[Should this be in Equipment?]

I carry a chocolate bar in my small BDH drum emergency pack. One Mars Bar weighs 51g, provides 964kJ (= 230kcal) of energy, and is 100mm x 30mm x 15mm.

So, can I get as much, or ideally more, energy, in a smaller and/or lighter, product?

Graham

I'm going to re-post your Mars nutrition so it's out of 100g (makes it easier to compare) to my go-to, Soreen.
1,888kJ/449kcal energy, 4g protein, 69g carb (60g sugar), 17g fat

Soreen (per 100g)
1222kJ/288kcal energy, 7.5g protein, 60g carb (22g sugar), 1.6g fat

Gram for gram, I would say Soreen is better since it gives a good protein/carb ratio (plus less sugar) for longer-lasting energy. Size-wise, of course, it's five times larger (though one could always cut it before going on a trip), but it can survive hell and back again and still be delicious (and squidgy).

I'm not sure you'd want to go much smaller than 50g, since anything much less than that and you won't be really getting enough food to make it worthwhile. I'd buy the Soreen slices and just chuck a few in your pack.

EDIT: I should mention there are higher-calorie/protein options out there, but they're from health food stores and four times the price. I didn't really think to say anything about it because (personally) it's not worth the extra money.

EDIT 2: to not double-post, Pete's right, a Snickers is better than a Mars (more protein/energy, fewer sugar carbs), and beats out Soreen by a fair amount.

I imagine (not having one to hand) that swapping your Mars for a Snickers would up the energy per gram and give you a slightly longer release due to the nuts.
I like dense flapjack type snacks, a bit heavier but more filling IMO and homemade so cheap.

Dark chocolate 598cals/100g (and I guess it would be of comparable density to the Mars bar);

peanut butter 590 cals/100g (probably gives a higher density but possibly messier to eat);

macadamia nuts 718cals/100g (but voids between nuts will reduce density to, I guess, a figure slightly lower than the Mars bar);

beef tallow 902cals/100g (denser but how palatable / messy to eat would it be?).

Source:  http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/highest-calorie-foods.php

Maybe nuts with lard / tallow poured between them to make a "winter bird food" type block...

What about a Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar?

Since my original post I've found energy gels used by cyclists but I don't yet have energy/mass values, though I suspect they are quite high and therefore of some interest. Cycling is a very high output activity, and much more main stream than caving, so I'd guess some work has gone into their design.

Fat has 9 KCal/g; Carbs & protein 4 KCal/g.  Spending loads on trendy super-dooper bars won't alter this. Carbs are better as they provide quicker energy release and take a lot less water to metabolise (possible factor if you're knackered and dehydrated).  IIRC some gels are mainly carbs with a few electrolytes added. Simple sugars would also provide a quicker energy boost.  And of course don't forget the water.

Graham Proudlove said:

Since my original post I've found energy gels used by cyclists but I don't yet have energy/mass values, though I suspect they are quite high and therefore of some interest. Cycling is a very high output activity, and much more main stream than caving, so I'd guess some work has gone into their design.

Click to expand...

They're not as high calorifically as you'd think or wish for, but they are convenient, but not cheap. Beware though, many have unwanted affects on the stomach  :yucky: and they need to be taken with quite large doses of water.

Homemade is best. My favourite road cycling and fell running snack is thick white bread, proper butter and Marmite - I don't use gels!

I go for cheese strings - compact, squashable and waterproof!

This is mainly about the energy/mass ratio. And while Soreen and bread and marmite are lovely they don't fit well in a small BDH drum"!

[An aside you'll appreciate follows. When persons I cannot quite remember, but it might have been Mike Boon, were exploring what is now the entrance crawl to Darren, they had the same issue I now have. So they had brain-wave. Compress a big, toasty, white sliced loaf in an apple press, and put the vastly compressed lumps in an ammo box. Consume said lumps as necessary. But, and this may be apocryphal, said lumps expanded in the stomach to a huge size with not very helpful consequences. I have no idea where I got this story from but I am sure someone on here knows so please tell].

