[ihikebighills]

Hi everyone! I'm new here, so be gentle. I frequently do trips where I gain (and lose) in excess of 5,000 vertical. However, after 5k I usually slow down A LOT. I've sqeezed out 7k a few times, but I get pretty miserable. Which is the point, after all, but still. My question is: do all these 'power' food like the bars and gels and drinks, etc, really work? I'm somewhat reluctant to blow $1.25 on 100 calories of food, but if it works, I might try it? Do they all work the same? Or are there specific brands (powerbar vs clif bar) that work better than others? Thanks!

[Wazzuhiker]

Power bars and cliff bars are good sources of high energy light weight food. However I have found that they don't offer a quick noticeable burst of energy after a long trip. The only legal way I have found that works like this are those carb jells. They usually taste pretty horrible but when your reserves are out they can give you an edge. THey are expensive and the directions say that in order to work properly you must use one every half hour to hour

[Backpacker Joe]

Welcome IHBH. Like others I too like the Cliffs and Odwalla's In that situation I like maximum carbs. Those two offer the most. It isnt the calories that are of interest. Im looking for 45+ grams of carbs. TB

[Jennanik]

I've found that I get a boost from the gels. My guess is that the caffeine and the 8 ounces of water I drink with them is mostly where I'm getting it, since I eat carbs most of the time while I'm hiking. I should just carry chocolate covered coffee beans with me. It's probably cheaper.

[paul]

I'm inclined to follow Jack La Lanne's dictum: "If man made it, don't eat it!". Those mystery gels scare me. I mix my own trail GORP of walnuts, pecans, almonds, raisins, figs, dates, coconut, dried mango, papaya, pineapple, ginger, etc, etc. Grazing on that during the hike along with some jerky keeps my energy level from bottoming out. Including fats like nuts and coconut in my meals is important. For quick energy I like honey. Paul

[Far Fig Newton]

Those bars are too expensive as an energy source for that kind of gain. Each trip would cost megabucks. Same thing goes for energy drinks. Go to Trader Joes or your local grocery store, and get some regular food and eat a lot of it. Eat fats for long term energy (nuts, peanut butter, cheese, dried meat), carbs for medium term (bread products, taboulli, bulgar wheat), dried fruits for very short term (sugar energy), drink lots of regular old water. Always take chocolate for the psyche (summit treat). Keep eating, stay well below the anaerobic threshold (i.e., don't go too fast which builds up lactic acid), and you can do 7000+ gain without bonking.

[dicey]

dried papaya and cashews i have been known to eat a chocolate flavored gu from time to time....... good luck!!

[mgd]

Dudes and dudettes, if you don't have time to get in the car and drive to Trader Joes and pace the aisles while trying to figure out what you are going to buy, here are some easy cooky recipes you can make without ever stepping outside of your house. You will have to compare them with the energy bars for how much power they give you, but I think they will win in the flavor department, and just eat twice as many if you need more power. That is easy to do if something tastes good! They only take maybe 20 minutes to make, and you can listen to talk radio while you are doing it and learn something important!

[Stefan]

Try using frozen concentrate apple juice. Pack 3 quarts. That's 1400 calories right there. Drink a lot before you leave your car therefore you don't have to get into your supply until about one hour after you start your hike. Frozen concentrate is cheaper than those power drink mixes and has more calories. I recommend a bladder. After one hour on your hike start taking a sip from your hose every 15 minutes. You should be drinking before you are thirsty. This is what I have learned from cyclists. Once every hour on the hour, STOP. Eat pretzels and dried bananas. That is a source of sodium and potassium. Eating a lot of dried fruit with a mix of nuts will help you. You will need some fat, but not too much. You also have to be consistent in eating so you do not become fatigued later on. Those gels do help out a lot, but they are more expensive and do not taste as good as real food. I suspect the reason for your fatigueness may be due to lack of stopping. But remember you cannot go on forever, you are only human. Another good source of food - halva. Have it with dinner in the backcountry--it will help you out the next day. It is packed with calories.

[#19]

Fruit juices have been known to up set stomachs of endurance type athletes, but obviously it works for Stefan. I put snacks (banana chips, nuts, pretzels, raisons, etc) in half sandwich sized ziplock bags and keep one in my pocket at all times. I begin eating and sipping from my hydration tube 20 minutes in to the trip and continue throughout the day. I don't think it is nearly as important what you eat and drink while hiking, just that you do lots of both.

[Karen]

I use the gels on strenuous trips for the simple reason that I am lazy and when I get a good momentum going, I don't like to stop. Of course, I stop to drink water and to breathe, but I don't like to stop for more than a couple of minutes at most and the gels are easy. On most hikes, I just forget about any kind of a "diet" and eat anything I want. A handful of nuts goes a long way, at least for me but I like a real lunch after I've reached my goal. I also use the gels on winter trips because I simply lose my appetite when it's cold and eating is the furthrest thing from my mind. Oddly enough, while not a champion of any kind of diet, not even low-carb, I do enjoy the Atkins breakfast bars as a pre-hike boost as I'm getting my boots on. Half a bar is plenty and stays with me for quite a while. I don't know whether it's the fat content in those bars or what but they "last" -- the other bars are good but don't stick with me like the Atkins bars. Karen PS I sometimes eat weird things for lunch like cold sauteed chicken livers. It's why I don't have many friends.

[rino]

I do a lot of cycling....and I hate the goo! I've tried all sorts of carb drinks and don't like the taste or consistency. When you are working hard...thick drinks don't work for me. I ususally raid the kid's stash of fruit snacks. I've found the betty crocker brands (if i recall) are much softer and almost melt in your mouth. They are easy to eat and give you a good jolt of energy. I'd fill a ziplock so you don't have to deal with the little wrappers. Price...about $3 or so for a pile of them. Cheap compared to goo etc. Favorites: Bob the Builder and Barbie.