6 ms·

You can't go hiking with Slimfast, Weight Watcher shakes, or juices. What I don't understand: the REI market is the one place where Soylent is inarguably bette

You can't go hiking with Slimfast, Weight Watcher shakes, or juices. What I don't understand: the REI market is the one place where Soylent is inarguably better than any other product in its niche, and nobody seems to give a shit about that. I carry a bag of dry Soylent in my SAR pack. When I get sent out on an assignment, I have no idea how long I might be out for. For less weight than any other option, I have dinner and breakfast and lunch if necessary. If I know in advance I'm going to be out hiking for more than about three hours, a pre-mixed solution of it in a Nalgene, with a quick chug here and there, really beats back the fatigue. The REI market is not small, and it's got a huge focus on ultralight, ultralight, ultralight now. Soylent really seems to be missing an opportunity here.

int_19h 9y ago
Out of curiosity, have you tried Tsogo for your SAR needs? I generally like Soylent better taste-wise; but one thing that Tsogo does, they pack their powder in fairly thick sealed mylar bags that can just be dropped in your backpack without worry of it spoiling (the shelf life is also on the same order of magnitude as freeze-dried food, so you can just put it there and forget it).
irq11 10y ago
Uh, you know that every REI has a wide selection of freeze-dried camping foods, right? They're a lot better than the idea of slurping down bland nutrient goo (but more power to you, if nutrient spooge is your preference, I suppose). As for price, I bought a 30-day supply of camp food for less than $100 on amazon.
- fghvbnvbnfe 10y ago
  Those are really not alternatives to the mentioned uses. The freeze dried food selection is somewhat limited, tends to be very salty, takes substantially more time to prepare, and generates a lot of waste you get to continue hauling around. If your goals include speed or (less) weight, those freeze dried options are really far from ideal. To get around the weight issue you mostly need to plan and package your food yourself, which takes some time. If you're getting called out to do SAR you either need to have it done in advance or go with another option.
  - irq11 10y ago
    The things i'm talking about are a single pouch per meal. There's no more or less waste than mixing up a sack of goo. Many can be eaten dry in a pinch. Have fun eating dry soylent. I can't really speak to the exact sodium content, but it's more than reasonable for emergency rations or hiking or SAR. You're not eating this stuff every meal for the rest of your life, and if you are, you deserve what you get.
    - fghvbnvbnfe 10y ago
      Yes. That single pouch is a significant problem when you generate several a day. They are intended to be used for meal prep, which involves hot water. They're fairly heavy and large, and you have to carry them out with you. You can save a significant amount of weight when packaging your own food by using smaller, lesser weight bags with a separate reusable insulator. Remember, we're talking about people that will pay a significantly higher price for an item that is maybe an ounce or two lighter. It also gives you a lot more control over portions, which can be an issue as well. There is no point packing more than you are going to eat. I brought up the salt content not for health reasons, but taste. Many of the ones I've tried have been so salty I've had trouble finishing them even after a day of backpacking.
      - irq11 10y ago
        Last time I checked, Soylent comes in packages, and requires water to eat. So sure, you can combine your nutrient goo powder into a single sack, and thereby save a tiny fraction of the weight of the food (and water) itself. But you're splitting hairs. I picked a mountain house pouch-based product at random on amazon, and the packaging weight was .06oz on a gross of 5oz, or 1.2%. Which is, of course, nothing. I have heard exactly zero people, ever, complain about the weight of their dried food packaging. I've heard lots of people complain about camping food being boring and flavorless. If you like Soylent, fine, but the claim that this stuff is the obvious best product for campers is silly.
        thaumaturgy 10y ago
koolba 10y ago
What are the acronyms REI and SAR?
- losteric 10y ago
  SAR = search and rescue REI = major American outdoor retailer
- obmelvin 10y ago
  REI = Recreational Equipment, Inc. (essentially a a camping and hiking store though they do have some general sports stuff like bikes) SAR = search and rescue
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
atqtion 10y ago
> What I don't understand: the REI market is the one place where Soylent is inarguably better than any other product in its niche, and nobody seems to give a shit about that. I guess it depends on what you mean by "better". SAR is a niche within a niche. I can totally understand why Soylent is 1000x better than other options. But most backpackers are doing it for fun. Reducing weight and space is great, but there are plenty of much more enjoyable meals that are only marginally heavier/bulkier. At least for me, cooking a good meal before bed is my favorite part of the day. I'll happily carry an extra pound or so to make that happen. TBF, a lot of purely recreational backpackers care less about the pleasures of life. The type doing 14 hour days and so on. But that's a small market, and all the folks I've met on trails who are doing that sort of thing tend to be pretty price sensitive. Young folks with few savings taking a few months off work don't have three months of Soylent money ;-)
- elif 10y ago
  > Young folks with few savings taking a few months off work don't have three months of Soylent money ;-) thru-hiker here. I did it on $2k of credit cards, which is the least of anyone i met personally. a dehydrated meal with 350 calories costs $5 minimum, requires cooking (fuel cost/weight), and requires time/energy for your body to digest. a soylent powder meal costs $2.
  - collyw 9y ago
    You should go to Nepal. Serious mountains and everyone there uses dried instant noodles, which were less than 50 cents a pack. You can eat them dry, or boil them up and make a soup.
  - mtempm 10y ago
    You can easily have dehydrated meals for under 50cents that don't have the nutritional criticisms of soylent. It does require you to go to the supermarket, quickly buy some ingredients, and mix them together. Here is an example: You can just buy oats, skim milk powder, peanuts (a bit better if you buy them crushed, or crush them), raisens, and dehydrated fruit & berries. I also add almonds, walnuts, chocolate, coconut. It works out to b/w 25-50cents a meal if you buy at Costco, and is very healthy. You can add sugar if you want (I add a little, and a very small amount of salt). You can also customize to your heart's desire. Replace milk powder with whey powder. Peanuts with almonds, flax for omega 3s, etc. There you have it - The wisdom to outcompete soylent on price, nutrition, and taste, and all by a lot.
monkmartinez 10y ago
Yes. Yes, you can go hiking on slimfast or Weight Watchers. I go hiking all the time in Arizona with a Builder Bar or an apple and some water. 6 to 8 mile trail runs with some water (nothing else) is very common for me and my friends. I am not going to mix up Soylent for trail running or hiking, ever. I can almost say that 99% of my friends will not either. I also participate (professionally) in uSAR via a technical rescue team for a decently large municipality. We don't take food on call outs and have no idea how long an extrication will take for example. When I am at work, I often don't eat for two, three, or four hours past "lunch time" or "dinner time" due to calls. Soylent is not an option anymore than drinking a protein shake on a call. Not happening.
- ghostly_s 10y ago
  Sorry, why can't you drink a protein shake on a call?
  - jackmodern 10y ago
    yeah, when I'm out backpacking I drink trader joe's chocolate protein powder, costs less, same nutrition facts on the label, no strange gas. Soylent is just very good at marketing to people unfamiliar with protein powder.
    - mdekkers 10y ago
      trader joe's chocolate protein powder, costs less, same nutrition facts on the label, I though Soylent was good because it covers all your nutritional requirements (haven't tried it) - this trader joe's has the same nutritional content?
davycro 10y ago
Agreed. I use Soylent as a replacement for cliff bars when I ski or climb. It's easier to get down and has more calories.
bkkssnn 10y ago
> Soylent is inarguably better than any other product in its niche jakefood.com beg to differ.

