Yes! I fixed a mistake where I forgot to convert units when computing the sweat Na:K. Because that one number was in so many slides, I decided to reshoot and edit the whole section on the Na:K Calculator. While in there, I added a couple of fields in the calculator. There is now a Potassium Need box, which just shows daily allowance plus the additional lost from sweat. And, I put in a K-Diff box to show how far off your daily supplemented total of potassium is from the new Potassium Need box. It's an at-a-glance indication of whether you are over or under-consuming potassium, based on the inputs.
@@GearSkeptic fyi, LMNT has been exposed as having highly 100x more maltodextrin than they previously claimed, and many consider maltodextrin a “dodgy” ingredient (contrary to LMNT’s advertising to not use “dodgy” ingredients). I’m never buying LMNT again. Sticking to real salts.
What is your professional and education background?! I’ve been a critical care nurse working with CRRT patients and have been a hiker/hunter all my life and this depth of information is absolutely amazing. This brings a truly scientific view of human physiology into the hiking arena effectively combining my professional and recreational loves.
@@GearSkeptic Brilliant reply... I am tired out of comments from main stream medical care experts proclaiming their the only ones who can know anything.
@@GearSkeptic Are you able to say your professional and educational background? It wiped be nice to know for some of us YT Skeptics. You seem totally legit but most people can with enough info and persuasion when talking to the uneducated (me). Would appreciate it.
He’s staying true to the Enlightenment ideal started by Descartes, the original (modern) skeptic. His writings on method and knowledge opposed the dominance of religion and blind adherence to tradition. “Tradition” generally meant blind adherence to self-appointed experts and authorities (priests). Descartes believed in radical doubt and building up knowledge from what little we can know with certainty. Appealing to your own credentials or using that to justify a belief amounts to a betrayal of the core enlightenment ideal. Gear Skeptic is presenting facts about available research and reasons for/against coming to different conclusions. I could care less if he has multiple doctorates and won a Nobel prize or if he’s just an avid hiker who knows how to think clearly and use Excel. If you care about his background and credentials, then you should ask yourself why that even matters.
Avoiding the question seems very shady. You seem very knowledgeable but avoiding the question doesn't make you trustworthy, but rather shady. Even conspiratorial.
As I posted in the previous video, perhaps better here - Hikers should check out Morton's Lite Salt as an option for Potassium supplementation. It's approximately 50/50 NaCl and KCl and it's one of the most affordable sources of supplemental dietary potassium I've ever found. (Note: it provide plenty of Chloride as well, so it helps replenish that loss as well).
Great video. I’d add people should carry extra electrolytes and remember that people can go months without food if they have enough water and electrolytes. Fasting is making a comeback and I went back to these videos as I completed a 5 day fast with water and electrolytes. I measured my blood glucose and ketones regularly, and am already accustomed to being in ketosis. Was a very pleasant experience, got clarity of mind and MORE energy than in my normal life (fasting stimulates human growth hormone). Many hikers fear starving on the trail- it’s a real risk if you get lost or have really bad luck. I have no such fear anymore, now that I’ve tried out an extended fast using just water and electrolytes. My emergency fuel on the trail now will be one day of extra food and many days of extra electrolyte powders (which don’t take much volume or weight). More than anything, I’ve got peace of mind. Just saw this video for the fourth or fifth time in the past year.
Another incredibly great vid!!! Electrolytes make a WORLD of difference backpacking, hiking, and climbing mountains. I did a 5 day trip recently and used more electrolytes and water than ever - slept great and muscles felt great!
I upped my sodium intake skiing this year here in Australia, from watching Part 4. Used the LMNT sodium 1000mg electrolytes and a mix of some of those Mtn Ops STM satchels and made a huge difference to not becoming dehydrated and feeling like crap after a good days skiing. Skiing in Australia I have always felt takes more out of you then say in the US and I’ve put it down that you need to work harder, so you sweat more. Changing things up this year made a difference.
Fantastic video. The level of detail and effort that is involved in your research is astounding. You are providing a massive service for the backpacking community. Thank you.
