The temps were hot when packing out my ram and this was a drink I looked forward to consuming on the packout!
All photo credits: Brady Miller
I’m big on backcountry performance, as I’ve literally spent years my life living in the mountains. I demand a lot out of what I use or bring with me on hunts, scouting trips, and hikes. Recently, MTN OPS released their newest product, Hydrate and for the next month, this product is available exclusively at the GOHUNT Gear Shop. The timing was perfect, and I got the product in my hands to try out on a backpack hunt for Aoudad.
By now, most should know that when you exercise and hike, electrolytes are lost from your body, mainly through sweat. This is where MTN OPS Hydrate comes in to replenish what you lose during a tough hike!
The heat of a late spring mountain aoudad hunt was the perfect place to test out MTN OPS Hydrate. Temperatures on this backpack hunt were in the low 90s, and the dry mountains didn’t allow us to have endless water at hand, so each of us packed 14 liters of water on our backs. This meant that replenishing what we need to keep hunting hard was essential.
I’ve always been a huge promoter of replenishing salts and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) during strenuous activities. You can check out an article I wrote back in 2018 on the subject here. What I greatly appreciated about Hydrate is that you get a total of 20 small on-the-go sticks in one package. I can easily toss one in my side pocket on my backpack, or put one in a pocket on my pants, and when I come across water on a hunt, I can just grab my Nalgene and drop a stick of Hydrate in and keep hiking. The ingredients in Hydrate prevent muscle fatigue, and reduce cramping. On a hunt like this, our bodies where tested every day due to the heat and limited water we had available to us, and it's this reason that I can confidently say that Hydrate was something I very much looked forward to adding to my water to give my body what it needed to perform.
Sometimes water alone isn't enough on a hunt. I know how my body reacts in the mountains when I don’t fuel it properly, and it’s not a feeling I want to have when I'm chasing dreams. MTN OPS Hydrate packs in over 1,000 mg of essential electrolytes, D-Ribose (to help recover energy stores in cells as well as benefits exercise performance and improves muscle function), OmniMin AC Trace Mineral Blend, and Coconut Water Powder to name a few.
I'm the type of person that can literally drink/eat anything, and so I never really pay too much attention to flavors (I just need to know it’s a good product), but I will definitely say that I really enjoy the three flavors of Hydrate: Lemonade, Mango Peach, Strawberry Coconut.
The temps were hot when packing out my ram and this was a drink I looked forward to consuming on the packout!
At the end of the day, this product is very clean and to the point. If I can gain a slight edge in the mountains with enhanced hydration, recovery, and replenishing minerals… I’m on board.
When I was hunting, I simply took two sticks and mixed them with a liter of water, and consumed it during the day as needed. If you're headed out for some upcoming backpacking trips or have a spring hunt planned, this is a phenomenal product to add to your kit.