Amount of water carried

[FritztheCat]

I was going through my gearlist (again) and realized I have been carrying 4 liters (roughly - 2 liter bladder and 2 32oz bottles) of water with me on my hikes. I have yet to run out of water on my overnight hikes but that is a scare for me because I once ran out of water on a long day-hike during the summer.

I'm thinking about leaving the 2 liter bladder behind and just going with the two Gatorade 32oz bottles. That will give me almost 2 liters.

Is that a sufficient amount of water to carry on a thru-hike? I'm not a big water drinker and normally have to force myself to keep hydrated. I guess the question boils down to, are there enough water sources along the AT to only bring 2 liters of water?

[rp1790]

99% of the time (for me) carrying 2 ltrs was plenty. I would always drink as much as I could before leaving a shelter, maybe 1/2 - 3/4 ltr and then the 2ltrs was lots.

I used to carry 2 x 1ltr bottles and also a 2ltr folding platypus to fill up at night for cooking etc.

[HiKen2011]

More than enough usually. I carry a 20oz. bottle to sip out of and two gatorade bottles for camp. Check the data book for water sources.

Detour

[peakbagger]

This can be a tough one for most folks, myself included, most trail guides list distances to reliable water ahead on the trail. Figure out your pace and plan on refilling at the next water source rather than carrying it on your back. If you are consitently carrying an extra quart past known water sources it time to cut back. Obviously if its going to be hot day, carry more and drink up before you start hiking in the morning If you are hiking NOBO during the traditional season, these water sources are generally very reliable. Where it gets sticky is off season hiking (down south or middle atlantic in later summer).

One thing to note is that many folks can run low on electrolytes during the day which can make them thirsty, unfortunately drinking lots of water really doesnt help if you are low on electrolytes.

[garlic08]

It'll probably be a good idea to have a little more than two liter capacity, for that 1%. I carried a one-liter Gatorade bottle and 2.4 liter platypus, total empty weight about 2.5 oz. I never filled them both, but it felt like a good idea to have both.

Four liters is way more than needed for drinking on the AT. I think lots of people carry large amounts of water for cooking, cleaning, etc. If you do that stuff near water, there's no need to carry more than a liter 99% of the time. I can remember one 20-mile stretch in PA where I carried two liters, so I guess that's 1%.

It's also easy enough to accidentally leave a bottle behind somewhere, so a little redundant capacity isn't a bad idea, either.

[East Coast Alex]

One thing to note is that many folks can run low on electrolytes during the day which can make them thirsty, unfortunately drinking lots of water really doesnt help if you are low on electrolytes.

Brawndo is an excellent product. It's got electrolytes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbxq0IDqD04



** Couldn't help myself. An Idiocracy movie reference was too good to pass up.

[gumball]

I usually have two gatorade bottles and a small nalgene.

[WalkingStick75]

I have a capacity of 4 liters but generally only carry 1 in my camelback and about a pint in a one liter bottle just in case I run my camelback dry. That is the one problem with the hydration systems, you can see how much you have left.

[Ox97GaMe]

I did the same as rp. 2 1 ltr nalgenes and a 2 ltr platy that was used just at night when I got dinner and refill for the next day. This worked on my thru hike for all the areas except in PA. During the summer, a lot of the water sources there will start to dry up. To conserve water consumption, I would leave camp early in the morning, get a big chunck of miles done before lunch, take a 3-4 hr break during the heat of the day, then hike into the cool of the evening.

On the AT, you are going to usually run into water at least once every 5 miles. There are a few places where this is the exception.

[Spokes]

I carried 2 liters during the day (liter gatorade bottle and a platy inside the pack with hose). Never had issues with water. I also had an extra collapsible 2 liter platy for camp.

[Bags4266]

My capicity is 5 L
Never carry more than 1 L
Base camp I water up for Diner, Break, and washing myself

[Bilko]

I have hiked 1500 miles of the AT. I have only carried 2, 32 oz plastic gatorade bottles.

[Appalachian Tater]

Like people are saying 95% of the time 2 liters is plenty. The problem is, it's the other 5% of the time when you really need it. If you find yourself in dry conditions during the summer, say in Pennsylvania, you can pick up another bottle and use it if necessary. You don't want to get into trouble.

The one time I knocked over my pot cooking thru-hiking was dry-camping in a dry stretch during a dry period and and got brown urine the next morning, that's not good. Fortunately someone had left jugs of water out or it could have gotten ugly.

It's easy to get lazy and skip water sources to avoid going downhill or too far off the trail but if you are not carrying a lot of water, always ask yourself what you would do if the next source is dry--can you then make it safely to the one after that?

So yes, 2 liters is plenty almost all of the time but you also need to pay more attention to your water supply.

[FritztheCat]

Really appreciate all the replies! I think I'm going to ditch the hydration bag, carry the 2 bottles and pick up a collapsible 2 liter platy to have just in case.

Thanks again everyone!

[Barbarosa]

There are really two separate questions here, how much capacity should you have and how much should you actually carry. IMO it is smart to have a gallon or so of capacity. How much should you carry? Only enough to get you to the next reliable water source, and you should always be aware of where that is and how much you will consume to get there. Don't just slam 2 litres of water in your pack in the morning and go. Water is the heaviest stuff in your pack.

[toothpick]

Best to use the guide books to see when the next source will be available. I have a 2liter camalbak and a 4 liter filter bag. If necessary I have a 6 gallon capacity but water is usually available so that a 2 liter is plenty.

[CrumbSnatcher]

anywhere from 2-6 qts. usually 3 qts. depending on how dry it is that year, and how far the next couple water sources are. i carried water for my dog too. 99 was a very dry year & 2003 was a very wet year

[10-K]

I look at the guidebooks to estimate how much I'll need and carry as little as possible, usually a quart. It took me some experience before I was able to be confident doing this though - when I first started hiking, my comfort zone was to start with 3 quarts.

Also, the faster you hike, the less you need to carry.

[Jonnycat]

I plan on a liter for every three to five miles. If it is cooler, I will drink less water. If it is warm, I do fine.