Has anyone tried weight gainer on a trip? I'm looking at GNC Pro Performance® Weight Gainer 1850 (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2742255&cp=2522433.2169546), which would provide 500 calories in an 8 oz. drink, with 6.5 grams of fat, 106 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein. I was thinking I could add powdered milk and drink if with dinner or breakfast. Thoughts?

The sugar content sounded scary so I followed the link- It's 106 grams of carbs with 36 grams of sugar per 1/3 serving (8 oz).

Personally I'd rather eat food.

I thought weight gainer would be a good idea for my PCT thru-hike, but I stopped taking it from my food drops after the first week. It just seemed a big hassle to mix it. I found it to be messy, leave residue, and require me to carry/treat/find more water than I deemed desireable. Just my experience.

I plan on doing PCT this summer, and ive been experimenting with supplements for a while now. To test products i hike 20 miles a day for 2 or 3 days at fairly high altitude. I am looking for something i can take two or three times a day that will keep me going strong and suppress the endless daydreaming about grilled cheese and pizza until i cook dinner. Ive tried a few things from GNC (weight gainer, NitroTech Hardcore, Wheybolic Extreme 60, Muscletech Mass-Tech....lots of stuff) I like the really unnatural boost from the weight lifting supplements, but they make me hungry as hell. Also I find that bombing my system with 100+ carbs in the middle of a 10 hour hike isnt a good idea for me, plus its a pain in the A to mix all that. A friend of mine introduced me to a product from a sort of all natural AMWAY type company called Melaleuca. Its a protein/meal replacement called Attain. I really didnt want to like it....but i couldnt help it, it totally eliminated my pizza dreams and made me feel strong and mentally solid. Honestly i was shocked. I signed up cuz i wanted to try all their products. But i think you can buy stuff without the membership at melaleuca.com.

Also, to make mixing WAY easier and cleaner, pre-mix some EmergenC powdered vitamin C in with your protein/carb drink mix while its still dry, the fizz blasts apart the clumps, and you cant have to much vitamin C. Sounds gross but it usually tastes pretty good.

Thanks for the info. When hiking during the day, I really like drinking Hammer Perpetuem (http://www.hammernutrition.com). It has a great balance of complex carbs, proteins, and fats designed for multi-hour and multi-day endurance events. I take hammer gel for quick boosts of energy and supplement it with Perpetuem during the day. It really helps me maintain my energy level without the spikes and drops. I think it tastes like liquid potato chips so I add a packet of Gatorade Propel for flavoring. For mixing I add a little wire whisk to the water bottle.

I have sold food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and thought augmenting one of those meals with weight gainer would be better than taking it during the day for reasons already mentioned.

Does anyone have experience with home-made electrolyte/energy drinks and protein drinks?

Since the name-brand drinks are pretty expensive, recipes for any home-made ones that work just as well would be much appreciated.

-- MV

To avoid your "big name" brands this is my only source for whey protein-

allthewhey.com

these guys are great! product is great! prices are great! I have used them exclusively for the last four years. You will not find a better protein blend for the money. This is top shelf. Unlike alot of others the mix works great with just water. I buy 25lb bags.

Note: I am not affiliated just a happy customer!

Bob,
You could order oral rehydration salts in 1 oz. packets from Jianas Brothers. They are on the web. The instructions on the packet make a concentrated solution designed to be used to treat Colera, dysentery, etc but, when diluted to an ~8% concentration provide sodium, potassium, and glucose. I used it that way successfully for years and only recently switched to a commercial product because it seemed like too much hassle to start adding maltodextrin, glucose, whey protein, etc for more, and more balanced, calories, then trying to get it to dissolve properly. If you're into that route, these packets would provide an excellent base to build on.

Darin,
I also use Perpetuem during the day. Actually, it's all I use between breakfast and dinner. Great stuff! The first thing I do when I stop for the day is slug down a 12 oz bottle of Endurance Fuels Ultragen, a recovery mix which contains 60 grams of glucose to jump start the glycogen replenishment cycle during the critical 30 minute window after ceasing exercise.
It also contains 20 grams of whey protein, some BCA's and a pretty fair spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The evening meal is a good time for a supplement, since your body has the whole night to put it to work repairing and replenishing
without the competing demands of exercising muscles.