int_19h 9y ago

Out of curiosity, have you tried Tsogo for your SAR needs? I generally like Soylent better taste-wise; but one thing that Tsogo does, they pack their powder in fairly thick sealed mylar bags that can just be dropped in your backpack without worry of it spoiling (the shelf life is also on the same order of magnitude as freeze-dried food, so you can just put it there and forget it).

irq11 10y ago

Uh, you know that every REI has a wide selection of freeze-dried camping foods, right? They're a lot better than the idea of slurping down bland nutrient goo (but more power to you, if nutrient spooge is your preference, I suppose). As for price, I bought a 30-day supply of camp food for less than $100 on amazon.

fghvbnvbnfe 10y ago
Those are really not alternatives to the mentioned uses. The freeze dried food selection is somewhat limited, tends to be very salty, takes substantially more time to prepare, and generates a lot of waste you get to continue hauling around. If your goals include speed or (less) weight, those freeze dried options are really far from ideal. To get around the weight issue you mostly need to plan and package your food yourself, which takes some time. If you're getting called out to do SAR you either need to have it done in advance or go with another option.
- irq11 10y ago
  The things i'm talking about are a single pouch per meal. There's no more or less waste than mixing up a sack of goo. Many can be eaten dry in a pinch. Have fun eating dry soylent. I can't really speak to the exact sodium content, but it's more than reasonable for emergency rations or hiking or SAR. You're not eating this stuff every meal for the rest of your life, and if you are, you deserve what you get.
  - fghvbnvbnfe 10y ago
    Yes. That single pouch is a significant problem when you generate several a day. They are intended to be used for meal prep, which involves hot water. They're fairly heavy and large, and you have to carry them out with you. You can save a significant amount of weight when packaging your own food by using smaller, lesser weight bags with a separate reusable insulator. Remember, we're talking about people that will pay a significantly higher price for an item that is maybe an ounce or two lighter. It also gives you a lot more control over portions, which can be an issue as well. There is no point packing more than you are going to eat. I brought up the salt content not for health reasons, but taste. Many of the ones I've tried have been so salty I've had trouble finishing them even after a day of backpacking.
    - irq11 10y ago
      Last time I checked, Soylent comes in packages, and requires water to eat. So sure, you can combine your nutrient goo powder into a single sack, and thereby save a tiny fraction of the weight of the food (and water) itself. But you're splitting hairs. I picked a mountain house pouch-based product at random on amazon, and the packaging weight was .06oz on a gross of 5oz, or 1.2%. Which is, of course, nothing. I have heard exactly zero people, ever, complain about the weight of their dried food packaging. I've heard lots of people complain about camping food being boring and flavorless. If you like Soylent, fine, but the claim that this stuff is the obvious best product for campers is silly.
      - thaumaturgy 10y ago

