12 drink mixes reviewed

Drink mixes, compared on the numbers

Drink mixes do a job a gel doesn't have to: carry fluid, and in most formulas, meaningful sodium alongside the carbohydrate. That's the real axis of difference below — a 90 g sachet built for a bottle isn't comparable to a 22 g one meant to be sipped concentrated, so cost per gram of carbohydrate is the number that travels across serving sizes, same as it is for gels. The glucose-to-fructose ratio still governs how much of that carbohydrate an hour your gut can move; the field's ceiling is around 90 g/hr, the same anchor used throughout this site. Sodium is shown per serving and, unlike gels, does factor into a drink mix's score, since carrying electrolytes alongside fuel is closer to the point of a drink mix than a gel. Sort by any column, or run a duration through the calculator to see how many scoops or sachets an effort actually needs.