REVIEW: Fuel 100 Electro-Bites
Like most distance hikers and runners, we rely heavily on gels, bars, and chews to keep ourselves going. We’re always looking for something new, and were excited to try a variety of Fuel100’s Electro-Bites, including:
- Apple Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Spice
- Salty Vanilla
- Salty Vinegar
- Simply Salty
We spent a bit geeking out about the futuristic look of the things, and made plans to try them out.
Trial 1 – Long Run – Jill
My scheduled long run happened to fall on day three of one of the coldest, wettest, nastiest stretches of weather I can remember. I should have skipped it, or moved it inside. I knew though that if I didn’t run that day it would be a full week before I could get out again, and running in the fresh air does so much for my well being. I sucked it up, and mentally prepared myself for about an hour of misery. A little more than half way through I refueled with a couple of handfuls of Fuel100 Electro-Bites. I worked out a rhythm of putting a couple in my mouth, taking a swig of water, and chewing once. They dissolved almost as soon as I took a bite. After I got used to my system, I appreciated the way they dissolved without much chewing. I was that cold. Chewing seemed like too much effort.
Trial 2 – Double Boxing Workouts – Raina
I’ve never done back-to-back boxing workouts. Coming in fresh for a single 1-hour class, fit athletes often struggle to survive these intense boot camp style forms of physical punishment. I’m not currently training for a big mountain, so I had no real incentive to push myself. It was more that I had spare time on my hands and, more importantly, I had these intriguing energy snacks. This became a ‘why not?’ kind of decision. So, I went for it. Hour 1 left my muscles tired and depleted. Having sweat what seemed like pounds, with no breaks to drink water, I was edging toward feeling dehydrated. During the 2 minutes’ break between classes, I had enough time to down a pack of Simply Salty aided with 12oz of water. I was not hungry. In fact, I got slightly queasy thinking about the possibility of food at that moment, but Electro-Bites did the trick. They were easy on the stomach, I was able to consume them quickly, and they offered an appropriate amount of flavor without leaving you with gross breath. On top of that, these gave me the boost I desperately needed to survive a second, perhaps even more grueling hour of torture.
Trial 3 – Distance Hike – Raina & Jill
We are usually devoted to chews when it comes to refueling during a long hike, but decided to try the Fuel100 Electro-Bites during our recent pre-holiday craziness hike. Our trail seemed to go up both ways, so our hearts were pumping fast. When it was time to refuel, we appreciated how easy it was to open the packaging. The last thing we wanted was to have to pull scissors or a knife out of our packs with our frozen hands. We also liked that there wasn’t as much packaging as our normal chews. The double packaging we’re used to always seems redundant and overdone when we have to pack out our trash. The salty flavors even among the pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon, are a nice contrast to the usual sweet and fruity. No matter the flavor, the bites dissolve quickly and don’t leave any aftertaste. Most importantly, they functioned just as effectively as our normal gels on long endurance hikes. We were hiking in Virginia, but we theorized that the Electro-Bites would work particularly well when hiking at high altitude.
Side Note – Raina
Though I consumed no alcohol the night before, one morning I woke with that pounding headache and lethargic, gross, exhausted feeling that comes with a hangover. Staring at a pack of Salty Vanilla Electro-Bites, I had another ‘why not?’ moment. I popped a few in my mouth, washed them down with coffee, then repeated until half the bag was gone. They tasted REALLY good with coffee and helped me feel better quickly. To be clear, this is NOT Fuel 100’s intended use for this product, but it shows that Electro-Bites have a wide array of uses extending beyond marathons or distance hiking.
Summary
✅ Easy on the stomach
✅ No aftertaste
✅ Nice flavor variety
✅ Easy to pack, open, and pack out
✅ Salty alternative to sweet gels
✅ Solid energy boost
Disclosure of Material Connection: We received Electro-Bites for free from Fuel 100 as coordinated by Outdoor PR in consideration for review publication.