If you go to any sports store and ask for electric light powder, you are more than likely to be handed a packet with 20g of sugar. Most people believe that sugar is a source of high energy, which it is. The problem with sugar (for me at least) is that it causes energy highs followed by serious energy lows. You can argue that you can just continue to slurp down sugar drinks to keep the highs coming, but after a while, your stomach will begin to turn upside down. Let’s not even get into the fact that some ultra-runners are becoming diabetic from the amount of sugar they are consuming.

I am a heavier runner. Heavier as in I practice upper-body powerlifting. I am approx. 183LBS. and 5’10.75″.  I am by no means overweight, but with running ultras, I need to have an extremely low body fat composition to compete with the less muscular, faster individuals. To cut weight this season I turned to a no-sugar diet, and seriously decreased my alcohol consumption. While I experimented with a no-sugar diet this spring, I quickly found the great benefits that came along with it. As we moved into the summer months I began my search for an electrolyte powder that did not contain any sugar. I took to the Trail and Ultrarunning group on Facebook and was plastered with overwhelming support and recommendations.

Here I am detailing my experiences with sugar-free electrolytes and a review of my top 3. *All testing of electrolytes was done on a 16-mile road run with nothing but 16-ounces of coffee in my stomach.*

3.) Ultima Replenisher

Ultima was recommended by just one person, but it was relatively cheap, so I figured why not try it. They had a bunch of different flavors which made them stand out from the rest. I was attracted to this because after 80 hours of running I tend to get very sick of repetitive flavors. Overall, I do not think I will purchase again. For the sole reason that it hurt my stomach! This may just be a problem with my stomach, so I still encourage you to try it! 
Pros: Plenty of
flavors, tastes great, high in micro-nutrients compared to other powders 
Cons: Hurt my stomach
slightly

2.) UCAN HYDRATE

UCAN is great because it was made by a great company. Go to their website and you will find plenty of science and studies that back their product. This is what ultimately sold me, I was able to trust these people. I felt very nutritionally equipped with this electrolyte. There were a few downfalls though. The first being the aftertaste. It wasn’t just a usual after-taste, it was one of those stick-to-your-tongue aftertastes. I stored these mixtures in two soft flasks that were mounted in my chest pockets. With storage on your chest, it is inevitable that the mixture will shake a lot. Unfortunately, I found that when UCAN is shaken, it begins to foam up. This was a problem as I drank the foamy mixture and began to burp. Burping while running is never fun.

Pros: Great nutrition, good company.

Cons: Bad after taste, foamy

1.) LMNT

This stuff is THE BEST. First off, the taste. It’s like a saltier, less sweet, lemon-lime Gatorade. It was exactly what I was looking for. This powder DID NOT foam up either which was a game-changer. The amount of magnesium was impressive. In case you were wondering, magnesium helps your body absorb the salt. Can I also say the packaging is seriously underrated? Instead of being that annoying straw/tube length, it was more like a rectangle. These fit perfectly into the shoulder pocket on my RaveRunner® Hydration Pack. I have ONE minor complaint. When mixing this electrolyte drink while eating Cheez-It’s (my favorite trail snack) I experience an awful taste. BUMMER. Whatever, I will continue to order this product until it proves me wrong. Thanks, LMNT!

Pros: Taste amazing, no foam, convenient packaging.

Cons: Expensive, taste bad with Cheez-It’s

After breaking out of my comfort zone, I am pleased to say the no-sugar diet is a success. With the help of the running community, I was able to find the perfect electrolyte mixture that allowed me to continue my sugar-free lifestyle. I highly recommend that you try this as well, especially if you are someone that struggles with stomach issues during races! If you have any other recommendations, please feel free to drop them in the comments below.

Ryan Lange

Founder | Lead Creative

Ryan is an Ultra-marathon runner, music festival enthusiast, MX rider, snowboarder, and overall outdoor adventurer.

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Music festivals are a place where we go to escape all the stress in our lives. Festivals are a place to make new friends & have amazing experiences. A place to enjoy hours upon hours of music that gives us goosebumps, & an outlet for self-expression.