I now fully understand why I got weak on a recent hike. It was 35 degrees and I drank loads of water but did not do anything for electrolytes. It felt like my brain was not functioning and I started falling over my iwn feet. I suspect my sweat is very salty as I had salt all over my hiking pants and could feel salt on my skin. Thanks for this info I will have to spend more time studying it.
Haha! Love your bookmark! I keep cooked bacon on hand and if I need a snack when out & about I carry with me in a baggie in my purse! (Kelly Hogan gave me the idea of “purse-bacon”) 😋😁
thank you, your efforts helped me during my SHR journey because I wanted to see as much as possible in the week off I had to complete. Staying healthy and happy while pushing all day was extremely satisfying to me... and will help me in my future bucket list plans. Plus a great listen when I'm plugging away at work.
Over 2000 more by now. This channel tackles a specific topic, but so thoroughly and entertaining, it just takes time for the community to stumble upon it.
Another DIY recipe: 1/2 tsp table salt 1/8 tsp No Salt (KCl) 1 Liter Water That's 4:1 Na:K with 1100mg of sodium. So pretty close to your numbers using cheap kitchen supplies. If you need flavor then you could add a squirt of citrus juice and some Stevia. (or Gatorade Zero stick or Crystal Light).
Oh man your hiker food chart has help me with my prepping for a Newbi hike in Greenland x3 Like I still have to put in my own food data because lots of the things in the chart we can´t get here, but your coding has made that easy If you want I can get your some names of the foods I have added to my version?
Incredible thanks for your awesome videos! I’m a novice when it comes to overnight hikes, and looking to ascend some big mountains. I’m also thinking about the present state of emergency for mountain communities like big bear right now, suffering prolonged winter hazards - all the info lends itself well to such situations of food insecurity
Love your detailed analyses. Yet another: Real Salt's ReLyte is higher in sodium than LMNT. 52:27 Thanks for suggesting the synergy between your recovery vid and this one. I drink a protein shake for BCAAs, tyrosine, and the rest. Any animal protein source (including dairy) has all of the amino acids we need (including for hydration and recovery). Plant protein sources have most of what we need as well, but not in the correct ratios, so you have to eat more plant protein to get the required aminos. 43:25 DIY: This is what I do. I add a quarter teaspoon of salt to a Gatoraid Zero stick. I already supplement magnesium and potassium, so this works out approximately right with minimal fuss (at about a tenth the cost of LMNT).
@@GearSkeptic You've already tested plain salt water and it isn't so bad. I'm not shy about drinking saltwater when nothing else is handy. (nb: Not seawater salty; just following-your-numbers salty.) Would be hard for an electrolyte drink to be much more offensive than that. (Well, maybe if they used a LOT of potassium chloride then it might not taste great. But most commercial mixes do not.) Most of the flavoring stuff is there just to get you to buy their brand again. Has little to do with masking anything offensive. Salt is good for you, and your taste buds know it. Mmmm... pretzels.
@@GearSkepticI also use Re-Lyte but am newbie hiker after a decade of illness from tick diseases & mold Illness (still in treatment but much more functional now). I need to supplement electrolytes daily and also get lactated ringers IV weekly (electrolytes fluids) so I am curious what your thoughts are on Re-Lyte. I suffer lots of symptoms from sugar and also from plant toxins so I am mostly high fat carnivore (I drink full fat coconut milk with 4-12 raw eggs daily) I appreciate all your work on these videos and the info presented. I’ll have to watch a few times and take notes but already it has been incredibly helpful! I am also one who loves research so I am excited to look up the studies you reference and give them a read!
Love love love your videos. You answer questions I have had forever by the minute! And even some I didn't know I needed to ask. Thank you so much for your incredible work and thoroughness. And for the funny parts! :)
What about oral rehydration salts? Trioral packets have significantly higher quantities of the requisite ingredients than anything in the spreadsheet for about 40 cents/pack. I still need to go through the Salt Stick tablets I bought after your last video, but one Trioral packet is about 10 pills and the pills are 22 cents each.
