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Bears and food storage

Electrolytes

Also called electrolyte drink mix, hydration salts

What are electrolytes, and do hikers need them?

Electrolytes are the minerals, mainly sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride, that carry an electric charge in body fluids and help keep water balanced. Hikers lose them in sweat, and on long, hot days they need replacing with salty food or a drink mix, not plain water alone.

Electrolytes at a glance

Main electrolytes
Sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride
Lost most in sweat
Sodium
Risk of water alone
Hyponatremia on long hot days

Why do electrolytes matter when hiking?

Sweat is mostly water, but it carries sodium out with it. On a short, cool hike, your normal meals cover the loss. On a long, hot climb you can sweat out a lot of salt, and replacing only the water leaves your blood sodium diluted, which can make you feel sick, weak or confused.

Can you drink too much plain water?

Yes. Drinking large amounts of plain water on a long, hot day without eating can dilute blood sodium dangerously, a condition called hyponatremia. That's why Grand Canyon rangers tell hikers to balance water with salty snacks and food rather than drinking alone.

Drink mix, tablets or salty food?

All three work. Powder sticks tend to carry the most sodium and suit heavy sweaters on hot days. Fizzing tablets are lighter on salt, easy to carry in a tube and easy to sip all day. Salty snacks such as pretzels, crackers and jerky do the same job in food form, and plenty of hikers use food and a drink mix together.

What this means when you're choosing

  • Sodium per serving, the electrolyte you lose most of in sweat
  • Sugar per serving, which matters if your snacks already carry plenty
  • A format you will actually use: sticks, tablets or salty food

The common mistake

Drinking more and more water while skipping food

Feeling unwell in the heat makes people drink more and eat less. Without salt, extra water can make things worse. Eat something salty with your water, or add an electrolyte mix, and rest in the shade.

Common questions

Do I need electrolytes on a day hike?

On a short, cool hike, usually not: your meals and snacks cover what you sweat out. On a long, hot or very sweaty day, replace sodium with salty snacks or a drink mix alongside your water.

Are salty snacks as good as an electrolyte drink?

For most hikers, yes, as long as you eat them with your water. Pretzels, crackers and jerky all replace sodium. A drink mix is just easier to keep sipping while you walk.

Where this is defined

Where this comes up

Guides on Tom's Hiking where electrolytes changes which product is right for you.

Going deeper

More in bears and food storage

Bear canister

A bear canister is a rigid container with a lid a bear can't open, used to store food and scented items overnight. Many parks and wilderness areas require an approved model, and where they do it's a regulation rather than a recommendation.

IGBC certification

IGBC certification is the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's testing programme for bear-resistant products. Containers are tested against live captive grizzlies and by mechanical means, and passing earns a certification number many land managers reference.

SIBBG

SIBBG is the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group, which coordinates black bear management across Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Inyo National Forest and neighbouring lands. It maintains the allowed food-storage container list used across much of the Sierra Nevada.

Bear-resistant

Bear-resistant is the accurate term for certified food storage: the container holds up against a determined bear for a defined test period. Bear-proof is marketing. Given enough time and motivation, a bear can defeat almost anything.

Ursack

An Ursack is a soft, flexible bear bag made from cut-resistant fabric that ties to a tree instead of being a rigid container. It's much lighter and more packable than a canister, and it isn't accepted everywhere canisters are required.

Bear spray

Bear spray is an EPA-registered aerosol deterrent that fires a wide cloud of capsaicin and related capsaicinoids, at 1.0 to 2.0 percent, into the face of a charging bear. It's a last line of defense carried in a holster, and it isn't the same product as personal pepper spray.

Calorie density

Calorie density is how many calories a food delivers per ounce of weight. Backpackers use it to keep a food bag light, because fat carries about 9 calories a gram against roughly 4 for carbohydrate and protein, so an ounce of nut butter carries many times the calories of an ounce of fresh fruit.

By Tom · Last reviewed . Back to the glossary