There are very few places that offer the kind of acceptance and whimsy that music festivals do.

The Growth of Festivals & The Rise of Theft

Music festivals are growing. The total number of attendees, the number of events, & ticket prices are all growing. Many of these festival-goers are leaving festivals with fond memories and a smile on their face. Yet there is a growing issue. The festival community has been plagued by an ever-growing issue: THEFT. A study by Cooney & Conway suggests that as many as 1 in 7 music festival-goers will be stolen from… And that number is increasing. The people who are committing these acts of crime are certainly wrong, but they have found the perfect place to execute their wrongdoing. The stage is set perfectly for them (quite literally). They have tons of cover due to the size of the crowd; they know people are often in an inebriated state or they are very distracted by their favorite act on the main stage.

Large crowds of people are mushed together, constantly touching shoulders, backs, arms, legs, etc. of other peers. It has caused attendees to become desensitized when they are touched because it has become expected when they are in large crowds. Combine this with a laser focus on their favorite act, and they are a prime target for a pickpocket. Then the night falls and darkness gives the pickpocket an added layer of cover to potentially steal your phone that is worth a couple of hundred dollars on the black market… Even if it is cloud locked.

With all events factored in, this is a thief’s dream. They can stick their hand in your pocket or backpack without you having any idea. While some people like to say they are always protecting themselves against theft, it is almost inevitable that they or someone they know will have something stolen. These thieves have tactics that thwart the most guarded attendees and the police presence on site. By traveling in a pack and armed with a systematic plan from the minute they walk into the festival to the minute they walk out they are able to leave with $8,000 worth of festival-goer valuables to be sold for a profit. In a recent article about thieves running rampant at FireFly Music Festival 2019, some attendees were able to recover their possessions with the aid of the local police department. Although most wear not able to recover their phones and other possessions.

Relentless Beats & GenZ Unite To Stop Theft at GoldRush Music Festival

GenZ, outdoor gear and apparel start-up, is here to help. The team of athletes and festival goers became aware of this problem and saw other areas where festival-goers could also elevate their experience. Launching this past March GenZ released the RaveRunner® hydration pack. The RaveRunner® is an anti-theft, fully customizable & easily re-fillable hydration backpack with tons of other bells-and-whistles included ranging from a solar panel charger to a sound reactive disco ball known as under-glow, to easily threaded EL wire. With raving reviews, the RaveRunner® has quickly become known as the ultimate festival hydration pack. At GenZ we do not want to limit our help through just a product, but rather to spread awareness of this on-going issue.

In April, Jason Euler, the partnership manager at Relentless Beats, a leader in dance music promotion reached out to GenZ. Jason asked about the possibility of a partnership stressing that Relentless Beats had to hire more security due to the growing issue. Previous efforts such as going cashless with RFID wristbands have greatly helped, but thieves were targeting phones, small electronics, and attendees were still bringing their wallets with credit cards. Jason stressed that theft is an ongoing problem and partnering. Through partnering with GenZ both brands look to increase the experience that festival-goers are seeking. We were honored and found this to be the perfect opportunity to run a strong awareness campaign to our fellow festival-goers. As well as align with a company that prioritizes its fans and their experiences above all else. Over the past couple of months, GenZ and Relentless Beats crafted a campaign “to take a strong stance against theft,” said Euler. With sponsoring the upcoming Goldrush Music Festival in late September, GenZ and Relentless Beats will be running a marketing campaign to raise awareness about this problem and how to have a more enjoyable experience. “At GenZ we believe that all festival-goers are entitled to nothing short of an amazing time. That is what we are here to do,” said Ryan Lange, the founder of GenZ.” Whether you are wearing a RaveRunner® or not, we want to make sure that you are carefree and safe,” said Lange.

With the ever going problem of theft on the rise, Relentless beats and GenZ are here to begin to turn the tide and take steps to put these thieves totally out of business. This is our community, our home, our festival, and it’s our obligation to run these pickpockets out of town,” Lange exclaimed.