I used to lay asphalt for a living, 10-14 hrs per day 5 days per week. Our machine and work area routinely exceeded 140°F and in the hottest parts of summer was touching 160°F. It must be possible for the human body to learn to operate at much higher than 2% dehydration. Not a single one of us ever consumed more than 2.5 gallons of liquid per day and nobody died. Human bodies are indeed a marvel of workmanship, maybe not the best engineered lol. This makes me want to touch on the symptoms of dehydration. Nobody ever talks about the very 1st symptom being a runny nose. If you are out in the heat and you notice your nose has started running, you better start hydrating. If it has reached the next stage of less sweat, find shade and hydrate. After this comes the shakes, this is dangerous territory and will likely need ice/cold running water and hydration supplements. Next is loss of muscle strength/motor control. At this point, and any point past this, medical assistance may be required Vomiting at any of these stages requires immediate medical assistance.
Awesome Videos, Thanks. There are couple of Items in the food chart that might be worthy adding. Whats the best way to send you the data, or links or reference?
You could just list brands and product names here. I will look them up and put the manufacturer's stats in the chart. If you want to use links, YT seems to suppress those, so I'd use email.
@@GearSkeptic Lets start with my favorite savory cracker:"Wasa - Rosemary and Sea salt flatbread". (They also have a sesame seed one too.) They come in a very compact package, perfect for hikers. The Rosemary ones, paired with shavings of aged cheese (Parmesan, Manchego,...) are made in heaven. Other products from Wasa are more bulky and not optimized for hiking. Ill put the link in another message.
I wouldn't take too much stock in that 4.5 : 1 ratio. The study had gigantic variations: 24.1+/-15.0 was the sodium loss and 3.25 +/- .6 for potassium. From that data on the high end you get 14.9 : 1 and on the low end 2.4 : 1. Which is so dramatically different it's basically useless other than to say you lose more sodium than potassium.
We have been looking into maltodextrin to add calories to our water while hiking, but it seems in order to get even say 500 calories to a liter of water, you are looking at close to 6oz weight of powder... Do you have any experience with this at all? Is it worth the weight to have this to sip on throughout the day or as a lunch replacement while hiking a multiday hike? Thanks in advance.
Carbs are going to be heavy, in all their forms. I haven’t tried maltodextrin. The sugar I carry for a drink mix is just for my recovery drink. Otherwise, drink mixes for me are mostly electrolytes. Fat is your one sure bet for lightweight calories.
Thanks for the offer, but it is important to me to avoid any sort of endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation at all. I do appreciate the idea, though. Thanks again.
was there anything corrected or added in this reup?
Yes! I fixed a mistake where I forgot to convert units when computing the sweat Na:K. Because that one number was in so many slides, I decided to reshoot and edit the whole section on the Na:K Calculator.
While in there, I added a couple of fields in the calculator. There is now a Potassium Need box, which just shows daily allowance plus the additional lost from sweat. And, I put in a K-Diff box to show how far off your daily supplemented total of potassium is from the new Potassium Need box. It's an at-a-glance indication of whether you are over or under-consuming potassium, based on the inputs.
@@GearSkeptic fantastic! thanks for the dedication!
@@GearSkeptic fyi, LMNT has been exposed as having highly 100x more maltodextrin than they previously claimed, and many consider maltodextrin a “dodgy” ingredient (contrary to LMNT’s advertising to not use “dodgy” ingredients). I’m never buying LMNT again. Sticking to real salts.
Commenting because The world (via the algorithm) needs to know what good information is available here.
What is your professional and education background?! I’ve been a critical care nurse working with CRRT patients and have been a hiker/hunter all my life and this depth of information is absolutely amazing. This brings a truly scientific view of human physiology into the hiking arena effectively combining my professional and recreational loves.
Thanks! I always say it should just be about the presentation, not the presenter 🤓
@@GearSkeptic Brilliant reply...
I am tired out of comments from main stream medical care experts proclaiming their the only ones who can know anything.
