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VSL without refrigeration; backcountry camping

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Posted 8/5/2013 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I'm going to be away for a week doing some remote/backcountry kayaking and camping, and I won't have access to refrigeration or a cooler. I have some packets of VSL DS #3 that I've been taking and I am wondering if it'll be okay. It says good for a week without refrigeration on it, but has anyone actually tried that? I guess the stuff is freeze-dried. Basically, I am going to be kayaking and setting up camp along the lake/river and there is no room for a cooler, and even if I brought one the ice would melt within a day or so with no chance of getting more for the duration of the trip.

Thanks,
Posted 8/5/2013 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
what choice do you have ? what are you concerned about ?
Posted 8/5/2013 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
Probably no choice in the matter, as you said. I was just curious whether anyone had kept vsl without refrigeration before and whether the stuff still worked afterwards lol.
Posted 8/5/2013 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
It should be fine for up to a week.

Keep in mind that the bacteria from VSL3 will stay established in your gut for up 3 weeks after you stop taking it so even if you miss a few days it should not make much of a difference.
Posted 8/5/2013 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
I left mine at the post office for one week. Some of the powder was a bit lumpy and it was a bit yellow. I still continued to use them as I had paid over £50 for them. When I got my latest pack I compared the too and there was definitely a visible difference between the two. I think I felt better in my colon when I changed to the new ones but that could have just been coincidence/psychological. It is obviously best to keep them cold for as long as possible.

I am in a similar situation. I am going mountain hiking for 10 days at the end of August and I will not have consistent access to a fridge. I am going to be asking the hostel owners if I can chuck them in over night just to try and reduce their core temperature. Not sure there is any other options really.
Posted 8/5/2013 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
You should be good for up to 2 weeks. Make sure you keep it out of the heat.

This taken from VSL#3 website:

VSL#3 can be stored at room temperature (77°F) for up to two weeks without having a major effect on potency. If it is left at room temperature for long periods of time or exposed to excessive heat, the number of beneficial bacteria in VSL#3 can become greatly reduced.
Posted 8/5/2013 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
I think it is good for a week or two AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, without refrigeration. I don't know if it is going to regularly be at higher than room temp. If it got too hot for too long I would be afraid to take it myself.
Posted 8/5/2013 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
Do you carry a hydration pack in your backpack? I carry one anytime I hike or backpack, and I usually fill it halfway or so and freeze it a day or two before I will need it. Then the night before the trip I'll put it in the fridge to thaw out a bit and fill it the rest of the way with water before hitting the trail. My backpack has a pocket in the back just for the hydration pack, and since it starts out frozen, that pocket stays quite cool, even for a couple days. If I am carrying anything that needs to be "refrigerated" I just slip it down in the pocket with the hydration pack and it helps keep things cool. I've even backpacked with eggs for breakfast packed this way, and they were still cool when it came time to cook them.
Posted 8/18/2013 5:12 AM (GMT 0)
an update on this. vsl did great 6 days without refrigeration on my trip. it stayed in a temperature range of 50 to 70 something degrees with no change in color, same gross vsl taste (no change there either lol). so you camper, hiker, backcountry or outdoorsy people are fine to pack vsl. I just kept it in the shade and didn't leave it where it would bake in the sun.

btw my trip was hella fun. uc even was good, well as good as it can possibly be for me anyways wink
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