A caving safety video linked recently from this forum recommended a block of Marzipan.
It contains lots of sugar for instant energy, plus almonds for slow release after the initial pick-me-up.
Sort of makes sense, but it's not something everybody will consider as being edible.

I have a friend who carries it as emergency food for that exact reason, he won't eat it unless it's a serious emergency!

Emergency? I'd eat the marzipan before I got to the cave. To each, their own, though.

I second the flapjack suggestion and this is what I eat on most trips. A 110g flapjack will net you about 500 calories, and you can fit at least one in an oversuit pocket.

In terms of raw density, there's probably not much that's enjoyable over 500cals/100g, which is about what the mars bar is. Nuts are high, yes, and full of protein. However, they don't help much when you're low on blood sugar, as I found out once in Large Pot.

For those who enjoy dark chocolate and are considering taking it underground I found that when I did, certainly bodily needs became more apparent. I eventually found out that 100g has about 10g of fibre in it, which is about half what most people consume in a whole day. This can have an unwanted effect when one is some distance from a toilet ...

Lembas bread is what you need!

Filter said:

Gram for gram, I would say Soreen is better since it gives a good protein/carb ratio (plus less sugar) for longer-lasting energy.

Click to expand...

This is an important point if you do very long trips, especially if you are spending several days underground. You have to think about blood sugar level and avoid low blood sugar. Learn to think ahead like a diabetic. In mountaineering circles the theory used to be that you should avoid eating sugar and eat carbs to give a slow release but this has been modified. Because you are exerting yourself you also need to think about muscle glycogen level which is helped by sugar and protein.

When you eat is at least as important as what you eat. On long trips eat a balanced diet and keep nibbling. I eat cereal bars but importantly I don't eat a full one at one go. Nature Valley are my favourites, nice to eat and bomb proof packaging.
http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=399936&source=sho_&utm_source=google%2Bshopping&utm_medium=organic%2Bgs&utm_campaign=google%2Bshopping&gclid=CInIz8nf98QCFUTJtAodkB0AOw&gclsrc=aw.ds

Arthur Millet always used to carry a pork pie on long trips. Be interesting to know what the stats are for pork pie.

Personally I like Peperami, high in fat and ultimately very tasty. Also salami had a habit of surviving anything, for example one lasted several 30m pitch's and a good 3-4 hours of caving getting rather bashed and potentially soggy in my wellie (couldn't be bothered to remove it).

If it's purely energy density you're after, give Kendal Mintcake a try. In terms of calories, online sources seem to vary wildly from ~320-600 kcal/100 g (mostly around 360, but they could all just be copying each other!). I found a forum post somewhere from someone who claims to manage the mintcake factory and they quoted 424 kcal/100 g for the chocolate covered version. So, similar to your Mars Bar but it will take up less room since its essentially just compressed sugar and mint (yum!) It's great for a sudden energy rush and I have taken it caving before as an emergency food. However, I prefer to take things like cereal bars or a tub of nuts and raisins for slower release energy, along with mini mars/snickers bars for quicker release. I like the idea of marzipan!

white sliced loaf in an apple press

Click to expand...

I was recently told this story by Fred Davies. He said it was compressed in a book binding press and was the food they used on the original Daren Cilau breakthrough when they blasted the constriction at the end of the entrance crawl.

Soreen tends to be my 'go to' food of choice too. On the hill, under the hill, on the bike and in the snow and ice it is pretty damn indestructible and always delicious! Salami/Pepperami as also mentioned survives adventures quite well too.

I'd like to nominate Biltong as a contender. Small, light, calorie dense, tasty and indestructible. What's not to like? (Unless you are a veggie!)

Flapjacks are very energy dense and offer a good balance of instant release energy in the form of sugar and a longer and slower release of energy through the oats. Wrapped tightly they should survive a cave trip. Maybe MatthewJC will pop along in a bit and share his 1000 calorie recipe...