The best energy bar for endurance performance and easy digestion | VOOM Pocket Rocket Review
Mel Berry - Cofounder Women's Sports Store - Endurance Warrior
When you’re out training or taking part in an event, having easy, reliable energy bar in your pocket can make a big difference. The Voom Pocket Rocket energy bar range (including options like Caffeine Kick, Electro, Beta Blast, etc.) aims to offer just that in compact bars that replace gels, delivering energy, flavour, and digestion-friendly performance.
I put one to the test after a long run, and here’s how it held up across key criteria: taste & texture, nutrition profile, performance, value, and whether I’d recommend it.
Taste & Texture
The flavour of Pocket Rocket energy bar is pleasant and real and you can taste the fruit-first ingredients rather than relying on overly sweet or synthetic flavours.
Some flavours (like the Caffeine Kick – berry) are favourites for their balance of sweetness and mild tang. Meanwhile, others (for example, the Beta Blast / orange) might come off slightly bitter if you don’t normally like citrus or more subtle sweet profiles.
In terms of texture, the Pocket Rocket energy bar tends to be firm but not overly dense. They’re meant to be eaten on the go, without becoming messy, sticky, or chewy in a way that slows you down. They’re easy to eat, with low risk of crumbling or getting stuck in your teeth.
Nutrition Profile
The Voom Pocket Rocket energy bar is positioned as a whole-food energy bar rather than pure protein or recovery bar. Their aim is to deliver digestible calories, electrolytes, and caffeine (in certain versions) in a compact, stomach-friendly format. I have never had any gut issues with these bars.
Some key nutritional features:
- Real fruit ingredients / whole-food sources
- Electrolytes in some varieties to help with hydration replacement during exercise
- Caffeine + taurine in the “Caffeine Kick” variant, for a boost when you need an extra push mid- or end-race
- Gluten-free, vegetarian / vegan compatible in many cases
Because they’re built to be caloric “fuel bars” rather than heavy protein bars, you won’t see huge amounts of protein and their strength is in energy delivery, digestibility, and convenience. They work every time for me and can’t remember the last time I used a gel.
Performance & In-Use Experience
This is where the Pocket Rocket bars tend to shine:
- Stomach comfort: No digestive issues, even under event stress.
- Convenience: Their compact size makes them ideal for stuffing into pockets or small pack compartments. They’re less messy than gels or energy chews.
- Steady energy: The design is such that you can time portions (e.g. segmenting bars) for consistent energy release. I sometimes break them and add into a bag to get easy access to them
- Psychological boost: Knowing you have something reliable and decent-tasting to eat can help your morale mid-activity. (This is more anecdotal, but counts in the real world.)
One caveat: in certain flavours or when you’re feeling fatigued, the texture may feel a bit “thick” or more effort to chew. Some reviewers mention that fully eating a bar first thing, especially before a run, can feel more challenging.
Value
The Voom Pocket Rocket bars (£1.50 per bar or £27 per box of 20) are premium in positioning and you pay more than you would for basic gels or mass-market snack bars. But you’re paying for:
- Clean, whole-food ingredients
- Added functional benefits (electrolytes, caffeine where applicable)
- Reliable digestion and portability
- A more enjoyable eating experience compared to typical energy gels or bars
Given that a single bar (or segments thereof) can replace multiple gels while being less messy, they offer good value. It’s not just about cost per calorie, but about usable calories delivered under stress.
Final Verdict
The Voom Pocket Rocket is more than just an energy bar — it’s a reliable training partner that delivers clean fuel without fuss. Whether you’re mid-marathon or on your third climb of the day, it keeps energy levels consistent, your stomach happy, and your performance on track.
