long hikes, they are awesome as something to snack on to get you to dinner. I have often used them for a wakeup snack, then snacking all day, so all i needed to prepare was dinners. I do not agree with their numbers, 12 a day, you will eat at least three times that, 600 calories and extra vitamins...not a bad deal.
I choose them as my favorite back up food source and always have ten containers in my closet....


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

These pop up on the web every so often, normally by the person selling the product. I first tried these waaay back in the day. KNOW what is in what you are going to eat!

I've said
"Actually, a slightly better comparison would be a handful of malted milk balls, that way you gain the advantage of the yummy coating.

I have eaten these Tabs, as a lunch replacement while rock climbing. As I pointed out earlier, the ingredients are nearly the same as malted milk balls.
They are not magic, a super food, or even taste very good. They are a dose of carbs, @ 20 calories a tab. The tab may swell as you drink water, holding off hunger a bit.

Now I carry a Cilf bar. Still carbs, 60 grams and 230 calories.

Other folks may carry and eat these, its their choice. Been there, done that, yadda yadda....

I often make a point of asking folks if they have bothered to look closely at the Federally mandated nutrition information required to be on the product. That mandated information often tells a different tale than the hype/advertising/product endorsements found on the container or in print ads...

The ingredient listing is also telling and well worth looking at very closely, you may be surprised at what you are actually consuming...even more so in so called 'survival' or long term storage foods."

AND

What a small world - I had these exact tabs in my preps, had them for years.
I had one bottle, unopened that had managed to survive for well over 10 years. When opened, the product looked & tasted the same, tho the food value was doubtful at that point. So, ya, left sealed - they do have a long shelf life. Next.

These were part of my regular diet when I was rock climbing on a regular basis - they passed for lunch. The 12 tabs a day is a bit a reach - no make that a real reach. 12 per meal maybe, not 12 per day. If you are really active, they will simply not be enough to carry you thru at 12 tabs/day.

The tabs -
Ingredients: Non-fat Dry Milk Solids, Sucrose, Vegetable Oils (including Sunflower And/or Safflower Oil), Calcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Acetate, Niacinamide, Ferrous Fumarate, Zinc Gluconate, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Calcium Pantothenate, Potassium Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamin Hudrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin.

Source - http://www.campingsurvival.com/surtabnewcon.html (Vendor in question)

The tabs seems to be made along these lines.... without the chcoclate, but compressed.

WHOPPERS Milk Chocolate Malted Milk Balls
IngredientsSUGAR; WHEY (MILK); PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL; CORN SYRUP; MALTED MILK (BARLEY MALT; WHEAT FLOUR; MILK; SALT; SODIUM BICARBONATE); COCOA; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SOY LECITHIN; RESINOUS GL AZE; SORBITAN TRISTEARATE; NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR ; CALCIUM CARBONATE; TAPIOCA DEXTRIN; SALT

Nutrition InformationKosher Status: OU-D
Serving Size: 18 pieces (41.00 g)
Total Calories 190
Calories from Fat 60
Amount Per Serving %DV *
Total Fat 7 g 11%
Saturated Fat 7 g 35%
Sodium 115 mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 31 g 10%
Sugars 26 g
Sugar Alcohols 0%
Protein 1 g
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8%
Iron 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
Calories: 2,000 2,500
Total Fat Less than 65g 80g
Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g

Source - Hershey's own website.

So the tabs in question (at least as far as I looked at them) were better than the malted milk balls, stood up very well to heat and tased good. The tabs have vitamins added, no doubt.

As to your specific question -
Would I count on these as my only source of food? NO.

Could you get by for a day or two - ya, at most, after that, not a chance.

I now carry clif bars, dry soup and some peanut butter (in the little lunch tubs). And a Esbit stove. The food and a cooking cup all fit into a Camelbak Nalgene bottle holder and I good for 2 or 3 - very thin - days.

Hope this is helpful, everyone eats and reacts differently - age, activity and so on. I now take the advertising from any company with a grain (or wheelbarrow) of salt these days.
Good that you asked, better that you check for your self - super that you will check and then share your results! Thanks!


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

This is nearly a 3 year-old thread, but, I'd have to agree with anyone who says "waste of money". If I want a 10-yr shelf life supplement, why wouldn't I just keep a closed/sealed bottle of vitamin/mineral supplements handy? At least I can buy a brand I trust. Get your actual food rations from whatever you like, but consider somewhat of a balance and variety...variety...like jerky, granola, dried fruit and whatever other snack-foods YOU like to eat. High-calorie doesn't mean much if your gut can't handle it. If you like what you carry, it will not only provide you with valuable nutrients, but also some degree of normalcy and comfort...two extremely vital links in maintaining mental health during what likely will be a very stressful situation...I mean, if you're really, _*really*_ needing this stuff, it's probably not for recreation...training yourself and testing your gear/supplies, maybe, but real-world SHTF, you will be glad to have something to eat that you're familiar with and hopefully enjoy eating it. The extra bulk and weight in my pack to have the comfort in knowing I will eat what I have and like to eat it is more than worth it to me.

My 3,240 cu in BOB/GHB is approx 1/2 food, by volume, 1/3 by weight...prepped for 10 - 14-day treks. Hopefully I never need it, but if I do, I'm comfortable with what I'll be carrying.


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