Electrolytes for Hiking Explained

Sweat contains sodium as well as water. On a short cool hike, replacing the water is enough. On a long hot day, replacing only the water while losing sodium is what leaves people feeling wrung out despite drinking constantly.

1. 1

   Understand what you lose in sweat

   Sodium is the main electrolyte lost in sweat, with smaller amounts of potassium, magnesium, and chloride. Sweat rates and sodium concentration vary a lot between individuals — people who finish a hike with white salt crusts on a shirt lose noticeably more than those who do not.

2. 2

   Know when plain water is fine

   Hikes under about two hours, cool conditions, and moderate effort generally do not require supplementation for someone eating normally. Food contains sodium, and a trail lunch with salty snacks covers a great deal of what a short day costs you.

3. 3

   Recognise when supplementation helps

   Long hot days, heavy sweating, multi-hour sustained effort, and back-to-back days are where an electrolyte drink makes a noticeable difference to how you feel late in the day and the following morning. Cramping, headache, and unusual fatigue despite drinking plenty are common signals.

4. 4

   Do not simply drink more water

   Drinking large volumes of plain water while sweating heavily dilutes blood sodium, which can produce symptoms that resemble dehydration and in extreme cases becomes dangerous. If you are drinking a lot and still feeling worse, more water is not the fix — sodium is.

5. 5

   Pick a product by sodium content and taste

   Tablets like Nuun are low-calorie and convenient. Drink mixes like Skratch include carbohydrate, which aids absorption and provides energy. Higher-sodium products suit heavy sweaters. Taste matters more than it sounds — an electrolyte drink you dislike is one you will not drink.

   Water filtrationGetting the water to mix them with

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