Energy Drink vs. Coffee

[Ross Polete]

Just wondering how many fellow hikers out there use energy drinks either in replacement of coffee or in conjunction with coffee, and if you do use an energy drink which product do you use?

[Jay Wilkerson]

Beer!!! just kidding- the first and only RED BULL.

[Michael Davis]

In my view, I don't think of coffee as interchangable with an energy drink. I won't hike without coffee. But the coffee isn't an energy boost, in my mind. It's the thing that reminds me that I'm different from the other wildlife in the woods! It's that bit of civilization that I can take with me! It's the connection to my daily routine of a warm & cozy moment of the day!

I guess you can tell that I like my coffee! :)

As to energy drinks, I don't take them. Don't like them at home either. I just try to eat as well as possible on the trail.

[Martin Wilde]

I have been using the Jackie Chan Green Tea packets as a replacement for my morning coffee/caffiene fix on the trail. One of my buddies mentions they have similiar ingrediants that are in Red Bull – just healthier with the extra dose of antioxidants.

I don't do coffee on the trail as it takes extra time and fuel – I just wait for great town coffee.

[Ross Polete]

bump

[Monty Montana]

I have to second Michael: I avoid energy drinks but do savor a hot cup-o-joe in the morning. Kind of a ritual thing to warm my hands in the morning cold as I contemplate what the new day may bring. However, I always bring along a small zip-lock of Gatorade or a few packets of E-mergency, not so much for stimulants, as they contain none, but for the sodium/potassium replacement, which can provide a seeming energy boost.

[Vick Hines]

Monty,
I agree about the electrolyte replacement value of some energy drinks. I prefer the ones with no sugar and improve their insipid taste with unsweetened Koolaid. In really hot weather I add salt substitute (potassium chloride) and table salt. Pounding pure water in hot weather can leave you with an electrolyte deficit that can be at least uncomfortable.

[Doug Johnson]

Coffee has never agreed with my stomach, so I've always loathed the morning. I've become addicted to Rockstar energy drinks! Not any of them, but specifically the sugar free diet version…no sugar in that bad boy and I think 160mg of caffeine if my memory serves correctly. I've actually thought about finding a pressurized "keg" of this stuff, so I don't have to worry about cans! I'm an addict =)

[Jason Griffin]

Red Bull & Coffee = Arrythmias and Crash & Burn.

I've settled for this stuff called FRS Healthy Energy it comes in many forms such as premixed drinks, powder & concentrate, and soft chews. I like the soft chews. The company recommends 1 serving (2 chews or one drink) in the morning and 1 serving in the afternoon. I get by with one serving in the morning and only use it when I need it; it works great when hiking. The main ingredients are quercitin (antioxidant from blueberries, red onions, apples, and cocoa), vitamins, and antioxidants from green tea leaves. (Yeah I read that from the package). It also has a very benign 3-5g of sugars and 20mg of caffein (compared to 80mg for redbull and 100mg for coffee). Hence you get more of a natural and longer lasting energy. I don't get a fast up with a crash; I'll take two chews then about an hour later I'll feel very awake (not wired) and it'll last all day. Good stuff.

[Bob Ellenberg]

EmergencyC. Nutritious, no weight and lots of flavors. We put two packages per 12 oz. bottle when we start out in the morning and sip throughout the day.

[Brad Groves]

I don't function well without either coffee or tea in the morning. It's not the energy factor at all–I've never actually noticed caffeine having an effect on me (until one time way back when I was using it heavily and quit cold turkey…ouch!). I just really enjoy having the hot, dark, rich, bitterish brew in the morning. Livens up my senses. Smells great. Same with teas. Most of the packaged meals I bring, along with summer sausage and cheese, gives me enough salt, though not necessarily the best-balanced electrolytes.

When I need a boost on the trail, first thing I do is stop, chill out, and take a swig of the coldest water I can get. Then I might take a nip from the flask-bracing and beautiful. Chase it with dried cherries and almonds, maybe some m&ms. Works great for me… But hey, what if someone made dehydrated beer?!

[Jason Griffin]

I'm pretty sure they do make beer powder……I think they do it with liquors too. Mix with cold water and drink up. Do a google for it.

[starsea starsea]

That just ain't right. lol

[Anonymous]

Ah, but do they include dehydrated alcohol with it?

[victoria maki]

brad, how does wine sound? they actually make a wine powder in either red or white to add to cooking. to bad it doesn't contain the alcohol…dang p.s. it's at old spice traders

[Blue _]

The idea for encapsulating alcohol in another substance has been around for some time. The first (backpacking related) rumor of the process that I came across was in Colin Fletcher's "Complete Walker III" Didn't think much of it again until I saw the direction this thread was taking. Took a few minutes to do some checking and voila– Pulver Spirits . I wonder how heavy? Cheers–perhaps

[Brad Groves]

Hey, all. I was amazed by the beer powder. And, admittedly, a bit disappointed at the disappearance of some components… The beer powder/wine powder as "spice" thing is kinda interesting, could add a new gourmand twist to backcountry cooking! But straight-up powdered alcohol? Really?

