Keith Lusher 07.24.26
I have to admit that this review may reflect my age. I’m 51 years old, and my idea of packing food for a camping trip is coffee and granola bars. So when my daughter Casey pulled out a little packet of something called Zoup! At our camping site in Franklinton, Louisiana, I shook my head and muttered, “Another Gen Z caffeine drink.” She could tell exactly what I was thinking as we sat by the fire. He looked at me, tilted his head sideways, and said, “Just try it. It’ll be enough to last you all morning.” He tore open the little packet, put it in a pot of boiling water by the campfire, stirred it, and poured it into my Yeti. That first sip immediately changed my tune.
specification
- Serving Size: One .53 ounce single-serve packet
- Protein: 12 grams per serving
- Sodium: 460 mg
- Potassium: 180 mg
- Preparation: Add one packet to about 8 ounces warm water and stir
- Diet Notes: Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Non-GMO, No Artificial Ingredients or Preservatives, Keto and Paleo Friendly
- Packaging: Sold in packs of 10 packets
That first sip was a surprise. Not only was I pleased with the taste, but the warmth of it on a cold morning was really comforting, similar to the feeling my morning coffee gives me. It’s delicious rather than bitter, closer to drinking a good soup than drinking a beverage. The smell coming from that campfire pot was intense and strong, closer to slow-simmered stock than anything I expected from a powder. My only caveat is that if you’re sensitive to salt, you’ll notice it, and I can’t speak for the other flavors in the lineup yet.
Preparation and Facilitation
Preparation couldn’t have been easier. Our campsite in Franklinton is located in the pine forests of Washington Parish, and in the morning we tried Zoop! It was great by Louisiana standards. Casey boiled a pot of water over the campfire, tore open the packet, shook it, and handed me my Yeti. The total time from packet to first sip was probably two minutes, most of which was waiting for water. No measuring, no cleanup except washing dishes, and nothing to keep it cool.
Rating 10/10
packability
The packets are the size of a drink mix pouch, meaning one pack takes up less space than an entire trip’s worth of freeze-dried food. For a man who has spent 51 years perfecting the art of underpacking, it matters. Whether it’s a boat hatch, blind bag, or truck console, these disappear into whatever space you find.
Rating: 10/10
nutrition:
I will admit that I didn’t know anything about bone broth before this trip, so I did a little research when I got home. Turns out that bone broth is exactly what it sounds like: bones simmered for hours until all the good stuff is released into the water. Most of that good stuff is collagen, the same protein your body uses to keep joints, muscles and skin in working condition. From what I read, it can help with pain and swelling, and it contains minerals that are good for your bones. Now, I’m no doctor, and even experts say more study is needed on some of the bigger claims about bone broth, so I’m not going to tell you this stuff will fix your knees. What I can tell you is that 12 grams of protein in a hot drink is a real number, and it’s more than most protein bars in my truck console.
Rating: 9.5/10
Especially for outsiders, here’s a bonus. The salt and potassium in each packet work like a sports drink, so after a morning of paddling or a long standing walk, it does more for your body than a cup of coffee. However, salt is also the cause of docked points. It’s easy to get two of these back on a cold morning, and if your doctor is monitoring your sodium, it increases quickly.
price and competition
The instant bone broth shelf is more crowded than I expected for a product I had never heard of until Casey gave me one. Bare Bones sells instant sticks with 10 grams of protein, which cost about $10 for a pack of 8 at Walmart. 10 packets of LonoLife packets cost around $20, and their regular formula packs 700 mg of sodium per serving, which is just under Zoop! Makes 460 mg of K absolutely reasonable.
On the high end, packets of Dr. Kellyanne cost over $30 for just 7 servings, and customer reviews on them are poor. Compared to that area, Zoop! The 12 grams of protein per packet is the best in the group, and the price falls in the middle of the pack rather than at the top.
However, here’s the honest math. Zoup! Make your own bone broth sells for about six bucks in a 32 ounce jar at Walmart, and it’s the cheapest way to make it at home. So if your broth sizzles on the kitchen counter, buy jar. But the jar doesn’t fare well in a blind bag, and it requires refrigeration after opening. At deer camp or in the boat, packrafts win, and compared to what other packraft brands are charging, Zoop! Gives you more protein without the premium price tag.
Rating: 9/10
Overall Rating: 9.6/10
I came to this trip as a skeptic and left as a convert. Zoup! Instant Sipping Bone Broth earned a permanent spot next to coffee in my camping box, and I may definitely use it for future hunting trips. It’s light, it’s fast, it tastes like something you’ll actually want to drink, and it provides protein at a time of day when most of us are operating on caffeine and smoke. If your idea of camp nutrition is stuck in the same decade as mine, consider that your decision. Or even better, let your child hand you a packet near the fire and prove you wrong. Mine did.
keith lusher
Keith Lusher is an award-winning outdoor journalist who lives in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthShoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outdoors column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He also writes for the St. Tammany Parish Tourism Commission’s VisitTheNorthshree.com. He is the former host of The Northshore Fishing Report radio show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and is proud to promote the unique fisheries of South Louisiana. To contact Keith email: keithlusherjr@gmail.com
