Outdoor Adventure Fuel: How Our Low Sugar Drink Mix and Instant Bone Broth Power Hikes, Bikes, and Weekend Getaways

Ever been cruising along on a hike, feeling good — then boom: energy gone, muscles mad, morale in the dirt?

Yeah, we’ve been there.

Whether you’re climbing trails, mountain biking, or just soaking up the wild, the difference between an epic adventure and an exhausted slog comes down to one thing: how you fuel your body.

Let’s talk about packing outdoor nutrition that’s lighter, smarter, and way more satisfying — so you can go farther, feel better, and actually enjoy the ride.

🚵 WHY TRAIL FOOD MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK

When you’re out exploring, your body burns through calories, fluids, and electrolytes fast. How you refuel determines how energized you’ll feel on the trail.

The problem? Look up hiking food ideas, and you’ll see sugary sports drinks, candy disguised as trail mix, and protein bars packed with mystery ingredients on the list. 

Or worse — ultra-processed dehydrated meals that leave you bloated, sluggish, and questioning your life choices.

These options don’t just mess with your energy — they trigger low-grade inflammation that tanks your performance and recovery.[*][*] Instead of feeling recharged by nature, you’ll be limping into day two wondering where your stamina went.

Packing clean, whole-food fuel changes everything. 

✅ TRAIL NUTRITION 101: WHAT TO PACK & WHY

Fueling right doesn’t have to mean compromising or overpacking. Here are five essentials your body needs and how to pack them without the bulk:

⚡ STEADY ENERGY SOURCES

No one wants to fall apart at the last mile. But if your pack’s full of sugary snacks, you’re headed for a spike-and-crash disaster.

To stay energized, think balance. Whether you fuel with healthy fats on keto or complex carbs on Paleo, your body runs best on real, whole-food sources. 

Add in protein for staying power, and you’ve got a formula for stable energy and satiety that lasts for hours and helps you avoid the mid-trail slump.[*][*]

🌲 Trail Tip: Bare Bones Instant Bone Broth provides 10 grams of protein per packet. Even our Elevated Drink Mix sneaks in 5 grams of protein to help you stay full and focused without the weight of a full meal.

So don’t crash out; pack well.

💦 HYDRATION: MORE THAN JUST WATER

Hiking or cycling hydration is about keeping the right balance of fluids and electrolytes. But if you’re breaking a sweat outside, that balance quickly goes sideways.

Mild dehydration can decrease your performance by up to 10%.[*] And once you’re dehydrated, the headaches, muscle cramps, and dizziness will cut any excursion short.[*]

Chugging plain water? That can actually worsen electrolyte imbalances.[*] Classic sports drinks with 40 grams of sugar and a rainbow of artificial colors aren’t your best choice either.[*][*] 

So what does smart hydration for hiking (or any workout) look like? Trainers suggest you:[*]

• Drink 16 ounces of electrolyte-rich fluids 2–3 hours before your activity.

• Top off with another 6–8 ounces 10–20 minutes before you hit the trail.

• Add electrolytes to your water bottle or backpack bladder and sip when thirsty mid-ride, mid-hike, or mid-paddle.

🌲 Trail Tip: Try our clean, portable hydration options! They're built for healthy outdoor adventures and barely take up space in your pack:

👉 Instant Bone Broth Packets: Naturally rich in electrolytes like sodium and potassium to help you hydrate before, during, and after those sweaty, sun-soaked miles.

👉 Elevated Drink Mix: A low-sugar drink mix made with sea salt and real fruit juice that makes on-the-go hydration feel like a treat (not a chore).

Just stir either into water, sip, and keep chasing the views!

💪 PROTEIN FOR MUSCLE REPAIR

That post-hike soreness? It’s your muscles groaning while they rebuild from all the micro-tears and hard work they put in.

Recovery is where the magic happens — but only if your body’s got enough protein to work with.[*] No protein? No progress. Just stiff legs, aching everything else, and next-day regrets.

🌲 Trail Tip: Reach for high-protein trail snacks — like our instant, portable bone broth — and your muscles will rebuild stronger and eager for round two.[*][*]

🌱 FOODS TO FEED YOUR GUT HEALTH 

A happy gut eases digestion, keeps your immune system on its A-game, and even lifts your mood, which are all vital when you’re off-grid.[*][*]

Bad news? Most of that processed trail food for hiking won’t do your gut any favors. 

But probiotics and prebiotics will. They help your good bacteria thrive, crowd out the bad, and support a balanced microbiome.[*] A healthier gut may even mean fewer seasonal allergy meltdowns, so you can actually smell the roses.

