Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Luna Sports Electrolyte Splash > Test Report by Jennifer Joy

LUNA SPORT ELECTROLYTE SPLASH
TEST SERIES BY JENNIFER JOY
FIELD REPORT
April 20, 2008

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TESTER INFORMATION

I have been camping and hiking since I was a small child. I have been trying to lighten my pack which currently runs around 26 lb (12 kg) for a 3-4 day trip. My backpacking trips tend to be over a weekend or day hikes. Multi-week hiking is a long-term goal. I could be considered an intermediate backpacker but an experienced camper.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Clif Bar & Co.

LUNA Sport Electrolyte Splash (photo from manufacturer)

Year of Manufacture: 2007
Manufacturer's Website: www.lunabar.com
MSRP: N/A
Listed Weight: 0.8 oz (23 g) per packet
Measured Weight: 0.9 oz (26 g)
Other details: 4 x 2.75 in (10 x 7 cm) packet

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The LUNA Sport Electrolyte Splash comes in two flavors:
* Lime-ade
* Pink Grapefruit

Both flavors have the same nutritional information:

Nutritional Information (From manufacturer's website)

The Electrolyte Splash features 80% organic ingredients and is vegan and kosher.

Like all the products in the LUNA line it is designed specifically for women. According to the manufacturer "Electrolyte Splash contains vitamins & minerals women athletes tend to be deficient in, such as Iron, Calcium, Folic Acid, and vitamins A, C & E. It also includes energizing B vitamins like Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin and B6 and B12."

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The directions are simple. The contents of the packet should be mixed with 16 oz (.47 L) of cold water and shaken or stirred well. The drink should be used during activity.

TRYING IT OUT

I received two packets of each flavor. Since there is very little product available for this test, no product was tried before the Initial Report.

TESTING STRATEGY

The testing will primarily be in Texas where temperatures will be quite varied. I expect seasonal variations with average highs starting at 60 F (16 C) and rising about 10 degrees F (6 C) per month until we reach a high of 80 F (17 C) for January - March. Likewise the lows will start around 40 F (4 C) and rise to 60 F (16 C) over the test period. Below freezing temperatures will also be expected. In general, weather has very little to do with a food product although water temperatures can affect how well a product mixes and how it tastes.

In the next few weeks I will use the Electrolyte Splash during exercise: cycling, working out at the gym and day hikes. Testing will examine:

-Is the packaging easy to use and to dispose of?
-Are the instructions clear?
-Does it mix easily?
-Does it taste ok in cold water and in warm water?
-Is it hard to clean out a bottle after using it?
-Does the product perform its advertised task (energy)?
-How is the taste and texture?

The instructions specify mixing with cold water, but I will also try room temperature and warmer water because cold water is not always available.

A FINAL NOTE

This concludes my Initial Report. The Field Report will be appended to this report in approximately three months from the date of this report. Please check back then for further information.

Thank you to BackpackGearTest and Clif Bar & Co. for the opportunity to test the LUNA Sport Electrolyte Splash.

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

As I stated in the Initial Report the goal was to use the product while cycling, at the gym and on day hikes.

I found that the weather conditions had very little impact on the product except that it influenced the water temperature by impacting how quickly the water would turn from cold to room temperature to even a little warm. All testing took place in Texas from January - April.

Temperatures while cycling ranged from 40 F (4 C) to 80 F (17 C). Since it is still early in the year the temperatures were pleasant and not too hot. The gym was approximately 70 F (21 C) and the day hikes were in the 70s F (21 - 26 C).

The gym use was approximately one hour (3 times). The hikes were 1 - 2 hours in length (3 times) and the cycling trips were 1.5 - 3 hours (3 times, 2 product uses each time).

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The initial shipment from Luna was supplemented with more product. I received an additional 4 packages of each flavor which brought the total of drink mix packets to 6 of each flavor.

The Electrolyte Splash came in a foil-type envelope with small cut marks on either side for tearing off the top. I found that the cuts were not very well defined and I tore off the top but did not open past the seal so no contents could come out. I had to resort to scissors to open the package. This was ok when I was mixing the drink at home, but I do not usually have scissors in the field. After I had that happen I made sure I was tearing the top off in a manner that angled down or at least level and I did not have the problem again.

I have found flavor to be greatly impacted by the temperature of the water. In general, I prefer the flavors in cold water, but cold water is seldom available in Texas temperatures.

The instructions recommend mixing with 16 oz (.47 L) of water. I mixed it at the proper level as well as up to approximately 20 oz ( .59 L ) which fills the standard smaller size bike bottle. I did this experiment because most of my bottles are 20 oz (or more) and I wanted to know it would taste ok. I never noticed a real difference in flavor. According to the Luna Sport website variations on mixing are fine, noting that the recommended level produces a 4% carbohydrate solution. I also tried two packets in 20 oz (.59 L) of water which is twice the recommended strength and found it to be drinkable but strong. None of the mixtures caused any gastric distress.

Pink Grapefruit
While I like grapefruit, I have never eaten a grapefruit before exercising because I was afraid of burping the flavor. Here I was faced with drinking it! The powder had a strong grapefruit smell. It mixed smoothly and evenly. A few strong shakes of a closed bottle and it was entirely mixed. The resulting drink smelled pleasantly fruity. The taste was strong, even lingering on the tongue. While I was afraid of the result, it turned out I liked it very much. It was refreshing and crisp, even when the water was warm. I never burped grapefruit flavor once. I found it tasted very much like the fruit with no tones of artificial flavor which makes sense since it only lists "Natural Flavor" in the ingredients.

Lime-ade
The Lime-ade flavor has all the same mixing instructions as the Pink Grapefruit. Additionally, I tried it in different strengths and found them all to be acceptable, although double-strength was quite strong. The Lime-ade flavor was also quite tasty and I never suffered gastric distress or flavor burping.

Both flavors tasted good no matter the water temperature, although I preferred cold. They remained palatable on workouts of up to 3 hours. At only 80 calories it is not too much for the gym or a hike and a flavored electrolyte drink is nice on a hot day or for some variety from water. It required caloric supplementation for riding hard on a bicycle. I liked having both flavors along on a bike trip for variety.

The packets are small and portable. They are easy to take along on the trail or in a bag. The empties roll up fairly compactly. If care is taken, they can be opened without any tools. I do not think they pack enough calories to be worth the space on a long backpacking trip, but for day hikes or a shorter trip, they provide some needed electrolytes and are easy enough to bring along.

My performance with the drink was better than plain water. As consumed as a replacement for other products I normally use on a hard ride, I seemed to have the same performance with no negative impact. I did not experience any symptoms that I have suffered before when I had insufficient electrolyte intake. The drink seemed to keep my energy up on the hikes. I did not notice any real difference in the gym. However, flavored drinks prompt me to drink more and that is also a good thing.

SUMMARY

Luna Sport has provided two drink mixes with appealing flavors. For a 16 oz (.47 L) drink, the calorie count is very reasonable without resorting to artificial sweeteners. I have to admit I feel some guilt over the packaging (while very minimal) required for individual use portions. They are convenient but using recyclable canisters would be what I would generally prefer to use. Luckily, canister packaging is also available for these products.

Likes:
Good flavors that taste good in warm water (even better in cold)
Light calorie count

Concerns:
Sometimes hard to open packaging
Disposing of packaging

I would like to thank Luna Sport and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test the Luna Sport Electrolyte Splash.

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Luna Sports Electrolyte Splash > Test Report by Jennifer Joy