Get our Printable Festival Camping Checklist Here!

It’s your first festival and you’re not sure what to put on your festival camping checklist? You won’t be able to survive with just the best festival hydration pack. No worries, we have your back. Festival camping is much different than just camping out in the wilderness. Have you done a couple of festivals but still looking to learn the expert-level festival camping essentials? We’ve got you covered. Think you know what you’re doing? We have a few secrets that are sure to wow you.

Camping at a festival is something I personally look forward to.  The challenge of crafting meals with minimal ingredients while subbing-in for a celeb shot in beer pong isn’t easy. Cranking some tunes from my speaker laid on a table covered in cups, plates, bread, and beer cans to be seriously fun.

Camping with friends gives you the opportunity to create some great memories, but they won’t be fun memories unless you come prepared with the best festival camping checlist. As a group, you all need to come together pitch in a little bit of effort to turn your campsite into the happening spot that will attract all the good vibes.

General Camping Items

The Must-Haves for a festival camping checklist

A Camping Alpha – It does not matter who it is, but there must be one person who is the camp mom/dad/alpha. Nobody wants to walk around and pick up the beer cans, cook all the food, or clean up after people’s meals, but it has to be done. Camp alpha is not a chosen person, rather, they rise to the occasion like a true leader! People will be thankful for the camp alpha; people will come to you for help and solutions to their problems and they will in return receive good Karma for the weekend.

Canopy (or 2) – How else will you shield yourself from the sun? Canopies are also great for hanging things from. We will talk about that later

Cooler with Dry Ice – STOP BUYING ICE! We have a solution that will last all weekend no matter how hot it is. Take your cooler (make it a big one) go to the grocery store and buy 3-4 blocks of dry ice. It may be a little expensive, but it will be much cheaper and efficient than running around trying to buy ice. Put the blocks of ice at the bottom of your cooler and cover it with cardboard. Congrats, you just made your cooler into a refrigerator! This may seem a little “extra” but I guarantee you that people will be amazed by your skills.

Tent – Bring enough tents so people can sleep comfortably. Tents tend to get hot enough

Air Mattress – Make sure it is a quality one that isn’t going to deflate while you sleep on it.

Very thin blanket – Most of the time I don’t even use a blanket because it gets so insanely hot, but if you do need one, make sure it is breathable

Tarps, Tarps, more Tarps – You cannot have enough tarps. Put one under each tent to stop water from getting in if it rains

Multiple Tables – These can be picked up last minute, we would advise getting two 6-foot tables as there should be a cooking table and a miscellaneous (spread all of our stuff out) table. Actually, scratch that, you’ll need three, how else could you play beer pong?

Camping chairs – You can never have enough chairs as everyone will want to be sitting around and relaxing

Portable Speaker – What kind of campsite doesn’t have music! We recommend investing in a water/weatherproof speaker. This way if you leave it out, you won’t have to worry about the rain destroying it

Some sort of light source – Regardless if it is a headlamp, lantern, or candle, you will need to have something to guide you around your campsite at night.

Pong Balls – So you can finally make your best friend do the naked mile, in front of thousands of people!

Duct Tape- ….you never know….

The Nice-To-Haves for a festival camping checklist

Camp Flag & Flagpole. Being able to find your campsite when coming back from the festival is essential to having a low-stress weekend.

Camping Bench – Yes, they exist. This is a great way to add people a place to sit down without taking up much room in the car

Drawers for items – Keep everything organized with 1-2 plastic drawers from Walmart. This will stop the problem of having utensils and stuff sprawled everywhere

Solar Chargers – Spread a couple of these out for them to charge all day so you can come home and not have a dead phone.

Knife/Hammer/Scissors – You’ll be surprised how many times you will need all of these items.