[Roger Caffin]

> But straight-up powdered alcohol? Really?
Would you be interested in buying the Brooklyn Bridge very cheaply?

[Anonymous]

"Would you be interested in buying the Brooklyn Bridge very cheaply?"
I saw him first Roger! Besides, my bridge is prettier than yours. I've got a special running through the end of the week on The Golden Gate Bridge. Money back guarantee.
Now where did you say you can buy powdered alcohol??? :]

[Blue _]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I suspect the purpose of the Pulver Spirits Co.(besides perhaps simply raising cash) is to catch people in the assumption that that "powdered," means the same thing as "dehydrated" which some might assume to equal "more concentrated." While it may be possible to encapsulate small amounts of alcohol within some solid powder-small substance (in the case of "powdered alcohol" cyclodextrins are a frequently named possibility) it seems that the whole thing would be like carrying around a whole lot of small flasks each containing very very tiny amounts of alcohol. Kind of like carrying around opals as a backup water supply (although I wouldn't have a clue as to how to get the 3-10% water out of the opals–maybe heat them over my BB stove and distill the steam through a coil of Ti piping). Still, if "powdered alcohol" does become available I'm sure some clever marketer will try to sell it to backpackers, and somewhere some outdoor magazine will endorse it as an outdoor product of the year. Or maybe I'm just being cynical. I think I'll go out for a drink. Cheers. –Oh yeah, as for as "energy drinks" besides coffee: I find chocolate gives a nice boost, particularly a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa mixed with a cup of hot water and a liquid coffee concentrate (such as Java Juice). As far as drinks like Red Bull and kin–never much liked them.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

What I find interesting is I picked up some Burgundy wine powder that is labeled that it is freeze dried wine (sprayed). That means they dry it like they do sour cream.

So I have to wonder….does it contain alcohol??

[Roger Caffin]

No it can NOT contain alcohol. It WILL evaporate before all the water has gone.

[Blue _]

Roger is absolutely right, Sarah, the alcohol will be long gone– even before the water. The freeze-dried wine (and other freeze-dried alcoholic beverages) can be used as flavorings in recipes, however–which are their primary commercial use, I think. All is not lost, however, you may be able to make up some "non-alcoholic wine" (an oxymoron?) with the powder and fool your friends into thinking they are getting buzzed. There are a pretty large number of studies that indicate that people who think they have drunk alcohol begin to perform as if they have (a placebo effect). After all, misperception fueled by an active imagination is pretty lightweight. Heck, I remember unknowingly drinking decaf coffee on a three day trip—only on the third day did I conclude that I must either be building up a caffeine tolerance or else the coffee wasn’t “working as well in the outdoors.” BTW: There are also some interesting studies that suggest that marketing, packaging and the perceptions/expectations they create in the consumer may give energy drinks an “extra boost.” I’ve also noticed that when some people consider an object made of Titanium they automatically think “lighter”—that’s why I discovered that the first thing I needed as I transitioned from traditional knee-busting ankle-turning backpacking to light/ultralight was a very accurate scale. Sorry about the length of this post—but many of the posts on this thread suggest that feeling energized is one of those areas where the psychology of subjective responses become quite entangled with objective stimuli—which can be more simply stated: “do whatever turns you on.” For me; its coffee and cocoa. I imagine it's no secret, but cocao nibs. (broken up roasted cocao beans) are great for a little extra stimulation. I like them mixed liberally in trail mixes. Spray-dried espresso powder can also perk up (figuratively) a cup of camp coffee. Cheers.

[Brad Groves]

For the record, the "Really?" was of the "Why?" persuasion more so than questioning reality… If booze is what energizes you, just bring some, ya know? But if I could interest anyone in the Mackinaw Bridge for cheap…

Personally, energizement (it's fun to make up words) for me still stems from caffeine and cacao.

[Blue _]

Man, with all of the bridges that are for sale here lately maybe this should be moved to the "Gear Swap" section.

Quote—‘For the record, the "Really?" was of the "Why?" persuasion more so than questioning reality . . .’

Hey Brad,
I think the "why" in your "really?" was quite clear in your post–the whole concept of capturing alcohol in a powdered form seems (to me, too) to fall within that range of: even if you could why should you want to? kind of marketing schemes.

However . . . when I was a kid there was a product called "Fizzies." You dropped a soda flavored (or "pop" or "tonic" flavored–depending on your geographic region in the US of A) tablet (such as root-beer) into a glass of water and it fizzed like an AlkaSeltzer (or Bromo–you get the idea)–and tasted like a root-beer flavored AlkaSeltzer–pretty awful. Worse, the cost per serving was about four times the price of a serving of bottled root-beer. Kids loved them (and I did, too–although I can't believe it now). Perhaps the allure of alcohol within a powdered matrix could have enough novelty to drive sales for a while, who knows? Further, I often wonder if some participants in the outdoor industry/consumer binary don’t feel similar urgings from the dark and silly side our consumer culture. I know there are a few embarrassments from that shadowy zone lurking in my gear closet. What was I thinking when I bought this . . . ?

–PAX

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