Product Review: Dominant Predator Bar
How many of you like to pack in some energy bars for a snack when scouting or hunting? I know I do, but then again what fat kid doesn’t like to eat, right? There are plenty of ‘energy bars’ on the market today, but can you name one that will keep you hydrated? I can. The Dominant Predator bar from Fierce Foods, Inc. I like a good energy bar like the rest of us, but when one claims to have ingredients to help your body stay hydrated I had to find out more. After emailing and speaking with one of the inventors, Neil Beltran , I wanted to try these out. He graciously sent Team DIY some to try out on our scouting and hunts knowing we would be out in triple digit temperature areas.
I usually take a few CLIF Bars with me or a couple of the Pure Protein bars to satisfy any hunger in the field. The problem with that is that both make me very thirsty after eating them and the Pure Protein bar has chocolate that melts in the package. The actual packaging is also very noisy and shiny. How would the Predator bar compare? The Dominant Predator bar is different than the norm on many levels. First, the packaging was created to be less noisy and less shiny for hunters in the field. It’s less noisy, but still makes some noise, so don’t think it’s noise-free. The bar itself is unlike anything you have ever had. It looks like someone took some Honey Smacks, added some honey and pressed them into a bar. Here comes the best part. The bar is offered in two flavors: Peanut Butter and Maple. I have had plenty of PB bars, so I opted for the maple. It also weighs next to nothing. Lightweight is good, too!
Here is some great info from their FAQs on the website:
The Predator Bar is a whole new category of “snack food”. From the class leading biodegradable packaging to the Arctic tundra/Florida Keys temperature stability, the “PredBar” is unique. It uses puffed grains and whey protein to look and taste different, more like a food and less like a slab of stiff or sticky “paste”. Jerky snacks lack the most important fuel for the brain and muscles-carbohydrates. The PredBar provides a variety of carbs, without going over the top. Hydration in a bar? The PredBar incorporates a powdered version of a patent pending electrolyte mix. We also include a unique, secret flavor that just happens to improve, alertness, focus, and reaction time without giving you the “jitters”.
[We use] premium quality whey protein, because it’s complete and preferred by working and recovering muscles. We don’t care if it’s more expensive than gelatin, collagen, casein, milk, or soy proteins (common protein sources in bars because they’re cheaper). We don’t use soy protein for two reasons: 1) it doesn’t taste as good as whey protein and 2) it is much lower in important muscle fueling amino acids.
Eric and I decided to give these a try one day back in August. It was 106 degrees that day. Neither of us had any idea the other was trying it out. The weekend before this we did some scouting and ate our normal bars and had to pack in lots of water from being so thirsty. We were both cursing our choice of snack. This day was different. We each ate a bar before we left for the trail in the morning and wouldn’t you know it they tasted great and we weren’t begging for lots of water afterward. The first bite was very different and took some getting used to. It’s not full of sugar, but the flavor was excellent! I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, you’ll still want some water while eating it, but after I was not super thirsty nor was I hungry. Not being loaded down with sugars was great. I didn’t feel run down or like it was dead weight in my stomach.
After we had hiked a while I asked Eric if he felt like he needed any water. We both decided to drank some because it was so hot, but not the quarts like we were used to. We felt great! Usually, when hiking a long distance and eating a CLIF bar I will get sluggish and tired. Not this time. I still wanted to check on the effectiveness of the bar holding up in hot weather. I checked my GPS and saw that the recorded temp at the time was 106 degrees. There was nothing like the present to open up another bar and see how melted it was. Are you ready for this? It was like I took it out of a cool lunch pail. Solid, not gooey and nothing like any other bar you’ve seen. I am guessing it has some to do with the wrapper, but mostly to do with the ingredients.
Now, like all good things, you do get what you pay for and these bars are not cheap. They run around two dollars per bar, but if you order by the case you save $3. You can buy them right off of their website right now. I know they are trying to get into the Bass Pro’s and such, too. If you try these out and would like to see them locally, tell your sporting goods store manager. Tell the Bass Pro guys, too. I would certainly like to see them in the stores, but ordering by the case works for me, too.
I definitely recommend the Dominant Predator bar to any hunter, fisherman, hiker and outdoorsman. You’ll find these in my pack all the time now. They taste great, work well and last a long time.
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