I have good luck with a mix of carbopro and nuun... and hear great things about infinit as well.

What distance are you looking for ideas for?

Nutrition is very personal though, so it does just take a lot of trying of things to see how it goes.

Perhaps you'll have better luck with something more natural like the Honey gels?

Maybe just try regular Gatorade Endurance powder?

Personally, I like the Powerbar Gels, but I haven't had a problem with any of the other gels either, so I don't know that really helps narrow it down for you. Shot Bloks are also a popular alternative.

Recently, I've been using InfinIT, and been really happy with it. Unfortunately it can be a bit pricey by the time you factor in shipping if you are just going to "try it out".

Gu20 has single serving packs, and a couple of other drink mixes have single serving mixes that you can try.

I've also heard of people using Pedialyte.

Just some thoughts. Like Kylie said, it's something that you have to play around with, and find something that works for you personally.

Go to REI and get one each single serving mix. I did this with Gu20, Cytomax, and Accelerade and have been using accelerade ever since.

I second the advice to try different things, everyone's body reacts to nutrition differently. I personally like Accelerade pretty well and I use that in training and shorter races, but I'm currently using Endura for any event longer than 2.5 - 3 hours because Accelerade eventually bugs my stomach after a longer time. Endura isn't as well known as some of the others, but it's high in magnesium and very easy on the stomach, it was recommended to me by a distance cyclist and I've been pretty happy using that.

INFINIT! I have yet to read or hear from anyone who's tried it and did NOT like it.
http://www.infinitnutrition.us/

Try their off the shelf formulas first, and then if you like, make your own custom mix. I do. LOVE the stuff.

[quote=theShiba]Perhaps you'll have better luck with something more natural like the Honey gels?
[/quote]
I tried my first Honey gel yesterday, and it was so much easier to take than the gu, hammer, or powerbar gels i've tried.

[quote=kona_expat]Try their off the shelf formulas first[/quote] I'm being sucked in by all this talk about Infinit so I'm getting a supply. What is their 'off the shelf' formula? Middle-of-the-road on each ingredient?

[quote=TryScott][quote=theShiba]Perhaps you'll have better luck with something more natural like the Honey gels?
[/quote]
I tried my first Honey gel yesterday, and it was so much easier to take than the gu, hammer, or powerbar gels i've tried.[/quote]

Honey Gel (Honey Stingers?) is honey, I believe. If so, you are paying for packaging. Think about a gu flash and a bottle of honey. It's pretty rich though.

can you only get infinit online or do some stores keep it?

Infinit for me, as well as Cliff Shot Blox, Luna Moons, and E-gels work. I have a very sensitive tummy and the infinit has worked on olys, 1/2 IM and full IM as well as training sessions.

You have to do it online, but the great thing is, you can email them, and ask for the questionnaire. I did one and we managed to make a formula that is just right for me. It asked stuff about lactose tolerance, caffeine, etc.

I now have 2 formulas, my IM formula, then I took my IM formula and lowered the calories on it and have a great one for olys and 1/2 IMs as well as training.

WELL WORTH the time, especially if you have a sensitive tummy.

If you are getting IntinIT for the first time, I recommend you take the "quiz" that runs down your promary nutrition concerns, event distance/duration, sweat-rate, and tailors a formula for you.

http://www.infinitnutrition.us/interview.asp

A warning, however, that I feel the flavor slider is a little on the rich side. So, if you are looking for a weak flavor, I'd dial it down more than you think you might have to.

To get back to the original question, if you're looking for something light on the stomach and a bit cheaper, IMO the Powerbar Endurance stuff is pretty light, almost to the point of tasting a bit overdiluted.

[quote=defro781]Infinit seems to be a good product. I think I'll take the quiz and try it out. On my end, I'm training for my first full Ironman, hence the many questions. Which lead me to another big question for the community - how many calories per hour should I be trying to take in?

Thanks![/quote]

InfiniT is great - I'm doing IM with it using a multi-hour feed bottle - if you go this route - definitely push the flavor way down to the left - It gets pretty concentrated when mixing up a 3-4 hour bottle. If you try it - make sure you drink plenty of water when taking in the concentrated InfiniT.

Trash the Heave, er uh Heed, nasty stuff. Experiment with some other mixtures and find what works on your longer rides and runs.

I did a half this past Sunday on one bottle of concentrated InfiniT and one bottle of water, swapping out water bottles at the aid stations. It didn't make me any faster, but it kept me going.

When I switched entirely to Hammer Sustained Energy, Hammer bars, Endurolytes, bananas and other organic bars (Lara bars especially) I stopped having stomach problems. Watch out for the Gatorades and Power Gels of the world...refined sugar can do some nasty stuff to ya.

[quote=defro781]Which lead me to another big question for the community - how many calories per hour should I be trying to take in?

Thanks![/quote]

According to this article at Hammer Nutrition your body can absorb from 240-280 calories per hour.

[quote=TriSooner][quote=TryScott][quote=theShiba]Perhaps you'll have better luck with something more natural like the Honey gels?
[/quote]
I tried my first Honey gel yesterday, and it was so much easier to take than the gu, hammer, or powerbar gels i've tried.[/quote]

Honey Gel (Honey Stingers?) is honey, I believe. If so, you are paying for packaging. Think about a gu flash and a bottle of honey. It's pretty rich though.
[/quote]
I assumed that if you put honey in a gu flask, it would not be easy to get out. That would cause problems when you wanted to consume the honey, and when you were done, and wanted to get the left-over honey out of the flask. Has anyone done this?

[quote=TryScott][quote=TriSooner][quote=TryScott][quote=theShiba]Perhaps you'll have better luck with something more natural like the Honey gels?
[/quote]
I tried my first Honey gel yesterday, and it was so much easier to take than the gu, hammer, or powerbar gels i've tried.[/quote]

Honey Gel (Honey Stingers?) is honey, I believe. If so, you are paying for packaging. Think about a gu flash and a bottle of honey. It's pretty rich though.
[/quote]
I assumed that if you put honey in a gu flask, it would not be easy to get out. That would cause problems when you wanted to consume the honey, and when you were done, and wanted to get the left-over honey out of the flask. Has anyone done this?[/quote]

You might want to check these out: http://www.rei.com/product/696007

I remember someone mentioning them here, or elsewhere in a discussion about homemade gel. They are reusable plastic tubes, and could be perfect for this application.

Good find Shiba. Thanks.