Managing your electrolytes

"I am aware of this. I guess it's a gamble I take that a week's use won't cause real issues."

True. How many times is a bottle used before being finally discarded? What is the coating ablation rate? How long is the fluid inside the bottle before being consumed (how much residue will it absorb)? How bioavailable is the residue (how much gets absorbed by the body)? and finally, putting all the above together, what is the minimum amount necessary in the body to have some effect? Under normal usage conditions will you ever reach a level of concern, given under FDA and USDA standards and federal law the maximum allowable intake is set at 1% of the NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) and food packaging is manufactured accordingly? None of the studies referenced above looked at these questions. The fact that under extreme conditions tests can find a few stray molecules (PPQ -- Parts per Quadrillion) means nothing in real world risk assessment. Risk and hazard are two distinct terms with different meanings. Most people confuse the two.

The normal healthy male body processes and excretes excess estrogen quite well. Much ado about nothing.

Breathing campfire smoke is a far greater health risk (fumes from camp stoves also). As is the pine fragrance in a forest, the ozone in the air after an electrical storm, inhaling dust from the trail, the UV rays from sunlight, et al.

This is like an acquaintance of mine who lectures me about the need to eat organic, become vegan, most food is poison, be careful what I put in my body, ad nauseum while he smokes marijuana constantly. I laugh at him as I walk away from his diatribes.

Right. Drink the original soda first lunch. After that, lemonade or such is mixed in the bottle and drunk at once. It's not heated, which I understand to be one of the bigger risk factors for releasing BPA etc.

Glad you found it useful schlanky the sugar helps you avoid "hitting the wall" when you are hiking, but for preventing muscle cramps, etc. it probably isn't absolutely necessary for yard work. I think it's one of those YMMV things.

Pack some pedialyte! Just kidding, but my dad does seriously use this to hydrate. (I would not recommend this)


- Steve, Creator of HMPYG and Arizona News Organization

I bring Saltstick caps with me on every day hike, backpacking trip, and workout. I like the buffered time release aspect of the Saltstick caps.



I was out working as a helper for the mason doing the Big Creek fireplace. The day was cool and my shirt was doing a jam up job keeping me dry as it wicked the moisture away. That night I woke up with some painful inner thigh cramps. The first thing I did was take a Saltstick with some water. I waited for the cramp to go away and finally took a K capsule. The cramp did not go away, I was nearly unable to walk. After a few hours of cramping and pain, I took another Saltstick with a quart of water. I, finally, began to feel relief and was reminded of the other magic elixir in the no cramp mix; water. I drank another quart and a half. The next day, I kept up with drinking and did not suffer a cramping episode for the rest of my time at Big Creek.