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Mount Trail and coffee for camping, hiking, long hikes and outdoor activities. Coffee for ultralight hikers.

When it comes to ultralight hiking, one question usually drives gear choices: do I really need it? Can I save a few extra grams in my backpack 🙂

Coffee on a hike

Even so, everyone has their essentials, their little luxuries that add so much to the hiking experience. 😅


For me, that pleasure is coffee, that first steaming cup of comfort in the morning. And I suspect I'm not the only one, with over 85% of adults reporting daily caffeine consumption (1). 


So, in the first part of this two-part article, we'll talk about the benefits of coffee and caffeine while hiking, in order to justify my addiction. 

Mount Trail specializes in long distance hiking, quilts and sleeping bags. Ultralight coffee for camping, outdoors and hiking.

Caffeine on the human body while hiking

As you may know, the active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, but did you know that it is the same active ingredient in tea, often identified by the name "theine"? Caffeine is a member of the methylxanthine family and is a psychoactive substance.


Although it is often referred to as a stimulant, it actually works by "blocking" the perception of fatigue (adenosine receptor antagonist, for the curious) in the brain. If that sounds complex, just know that it increases central nervous system activity as well as adrenaline and dopamine release 🙂

Ultralight coffee for hiking, long hikes, outdoors and camping with Mount Trail.

Coffee and fatigue

Caffeine reduces the perception of fatigue, reduces the perception of exertion and pain, and increases work capacity and alertness. These "ergogenic" effects are of interest during physical activities such as hiking as they may contribute to improved performance and reduced fatigue (2) 🙂


In addition, the metabolism of caffeine increases the ability to "break down" (lipolysis) and tap into our fat stores. During long term physical efforts, most of the energy comes from the aerobic system, which can use fatty acids (lipids) and carbohydrates as energy source.


Thus, caffeine allows us tohave more energy available in circulation, which can be interesting for long and tiring hikes.

Maikana and Mount Trail for the outdoors, camping and long hikes. Ultralight and made in Quebec and Canada. For mental health in Quebec. The Pacific crest trail in group. Launching Yourt

The harmful effects of coffee while hiking

As for harmful effects, it is often mentioned that coffee is a diuretic. While this is true, its diuretic effect is weak, and caffeine consumption in the form of coffee results in net hydration. In fact, the hydration indices of water and caffeine are not significantly different (3).


Finally, it is important to mention that caffeine, when over-consumed, can cause adverse effects, depending on individual tolerance levels, such as anxiety, tremors, and insomnia 🙂


That's why Health Canada recommends limiting consumption to 400 mg per day for an average adult, the equivalent of about three coffees.

CONCLUSION

In short, this first paper has demonstrated some interesting ergogenic effects of caffeine for physical performance in hiking 🙂


The second part of this series will look at the best ways to produce a proper cup while adhering to the precepts of the ultralight approach.



References:


(1) Mitchell, D. C., Knight, C. A., Hockenberry, J., Teplansky, R., & Hartman, T. J. (2014). Beverage caffeine intakes in the U.S. Food and chemical toxicology: an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 63, 136-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2013.10.042

(2) Southward, K., Rutherfurd-Markwick, K. J., & Ali, A. (2018). Correction to: The Effect of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(10), 2425-2441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0967-4

(3) Maughan, R. J., Watson, P., Cordery, P. A., Walsh, N. P., Oliver, S. J., Dolci, A., Rodriguez-Sanchez, N., & Galloway, S. D. (2016). A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 103(3), 717-723. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.114769




Gabriel Lafontaine is a hiker and coffee enthusiast. Especially in the long hike, outdoor and camping.

Gabriel Lafontaine

Hiker and nature lover

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