@@GearSkeptic Are you able to say your professional and educational background? It wiped be nice to know for some of us YT Skeptics. You seem totally legit but most people can with enough info and persuasion when talking to the uneducated (me). Would appreciate it.
He’s staying true to the Enlightenment ideal started by Descartes, the original (modern) skeptic. His writings on method and knowledge opposed the dominance of religion and blind adherence to tradition. “Tradition” generally meant blind adherence to self-appointed experts and authorities (priests). Descartes believed in radical doubt and building up knowledge from what little we can know with certainty. Appealing to your own credentials or using that to justify a belief amounts to a betrayal of the core enlightenment ideal. Gear Skeptic is presenting facts about available research and reasons for/against coming to different conclusions. I could care less if he has multiple doctorates and won a Nobel prize or if he’s just an avid hiker who knows how to think clearly and use Excel. If you care about his background and credentials, then you should ask yourself why that even matters.
Avoiding the question seems very shady. You seem very knowledgeable but avoiding the question doesn't make you trustworthy, but rather shady. Even conspiratorial.
As I posted in the previous video, perhaps better here - Hikers should check out Morton's Lite Salt as an option for Potassium supplementation. It's approximately 50/50 NaCl and KCl and it's one of the most affordable sources of supplemental dietary potassium I've ever found. (Note: it provide plenty of Chloride as well, so it helps replenish that loss as well).
Wow, great recommendation!
Great video. I’d add people should carry extra electrolytes and remember that people can go months without food if they have enough water and electrolytes. Fasting is making a comeback and I went back to these videos as I completed a 5 day fast with water and electrolytes. I measured my blood glucose and ketones regularly, and am already accustomed to being in ketosis. Was a very pleasant experience, got clarity of mind and MORE energy than in my normal life (fasting stimulates human growth hormone). Many hikers fear starving on the trail- it’s a real risk if you get lost or have really bad luck. I have no such fear anymore, now that I’ve tried out an extended fast using just water and electrolytes. My emergency fuel on the trail now will be one day of extra food and many days of extra electrolyte powders (which don’t take much volume or weight). More than anything, I’ve got peace of mind. Just saw this video for the fourth or fifth time in the past year.
Another incredibly great vid!!! Electrolytes make a WORLD of difference backpacking, hiking, and climbing mountains. I did a 5 day trip recently and used more electrolytes and water than ever - slept great and muscles felt great!
Yah. It was one of those areas where I really noticed the difference.
I upped my sodium intake skiing this year here in Australia, from watching Part 4.
Used the LMNT sodium 1000mg electrolytes and a mix of some of those Mtn Ops STM satchels and made a huge difference to not becoming dehydrated and feeling like crap after a good days skiing.
Skiing in Australia I have always felt takes more out of you then say in the US and I’ve put it down that you need to work harder, so you sweat more. Changing things up this year made a difference.
That's nice to hear! Thanks much. I'm always glad if any of it can help.
Skiing is probably harder in Australia because you have to do it upside down?
Fantastic video. The level of detail and effort that is involved in your research is astounding. You are providing a massive service for the backpacking community. Thank you.
Thanks very much!
I now fully understand why I got weak on a recent hike. It was 35 degrees and I drank loads of water but did not do anything for electrolytes. It felt like my brain was not functioning and I started falling over my iwn feet. I suspect my sweat is very salty as I had salt all over my hiking pants and could feel salt on my skin. Thanks for this info I will have to spend more time studying it.
I’m very glad if any of it can help. Stay safe!
A goldmine of information.
The data provided in this video is an electrolyte in itself.
Thanks!
Very appreciated! Thanks much!
Haha! Love your bookmark! I keep cooked bacon on hand and if I need a snack when out & about I carry with me in a baggie in my purse! (Kelly Hogan gave me the idea of “purse-bacon”) 😋😁
Commenting here to boost another great backpacker science video in the algorithm via engagement!
Another comment for the algorithm. Great vid when watching again.
Thanks!
Great work as always! Thank you once again for the exhaustive research, honest approach to the data and that gear skeptic humor!