koolba 10y ago

What are the acronyms REI and SAR?

losteric 10y ago
SAR = search and rescue REI = major American outdoor retailer
obmelvin 10y ago
REI = Recreational Equipment, Inc. (essentially a a camping and hiking store though they do have some general sports stuff like bikes) SAR = search and rescue
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

atqtion 10y ago

> What I don't understand: the REI market is the one place where Soylent is inarguably better than any other product in its niche, and nobody seems to give a shit about that. I guess it depends on what you mean by "better". SAR is a niche within a niche. I can totally understand why Soylent is 1000x better than other options. But most backpackers are doing it for fun. Reducing weight and space is great, but there are plenty of much more enjoyable meals that are only marginally heavier/bulkier. At least for me, cooking a good meal before bed is my favorite part of the day. I'll happily carry an extra pound or so to make that happen. TBF, a lot of purely recreational backpackers care less about the pleasures of life. The type doing 14 hour days and so on. But that's a small market, and all the folks I've met on trails who are doing that sort of thing tend to be pretty price sensitive. Young folks with few savings taking a few months off work don't have three months of Soylent money ;-)

elif 10y ago
> Young folks with few savings taking a few months off work don't have three months of Soylent money ;-) thru-hiker here. I did it on $2k of credit cards, which is the least of anyone i met personally. a dehydrated meal with 350 calories costs $5 minimum, requires cooking (fuel cost/weight), and requires time/energy for your body to digest. a soylent powder meal costs $2.
- collyw 9y ago
  You should go to Nepal. Serious mountains and everyone there uses dried instant noodles, which were less than 50 cents a pack. You can eat them dry, or boil them up and make a soup.
- mtempm 10y ago
  You can easily have dehydrated meals for under 50cents that don't have the nutritional criticisms of soylent. It does require you to go to the supermarket, quickly buy some ingredients, and mix them together. Here is an example: You can just buy oats, skim milk powder, peanuts (a bit better if you buy them crushed, or crush them), raisens, and dehydrated fruit & berries. I also add almonds, walnuts, chocolate, coconut. It works out to b/w 25-50cents a meal if you buy at Costco, and is very healthy. You can add sugar if you want (I add a little, and a very small amount of salt). You can also customize to your heart's desire. Replace milk powder with whey powder. Peanuts with almonds, flax for omega 3s, etc. There you have it - The wisdom to outcompete soylent on price, nutrition, and taste, and all by a lot.

monkmartinez 10y ago

Yes. Yes, you can go hiking on slimfast or Weight Watchers. I go hiking all the time in Arizona with a Builder Bar or an apple and some water. 6 to 8 mile trail runs with some water (nothing else) is very common for me and my friends. I am not going to mix up Soylent for trail running or hiking, ever. I can almost say that 99% of my friends will not either. I also participate (professionally) in uSAR via a technical rescue team for a decently large municipality. We don't take food on call outs and have no idea how long an extrication will take for example. When I am at work, I often don't eat for two, three, or four hours past "lunch time" or "dinner time" due to calls. Soylent is not an option anymore than drinking a protein shake on a call. Not happening.

ghostly_s 10y ago
Sorry, why can't you drink a protein shake on a call?
- jackmodern 10y ago
  yeah, when I'm out backpacking I drink trader joe's chocolate protein powder, costs less, same nutrition facts on the label, no strange gas. Soylent is just very good at marketing to people unfamiliar with protein powder.
  - mdekkers 10y ago
    trader joe's chocolate protein powder, costs less, same nutrition facts on the label, I though Soylent was good because it covers all your nutritional requirements (haven't tried it) - this trader joe's has the same nutritional content?

davycro 10y ago

Agreed. I use Soylent as a replacement for cliff bars when I ski or climb. It's easier to get down and has more calories.

bkkssnn 10y ago

> Soylent is inarguably better than any other product in its niche jakefood.com beg to differ.