Gatorade vs Water for a GHBag?

[etrain16]

When the bridges/overpasses fail, when there are trees and power poles across the road, when the road looks like this:

View attachment 400278

There is a good chance you will be hoofing it and that is what a GHB is for.

I think some folks are underestimating the potential damage to our area if the full impact of a 9.0+ quake hits us. My planning assumes the worst - roads buckled, bridges and overpasses down. I expect not only to have to walk, but to also encounter lots of issues (crowds/mobs or other dangerous folks, power lines, trees, landslides, gov roadblocks, snow/ice, etc) that make it anything but a simple hike home. If I'm at work, I'll have to cross at least one river, possibly 2 to get home - and if I'm in Vancouver at the time, I'll have the Columbia to contend with as I suspect neither bridge may be passable if the big one does hit.

I'd rather plan for the worst and hope for the best, makes for fewer surprises.

 

[Stomper]

I've always been a "water only" kinda guy... I remember when Gatorade came out to market waaaaay back when and everyone was all "ga-ga" for it.... it tasted like flavoured sweat to me, and I never drank it again since that first sip.

 

[The Heretic]

Yup. I just hope that if it happens in my lifetime it happens after I retire, then I will be home 95+% of the time or out of the region altogether. At that point, my primary worry will be about getting my kids to my BOL where I will already be. As it is, I spend 70% of my time here at home anyway. If I am at work, then I will probably only have to cross the Tualatin at Scholls Ferry and that is a brand new bridge rated much higher for earthquake resistance so my hope is that it will be passable.

Overpasses/etc., not so much. Getting over the west hills - I will probably have to take the trails thru the park then find my way down the west side to Beaverton, collect my kids then hoof it take their vehicles if possible, or walk home another 10 miles.

 

[3MTA3]

When the bridges/overpasses fail, when there are trees and power poles across the road, when the road looks like this:

View attachment 400278

There is a good chance you will be hoofing it and that is what a GHB is for.

If there were really,really nice bike paths on either side that could be somewhere on the east side of Portland. "Potholes? We don't fix no stinking potholes!"

 

[etrain16]

If there were really,really nice bike paths on either side that could be somewhere on the east side of Portland. "Potholes? We don't fix no stinking potholes!"

Pothole....sounds like a good nickname for Portland

 

[The Heretic]

If there were really,really nice bike paths on either side that could be somewhere on the east side of Portland. "Potholes? We don't fix no stinking potholes!"

The bike path going from NW Industrial area over the west hills towards Beaverton runs along the road. I expect the road to be wiped out. It is old, along steep gullies and there are multiple tunnels. I probably won't be able to even walk that road as I expect there to be multiple unstable landslides, especially in the winter.

This last winter with all the rain we had, there were 43 landslides on Hwy 26. Normally there are only 4 each winter.

I am betting the best path over the hills will be the hiking trails in the west hills park. Everything else will be impassable by vehicle, maybe even by foot.

 

[3MTA3]

Back on topic... Gatorade or other electrolytes aren't really necessary to bring. If I did I'd bring it powdered for flexibility. I did several backpacking trips of three weeks plus change and only took water, though I had some salt pills on hand. You usually get plenty of salt from the types of food that store well.

A good thing to keep in your GHB, now that it's getting colder is a dry sausage like Gallo salami. They are full of fat, protein, and salt. A couple of ounces is all you need and it doesn't require refrigeration. On the trail during the summer I usually finished one about every 3-4 days. Still something I wouldn't leave for weeks in a hot car, but with cooler temps should not be a problem.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I used to race horses in endurance (fifty miles generally) and you'd doctor their water (you had to get them used to it or they wouldn't drink it) with electrolytes.
I and my brother almost died from lack of electrolytes.. very high temps and plenty of water. that almost sucked big time
I think they make tablets/powder that you can add to water.
Probably not a bad idea to have on hand.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

When the bridges/overpasses fail, when there are trees and power poles across the road, when the road looks like this:

View attachment 400278

There is a good chance you will be hoofing it and that is what a GHB is for.

just make sure youre like "yellow shirt guy" and take a selfie or take a pic for face book when its all goin down. people will appreciate youre there.






lol

 

[Joe13]

Unfortunately I can't eat salami anymore or I'll have gut cramps.

The protien powder packets I have are 95% protien (plant based) with almost no salt and no sugar and are 200 calories.

Little sugar ups and downs I can deal with much better then a cramping abdomen.

I do keep a couple of pedialite powder singles just for the electrolytes and think they would probably be fine.

Gatorade just came to mind when I saw it on the shelf. They have a white colored cherry flavor that I can deal with, most of the others are a bit tart for me.

Protein bars or pretty much any no refridgerated and long shelf life foods I just can't eat without consequences that would make getting home much more difficult.

 

[Argonaut]

I go by temperature, cool weather, water! Hot, electrolytes on hand!
Choice is guided by a hearty dislike of the Gatorade's taste!

