Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Question About Emer'gen-C Drink Mixes

I was in Trader Joe's today when I saw a display with Emer'gen-C drink mixes. They came in several flavors with all sorts of diferent mixtures. Some had only minerals and sodium and some had sodium and glucose. A woman came up to me and told me her son-in-law competes in bicycling races and swears by it. She said that he says it has the perfect balance of electrolytes. I asked her which one he uses but she didn't know. I decided to purchase one for myself. The one I picked was the citrus flavor with MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane).

The only drink mixes I have used while hiking are GU2O, Cytomax, and Hydralyte. I have never used Emer'gen-C.

I was wondering what other people's experiences have been with Emer'gen-C and if anyone knows how it works?

Emer'gen-C is basically a limited vitamin and mineral supplement and not a sports beverage/gel in the same category as cytomax, Gu, etc. It only has 25 calories and little sodium, so won't do much for giving you calories for the climb or replacement of the sodium that you are sweating. Gu gel has 100 calories per packet and more sodium and potassium as well as some fat and amino acids. While you often see Triatheletes and marathon runners using Gu and Cytomax during races, I've never seen one using Emer'gen-C.

Rightstar, while I've used Cytomax for a number of years as my main supplement for running the LA Marathon (It's almost like Gatorade on steroids. I had problems with cramping before using Cytomax, never while using it), this last year I talked to a lot of fellow LA runners before the race and they all talked me into trying Emer'gen-C.

Unbelievable difference in sustained energy, cramp avoidance and after event recovery.

I'm sold on the product, as are many of my fellow runners who will run in a number of marathons in the southern California area next year, including the LA Marathon.

Not quite sure where the response of "I've never seen one using Emer'gen-C" might come from. I certainly have seen many athletes using it and have yet to hear a negative comment.

Emergen-c is a backpackers savior, weighs nothing and has mineral replacemnts(magnesium pottasium cacium etc) that we all need during exertion.Correct it dosent replace calories but that's not what its intended for.just watch oput for the favor of the msm one.its just like baby aspirin. Try a cranberry and tangerine flavor mix my fav.Then if you want calories use hammer products- sustained energy two scoops,and you have a 600 calorie ****tail bomb.
Enjoy

r-u kiddin me with the censored beverage reference!

berbabed, the censorship has been consistent since the board began. For example, when you look west from Trail Crest you can see Mt. Hitch****. You can get around this by typing Hitchc_ck, Hitchc*ck or Hitchc0ck. Some put spaces between the letters, like Hitchc o ck, and so forth.

thanks for the tips... I was just havin sum good natured fun,but im glad theres some irrerverant people out there,tryin to figure out how to buck the system.Power to the people!

Hate to be the naysayer of the bunch, but I've tried the tangerine flavor and the lime (or lemon?) flavored EmergenC and both gave me stomach cramps immediately after. I was especially interested in them because they are super lightweight, but they just didn't work with my system. That said, others that I know use it all the time with no problems. If your system responds well, as others have noted on this post, its weight to benefit ratio are hard to beat.

Gusto

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my inquiry about Emer'gen-C drink mixes. They were very helpful and informative. I am going to try Emer'gen-C the next time I go hiking and see what happens.

I've also had some problems with the mix. In my case, it made me really nauseous, but no cramps.

On the other hand, my friend who is a competitive cyclist loves them.

Just try it before you rely on it.