Thanks! I appreciate everybody's patience :)
You sir are a true study and thank you for your utmost professionalism in delivering this information
thank you, your efforts helped me during my SHR journey because I wanted to see as much as possible in the week off I had to complete. Staying healthy and happy while pushing all day was extremely satisfying to me... and will help me in my future bucket list plans. Plus a great listen when I'm plugging away at work.
Awesome! I am so glad if any of it helps!
@@GearSkeptic luckily the most expensive item, my left ring meter, was already purchased so monitoring my salt became THAT much easier a task.
How do you only have 28k subs??? Blows my mind! Amazing content!
Thanks much!
Over 2000 more by now. This channel tackles a specific topic, but so thoroughly and entertaining, it just takes time for the community to stumble upon it.
Thank you for the detail. Really helps me understand this stuff better.
You're welcome! I am glad to help.
Another DIY recipe:
1/2 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp No Salt (KCl)
1 Liter Water
That's 4:1 Na:K with 1100mg of sodium.
So pretty close to your numbers using cheap kitchen supplies.
If you need flavor then you could add a squirt of citrus juice and some Stevia.
(or Gatorade Zero stick or Crystal Light).
Oh man your hiker food chart has help me with my prepping for a Newbi hike in Greenland x3
Like I still have to put in my own food data because lots of the things in the chart we can´t get here, but your coding has made that easy
If you want I can get your some names of the foods I have added to my version?
Incredible thanks for your awesome videos! I’m a novice when it comes to overnight hikes, and looking to ascend some big mountains. I’m also thinking about the present state of emergency for mountain communities like big bear right now, suffering prolonged winter hazards - all the info lends itself well to such situations of food insecurity
Thanks, and you are most welcome!
Huge thanks for this video series! I'm prepping for the PCT and this was SUPER useful! 🙏
You are most welcome, and I’m very glad to help!
Love your detailed analyses.
Yet another: Real Salt's ReLyte is higher in sodium than LMNT.
52:27 Thanks for suggesting the synergy between your recovery vid and this one. I drink a protein shake for BCAAs, tyrosine, and the rest. Any animal protein source (including dairy) has all of the amino acids we need (including for hydration and recovery). Plant protein sources have most of what we need as well, but not in the correct ratios, so you have to eat more plant protein to get the required aminos.
43:25 DIY: This is what I do. I add a quarter teaspoon of salt to a Gatoraid Zero stick. I already supplement magnesium and potassium, so this works out approximately right with minimal fuss (at about a tenth the cost of LMNT).
Good tips! I ordered some ReLyte to see how it tastes. Those numbers are all-around good.
@@GearSkeptic You've already tested plain salt water and it isn't so bad. I'm not shy about drinking saltwater when nothing else is handy. (nb: Not seawater salty; just following-your-numbers salty.)
Would be hard for an electrolyte drink to be much more offensive than that.
(Well, maybe if they used a LOT of potassium chloride then it might not taste great. But most commercial mixes do not.)
Most of the flavoring stuff is there just to get you to buy their brand again. Has little to do with masking anything offensive. Salt is good for you, and your taste buds know it.
Mmmm... pretzels.
@@GearSkepticI also use Re-Lyte but am newbie hiker after a decade of illness from tick diseases & mold Illness (still in treatment but much more functional now).
I need to supplement electrolytes daily and also get lactated ringers IV weekly (electrolytes fluids) so I am curious what your thoughts are on Re-Lyte.
I suffer lots of symptoms from sugar and also from plant toxins so I am mostly high fat carnivore (I drink full fat coconut milk with 4-12 raw eggs daily)
I appreciate all your work on these videos and the info presented. I’ll have to watch a few times and take notes but already it has been incredibly helpful!
I am also one who loves research so I am excited to look up the studies you reference and give them a read!
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
The Great Seer has Spoken !
