VitaminHillCartBuild a pack

Trail supplements for day hikers and trail runners

We count electrolyte sticks from your hike's miles, gain and heat, and sell energy chews, joint capsules and magnesium sleep sticks for long days on foot.

Build a packShop the line

From $2.25 a stick. Ships from Boulder within 2 business days.

A kraft paper sleeve printed with the VitaminHill mark, with four stick packs, yellow, two white and red, standing in its open top on pink granite.
The sample route's four sticks in their sleeve.
Sample route, not yours12.4 mi loop3,200 ft gain78 F high4 sticks
Example route: 12.4 mile loop, 3,200 ft of gain, forecast high 78 F, four sticksA topographic map of an example loop hike with four stages, one stick each. Stage 1 at mile 1.2 is a Switchback Citrus for the climb, stage 2 at mile 4.6 is a Ridge Salt, stage 3 at mile 7.9 is a Ridge Salt as the heat stick, since 78 F is over 75 F, and stage 4 at mile 11.2 is a Summit Recovery for the finish.Trailhead, mile 01234Forecast high78 FN1300 mgSwitchback Citrusmi 1.2, climb2500 mgRidge Saltmi 4.6, summit3500 mgRidge Saltmi 7.9, heat stick4Mg + BSummit Recoverymi 11.2, finishExample route: 12.4 mile loop, 3,200 ft of gain, forecast high 78 F, four sticksA topographic map of an example loop hike with four stages, one stick each. Stage 1 at mile 1.2 is a Switchback Citrus for the climb, stage 2 at mile 4.6 is a Ridge Salt, stage 3 at mile 7.9 is a Ridge Salt as the heat stick, since 78 F is over 75 F, and stage 4 at mile 11.2 is a Summit Recovery for the finish.Trailhead, mile 01234Forecast high78 FN1300 mgSwitchback Citrusmi 1.2, climb2500 mgRidge Saltmi 4.6, summit3500 mgRidge Saltmi 7.9, heat stick4Mg + BSummit Recoverymi 11.2, finish

Trail sleeve take in this order

  1. Switchback Citrusmi 1.2300 mg sodium, B6 and B12
  2. Ridge Saltmi 4.6500 mg sodium
  3. Ridge Saltmi 7.9Heat stick: the forecast is 78 F, over 75 F, so this one is a Ridge Salt
  4. Summit Recoverymi 11.2Magnesium and B complex
Sugar a stick
2 g
Calories a stick
15 kcal
Most sodium a stick, Ridge Salt
500 mg

Sample route, not yours

  1. 1Switchback Citrus300 mg sodium
  2. 2Ridge Salt500 mg sodium
  3. 3Ridge Salt500 mg sodium
  4. 4Summit Recovery250 mg sodium

What's in a stick

A tub of powder or a tube of tablets leaves the dose to a guess. Here the count comes from your route, and heat or altitude add a stick only when they call for it. Mix one stick into 16 to 20 fl oz of water; Base Camp is the unflavored one, for a bladder. No caffeine, no added colors.

Full Supplement Facts are on each flavor page.

Per-stick contents of the four flavors
Per stickRidge SaltSwitchback CitrusSummit RecoveryBase Camp
Sodium500 mg300 mg250 mg400 mg
Potassium200 mg200 mg300 mg200 mg
Magnesium50 mg50 mg150 mg50 mg
B vitaminsB6, B12B6, B12B1, B2, B3, B6, B12B6, B12
Sugar2 g2 g2 g0 g
Calories1515150

Sample route, not yours

One stick per stage

A 12.4 mi Front Range loop with 3,200 ft of climbing and a forecast high of 78 F. Climbing counts as distance: 12.4 mi plus 2.5 mi for every 1,000 ft is 20.4 trail miles. One stick per 6 trail miles makes 3. At 78 F, one more Ridge Salt. 4 sticks.

  1. Stage 1, mi 1.2, climb

    Switchback Citrus

    For the first climb

  2. Stage 2, mi 4.6, summit

    Ridge Salt

    A middle stage

  3. Stage 3, mi 7.9, heat stick

    Ridge Salt

    Added: forecast over 75 F

  4. Stage 4, mi 11.2, finish

    Summit Recovery

    For the finish

Four flavors, four jobs

Each stick does one thing. The builder puts it where it belongs.

The rest of the day

A chew for the long middle, a capsule for the way down and a stick for the night after. One-time orders ship for $3.95; a kit ships free.

See the whole shop
The whole VitaminHill line on pink granite in late sun: a kraft carton, stick packs in five colors, a purple chew pouch and a white bottle with a green band.
The whole line, on Front Range granite.

Kits, shipped free

Try the count

Move the route and the pack recounts.

Your route starts on the example

12.4 mi
3,200 ft
78 F

Over 75 F, watch a Ridge Salt join the pack.

4 sticks

4 sticks: $9.00 + $3.95 shipping

  1. 1Switchback CitrusFor the first climb
  2. 2Ridge SaltA middle stage
  3. 3Ridge SaltAdded: forecast over 75 F
  4. 4Summit RecoveryFor the finish
Trail miles
20.4
Trailhead Pack
$12.95 $2.25 a stick, sleeve included
Build this pack

General guidance, not medical advice.

The heat and altitude rule

A stick is added only when the numbers say so, and the sleeve says why.

A flat kraft sleeve printed with the VitaminHill mark on pink granite, four marked stick packs sliding out of it, yellow, white with a pink end, white and red, and the toe of a trail shoe at the edge.
Four sticks, one sleeve, in the order you take them.

The trail sleeve

Every route pack ships in a printed sleeve with the route, the mileage and the order. Each stick's number matches its stage, so at mile 7.9 you reach for 3.

Three plans, priced per stick

The builder is free. The math is on each card.

Trail stories

Made-up trail days, written by us to picture a pack in use. Nobody here is a real customer.

Two hikers seen from behind on a dusty ridge trail at sunset, one passing a stick pack to the other.
Hand one back at the switchback.

When you don't need a stick

  • A short, cool walk. Under 3 trail miles with a high of 75 F or less, drink water and leave the stick at home.

  • Water does most of the work. A stick puts back the salt you sweat out. It does not replace drinking.

This is general information, not medical advice.

A hand lifting a steel water bottle from the mesh side pocket of a dusty pack.
Short and shaded: a bottle of water covers it.

Questions

How much sugar is in a stick?

2 g of sugar and 15 calories in Ridge Salt, Switchback Citrus and Summit Recovery. Base Camp has 0 calories and no sugar.

How much sodium do I need on a long hike?

It depends on your sweat, the heat and the hours out, which is why we count from the route. The example loop above comes to 1,550 mg of sodium across 4 sticks.

Can you have too many electrolytes?

Yes. Drinking far past thirst, with or without salt, can throw off your sodium balance. Drink to thirst, take the count, and skip the stick on a short, cool walk. If a doctor has you watching sodium, ask them first.

Build a pack for your next hike

Enter the miles, the climb and the forecast. You see the count and the cost first.

Build a packHow the count works