Battery Operated Fan – Unless you end up getting a nice cool weekend, everyone will be thankful you brought one of these along

Frisbee – This is a great way to make some friends! Or, enemies if you can’t throw it right…

Pro Level Festival Camping Gear

Camp Chain – This is probably the one item on the list that not many people think of. Get a REALLY long chain (30-40 ft), before you go into the festival thread the chain around every possible thing you have at your campsite and lock it with a combination lock. Doing this will make it near impossible for people to steal anything at your campsite and you won’t have to worry about people stealing your cooler with all your beer!

Baggo – Awesome game that only requires 1 hand giving you a free hand to hold a beer.

Party Hats – Tell everyone it’s your campsites birthday and you’re celebrating all weekend

Cards – This is one item that I almost forget every time, and I am always mad at myself.

Dice – Lookup the game “Beer Dye”, it is probably the best drinking game ever.

Kiddie Pool – People will walk by with extreme jealousy that they didn’t think to bring a kiddie pool

Camp Rug – There will never be enough seats for everyone, don’t let your squad sit on the dirty ground! Walk around your neighborhood during bulk trash season. One man’s trash is another man’s festival essential

Cooking/Eating items

The Must-Haves

Propane stove, pan, spatula, tongs – Unless you’re okay with surviving off snacks for 3 days (ill-advised), these are something every campsite needs to have. You can pick up one of these right before you hit festival grounds at the local Walmart or hardware store. Even if you have one pan, you can make it work

Enough propane tanks to last the weekend AND THEN SOME MORE – If you don’t run out of propane, other people will. Exchange that extra propane you brought for some good Karma.

Strong Paper Plates + Utensils – Don’t buy those flimsy paper plates. I cannot tell you how many burgers I have dropped because of them. Get the reliable Dixie plates.

Red Solo’s – This one should be self-explanatory

Cooking Spray – Some people may not consider this a must-have, but it will save you so much time cleaning.

The Nice-to-haves

Grill – This will save some time and space from cooking everything in a pan. Make sure to bring along a cleaning brush. Those vegan friends will be mad if their veggie burger tastes like sausage egg, & cheese…

Seasonings – Eggs are boring without salt or hot sauce. You want people to be excited that you are cooking, not walking a mile to buy a premade burger for $8!

Aluminum Foil – Someone may be in the middle of slaying the neighbors in baggo or beer pong. Don’t be rude and leave their burger out to the flys! Wrap it up and toss it back in the grill that you just turned off so you can sit back, crack a cold one, and enjoy yourself.

Pro-Level Gear

Scotch Bright Metal Screen – This little screen is made to scrub all excess food off of your pans. My Dad introduced this to me, and it makes life so much easier. With this tool, you’ll be done cleaning before your friend can sink his teeth into the amazing burger you just made.

Peanut/Sesame Oil – Yeah, olive oil is great, but have you ever had hibachi chicken? They use sesame oil, and it is INSANELY good. People when begin asking when you can come to cook at home for them.

Apron with funny Quote – You can’t deny the fact that when you look at someone wearing an apron, you automatically generalize that you should go eat their food.

Toothpicks – If you’re given a burger with a toothpick through it, don’t you feel that much more special?

French Press – Unless you want to run 6 miles to-and-from a Dunkin and have to carry 96-ounces of coffee for your crew (which I have done), invest in a nice French press.

Festival Camping Cleaning Items

The Must-Haves

Trash Bags – This is an easy one to forget and will result in an untidy camping area. Tie a trash bag in 2 corners of your canopy like pictured below, this makes it easy for everyone to spot. If people can’t see a trash bag in sight, they are more than likely too lazy to seek it out, which results in it being thrown on the ground

Paper Towels – Don’t bother with napkins. Put a wooden stick through the roll and hang it from the canopy. This allows people to grab and rip paper towels while they have dirty fingers without fumbling the roll. This also keeps the roll out of the dirt.

Cleaning spray (non-bleach) – The table is going to get nasty, and you’ll want to take care of that…

The Nice-To-Haves

Grease Lightning – Sometimes Windex won’t be able to take care of that burger grease. This will get the job done

Hand Sanitizer – Getting sick on day two would not be ideal

Pro Level Gear

Water Jug Faucet – In every grocery story you will be able to find a 2-liter water jug with a nozzle at the bottom. Place this on the side of a table with some soap next to it. BANG! You just gave your squad a sink to clean up with before they eat. People will tell you how smart you are.