Love love love your videos. You answer questions I have had forever by the minute! And even some I didn't know I needed to ask. Thank you so much for your incredible work and thoroughness. And for the funny parts! :)
Thanks! I’m glad there is somebody else that thinks like I do 😎
What about oral rehydration salts? Trioral packets have significantly higher quantities of the requisite ingredients than anything in the spreadsheet for about 40 cents/pack. I still need to go through the Salt Stick tablets I bought after your last video, but one Trioral packet is about 10 pills and the pills are 22 cents each.
I will check those out. Thanks for the tip!
Top notch video as always! Thanks for such great info!
I used to lay asphalt for a living, 10-14 hrs per day 5 days per week. Our machine and work area routinely exceeded 140°F and in the hottest parts of summer was touching 160°F.
It must be possible for the human body to learn to operate at much higher than 2% dehydration. Not a single one of us ever consumed more than 2.5 gallons of liquid per day and nobody died. Human bodies are indeed a marvel of workmanship, maybe not the best engineered lol.
This makes me want to touch on the symptoms of dehydration. Nobody ever talks about the very 1st symptom being a runny nose.
If you are out in the heat and you notice your nose has started running, you better start hydrating.
If it has reached the next stage of less sweat, find shade and hydrate.
After this comes the shakes, this is dangerous territory and will likely need ice/cold running water and hydration supplements.
Next is loss of muscle strength/motor control. At this point, and any point past this, medical assistance may be required
Vomiting at any of these stages requires immediate medical assistance.
Thank you so much again for all your work🔥
You are most welcome!
Awesome Videos, Thanks. There are couple of Items in the food chart that might be worthy adding. Whats the best way to send you the data, or links or reference?
You could just list brands and product names here. I will look them up and put the manufacturer's stats in the chart.
If you want to use links, YT seems to suppress those, so I'd use email.
@@GearSkeptic Lets start with my favorite savory cracker:"Wasa - Rosemary and Sea salt flatbread". (They also have a sesame seed one too.) They come in a very compact package, perfect for hikers.
The Rosemary ones, paired with shavings of aged cheese (Parmesan, Manchego,...) are made in heaven.
Other products from Wasa are more bulky and not optimized for hiking. Ill put the link in another message.
I will add it to my update list!
Very Nice, and comprehensive.
Thank You 🐾🐾👣
You’re welcome!
Caffiene doesn't hamper hydration? I guess I really don't need anything but coffee for my day to day.
Glad to provide that justification 😉
I'm a hiking nerd but this takes things to a whole another standard deviation 😧
According to that water intake chart I am a dried out husk that has died at least a dozen times...
What you think about Key nutrient electrolytes?
I wouldn't take too much stock in that 4.5 : 1 ratio. The study had gigantic variations: 24.1+/-15.0 was the sodium loss and 3.25 +/- .6 for potassium. From that data on the high end you get 14.9 : 1 and on the low end 2.4 : 1. Which is so dramatically different it's basically useless other than to say you lose more sodium than potassium.
We have been looking into maltodextrin to add calories to our water while hiking, but it seems in order to get even say 500 calories to a liter of water, you are looking at close to 6oz weight of powder... Do you have any experience with this at all? Is it worth the weight to have this to sip on throughout the day or as a lunch replacement while hiking a multiday hike? Thanks in advance.
Carbs are going to be heavy, in all their forms. I haven’t tried maltodextrin.
The sugar I carry for a drink mix is just for my recovery drink. Otherwise, drink mixes for me are mostly electrolytes.
Fat is your one sure bet for lightweight calories.
9:35 Now that's funny!😂
First (: already watched it once time to enjoy it again! Thanks for the video sir
They say the third time is the charm, but let's hope the second try is enough!
nice!
W mans
he knows its a multi pass ...
Na:k ?: From diet= 6130/2865. Supplement =-2830/935. Na:k supplement = -3.03. So my serving size w/b “0” ???? 🤷♂️
Can we exchange emails? I’d like to pick your brain about creating your own ultralight food. I think we can help each other. Let me know, thanks.
Thanks for the offer, but it is important to me to avoid any sort of endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation at all.
I do appreciate the idea, though. Thanks again.
While I appreciate the science, these videos are far too drawn out. Lose interest very quickly, then skip to the end for analysis.