I was just thinking of this today: does anyone keep an energy supplement such as 5 Hour Energy in their BOB or with their preps?

Didn’t find anything on this when I did a search, so if I missed it sorry.

Thanks.

I have decided against them because i wont use any of those products.

They are very unhealthy. Even the ones that claim they are, aren't. Strapped a monitoring device to a coworker and watched his heart go berserk.

In addition, when it wears off you crash.

Id rather consume carbs (complex carbs like grains, not sugrars), which will provide you with quality energy.

To each his own.
Good luck

not specifically...  b vitamins and electrolyte drink mixes are in there, though, to help with energy...  



and Excedrin, for the caffeine.  

The 5 Hour Energy is good one does not make you crash like a lot of the rest of the energy drinks. Take a Look at there web site this drink is a lot better for you then coffee!! Coffee is empty calories and has  almost no nutrition in it at all! I've used the 5 hour many of times and had no problem with it.

Now for your BOB I would only have this if your thinking your going to have to stay awake for something if your placing it there just for the nutrition that is in it your better off going with a multivitamin.

NoDoze is part of my pack.

But then again, I get completely nonfunctional if I can't get a pot or two of coffee in the morning, so it's not for energy but to keep the "OMG i am dying" headache at bay.

Jolt caffeinated gum. it's enough to keep me awake and moving without going overboard.

I'll chew a piece when we get paged out at 4AM, helps me flog my brain into gear before we get on scene.

None,ya just crash harder down the road.

I do.  I've done a few sleep deprivation experiments on myself and found out I have a real Achille's Heel when it comes to going without sleep.  I can go for quite awhile on energy shots though, and have pretty good mental clarity.  As has been stated, you wind up paying the Piper eventually.  I don't get a real hard crash, but can't sleep, even when exhausted, for several hours after my last upper.  I keep them for emergencies, when I need to go for a long while, knowing I will have a safe bed when I bonk.

Is it the caffeine that causes the crash or the sugar? I was under the impression that sugar is what causes the crash and caffeine, as a stimulant, just gives you a temporary pick up. Just like when people drink coffee in the morning, they don’t have a huge crash after lunch. So if you avoid the sugar in choosing supplements then you should be relatively fine.

Am I wrong? Please let me know, I am not trying to be confrontational in the least.

Thanks.

sugar gives you an insuline rush/crash, caffeine can interfere with sleep.
What they call "energy" is hype to get you cash.

thanks

I keep 12+ packets of GU Energy Gel in my GHB and BOB. Mainly there to keep me moving in a bad situation.

Caffeine is caffeine be it coffee, gel, liquid, herbal concoction, or a pill.  I cant live without caffeine and pills store better and are easier to take than coffee or other liquids.  They are also dosed more consistantly.  If you are already tired caffeine will let you operate at 100% if you take the correct dosage... when it wears off you were operating at 100% instead of sleeping so of course you will crash.  Sugar does not change this, different forms of stimulants do not change this.  If I HAVE to stay awake I take caffeine.  In fact I keep a strip in my car in blister packs and it holds up for months on end.  5 hour energy does not change the fact its just caffeine with some vitamins... I already take plenty of vitamins so what I want is caffeiene in the cheapest form, the most reliable dosage units, and that keeps the longest... thats a 200mg caffeine pill which is the same as 2 cups of coffee.

Another consideration is epehdrine.  It causes the release of adrenaline.  I dont think it performs as well as caffeine but it does help if added in small mounts.  Then there is yohimbine.  You cant find regular pill forms that are not herbal as it is a prescription drug in pure synthetic form.  It prevents the reuptake of your adrenaline but dialates blood vesles which improves erectile funtion (its found in many sexual performance supplements for this reason) but it also causes me massive headaches due to blood vesle dialation in your brain.  I have tried all 3 at once and had WAY too much of an increase in heart rate and it took forever to clear as the Yohimbine prevents the reuptake and it just keeps you wired from the caffeine and adrenaline floating around.  Herbal forms of caffeine and ephedrine just rot in the capsules in a couple years... I will take anhyrdous caffeine pills every time for a stimulant in my car, home, or pack.  I find blister packs store the best for my uses.  100 count bottles can be found at Walgreens for $10 so I dont take overpriced NoDoz anymore.  Vivarin is a rip off.  The only advantage to NoDoz is the caplet form is easier to swallow but I dont really care that much if I have a couple ounces of water to drink.  Give me a bottle at home and strips for emergenty use.

Also keep in mind any stimulant will dehydrate you.  The older I get the less I can tolerate lack of sleep.  If I need sleep I can sleep on 200mg of caffeine no problem... then again I take it all the time.  I take about 100,000-200,000 mg annully and have taken it for about 15 years.  Lots of caffeiene expereince in all forms.  Nothing is as good for mental clarity, reducing pain during cardio, staying awake, etc.  It also increases fatty acid utilisation for energy.  It does screw up my ability to do precision shooting in high doses.

There is a reason every cyclist on the tour de france has a 1000mg time reseased caffeine suppository stuffed up his ass.

Nah. Just plain caffeine laden drinks, (coffee, tea), B 100 complex and daily ones.

I hit either a red bull shot or 5 hour energy drink before my bike ride every morning. I need an edge because I do anarobic training and I'm no spring chicken anymore. When I crash I crash hard.

I keep single serve Coffee, one MRE and some extra Gatoraide type drink mix
The candy bar I carry too is Pay Day no chocolate to melt
I carry those with me for a pick me up while working too

I carry bottle gatoraide, water and sodas cold while working but the truck never complains about the extra wieght of the cooler

Cody Lundin suggested ephedrine and caffeine in 98.6 Degrees. Used to be you could get it easily OTC at a gas station; it's a decongestant. Once the tweakers started using it to make meth, it and the pseudoephedrine went behind the pharmacy counter.

I keep some of the 5 hr. energy in my GHB.