Toiletries/Personal for a festival camping checklist

The Must-Haves

Baby Wipes – This is a quick and easy way to get very clean very fast.

Toilet Paper – This goes without saying…

Sunscreen – There will always be that one person who falls asleep in their chair and doesn’t wake up until they have an awful sunburn.

First Aid Kit – You never know what will happen when you’re getting rowdy at the campsite!

Vitamins/Cold Medicine – Your immune system will be at a low, make sure you help it go to battle

Travel size toothpaste, deodorant, etc. – Whatever you use at home on the daily, be sure to bring in travel size

The Nice-to-Haves

Extra contacts – Last year I got sunscreen in my eye and was so thankful to have an extra pair

Disposable Razors – Don’t look like a bum by day 3!

Pain Medicine – You WILL have a headache at some point

Bath Towel – I put this on the “goo-to-have” because I used to always forget a towel and end up airdrying. Now I simply prefer to airdry and it saves space in my luggage

Earplugs & Eye covers – So you can get some sleep

Pro Level Gear

Solar Shower – We cannot stress how good it feels to show at your own will. Feeling refreshed is very important in having a good festival experience. The solar shower is very cheap too.

GLITTER – Glitter is acceptable for anyone and every at festivals and is a festival camping checklist essential!

Anti-Chafe Cream & Hydrocortisone cream – If you didn’t prevent the chafe with Squirrels Nut Butter, make sure you cure it with Hydrocortisone cream!

Final Thoughts

Festivals are supposed to be a time for serious fun and relaxation. Don’t get frustrated when setting up. Make sure you allot plenty of time, so you don’t end up rushing to get into the festival.

Have everyone contribute to bringing things included on the festival camping checklist and setting up. My squad usually brings funny gifts/games for each other as surprises. A good idea would be to send in the festival camping checklist to your group chat a week before the event takes place. This will let people decide what they should be responsible for bringing.

Keep it as clean as possible! This will make the cleanup in the end much easier and will give you a more enjoyable relaxing experience.

Get our Printable Festival Camping Checklist Here!

EDC Orlando just ended this festival season with a bang. There were some historic sets, torrential downpours, and good times to be had. Unfortunately, there were also too many people like this guy, Carlos, measling their way around the festival grounds. Theft continues to be an aggravating problem that has plagued festival ground for years. We know we can get rid of these thieves eventually, but it won’t happen without our community fighting back. The first step in guarding yourself, and others, against thieves, is to simply become aware that they are out there and actively looking to reach into your pack, pockets, or whatever thieves can easily open and get into. These people often dress just like fellow festival-goers, but their tone and attitude are dead giveaways. When you spot someone with a stern face constantly scanning the crowd, you know something is off. We also follow the rule of “vibes speak louder than words,” you can feel when someone’s energy or intentions are off. With that being said, here are 5 ways to stop festival theft:

1.) Wear a RaveRunner®

Our number one recommendation will always be, bring along a RaveRunner®! We built the backpack with your safety in mind. The chest pockets and hidden pockets will serve you well along with the inverted zipper to the main compartment! We don’t need to sit here and play salesman, but we made this because we want you to live with peace-of-mind.

2.) Wear clothes with zippered pockets

Your first course of action to stop festival theft will be to wear clothes with zipper pockets. Companies like Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon, and the like all make shorts that have “invisible” zipper pockets. This will help stop your phone from bouncing out of your pocket while dancing as well. We know not everybody will be wearing shorts. In that case, get a phone case necklace. This strategy will always keep your phone in front of you!

