Here are the best creatine supplements for hiking, that I could find on Amazon.
I recently wrote an article on creatine’s roll in hiking, using the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand on the subject as my guide. And of course, every time I write a new hiking nutrition article about supplementation, everyone wonders which products might be suitable for the activity.
First, I’ll try to define what constitutes a good creatine supplement for hiking. Then I’ll post some products afterwards, that closely meet my criteria.
What Makes a Good Creatine Supplement for Hiking?
As we learned in the creatine article, as well as in my macro-nutrient timing article, we need a product that can 1) be used directly before or after the hike, 2) be used in conjunction with a protein/carbohydrate to maximize its benefit, and 3) be light enough to carry on a thru-hike.
Further, just like my rational for choosing Naked Mass as an appropriate protein supplement for hikers, due to its short ingredient list, which avoids artificial sweeteners, allergens like soy or gluten, and allows for the most recipe based versatility, I think if you stick with that purist approach, when choosing a creatine product, such would be in your best interest.
Also, as we learned from the ISSN, the creatine salt that has the best scientific evidence for its use is the monohydrate one. So with these in mind, let’s pick some products:
Bulk Supplements Micronized Creatine
Pro’s
- pure creatine with no fillers
- made in an American FDA registered facility, which abides by the Good Manufacturing Practices, which is a set of standards the pharmaceutical industry must abide by
- In house quality control, with 3rd party tesgin
- Powder form allows you to dial in your dosing
- Has little to no taste, and can be mixed in shakes and food
- Vegan
Con’s
- you have to use a scale at first to figure out the right dose (don’t trust the measuring instructions on the back of the bag)
- creatine powders don’t dissolve well in pure water, so suspend it in a protein shake
First on my list of best creatine supplements for hiking is Bulk Supplement’s Creatine Monohydrate Powder.
Here we have a pure powder with no other excipients, that is manufactured in an American, FDA registered facility that abides by the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practice standards for the creation and storage of their products. They have their own quality control lab, and also do third party testing on these products, all of this increasing the probability that you’re actually getting what the package says your getting!
The powder form lets you vary your dose as needed. The ISSN calls for a loading phase, which can be as much as 5g of creatine four times daily, and a maintenance phase, which can be a little as 3g per day. Having a powder lets you accurately do all of that. Further it lets you easily add the supplement to a pre or post hike protein/carb supplement shake/smoothie, or other food ideas.
This is a vegan product. But even if you’re not vegan, this still indicates it was made with less stress on the food/resource supply.
And because it’s just pure creatine, if you’re thru-hiking or even UL thru-hiking, it’s easy to calculate the weight:
| I’m resupplying every… | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 9-15g | 6-10g | 3-5g | ||||
| 5 days | 15-25g | 12-20g | 9-15g | 6-10g | 3-5g | ||
| 7 days | 21-35g | 18-30g | 15-25g | 12-20g | 9-15g | 6-10g | 3-5g |
Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate Capsules
Pro’s
- made in a FDA registered facility under the pharmaceutical standard Good Manufacturing Practices
- third party quality assurance testing
- Easier to take on the trail, pre-hike, than a powder
- fractional dosing per capsule allows for loading and maintenance dosing
- cheap price per capsule
- Non-GMO and gluten free sourcing
Con’s
- not a pure supplement: has magnesium stearate filler (a common pharmaceutical filler)
- gelatin capsules are bovine based and not vegan
This 750mg capsule is a fairly ‘pure’ creatine supplement, where all you’re getting is that, with a plant based magnesium stearate filler, plus a bovine based gelatin capsule. Like the Bulk Supplements creatine, this one is made in a FDA registered facility who abides by the Good Manufacturing Practice standard, and is third party tested. It is also a Non-GMO product and is gluten free.
The 750mg dosage per capsule does allow you some titration (4 caps = 3g maintenance dose; 6 caps = 4.5g maintenance or loading dose). But the obvious advantage is that you’re not fumbling with powder while on the trail. Just take your 4 to 6 capsules alongside your carbs and protein before your hike, or mix it up a bit with 4 caps before and 2 caps afterward, or 2 and 2; it’s up to you.
Because of its lower dosage, another advantage over the powder this one has is a lower point of sale price. This may be due to the current Amazon sale I’m seeing on the produce page, however. But if you’re using the 3g maintenance dose, you’re basically getting 4 months supply here for like $8 per month. Probably sounds pretty good to the thru-hiker, living off their savings.
And thru-hikers would be packing 12, 20, or 28 of these per supply box, based on their 3, 5, or 7 days between supplies.
GNC Pro Performance Creatine Monohydrate
Pro’s
- Trusted supplement & vitamin brand
- pure creatine; no fillers in the capsules
- smaller capsule count if you only need to supplement for a specific hiking event, or maintenance doses
- manufacture states capsules are gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and yeast free
- fractional dosing per capsule to titrate to a specific dosage
Con’s
- not micronized, so absorption is slower; it may not hydrate your muscles if taken right before a hike, making timing trickier
- a few people have complained about the taste of the capsules on Amazon so use a flavored drink to wash them down
I probably could have stopped at just one powder and one capsule on my best creatine supplements for hiking list, but I’ll give this GNC product an honorable mention.
Here we have a capsule based supplement without the filler – just pure creatine inside. And if one is using 3g per day as a maintenance dose, 4 capsules per day will get you in that range (700mg per capsule allows for 2.8g per 4 caps). Though none of these ‘pure’ supplements should, GNC specifically states that their capsules are gluten free, yeast free, dairy free, and soy free.
The main advantage here is that you can just buy a 1 month supply at a time and save money at the point of purchase, as opposed to committing to 4 months, when the hiking season may be shortly coming to an end for you.
The slight disadvantage of this product is it is not micronized. It may not be absorbed as quick into your body, so if you take it right at the trailhead on a hot day, it likely won’t have enough time to osmotically pull fluid into your muscles to hydrate better. Otherwise its not going to matter much if its micronized or not.
Further Reading
Thanks for checking out my article on best creatine supplements for hiking on Amazon.
If you’re into hiking nutrition like me, check out my hiking nutrition page for more info and ideas.
See ya out there…