I've been using Vitalyte for almost a year now to support my triathlon training after seeking a more cost effective sports drink, given how much I go through during Virginia summers. It gets the job done!<br /><br />But to get to the main point of this review, I have now ordered and used all five flavors. Here's what you'll get, in order from perceived &#34;strongest&#34; to &#34;weakest&#34; flavor:<br /><br />Orange: Has a definite &#34;tang&#34; to it, but keep in mind that even as the strongest flavor it's milder than a lot of other sports drinks. The natural orange coloring left a little bit of orange residue on the inside of my white plastic water bottles even after dishwashing (it disappeared after I switched flavors. I probably won't order it again, but a good choice if you particularly like orange soda.<br /><br />Grape: Great flavor to start with if you're not sure which to get. This is the first I ordered and the flavor I've used the most; I think it tastes the sweetest.<br /><br />Fruit punch: Tastes like weak Hawaiian Punch. I work out first thing in the morning and this was a bit incongruous to me; but if fruit punch is your jam this will give you a slight fix. I personally won't be ordering it again.<br /><br />Lemon: I was worried this would have a strong &#34;fake lemonade&#34; flavor but it did not! I really liked this one- it's mild and refreshing.<br /><br />Cool citrus: To me, this was the mildest flavor; it mixes up clear (no color, despite the blue bag). It definitely doesn't taste like straight water but if you like straight water and want a sports drink with fuel and electrolytes with minimal flavor this is a good choice.<br /><br />Personally I like variety so probably will be rotating between grape, lemon and cool citrus. The latter two are the most complementary if you are taking other food / fuel while drinking this.<br /><br />As to effectiveness: when used properly it's done me right. I routinely sweat out 16- 24oz / hour (I've weighed) during the summer and this product keeps me going for the long trainings. I've never had stomach issues when using it in a race, and having some carbs in it helps offset the number of gels I have to take in. The great thing is that it's really balanced and both less salty and sweet than Gatorade- it will replace just what you lose.<br /><br />But that's also a caution: it will not correct an electrolyte deficiency if you go into a race or a workout with one... at default strength it will replace what you lose to sweating but not more; particularly magnesium. I had bad cramping after the swim in a race where I had hydrated with Vitalyte that morning, but I think that's because I had done a poor job of managing hydration and electrolytes in the days leading up to it (there may have been some beer involved!) So probably good to use some other form of electrolyte supplementation (particularly magnesium) if you know you've not been hydrating well.

I've always drank straight water on backpacking trips - until recently. We were in the Grand Canyon (HOT) and had a chance to try this for several days. One day, after I drank this product, I forgot about it as I was hiking. About 30 minutes later, I was surprised to feel better. Then I recalled that I had consumed Vitalyte. So naturally I assumed that I was having a psychosomatic improvement and wrote off my improved vigor to the landscape. The following day, the same thing happened. Now we take this on any long, dry trip.

Let's start with the positives. I like this electrolyte drink a lot. I actually prefer the lighter taste of this product rather than the taste of a melted sweet tart. I found their scoop-to-water ratio to be very accurate. It did not upset my stomach or cause any other issues.<br /><br />And now for the negatives. It's really only one and it's the packaging. Some lunkhead at this company decided to save a nickel and use inferior packaging for this product. How do I know? Am I some package guru? I am not, but my first clue was when the package arrived. When I opened it, it was basically a brick. The package does not keep moisture out and what you get is a solid rather than loose powder. My second clue that this packaging was cheap and crummy was the trail of ants that found their way to this item on the counter. Good times.<br /><br />So, the product tastes good. I got the orange and I really like it. I took away a star for their inability to choose proper packaging. I really hope they fix this because I don't need a part-time job just to use a drink mix.

I love this stuff. I am a cyclist primarily, over 50 and live in central Texas, so hydration and electrolyte balance are pretty important. I've tried many of the products out there to keep from cramping on long rides , or in the middle of the night after a long ride. Positives first- tastes great, not too sweet, pleasant taste - actually really good, fairly low in calories, naturally sweetened, no issues with cramping so far.( I'm on my second bag). The only negative I can come up with is it doesn't mix as easily as some, so I have to pull it out of the bottle cage and shake it before I drink it. Other products I have tried include accelerade, osmo, EFS, Heed, NUUN, ClifShot, eLoad, Skratch labs and a number of others. This one works best for me and IMHO tastes the best.

The reason why I chose this product over others was for two main reasons: it includes potassium, and it has simple sugars instead of artificial sweeteners. Yes, while I am on a long hike or long ride, I want simple carbs! Also, while most of your lost electrolytes are sodium, you also lose potassium, so adding that back should also be important. And this product really works magic on those long activities. Now after a short water break, i feel incredibly refreshed and energetic! I would highly recommend this.

I'm pretty well versed in the world of electrolyte powders, thanks to my week long camping excursions in the desert. Every powder I've tried has been gross and gives me a weird, slippery mouth feel. Not Vitalyte. The Cool Citrus flavor is so light that it's barely noticeable and it actually makes my water taste refreshing & crisp. The flavor also doesn't get nasty (like other powders) if your water gets hot. Everyone in our camp loved it! The bag makes for easy packing (vs hard plastic bottles) and the scoop makes servings easy.<br /><br />This is the only electrolyte powder I will buy from now on.