RecPak Meal Replacement Review: Performance and Convenience

September 2, 2025 David Lottmann Uncategorized diet, Fitness, food, health, nutrition

RecPak Performance Meal Replacement Review

The last few months I have been testing an ultralight meal replacement product called “RecPak“. I’ll be honest and start by saying I am not a big “protein shake” guy. My all time favorite food to carry on my mountain adventures has always been some pie from the Flatbread Company. I understand there is a place for function over flavor. Weight savings are valued over texture. Performance is prioritized over the aesthetics of leftover pizza.

That place is filled by RecPak, a veteran owned small company that a former Marine (Semper Fi brother!), Reed, started when he couldn’t find a meal replacement solution that fit his needs. I like supporting our Veterans, American made products, and a company that belongs to 1% For The Planet. The company also joins me in supporting the Conservation Alliance, The Access Fund, and the American Alpine Club. So when a media sample was sent to me to review I was willing to set aside my personal indifference around “protein shakes” and give RecPak a fair try.

I received ten each of the Chocolate and Vanilla Chai flavors. Since I work with a mountain guide service that has guides adventuring all over North America and beyond I distributed some of the media samples to my colleagues to get their feedback as well.

Taste

I am not a true expert in meal replacement or protein shakes. I can’t speak much on the flavor of either the chocolate or the vanilla chai. My palate would place both of these flavors in the “fine” category. They taste like most other protein shakes I’ve tried. I don’t think people really fuss much over the flavor of such a practical item, do they? The other testers agreed the flavor is on par with similar products they have tried.

Texture

This, for me, is more important than flavor when it comes to nutritional supplemental shakes. I have tried some brands whose solubility was just not up to the task of being drinkable. RecPak however, with one important caveat, has great solubility. After adding some cool water to my first RecPak, a chocolate flavored pouch, I took my first sip. I was greeted with some peanut butter like paste. Cap back on, a minute of very vigorous shaking, then another sip. Better, but still not where I wanted it to be. I check the instructions on the back a little closer.

“For best consistency, let settle for a few minutes after shaking”

I stuffed the pouch back in the top of my pack and covered another 1/4 mile above tree-line before stopping at a nice view of the Southern Presidential’s and took my third sip. Now the mix had fully dissolved into a smooth consistency that was pleasant to drink. I drank about a third of the pouch and put it back in my pack before continuing up to the summit of Mount Pierce.

Nutrition

I am not a nutritionist. Many of my readers probably have more education on performance nutrition than I do. After a sunrise summit of Mount Chocurua, I read the ingredients to my hiking companion.

He is a nutritionally educated personal trainer. He nodded his head at each ingredient. He was impressed. Nothing was added that would reduce the value of the mix. He noted the 42 grams of protein is especially welcome considering the requirements of weight training.

Performance

Designed specifically to replace calories depleted during endurance sports RecPak hits the mark. Seven hundred properly balanced calories in a package that weighs just over 6 ounces (175 grams) is impressive. I definitely felt re-fueled after consuming just half of a package.

RecPak for Preppers & Thru-Hikers

I’ve recently started shifting my mindset to adapt a bit more of what is often referred to as a “Prepper” mindset. I’m not digging any bunkers in the backyard but I have adopted the practice of having a “Get Home” bag packed in my car as I travel pretty far from home in very rural areas almost daily. It’s comforting to know I have everything in my car that I would need to travel by foot for 2-3 days if I ever needed to. For that reason two of these RecPak’s now live in my Get-Home-Bag. A huge bonus is these bags are reusable and compatible with the Sawyer Mini Filter which is also in my Get-Home-Bag. Extra treated water storage is great for everything from SHTF type events, vehicle breakdowns, or long distance Thru-Hiking.

Expect a post soon detailing the contents of my Get-Home-Bag

Summary

RecPak has caused me to return to the meal replacement/protein shake space after a pretty long hiatus. I won’t rave about the flavor of any protein shake anytime soon. However, the convenience of quick healthy calorie replacement is impressive. I found the serving size to be a little large. One of the other testers agreed. It felt can feel over-sized when you are still moving quickly on your adventure. His exact words were “I can’t consume 700 calories at once”. In cooler temps after mixing you have a couple days to finish consuming the drink. This timing works for me. On my hikes, I would start a pouch around lunch time. I would finish it at the end of the day. I appreciated how small the packaging was after finishing for easy packing out.

If you are a mountain athlete who has tried to cut back on pack weight but still have what you need to complete the mission take a look at RecPak. In my opinion it is a solid product made by a company with great ethics and global responsibility that I can align with. I will continue to carry one on my hiking and climbing adventures while two will live in my Get-Home-Bag. Once I start to get low in supply I’ll be placing an order for the new Coffee flavor that 150mg of caffeine!

