Grand Canyon Rim-Rim Water-Electrolytes

I get fatigued when I have tried to only drink electrolyte flavored water. An approach I have used before is to have a smaller bottle with a couple electrolyte tablets in it. I’ll take a gulp of the concentrated electrolyte mix and then go back to regular water for a while.

Sometimes I’ll carry two flavors of tablets or satchets and make the short bottle with one strawberry and one grapefruit to keep things interesting. Also I like having electrolyte mixes with caffeine handy.

Black Cherry Cliff Bloks are another favorite. Energy + caffeine + sodium (no potassium). Not the lightest option but they go down really well and allow you to dose on the go.

I like having options and variety. I figure it out as I go. I’m just a hiker not an elite athlete running ultras or cycling double-centuries. You are asking about different scenarios and I’m trying to advocate for a flexible approach where you figure it out on the trail. Tablets and sachets are light and space efficient so you can probably afford to carry a couple extras.

Have a good trip and please share a trip report with us!

Electrolytes are important but not complicated. 2:1 salt (NaCl) to No-Salt (KCl) gets you pretty close. Something like 1/8 to 1/5 of a teaspoon per liter of water. That’s the majority of sweat-replacement required.

You need magnesium in much larger quantities but you only sweat a little bit, so better to just carry magnesium tablets (taurate, citrate, or glycinate): 400mg/day.

You need calcium, too, but it is best to get that in your food (mostly dairy if you tolerate it, small fish with bones if you do not): whey protein powder, cheese, powdered milk or cream. You don’t lose much when you sweat, so no need to put it in your electrolyte drink.

Gatorade Zero packets come pretty close to the right balance and are much more economical than other electrolyte mixes that get so much hype. Combined with salty food they achieve the “ideal” balance that you lose to sweat. Gatorade has been making sweat-replacement electrolyte mixes for athletes for decades — they know as much about it as any of the more expensive brands.

TLDR: Gatorade Zero (or home mix) and protein powder are great for backpackers. Most North Americans should supplement magnesium separately.

EDIT: Or, as Dave Thomas says, just eat salty food. There’s potassium in almost everything you eat, so sodium is the main thing that you need to replace when sweating.

Gear skeptic’s detailed analysis of the situation led him to recommend Salt Stick caps.  Small, light, simple.

I find these make things easy, stored in the hip belt pocket and taking one with a snack bar between meals.  No hassle with mixing stuff, or dealing with spent packaging.

My hands and toes used to swell up fairly significantly, especially on really long winter hikes, a symptom of electrolyte deficiency.  I don’t notice it any more after taking these caps.

>Overconsumption of water is a danger as much as dehydration. It’s called hyponatremia

Swollen digits is one symptom of hyponatremia.  A good early detection test is to check a ring to see if it has a tighter fit.   If so, time for a salt cap.

On one hand, over hydration can cause hyponatremia.  On the other hand, if I don’t hydrate heavily, I get digestive issues which can be very uncomfortable to say the least.   So the Salt Stick caps also allow a heavy level of hydration for my gut while avoiding hyponatremia.

>If I don’t recall or if it was dark or stinky

If I wait that long, I can kiss the Kaybo goodbye for a few days.

So the water levels are as much about that as cooling, for me at least.