Hydration

[bowkill]

What are your thoughts on hydrating on a backpack elk hunt? Do you guys just use water? Do you mix in some kind of electrolytes? If so what do you use? Does it depend on what part of the country you're hunting? I've been on a couple trips for elk but just curious what others are doing.

 

[DanimalW]

I’ll add a wilderness athlete packet once each day. Think any of those would work. I get some cramping and muscle spasms in one of my quads after heavy sweating workouts. It’s not normally that bad to deal with, but those packets help with not having to deal with it.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

LMNT. They have some good literature on how much electrolytes you should be taking in as well.

 

[dtrkyman]

Been using liquid IV, I like to drink it first thing in the morning so I start out hydrated. I mix it with more than the recommended amount of water, too strong at 16oz, I use about 24 oz to get it the way I like it.

Bring some extra though, it gets hard for me to just drink water after several days so any kind of flavored stuff you bring will help getting anough to keep you hydrated no matter what it is!

 

[Spike elk]

My brother in law is one of those crazy trail runners who competes in 50-100 mile races. He told me about salt tablets that he used and I picked some up last year. Electrolytes help me but on really tough days I pop a salt tablet and that makes a big difference.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Usually one packet of your choice (scratch for me) daily and then straight water the rest. I will bump it up to 2-3 if early season really hunt, on pack out, or if water source is warm or off tasting. Something to consider is you are getting a lot of sodium in freeze dried and back packing type snacks.

 

[Mt Al]

I'm not as good as I once was on long slogs in the high country, but used to take a lot of Gatorade powder and water filter. I know, not as cool as the new stuff that is likely way better. Every decently clear stream I'd filter and drink more than I thought I needed. There was a story years, nay, eons ago about a hard core Himalayan alpinist who swore he wasn't in as good a shape as other mountaineers, but ate protein and drank water all day to the annoyance of everyone around him, but he felt better/lasted longer. If I had a lot of salty jerky or Slim Jims, less need for salt.

 

[Brendan]

Most people do not take in nearly enough sodium when sweating a lot.

I've been doing a lot of Mountain Bike Racing recently, and did some sweat tests (Just got back from racing Leadville actually). Found out I lose approximately 1200mg of sodium per liter of water. The range can be as low as 600mg, to as high as 2000 mg or more.

Most people would be much better off to do a couple LMNT per day if it's hotter and dry where you're sweating a lot. Game changer in how you feel, perform, etc.

 

[dtrkyman]

I bring some pink Himalayan salt on warmer or high activity hunts also!

 

[DB29]

I drink a pack of Liquid IV daily. Put a pack in a 30oz bottle of water and refill it when it is half full with just water all day. Adds flavor and I feel better than just drinking water. If I am hiking (or drinking beer) I will drink a pack before bed too. I feel much better in the morning than I should.

 

[LongWayAround]

I just bring a packet of emergen-c and mix it in my coffee cup.

 

[Beendare]

Stanford did a study on electrolytes and long distance runners …spoiler alert, these expensive supplements over promise.

Med Stanford.edu

Grant Lipman is the lead author of a study that investigated whether electrolyte supplements could protect against sodium imbalances in endurance runners.
Paul Sakuma

Electrolyte supplements popular with endurance runners can’t be relied on to keep essential sodium levels in balance, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and their collaborators.

Rather, longer training distances, lower body mass and avoidance of overhydration were shown to be more important factors in preventing illness caused by electrolyte imbalances, the researchers found. Their study also showed that hot weather increased the rates of these types of illnesses.
“Electrolyte supplements are promoted as preventing nausea and cramping caused by low salt levels, but this is a false paradigm,” said Grant Lipman, MD, professor of emergency medicine at Stanford and director of Stanford Wilderness Medicine. “They’ve never been shown to prevent illness or even improve performance — and if diluted with too much water can be dangerous.”

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

Regular baking soda has worked for nearly 100 years. 1/2 teaspoon. Directions are on the box. I take it daily and also supplement with sodium mag and zinc later in the day. Oh and a little sugar because I’m in my 50’s and I’m going to enjoy life a little


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[draht42]

I think it's all about imbalances of water/electrolyte value, as that Stanford study points out, especially imbalances that happen quickly over the course of hours and days.

Given long hikes and activity calorie burns of 1500+ in one day (easy to do in a few hours up and down the mountain) with possible daily caloric deficits, it's important to note that your body isn't just sweating, but is also possibly entering a more ketogenic state and burning pent up glycogen. Because glycogen molecule is bound to 3 water molecules, in addition to normal exertion/heat sweat, water is being released from the system simply because of how the body is fueled - which puts things out of balance quickly. Many folks may know this phenomenon in weight loss as the first 5 pounds of "water weight". In the keto/low carb world, there is a cure for this called "snake juice", which is just electrolyte in water.

So in the case of a lot of calorie burn and caloric deficits on a hunting trip, adding electrolytes makes a lot of sense to keep the water/electrolyte ratio where the body is used to running. A good salt/potassium mixture is important, personally I use oral rehydration salt packets (or part of a packet). Most importantly, listen to your body - if you're dizzy and weak after a long hike, you might need electrolytes in addition to water.

 

[49ereric]

I ate 4 saltine crackers 3-4 times an hour when working as an oiler on the pipeline and that help immensely. Drank 2 1/2-3 gallons of water a day.
no coffee no soda no tea just water.
drink a quart of water first thing in the morning to replace the pint you lost during the night and get a pint ahead. A family friend that was in Viet Nam in 68 to January of 69 with the 1/5 air cav told me this. The old lifer sgts made everyone do it in the bush. They had salt pill.

 

[S-3 ranch]

It’s been over 100*+ in Texas and my hunting buddy is a safety officer of Exxon
and brought me a box of electrolytes replacement individual packets
its awsome stuff 2 packs per Qt , no more cramps or bloat when chugging water only when aoudad hunting

 

[ODB]

Electrolytes are the -iums…sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc.

Go see how much potassium you should have per day and then see how much you really get.

There is an old saying, if you focus on getting all the potassium you need per day from a variety of sources, ALL your other dietary/vitamin needs will be met.

 

[dtrkyman]

I do not buy into the claims of Liquid IV or others, but the fact that it tastes good and gets me to drink more makes it effective regardless!

I primarily drink water all year, no soda no alcohol occasional juice and caffeine free tea. The water "enhancers" have me drinking more water when hunting, training fishing.

 

[snakesrobinson]

Interesting info....as an avid weight cutter (wrestling) my whole life I found pedialyte packets worked effectively. I have switched over to Skratch recently. It may not be the best but I like offsetting drinking some down and then adding more water on top. Predominantly drink water at home but I get tired of no taste.

 

[Oilfieldmiller]

LMNT. They have some good literature on how much electrolytes you should be taking in as well.

This…..

Simple stuff and like the flavor. Use once a day.


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