I can't use it because of the sugar (Unless I am hypoglycemic) but in the old days we used it during extreme training in the military. In the cold, you need more calories so the sugars are helpful there too. Aren't there several flavors these days? Powdered electrolytes are good I think we had powdered Gatorade as well. Gatorade was developed by real scientists spesifically for helping a body in high exertion situations. It isn't some fruity drink designed to sell product.

 

[Argonaut]

My wife........the structural engineer, was heavily involved with the Loma Prietta earthquake in the Bay Area. She worked with emergency crews rescuing people from the highway 880 collapse. They could hear cry's from people crushed or trapped under the roadway. Some they could get to, some they couldn't. As much as we need to fight to survive.......at some point it isn't going to happen. She also designed a lot of the rebuilding after the Oakland Hills Fire. All pretty sobering stuff. Humans have always faced those type challenges.

 

[Sandaholic]

 

[mkwerx]

Carry water and powdered drink mix if just water & food won't do.

Plain water is more versatile than gatorade. If you get cut and need to flush the wound - gatorade sucks. If you need to wash - gatorade sucks. If you carry dehydrated meals as food in your bag, gatorade sucks. As a drink all unto itself - gatorade is OK in some forms. I do not mind the G2 grape or lime. But it all leaves syrupy residue in my moth i find necessary to wash away with plain h20.

Would rather carry energy bars and instant coffee or tea bags.

 

[Boboclown]

Very true, electrolytes are important. But MOST people's diets are actually higher in sodium than recommended so the additional electrolytes really aren't doing that much. It's a fact people will consume more liquid that has a enjoyable flavor than just water and the processed sugar hits pretty fast, giving you a feeling of energy after a workout or strenuous physical activity. But it's short lived. Personally, I feel just as thirsty AFTER drinking gatorade as before, the sugar and syrup leaving a sticky residue behind makes me want to wash it away with water.

Its short lived because only a little bit of the sugar is used for energy, the rest is stored.

This is what I keep explaining to a friend when he insists on only having gatorade on hikes. I only bring water and some snacks.

 

[AK0perator47]

You would be good to carry water. If Gatorade is what you choose; so be it. I highly recommend coconut water @Joe13

More electrolytes than Gatorade or a banana. Besides a banana spoils rather quickly. Here is some information.
The Truth About Coconut Water

Go to Costco or wherever and buy a case. Nice cardboard container. Couple protein bars and a bag of walnuts or something and you are good to go for awhile.

 

[Joe13]

You would be good to carry water. If Gatorade is what you choose; so be it. I highly recommend coconut water @Joe13

More electrolytes than Gatorade or a banana. Besides a banana spoils rather quickly. Here is some information.
The Truth About Coconut Water

Go to Costco or wherever and buy a case. Nice cardboard container. Couple protein bars and a bag of walnuts or something and you are good to go for awhile.

Great idea - I am a big fan of coconut water and oil, I'm not sure why I didn't think of it.

Probably because that day The Gatorade was cheap and I'm poor lol.

Its short lived because only a little bit of the sugar is used for energy, the rest is stored.

This is what I keep explaining to a friend when he insists on only having gatorade on hikes. I only bring water and some snacks.

IMO the way to intake sugar drinks of any kind is too ration it out over time. Keeps the sugar levels more even and you don't Store nearly as much as fat.

I had to go on a mostly liquid diet many times and kept my energy up while loosing weight with sweet tea and the like - but only sipping it. A 16oz glass would last me for a few hours.

Even if I took sweet tea or a Gatorade like drink, I would still take a gallon of water.

I should have made the thread title Water & Gatorade? Instead of vs.

 

[thorborg]

hiking the outback above timberline, I used to choke on glacial runoff, not having the time and distance to pick up minerals the water was as pure as the atmosphere it snowed through. Too vacant and pure to quench my thirst so I carried a little bottle of lemon extract to put a drop in it for swallowing grip.
Electrolytes are like vitamins, unless sickly, the average American lives on the mega dose side of everything in their daily consumption.
In direct opposition with my wife, I'm not a fan of supplementing. I believe we get plenty in our food processed or not. People generally dismiss cravings as connected to over indulgence when (unless an obsession) it may be more primal, with your body telling you it needs something, salt, potassium or other lacking essentials. Witness the herbivores seeking out antlers and bone to chew on and in some cases even meat, or the carnivores going for the green filled stomachs of their herbivore kill first. They are acting upon their cravings and instincts. The more we rely on capsules, (or bottles) the farther we retract from the animal instincts granted us.

 

[Boboclown]

Never take vitamins, never really crave anything specific.

I do end up eating a lot of meat though.

I can't really do gatorade though. Diabetes runs in the family and I try to stay on the safe side when it comes to sugar.

 

[Pete F]

The wrestling coach at the High School that my Dad taught and was VP (in charge of discipline-remember discipline in High Schools circa 1960s and 1970s) actually invented the drink before Gatorade. We drank it all the time as kids when playing or working in hot weather. If he had patented it, he would be rich now. I find that I have trouble drinking straight Gatorade now - too much sugar.
I do agree with the members that suggest taking the powdered form in a BOB or SHTF bag.