Day hikers with a small snack pouch
A compact roll is easy to set aside for a mint during a walk. Keep your food and drink plan separate: Mountaineering Scotland advises carrying enough for everyone in the group.
Who might pack mints?
Mints can have a place in a hiking pouch, but their role depends on whether you want a small sweet extra or food for the route.
Hikers choosing sugar-free sweets
If you want a mint without choosing a sugared variety, check the exact pack’s sweeteners. Sugar-free mints are still an extra, rather than a substitute for hiking food.
Hikers who pay attention to polyols
Check for ingredients such as sorbitol before packing sugar-free mints, particularly for a long or remote route. The NHS says polyols can have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts.
What matters when choosing?
Decide what food the walk calls for first; then choose a mint, if you want one, by its pack format, serving information and ingredients.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Food for the route | Compare energy using each pack’s stated serving size, not unlike portions or a per-100 g figure. Tesco lists 18 kcal per three Polo Original mints, 10 kcal per three Polo Sugar Free mints, 9 kcal per 2.4 g serving of Trebor Extra Strong and 20 kcal per two Tesco Mint Imperials. Mountaineering Scotland advises taking enough food and drink for each group member. | For a long or demanding walk, I need food and drink planned separately from a mint roll. |
| Sugars and sweeteners | Read sugars per stated serving and check whether the exact variant is sugar-free. Tesco lists 4.3 g sugars per three Polo Original mints and 2.3 g per 2.4 g serving of Trebor Extra Strong; its Polo Sugar Free listing names sorbitol as a sweetener. | If I want a sweet extra, the listed sugars help me choose a pack. If I prefer sugar-free mints, I still want to know which sweetener they contain. |
| Polyol tolerance | Look for polyols such as sorbitol in the ingredients and consider how many mints you intend to carry and eat. According to the NHS, polyols can have a laxative effect if consumed in large amounts. | On a remote walk, I would rather check a sugar-free mint’s ingredients before taking it along. |
| Ingredients and dietary needs | Read the current pack’s full ingredients and dietary statements. Tesco’s listing for Trebor Extra Strong Peppermint Mints Roll 41.3 g includes gelatine, while its Tesco Mint Imperials listing says suitable for vegetarians; those details should not be assumed for other variants. | When an ingredient or dietary requirement matters to me, I need the label for the precise pack I am carrying. |
| Pack format | Check whether you are buying an individual roll, several rolls or a larger bag. For example, Tesco lists Trebor Extra Strong as a 41.3 g roll and Tesco Mint Imperials as a 200 g bag. | A single roll may fit my day pouch; a larger bag makes more sense if I intend to divide it between outings or people. |
What should you avoid?
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Using mints as your only route food
The stated servings in Tesco’s listings for Polo, Trebor and Tesco Mint Imperials provide 9–20 kcal. A pocket-sized roll does not take the place of planning enough food and drink for a hill day.
Pack mints as an optional extra, and plan food and drink for the walk’s length and conditions. Mountaineering Scotland gives chocolate, dried fruit, cheese and biscuits as examples of simple high-energy foods.
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Assuming sugar-free means you can eat any amount
Polo Sugar Free and M&S Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints list sorbitol. The NHS notes that polyols, including sorbitol, can have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts.
Check the sweetener on the pack, particularly before carrying a sugar-free mint on a long or remote walk.
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Assuming all peppermint mints suit the same diet
Ingredients differ: Tesco’s Trebor Extra Strong Peppermint Mints Roll listing includes gelatine, while its Mint Imperials are listed as suitable for vegetarians.
Check the ingredients and dietary statement on the exact pack rather than relying on the flavour or brand name.
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Leaving small wrappers behind
A mint wrapper is still litter. Mountaineering Scotland’s Tak It Hame campaign asks hill users to take their litter home.
Keep wrappers and foil in a pocket or sealable bag until you can dispose of them.
Brand and retailer references
These examples show how mint portions, ingredients and pack formats can differ; check the particular product rather than treating a brand as one recipe.
