Red Bull on the trail?!

[Tahawus]

Any pros or cons as to a Red Bull type drink on the trail. I would guess that day hikes would be more appropriate for several reasons if you use these types of drinks. I have this vision of freezing a Red Bull and then plopping it into my Platypus(carefully washed natch). I could then keep my water icey cold and have something for mile 14 of my Great Range traverse or whatever when I need to add ooomph to my lagging stride.

I would never use caffeine on the trail, it usually swings me up but then drops me lower than when I started. However the push I get from these new energy drinks seems to last so much longer. I certain situations maybe a good back up.

BTW I noticed while shopping in EMS today that Sobe is selling an energy bar that has all the same ingredients as these energy drinks; Guarana, Taurine etc. At least Ems thinks that this type of product has a place in the outdoors community.

 

[BrentD22]

Red Bull

I could be wrong, but I think Red Bull does have caffeine in it.

The drink does me good at work, but I do notice it makes me very dry in the mouth. It also wips through me and I pee 2 times that hour.

 

[jbrown]

Definitely Caffeinated...

Red bull, in addition to having a bunch of weird ingredients that I wouldn't even attempt to pronounce, has 80 mg of caffeine in each can.

Check it out here Red Bull Ingredient List.

 

[ski_adk]

I've also heard that Red Bull isn't very good for the body either. It's actually illegal to sell it in Canada because of the Taurine. But that doesn't stop me from doing it either. Although "coming down" from it can feel like a crash sometimes.

 

[Tahawus]

Whoa, wait a minute I think I'm missing something. Urine test? I don't remember ever feeling that happy after having a Red Bull/Sobe.

 

[lumberzac]

I only know two things about Red Bull.

1) It's not bad when mixed with vodka
2) Every time I've drank one I've ended up thirstier than I was before I drank it.

 

[ADK4Life]

This reminds me of when I took Hydroxycut before I climbed Giant Mountain. It was recomended by a fellow hiker that takes the pills before dance practice. The inital feeling was great and made me feel quite "up" for about 2 hours. My thirst was heavy and I had the feeling of a comedown at the wrong time. As far as I know there is a caffene content to those pills and would not advise any type of "energy" drink or pill on the trail. On a postive note the pills woke me up after a 2 hour drive and a 4am start time.

 

[ski_adk]

When it comes to red bull, I tend to drink one right before a volleyball match or as I'm heading up the lift on a ski day and then another right around lunch.

Yes, another great use for it is vodka...and there's an added bonus...no hangover. I've found Red Bull to be a great hangover prevention/cure.

In my experience nothing beats fruit and granola bars for trail food however. Steady, quick energy that doesn't feel like a brick when it reaches your stomach.

 

[Jim lombard]

Remedy

What about as a remedy for Altitude sickness? I've heard it eases the symptoms so we're going to carry a few cans for above 16K

 

[sp1936]

Biggest problem I have with Red Bull is that it tastes like crap.

Yes, another great use for it is vodka...

I will pollute my vodka only with vermouth, ice, and olives. Shaken, not stirred, of course.

Steve

 

[Tahawus]

I actually prefer Sobe adrenaline. Red Bull tastes somewhat chalky and medicinal to me. The name is such a catch phrase for the whole category though.

Once or twice I have tried an energy drink with the improbable name, RockStar. It is twice the size of a Red Bull and the taste while still a little chalky to me reminds me of a soda my parents used to pack for hikes back in the late '60s and early '70s. This was in a time when to quench their childrens thirst parents thought nothing of mixing up a cool pitcher of KOOL-AID, a nifty drink with 2 cups sugar as the main ingredient along with a little packet of flavoring and food dye. I don't remember the name of this soda but I remember the taste and drinking it after climbing the Adams firetower.

 

[Jim W]

Was it Moxie?

 

[Tahawus]

Nope, closer to Mountain Dew but i am sure thats not it.

 

[lumberzac]

Mellow Yellow?

 

[KZKlimber]

Fresca???

 

[Rik]

It seems to be priced (or overpriced) like most outdoor gear! Two bucks for that little can! I would dilute it which is what I do with most sweetened beverages I take hiking. I mean with water and not vodka! At least not during a hike.

 

[JohnL]

I've never had Red Bull so I am not speaking from experience on this one but by looking at the ingredients, I wouldn't touch it. Here's why:
1. No sodium. You need a level of sodium for faster absorption of the liquid from the stomach to the small intestine. On the trail, you don't want water sloshing around in your gut while you're hiking. You want it absorbed into your system quickly where it can do some good.
2. No electrolytes. I think everyone knows why you need these.
3. More than 9% carbohydrates. With a carb concentration greater than 9%, you get even slower absorption out of your gut and into your muscular system.
4. Niacin (Vitamin B3) & Pantothenic acid (Vit B5). You get 4 of the 8 B vitamins. What hapened to the other 4? B vitamins work better as a full complement rather than partials.
5. This drink has all that sugar and they still need to add 2 artificial sweeteners. Why?
6. I think I read somewhere that it is carbonated. This slows down the absorption rate even more. And though it is not listed, carbonated drinks usually contain phosphoric acid which leaches calcium out of your system.
7. And a lot of you say the taste is bad.

JohnL

 

[ski_adk]

Sounds like some of you folks know of good alternatives to the Red Bull. Care to share?

 

[Papa Bear]

Plain old Gatorade works for me.

For day hikes, I stick a liter of H2O in one pocket of my pack, and a liter (quart?) of Gatorade in the other.

When I go for a run I usually dillute Gatorade 2:1, when hiking I take it straight, since I'm out a lot longer and can use the extra carbo and electrolytes.

Pb

 

[jbrown]

I haven't had Red Bull on the trail,but I can say it's great for long road trips. I have tried Hydroxycut...holy mother of pearl that stuff rocks.

I always have my 3 liter platypus filled with water and either a 1 qt nalgene or come recycled water bottle filled with concentrated gatorade (1.5 qt worth of powder in 1 qt of water.) I take a hit off the gatorade every half hour or so, but I'm sipping from the water constantly. Gets an extra shot of carbs and e-lytes in there.