Hydration drinks?

[Gellar]

Obviously you have lived a sheltered life and have never experienced one of these.
View attachment 343123

I said what I said. I do like a few blueberry beers.

 

[PaulRevere]

You can get a 30 pack of Bush Light peach for about $25

I saw 30 racks of busch peach on sale at people's market in darby on sale for 9.99.

 

[PaulRevere]

I saw 30 racks of busch peach on sale at people's market in darby on sale for 9.99.

We can store a couple racks in the garage for ya, @JohnCushman

 

[yakimanoob]

My 2¢:

Electrolyte drinks are very helpful in certain situations (like @wvhunter304's job, by the sound of it), but are MOSTLY unnecessary. That said, I often do necessary things, so do that makes you happy .

Some basic concepts to keep in mind (from the wilderness medicine docs I work with on SAR):

• The only helpful electrolytes are salt and sugar. Sugar-free / low-sodium "electrolyte" drinks are a gimmick. If you don't need more sugar and salt, drink water.
• Our bodies are designed to get electrolytes from food. We can "cheat" the process by drinking them, but generally speaking you should only focus on drinking electrolytes if you can't get enough by eating (more on this below).
• If you're dehydrated, meaning you haven't been drinking enough water to maintain your normal body volume, this means that you already have more electrolytes than you need and drinking an electrolyte drink will cause you to rehydrate more slowly than if you just drank water. You should just drink water in this case, not electrolyte drinks.
  • This is, in my experience, the most common misunderstanding / misuse of electrolytes. They do not help you rehydrate.
• The ONLY time that healthy folks benefit from electrolyte drinks is when you're well-hydrated but not able to eat enough to replace the sugar your muscles are using and the salt you're sweating out. The only time I encounter this while hunting is during an intense pack-out. Otherwise, it's easier (and better for me, and cheaper) to simply snack and drink water.
  • I also use electrolyte drinks when I'm climbing at high elevations and can't eat without being nauseous.

All this said, again, do what makes you happy. If you like flavored drinks more than plain water, go crazy with those low-sugar low-sodium flavor products. Just don't kid yourself that it's any better for you, per se, than water.

 

[belshawelk]

Bucked up.

 

[Hammer37]

Have been a fan of LMNT

 

[El Jason]

I make my own LMNT blend per a recipe they provide. It’s helped me all but completely eliminate leg cramps in the night after a hard hunt.

 

[Hammer37]

I make my own LMNT blend per a recipe they provide. It’s helped me all but completely eliminate leg cramps in the night after a hard hunt.

I’ll have to look that recipe up, would rather doctor up my own mix vs the packets with added flavoring, just went easy route with the boxes of packets. Thanks for the insight!

 

[Wild Bill]

I make my own LMNT blend per a recipe they provide. It’s helped me all but completely eliminate leg cramps in the night after a hard hunt.

Care to share?

 

[El Jason]

Care to share?

I can take pictures of what I have when I get home. I got everything from Amazon, for less than $100. I think my calculated cost is around $0.10/serving. I have enough supplies for at least another hunting season.

100 g sea salt
16g potassium chloride (I use NoSalt)
30g Mg Malate
2 TBSP raspberry flavor
2 TBSP lime flavor

I don’t add any sugar. I use about a tablespoon per liter of water.

 

[802flyfish]

LMNT head quarters are in my town. Just don’t like the taste. Wilderness Athlete has some good flavors..

 

[Hammer37]

Found the link here: https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/

 

[TheReaper8899]

If I’m out scouting, hunting or just dirtbiking, nothing beats water. However with that being said while I’m working, the best thing I’ve started to do is add a Gatorade rapid rehydration or liquid IV to a tall bottle of smart water. I only drink half a bottle at a time before going and filling it back up. Typically by the end of the day the bottle is clear again ready for the next day.

 

[WillieIV]

LMNT but i only use half the packet per day

 

[Islander]

Hydration drinks are one of the worst return on investment, non-necessary food items sold in America. Salt pills or a bit of salt in your water covers everything IF you eat a healthy diet.

Product	Cost per Serving
LMNT	$1.50
Salt water	$0.0024 (less than a penny)

That makes LMNT 625× more expensive per serving than salt water—mostly for taste, portability, and branding.

If you're healthy and eat well, salt water is enough in almost all situations.​

Let’s reexamine each bullet I gave before and cut through the marketing:

• Fasting or Keto​

You do lose more sodium when insulin is low.
→ Fix: Add salt to water (e.g., 1–2 g sodium/day via salt). No need for LMNT unless you want convenience or flavor.

• Heavy Sweating​

Sweat loss is mostly sodium; potassium and magnesium losses are much smaller.
→ Fix: Replace with salt water. Potassium isn’t significantly lost unless sweating is extreme and prolonged. Magnesium loss through sweat is negligible.

• Low Blood Pressure / Dizziness​

This is usually from low sodium or low fluid volume.
→ Fix: Salt water again. No need for potassium/magnesium in most acute cases.

• Low Electrolyte Diet​

If your diet lacks potassium or magnesium (e.g., low veg/fruit intake), maybe there’s a case for supplementing.
→ Fix: Correct your diet instead. You’d get more potassium from one avocado or sweet potato than from 10 packets of LMNT.

• Taste and Convenience​

This is the only truly non-functional but valid reason: it’s easier, and it tastes better.
→ Fix: Optional—if you're traveling or just want something pre-measured and flavored.

 

[The_Jim]

@Islander is spot on about salt. I personally add salt to my water jug I take to work in the summer but having a little flavor is nice too. Redmond relyte is a pretty solid alternative for LMNT at about $0.50/serving.

I used to really like the wilderness athlete products but I quit using them because they use sucralose as a sweetener. Gatorade and its competitors are trash.

 

[Austinw8]

I’ll be using LMNT or Redmond Relyte this season but I still love wilderness athlete hydrate & recover & their energy and focus with added sea salt as well.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Water has always been my go-to…seems to do the trick.

 

[Wild Bill]

Bridger and the boys used to drink his signature Missouri Valley Whiskey. Whisk with a little bit of red pepper, little bit of tabaccy, and a couple rattler heads.

Jedediah Smith and his crew sucked down water from the White River in western South Dakota, but it was juuuuust a touch to salty and everyone got severe stomach cramps for a couple days.

They’d probably drink bear piss over LMNT if given the chance.

One thing I’ve always been really bummed out about is that the average human used to have enough good gut microbes, culture, and such to be able to drink from a crick or a river or lake and they’d, for the most part go about their day. I wish I could slug a bit of water from a stream or lake without worrying about shidding my azz out for the next 3 days.

 

[Nick87]

Bridger and the boys used to drink his signature Missouri Valley Whiskey. Whisk with a little bit of red pepper, little bit of tabaccy, and a couple rattler heads.

Jedediah Smith and his crew sucked down water from the White River in western South Dakota, but it was juuuuust a touch to salty and everyone got severe stomach cramps for a couple days.

They’d probably drink bear piss over LMNT if given the chance.

One thing I’ve always been really bummed out about is that the average human used to have enough good gut microbes and such to be able to drink from a crick or a river or lake and they’d, for the most part go about their day. I wish I could slug a bit of water from a stream or lake without worrying about shidding my azz out for the next 3 days.

Why is that? Serious question. Just not enough of it in our diet anymore?