Polo
Tesco lists Polo Original and Polo Sugar Free in compact mint formats.
- Polo Original is listed at 18 kcal and 4.3 g sugars per three mints; Polo Sugar Free is listed at 10 kcal per three mints.
- Polo Sugar Free lists sorbitol, so check the pack if polyols matter to you.
Trebor
Trebor Extra Strong Peppermint is listed by Tesco as a 41.3 g roll.
- The listed 2.4 g serving provides 9 kcal and 2.3 g sugars.
- The ingredients for that roll include gelatine; check other Trebor variants separately.
Tesco
Tesco’s own-label Mint Imperials come in a 200 g bag rather than an individual roll.
- Tesco lists 20 kcal and 4.8 g sugars per two mints and marks the product suitable for vegetarians.
- Check whether a larger bag fits how you plan to pack or divide the sweets.
M&S Food
M&S lists its Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints in an 18 g pack.
- The listed flavourings include peppermint and menthol.
- The ingredients list sorbitol and steviol glycosides; read the pack if sweetener choice matters.
Waitrose
The Waitrose & Partners mints listing includes own-label products alongside Polo and Trebor formats.
- The listing provides examples of bags, rolls and multipacks to compare by format.
- A pack listing alone does not tell you whether its serving is enough food for a hike.
Mint options on Joybuy
These options include individually portable mint rolls, multipacks and sugar-free mints in a case or tin. Choose them as optional sweets or for breath freshness alongside food and drink suited to your walk.
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Trebor Softmints Spearmint 4 Rolls 152g
The four-roll pack lets you put a roll in your walking pouch as a sweet extra. Check the current pack’s ingredients if sugar or gelatine affects your choice, and plan your hiking food separately.
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Asahi Mintia Sugar-Free Refreshing Grape Mints 22g
A compact sugar-free mint option if you want something to carry for freshness. Check the pack’s sweeteners before a long walk: the product information identifies sorbitol, a polyol that the NHS says can have a laxative effect in large amounts.
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Mentos Chewy Dragees Spearmint Rolls 5 x 38g
Five separate rolls give you the option of carrying one for a sweet mint during a walk. Check the serving information on the pack if sugars or energy affect your choice; do not use the roll in place of planned hiking food.
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Trebor Extra Strong Peppermint 4 Rolls 145.6g
This four-roll pack offers an individual roll to carry if you prefer extra-strong peppermint. Check the ingredients on this pack for gelatine if vegetarian suitability matters; serving figures from a different Trebor pack should not be assumed to apply.
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Smint Sugarfree Spearmint Tin XXL
The tin is a sugar-free spearmint format rather than a single roll. Check the exact pack’s sweetener list before choosing it, particularly if polyols matter to you, and use its stated serving information when comparing it with other mints.
Common questions
Can a roll of mints be my only hiking snack?
Do not plan a hill day around a mint roll alone. Tesco lists just 9–20 kcal for the stated servings of several mints, and Mountaineering Scotland advises taking enough food and drink for every group member. It gives chocolate, dried fruit, cheese and biscuits as examples of simple high-energy foods.
When would I choose sugar-free mints for a hike?
Choose them if you want a sugar-free mint as an extra, rather than food for the route. Check the sweetener: Polo Sugar Free and M&S Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints list sorbitol, and the NHS says polyols can have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts.
Are Trebor Extra Strong peppermint mints vegetarian?
Tesco’s ingredient listing for Trebor Extra Strong Peppermint Mints Roll 41.3 g includes gelatine. Check the exact pack you intend to carry rather than assuming another Trebor format has the same ingredients.
What should I read on a mint pack before setting off?
Check its ingredients, allergy and dietary information, serving size and best-before date. Use the information on the pack you are carrying, especially when a particular ingredient or sweetener affects your choice.
What should I do with mint wrappers on the trail?
Take the wrappers and any foil home with you. Mountaineering Scotland’s Tak It Hame campaign asks people using the hills to carry out their own litter.