BUY NOW

Readers! Have you tried RecPak yet? Are you into “meal replacement” or protein shakes? Nothing beats left over Flatbread pizza but that’s not always practical! Share your thoughts, comments, questions below!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Disclaimer: Media samples were sent to the author for purpose of review. Affiliate links above support the content created here. Making a purchase after using one of these links earns the author a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Gear Review: 43 CBD Solutions Hemp Oil and Salves

August 25, 2020October 16, 2020 David Lottmann Gear Reviews, Misc Reviews CBD, CBD Oil, Fitness, healthy living, Hemp Oil, Hemp Salve, Mental Health, Organic, reducing anxiety, reducing stress

The Fall of 2019 introduced me to a new level of stress and anxiety when I unexpectedly lost my father in a very difficult fashion. I didn’t realize how depressed I had become as I struggled processing the grief. An injury in early March took me out of work and almost any physical activity for a month, then COVID hit. The thought of my now widowed mother being stuck in Florida away from any family for the summer during the pandemic led to high blood pressure and sleepless nights. A few sessions with a therapist helped but I needed to figure something else out.

I had received some samples from the Colorado based 43 CBD Solutions almost a year ago but had not bothered testing them as I wasn’t sure if I believed in the claims of what these products could do. My first taste of the CBD Hemp Oil Tincture was a hour before giving my father’s Eulogy. I couldn’t be sure it was having any positive effect on me as my emotions during this time were so overwhelmed with what was happening.

Most of the winter passed with me focusing on work and realizing I still wasn’t processing my grief in a healthy way. When the Spring ski accident and COVID-19 shutdown occurred it created even more stress and I started to feel like I would implode. On a call with my therapist he asked me if I was breathing. I realized sub-consciously I was barely taking full breaths. My chest felt tight. I still had moderate hypertension (high-blood pressure). I decided to give the 43 CBD products another try.

I’ve never used other CBD products before so I find it hard to review or compare. After months of weekly use I’m confident they are making a difference. I don’t use them every day but 2 or 3 times a week I will take a few drops of the oil on the tongue after waking up, and I do feel a little more relaxed during the day. It is a discreet feeling that is really hard to define but I do feel less “edgy”. I haven’t felt at all “high”, but for anyone slightly concerned about having any THC in their system they did just release a THC-free line.

I’ve also taken a few drops on some nights and have noticed I sleep better on the nights I do. I’ve been using the 1000mg CBD Ultra Deep Tissue Salve on my elbows (minor tendonitis) and can honestly say I have never used a better rub for muscle/tendon/joint pain relief! The relief is almost instant and seems to last longer than “IcyHot” rubs I used to use. I’ve also noticed better circulation in my arms when using it and I don’t get “pins and needles” while sleeping.

Rounding out the products I’ve tested is a small pocket tin I use as a lip balm and on the go pain relief. While I don’t use marijuana I find the natural hemp smell to have a calming effect.

Summary

I was definitely a skeptic going into this product testing. When I asked my licensed therapist his opinion on using CBD to help with anxiety he claimed the science supports their effectiveness but it can be hard to determine the quality of a somewhat unregulated industry and determine whether or not I’m experiencing some type of placebo reaction. I’ve come to the conclusion that the general feeling of well-being and lower blood pressure is a direct result of using these products, combined with increased exercise, hiking with the kids, and returning to productive and rewarding work. If you are experiencing stress and anxiety for any reason (and we all have enough reason right now to be stressed out), and have considered trying a CBD option, the choices can be a little over-whelming. The folks at 43 CBD Solutions have a quality product that goes through rigorous third party testing. You can feel safe in knowing exactly what you are putting into your body. And most importantly I now believe it works.

Purchase

Right now they are offering a BOGO 50% offer! That’s a great deal considering they are already a competitively priced product! Just shop from here and enter “BOGO50” at checkout!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Affiliate links above help support this blog. Media samples were provided for purpose of review. All opinions stated above are the genuine opinions of the author.

Gear Review: Hydroflask Tumblers, Bottles, and Food Containers

November 12, 2018November 21, 2018 David Lottmann Gear Reviews, hiking, Misc Reviews Coffee Tumblers, Fitness, Hydration, Hydroflask, Outdoor Life, Water Bottles

Hydroflask Review — Our Hydroflask Family

Our little Hydroflask family is growing! It started with the orange 21 oz Standard Mouth Insulated Bottle that I bought about 5 or 6 years ago. This has served as my wife’s gym bottle and my “light cragging” water bottle quite well. I then bought my 40oz Tall Boy, which has carried everything from ice water for relaxing on the beach in the summer to hot mulled apple cider for Fall/Winter day hikes. A couple of years ago I picked up a first generation food flask (far left) which kept soups and chili’s hot while winter climbing on Mount Washington and ice climbing in Crawford Notch. Just recently Hydroflask sent me their updated version of the 12 oz Food Flask and a 16 oz Insulated Coffee Flask to review.