3.) Utilize the lockers

Another easy way to avoid theft is to utilize the lockers! Not many people use these enough. If you have a small camera or battery to charge your phone, go rent a locker. You will be able to party with peace-of-mind knowing that your valuables are locked up. All we ask is to PLEASE remember the code to get back into your locker. DO NOT rely on putting it into your phone. Your phone is an item that can be lost. Ask the attendant for a pen and write it on the back of your hand. It’s impossible to lose your hand, usually…

4.) Designate one person to hold valuables

Have one person in your group hold the valuables and make sure it is all secure. This may sound annoying at first, but we are huge advocates for “living in the moment,” here at GenZ. You are not going to need your camera at all times. If you are with your friends, you won’t need to text them. Most of the time, cell service is nonexistent at festivals. That’s just another reason not to have your phone. It may sound a little risky giving one person everything, but if you guard them like you are playing capture the flag back in 5th grade, you should be A-okay.

5.) Be strategic

Just watch out for each other. We usually have the tallest member of our squad standing in the back of us. He becomes almost like a watchdog without having to really take his eyes off the stage. More often, we are seeing videos of thieves being caught in their actions at events. This is due to people catching onto their antics! Watch each other’s backs and just be aware that there are people out there that on trying to steal from you. Festivals are our playground, but on our playground there are bullies. The only way to stand up to those bullies is to use the tools that exist and watch out for each other. Have fun out there, but stay safe! RaveRunner®s, OUT!

Drive-In concerts have begun to pop up all of the US. With Covid-19 taking away any and all fun, promoters have figure out how to create socially distant events. Let’s give all promoters in the US two claps for bringing us just a taste of what the usual summer festival season feels like.

*clap clap*

The RaveRunner®’s drove to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA to go see Subtronics. We had a blast but were unsure of how to be prepared for a drive-in concert. Who has ever thought these would be a thing?

In this post, we will break down what to expect at a drive-in concert, what you will need, and how to stay protected while there.

1.) Speaker with FM connectivity

At the drive-in concert, we went to, the production team took over a radio station and you were able to play the music in your car. While sitting in your car was great, you couldn’t hear it is you wanted to get out and dance. Sure, this sounds pretty hi-tech, but it’s not. Amazon has plenty of options from a small $40 speaker to a large $130 speaker. Check the Bluetooth speakers that you already own. You may be surprised to find that you already have a speaker with FM radio connectivity.

2.) Chair and table to section off your area

It is inevitable, there will be people that do not abide by the social distancing rules. We cannot stop them….BUT we can protect ourselves. What we did was line the perimeter of our 30ft x 10ft area with chairs and tables. Nobody was able to breach our area and enter our dance floor! It was great and kept the angst of being there to a minimum.

3.) Your own snacks and drinks

The promoters said that you are not able to bring in ANY outdoor snacks and drinks. They stated that food could be purchased there. Reluctantly, we said, “screw that,” and snuck in some precious chips and White Claws. They were selling food and drinks there, but you had to wait for people to bring it to you… We never ordered anything but when I walked over to see what was happening at the food tent and go to the bathroom, I heard someone say they were out of food and there were over 200 drinks lined up on a table ready to go out and be served. None of it looked like it was going well.

Don’t listen to them….sneak in your snacks…..

4.) Truck with a bed

This may be tough to come by and that is understandable, if you have a friend with a truck ask them if they can drive and everyone else pays for gas. Being up high with the elevation of a truck bed was perfect for seeing the full stage.
5.) Truck with an outlet in the bed

Okay, we are aware that we are really stretching it here. This came in the clutch because we were able to plug in out lights without a generator going. Additionally, we were able to charge the speaker if needed.

1.) Inflatable Couch

We saw someone with this and, WOW, did they look comfy.

2.) More Snacks

This is self-explanatory…
1.) Lasers

2.) Black Light

3.) Canopy

If it was raining, maybe a canopy would have been a hard need. Nonetheless, it was nice to have some lights hanging out to make the show feel more like the real deal! Overall, we had a blast. Hopefully, this post is able to give you a reasonable understanding of what to expect. The biggest concern I would have is wearing your mask and keeping your distance from others. This will not only help you stay safe, but it will minimize any health concerns that may shut down drive-in concerts in the future!

Stay safe, and have fun!

Best,
The RaveRunner®s

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