Healthy Trail Snacks
I recently had the chance to sample a wide variety of trail snacks from the folks who make Epic Bars and Epic Bites. From the start, I was impressed by the long list of healthy attributes that accompany the Epic products. All of their foods are:
Epic Bars
- Gluten Free
- Soy Free
- Dairy Free
- Low Glycemic
And they taste great. I was surprised at the wonderful smoky flavor, especially considering that their meat-based bars and bites have no added nitrates or nitrites. This is highly unusual in meat products of this nature.
Products Available From Epic
Epic makes four basic types of products:
- Epic Bars – Shaped much like a nutrition bar or very thick slice of jerky, these products contain meat, fruit & nuts and have a chewy (but not stiff) consistency with a slightly smoky flavor. The individual taste of each ingredient is quite evident since there is no overpowering sugary flavor.
- Epic Bites – These tasty treats are shaped more like a fruit snack or lozenge and are wonderful for sharing with your trail partners.
- Hunt & Harvest Mix – You’ll love the packaging on this Epic product. It contains small pieces of jerky on one side with nuts, seeds & dried fruit/berries on the other side. It’s up to you if you want to mix these bite sized treats or eat them separately
- Epic Bits – These are smaller than the Epic Bites but still have the same great taste. Although they can also be eaten trailside as a hiking or biking treat, I preferred them mixed in with my camping meals such as in a salad or scrambled eggs. A hickory smoked Uncured Bacon Bits omelet is absolutely heavenly!!
So the Epic line of meat products is extremely versatile and allows hikers, bikers and backpackers to carry unrefrigerated meat products on the trail with them. They are not only versatile in their shape and texture but also in their flavor. Some of the flavors they offer include:
- hickory bacon
Epic Bits
- chicken sesame
- maple bacon
- berry blossom
- coconut carnivore
- honest harvest
- mountain medley
- chicken sesame BBQ
- uncured bacon
- beef steak
Epic Bites
- bison bacon cranberry
- beef apple bacon
- turkey almond cranberry
- beef habanero cherry
- chicken sriracha
- pulled pork pineapple
- lamb currant mint
Epic Hunt Harvest
High Quality, Humane Meat Products
Epic Bits, Bites & Bars are not only healthy and delicious, but they are also humane. They come from animals that are:
- vegetarian fed
- humanely treated
- antibiotic-free
- hormone free
For example, their turkeys are raised on small family farms and are provided shelter and sufficient space so that they are able to live a good turkey life.
Trail Snack Suggestions
I would highly recommend Epic Bars, Bites and Hunt/Harvest Mix as trail snacks. They are especially good for day hikes and bike rides. They are also good for both snacks and meals when backpacking with one caution. If you have plenty of water available, Epic snacks make a great source of protein on your epic backpacking trips and long-distance bike tours. However, the sodium content would make them a little less desirable if water is scarce. A good example is on my recent Colorado Trail bike, hike and trail maintenance trips. Epic snacks would be great for camping on Colorado Trail segment 1, 3 & 8 of the Colorado Trail due to a dependable source of water. But I would be less inclined to take them on Colorado Trail segment 2 because of limited water.
Where to Buy Epic Snacks
The best place to buy Epic products is from the Epic online store.Their food products are available in reasonably sized boxes that range in price from $30 to $49.99. They also sell shirts, hats and bandanas online. Since they have so many great flavors, I would recommend starting out by trying one of their sample packs. You’re sure to find a flavor that you love.
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[…] of us would also like to get some protein in our trail snacks. Last month, Trailsnet featured some meat-based trail snacks that provided lots of protein. That’s fine, as long as you’re not a vegetarian or a […]