Strictly empirical - and I note that recent studies have overturned several of the traditional "facts" (An example: Lots of sources have touted the "fact" that coffee is a negative source of hydration water due to supposed diuretic effects. My experience has always refuted this. Just read an article on a story that confirms what my body has long told me - even coffee is a source of hydration water)<br><br>It's pretty simple for me: <br><br>I avoid "full strength" sugary drinks - if using them (Kool-Aid, Tang, etc), I dilute them significantly with POW (plain old water). <br><br>I avoid sugared carbonated drinks because they taste nasty when diluted.<br><br>I drink POW unless I experience "salt cramps"<br><br>I use a diluted sports drink, preferably Gator-Aid, if I notice the early symptoms of electrolyte depletion<br><br>If I don't have any sports drink with me in the above situation, I consume something salty with plenty of POW - but that is not a "complete" electrolyte replacement (Potasium prob. missing) and my results bear that out - it's better than POW, but not a complete solution (pun intended)<br><br>If I experience "salt cramps", I drink about a liter/quart of full-strength sports drink, followed by some POW to slake thirst. Repeat as required, and a brief decrease/cessation of high-level exertion makes things get back to "rights" faster for me than simply "driving on". Take a break if you can...<br><br>Powdered sports drink powder is fairly compact and on an excursion of more than one day I greatly prefer that over bottles and bottles of pre-mixed - besides, it's less expensive. (However - those bottles are great portable water containers, especially those in the 20 - 32 fl oz size range.)<br><br>I used to have electrolyte-replacement packets (no sugars) to dump into POW when needed, but I've used them up and been too lazy to scrounge up some more. IMHO, those are better than sugared sports drinks - I don't like dumping a bunch of sugars in my system, no matter what variety of sugar (sucrose, dextrose, fruictose, glucose - whatever). I suggest finding some of those and see which works better for you - electrolyte replacement VS so-called sports drinks.<br><br>Again, drinks lots of POW, watch your urine output/color, and if you experience symptoms of electrolyte depletion, it's best if you can take a break.<br><br>My experiences range from African desert to North American Arctic: extreme heat + extreme humidity, extreme heat + extremely arid, and extreme cold + extremely arid, and most climates inbetween. My "knowledge" is all from UHK (University of Hard Knocks), so it's possible that I've developed some supposed "bad habits" over the years - take my advice with that grain of salt.<br><br>HTH,<br><br>Tom