🌲 Trail Tip: Add a few packs of our prebiotic drink mix featuring natural agave inulin (a well-researched prebiotic star!) for no-fuss gut support. It doesn’t need a cooler like yogurt, and it’s way tastier than those easy-to-forget supplements.

🙌 COLLAGEN FOR HEALTHY JOINTS & RECOVERY

One of the most underrated bone broth benefits for active adventurers? Joint support.

Hiking, biking, and running put serious stress on your joints — especially cartilage, the cushiony tissue that keeps your bones from grinding. And trust: your knees won’t care how pretty the view is if they’re screaming at every step.

Collagen, the most abundant protein in your body, is key for keeping joints happy. Studies on collagen for joints show that it may:

• Improve flexibility and function [*][*]

• Reduce pain and discomfort [*][*]

• Lessen symptoms of osteoarthritis [*]

• Promote healthy cartilage [*]

• Support overall joint health [*]

So if you’re logging miles, collagen isn’t optional — it’s your #1 trail food for backpacking.

🌲 Trail Tip: Your joints deserve better than ibuprofen and wishful thinking. Our healthy drink mix packets — whether cozy Instant Bone Broth or Elevated Drink Mix for energy — bring the collagen you need to stay trail-ready (not trail-wrecked).

So now that you’ve got a checklist of healthy food for camping and backpacking, let’s put it into action with real meal and snack ideas.

🏕️ 4 TIPS FOR HEALTHY BACKPACKING MEALS & SNACKS

These easy backpacking food ideas will help you pack lightweight, healthy food to take camping or trekking — no matter how deep into the wild you wander:

🍽️ KEEP IT CLEAN, EVEN OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Off-grid isn’t an excuse to go off-diet. Whether you’re into keto backpacking meals, Paleo camping food, or gluten-free snacking, your adventure food should still match your goals.

Our on-the-go drink mixes check all the clean eating boxes:

• Non-GMO

• Keto & Paleo-Friendly

• Whole30 Approved

• Gluten-Free 

🔎 Need help spotting clean foods? Here’s how to decode nutrition labels and read between the (ingredient) lines.

🌄 PLAN TO START YOUR DAYS STRONG

You’ll worry less about how to stay hydrated while hiking, cycling, or breaking a sweat if you start early.

Sip a warm Instant Bone Broth with the sunrise, or stir an Elevated Drink Mix into your morning tea for an electrolyte boost. Both deliver some protein to wake up your muscles and prep for the miles ahead.

🍲 BRAINSTORM LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING MEALS

Not sure how to eat healthy while camping? A little planning goes a long way — and you don’t need a full kitchen to make it work.

With just one pot, a spoon, and a few Instant Bone Broth packets, you can fire up single-serving backpacking meals or feasts for a crew. Here are some trail food ideas to get you started:

• Swap bone broth for milk in your overnight oats.

• Use bone broth as a nutrient-rich soup base, and add freeze-dried veggies, jerky, rice noodles, or whatever’s in your stash. Rotate flavors like Beef, Chicken, Ramen, or Lemon Ginger to keep things interesting.

• Simmer quinoa or couscous in bone broth, then stir in shelf-stable proteins like canned/pouch chicken, tuna, salmon, or pre-cooked lentils.

• If you’ve got cold storage, check out these 15 Ways to Use Bone Broth in the Summer.

👉 Need more inspo? Learn how to incorporate bone broth into everyday meals and bookmark our collection of the best bone broth recipes!

⛺ BUILD A STASH OF HEALTHY CAMP SNACKS

No backpacking or camping nutrition plan is complete without healthy snacks to power you between meals.

Go classic with a homemade trail mix using your favorite nuts, seeds, and unsweetened add-ins like coconut flakes, dried fruit, and cacao nibs.

Or keep it grab-and-go with Whole30, Paleo, and keto trail snacks like:

• Freeze-dried fruit

• Clean-label jerky and meat sticks

• Olives and pickles

• Dehydrated cheese crisps

• Nut or sunflower butter packs

• Roasted chickpeas or lupini beans

• Seaweed snacks

• Avocado squeeze packs

Mix and match your favorites for a snack stash that’s trail-tested and cravings-approved.

🧗 FUEL YOUR WILD SIDE WITH BARE BONES

Your route’s mapped, and your trail’s calling. Now it’s time to pack your electrolytes, muscle-repairing protein, joint-supporting collagen, and gut-friendly nutrients to stay strong from first step to final summit.

At Bare Bones, we make ancestral nutrition clean, travel-ready, and satisfying. From Instant Bone Broth to our Elevated Drink Mix, every sip helps you stay hydrated, energized, and totally in your element. 

So don’t just survive the trail — own it! 🥾🛶🚴