25% off Site Wide + Free Shipping! Use offer code UNDERTREE in cart. Offer ends soon! Coupon Code: UNDERTREE

Hydroflask has coffee mugs now! Photo by Cait Bourgault

So what makes Hydroflask different from all the other water bottle/tumbler companies out there? Well that would be the TempShield™ double walled vacuum technology that keeps drinks hot or colder longer than the competition. I wanted to try to quantify this statement with a little informal testing. Granted this is not some “double blind” research but it illustrates the point. First test…

Keeping Hot… Hot

I had experienced it many times before finding my coffee or tea still piping hot 4-5 hours into a sub-zero climb on Mount Washington. More recently I’ve used the Food Flask to keep soup & chili hot for a mid-day hot lunch sans stove while ice climbing or back-country skiing. To illustrate this I added just boiled water to a room temperature 12 oz Food Flask.

I then placed this in my freezer at -10°F (-23°C) for about 4.5 hours.

Impressively the water temp was still quite hot. In real life practice you can get better results then this when using the Hydroflask for food or drink. First, you can “pre-heat” the container by filling it with boiled water while heating up your food or drink separately. Then dump the hot water and immediately put your hot drink/food in and seal the container. Second, the container gets even more insulation when carrying it in my backpack surrounded by puffy insulating layers of clothing. Finally, if it’s a hot meal like chili or soup I tend to not open it until I want to consume the whole container (lunch time). Having it open for only a few minutes in arctic temperatures and moderate winds will see stored heat quickly lost!

Keeping Cold… Cold

I have also discovered that this much insulation can keep my ice in solid form for multiple pours of a refreshing beverage while hitting our local little pond beach or a town music festival. It’s almost hard to believe how effective these can keep ice. For this informal experiment I packed the same room temperature 12 oz Food Flask with ice from our freezer, sealed it, and sat it on our kitchen table overnight. We are currently burning wood so our house is sitting around 70 degrees (yay shorts in the winter).

Around 1:30 pm the following day (19.5 hours later) I remembered I was doing the experiment, moved it to the kitchen counter, and opened it.

I’m confident that if I reran this for 24 hours there would still be some water in frozen form at the end of the 24 hours! So how does Hydroflask insulate so well? It comes down to their patented TempShield™ technology. I spare you the nitty gritty and just say that not all “double walled” constructions are created equal. If you are interested in some of the finer details you can read about it here.

Finally of note with this updated 12 oz Food Flask is the more rounded “pill shape” design and leak-proof design. This packs in my smaller ice climbing packs quite well and I haven’t had a single leak during over fifty miles of trail and thousands of feet of climbing.

Social Responsibility

I also have to say I love finding products that not only work well for my family but are made by companies committed to giving back, especially when it comes to our natural resources! Through “Parks For All” Hydroflask is currently providing over $110,000 in grants to help protect, restore, and provide access to various park projects. You can learn more here.

World Surf League Partnership

I’m not a surfer, but I have quite a few friends (and one kick ass niece) who is, so you surfer types can read up on what this is all about here.

Great Warranty!

Hydroflask stands behind their products with an excellent warranty. It’s not a “drop it off a thousand foot cliff get a new one” type warranty (I’m personally glad those types of warranties are becoming a thing of the past) but one that truly stands behind the craftsmanship yet maintains a slight bit of realistic expectation. You can read the full details here.

Disclaimer/Exclusive Reader Discount!

First off you should know of the 5 Hydroflask models I’ve talked about the updated 12 oz Food Flask and 16 oz Insulated Coffee Flask were provided by Hydroflask to review. The other three models pictured in the first pic were purchased with my own money. Getting a couple samples has not influenced my opinion on these items in any way!

Buy from Hydroflask

Second, Hydroflask has already started offering free Holiday Shopping on all orders, no minimum purchase! You can find the daily code for free shipping at the top of Hydroflask website. Then you can also enter “ALPINESTART18” in the cart and get an extra 10% off your order (minimum order of $20). The free shipping and 10% off codes work together! I just tested it to buy myself a 16 oz Insulated Coffee Flask since the purple one they sent me works better for my wife!

Summary

A water bottle or coffee mug is such an essential for our daily lives. Once you start using a quality one from a company like Hydroflask you quickly realize that design matters. Whether replacing that old funky plastic gym bottle or realizing you can have hot soup 4000 feet up a winter climb without firing up the stove there is most definitely a Hydroflask model that would be a nice addition to your kit (or your friends & family’s kits). These make awesome holiday gifts and as such will be included in my 2018 Holiday Gift Guide coming out at the end of the month. Thanks for reading!

25% off Site Wide + Free Shipping! Use offer code UNDERTREE in cart. Offer ends soon! Coupon Code: UNDERTREE

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

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