Datrex 3600 Emergency Food Bar review
The lifeboat classic: individually wrapped 200-calorie bars with a genuine marine pedigree, for anyone who wants to ration a survival brick down to small, exact portions in a kit or ditch bag.
Quick take
The finely-portioned ration brick. 3600 calories split into 18 individually wrapped 200-calorie bars, U.S. Coast Guard approved with a five-year shelf life and a mild coconut and graham-cracker taste. The small bars make rationing and sharing easy, and the foil pouch doubles as a water container. It is the crumbliest of the three (the inner wrap tears messily, so keep a knife handy) and the coconut smell is noticeable once opened, but for lifeboats, ditch bags, and car kits it is a proven pick.
What it does
The Datrex 3600 packs 3600 calories into 18 individually sub-packaged 200-calorie bars. It is U.S. Coast Guard approved, rated for a five-year shelf life, non-thirst-provoking, low in sodium, non-GMO, and made with no nuts. The flavor is a light coconut, and the short ingredient list is wheat flour, vegetable shortening, cane sugar, water, coconut, and salt. The small 200-calorie portions are the whole point: you can dole them out in tight increments, feed half-rations to children, and stretch the pack across a 72-hour emergency without opening more than you need. The heavy foil pouch is designed to double as a water container, and Datrex sells matching emergency water pouches on the same five-year rotation.
What verified buyers say
Verified-purchase owners, many of them boaters and car-kit builders, consistently note:
- Individual bars make rationing easy. The most-praised feature: 18 separately wrapped 200-calorie bars let you portion precisely, share, and feed half-rations without exposing the whole pack.
- Mild coconut / graham taste. Reviewers describe a neutral coconut or graham-cracker shortbread, edible and unexciting on purpose so no one raids the kit.
- Very crumbly, keep a knife handy. The common gripe: the thin inner cellophane is hard to open cleanly and the bars crumble easily, so buyers use a small knife or box cutter.
- Compact and shelf-stable. Owners like the small size for a bug-out bag or car trunk, the five-year life, and that the foil pouch can serve as a water vessel.
- Strong smell once opened. Several note the coconut aroma is noticeable after opening, worth remembering where you are managing food odors around wildlife.
Worth knowing
The individual bars are wrapped in a thin cellophane that is not airtight and tears messily, crumbling the bar, so a small knife helps and a zip bag keeps opened bars fresh. They are dry and crumbly, so eat small bites and sip water afterward. The coconut aroma is strong once the pouch is open, which is worth noting where you are keeping food smells down around animals (see protecting your food from wildlife). Check the date on arrival and rotate every five years. Contains wheat and coconut.
Who it is for
The Datrex is for anyone who wants to ration a brick into small, exact portions: boaters and paddlers especially, given the lifeboat lineage and the water-carrying pouch, but also families who want to feed half-rations to kids. It is a strong choice for a survival kit or the emergency reserve in what food to bring, and it pairs naturally with Datrex water pouches on the same five-year cycle. If you want the cheapest brick, see the S.O.S. Rations 3600. If you want the best taste and widest temperature range, see the Mainstay 3600.
Specs at a glance
3600 calories / 18 bars (200 cal each) · Individually wrapped bars · U.S. Coast Guard approved · 5-year shelf life · Non-thirst-provoking, non-GMO, no nuts · ~1.5 lb · Best for: fine rationing and marine kits
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The Verdict
The Datrex 3600 is the pick when you want to dole out a survival brick in small, controlled portions, or need a ration with genuine lifeboat pedigree and a pouch that carries water. It is the crumbliest of the three, so bring a knife, but it earns its place in ditch bags and car kits. Want the cheapest brick instead? See the S.O.S. Rations 3600. Want the best flavor and temperature range? See the Mainstay 3600. And see how a ration reserve fits your kit in what food to bring.
