Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There aren't enough reviews on this, so I'll try to be detailed. This comes with 3 boxes of 9 individual survival bars. They are well packaged to last a minimum shelf life of 5 years. Each bar is wrapped in paper, then all 9 bars are shrink wrapped together in plastic (the ends are open), then that is vacuum sealed in an airtight foil pouch. That pouch is tucked up nicely in a cardboard box, and three boxes are shipped in a tight fitting corrugated box. Each box of 9 rations is just over a pound and can easily fit in my hand. So yeah, these are dense. I have no doubt they will last 5 years, if not more. As for the actual food, I did crack open a box to try some. It tastes reminiscent of a gram cracker...and sawdust. Take a big enough bite and it's similar to the cinnamon challenge. These bars don't have any moisture whatsoever in them, as to maintain shelf life. And if you thought nature valley bars were crumbly, these are the OG f*kin crumbs everywhere bar. I ate one in the kitchen and I'm sure there are crumbs upstairs by now. It sounds like I'm complaining, but really they taste way better than I anticipated. It's a neutral flavor that most people can stand to eat. Imagine toast with a hint of cinnamon sugar, a drop of honey, and ALL the crumbs from that little tray on the bottom of the toaster. As an added bonus to combat the dryness, the packaging suggests to add the bar to hot, potable water to make a type of porridge. I used cold water. Not because I'm a friggin animal, but for science purposes. Although it's possible with cold water I recommend hot water. Firstly, it was difficult to break up the bar after I poured the cold water on it. You know what's worse than dry crumbs everywhere? Crumbs that are simultaneously WET AND DRY at the same time everywhere. The bar would shatter and send watery dryness everywhere. After I scientifically determined my method sucked, I used a grinding technique and worked the corners off into small chunks. Then I crushed the little chunks with the back of my spoon. I soon ended up with a puddle of wet cement. I was unimpressed, but as I kept stirring it turned more into a bread dough consistency. Add a bit more water and I would actually eat the finished product for breakfast. It has the same gram cracker-ish taste but more of an oatmeal texture to it. As a scientist, I recommend breaking up the bar before you add hot water. The food has a good balance of macronutrients, but lacks vitamins and minerals. You can read the nutrition facts for more info. I don't know if it's gluten free, but it is made in Norway. I also have no idea how long the bars last once the foil is broken open. I probably won't wait around to find out either, because I'm not actually a scientist.