Amount of water you carry?
How much water do you carry on a daily basis on the trail and how do you choose to carry it?
Usually start the day with two quarts. I use Powereade bottles and carry one in each side pocket of my pack. Sometimes I add powdered drink mix to one of them. Usually lasts me all day unless its really hot, then I drink a lot more in the evening. YMMV.
"Waning Gibbous" would be a great trail name.
Ditto on this. Powerade bottle each side and some kind of 16oz bottle in shorts/pants side pocket. This time of year I go through about 8-10 liters of water a day and about 4 of them will be drink mixes.Originally Posted by BobTheBuilder
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
Often just a 20oz bottle now, if I know there are sources aplenty. When getting water I plan out my next source. So, the real answer is "it varies ".
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
As little as possible to still have enough.
If I'm going to hike somewhere I find out beforehand what the water situation is like and adjust accordingly.
It doesn't make much sense to spend $500-$1000 on ultralight equipment and then carry 4 lbs of water if it isn't necessary.
Like the above, I carry "enough", which varies according to the season and area. I usually carry 2 1-liter bottles in the outside pockets of my pack, and a 2-liter platypus with my kitchen gear for additional capacity in the evenings.
I carry a 1 liter soda pop bottle on each side. I drink from the one on the right, as I am right handed. The one on the left gets moved to the right when the right one gets emptied. Then the left one gets filled along with two drops of clorox. I agree this is a little more weight, but I do sweat a ton and try to stay ahead of the dehydration, but usually fall behind. A little packet of lemonaid helps cover the clorox taste. I tried using a bladder on my last trip, and absolutely hated it. I have used a camel bak for a long time on my mtn bike, but it is so different on a hiking trip. Having to take my pack apart to fill the bladder is such a PIA. Thanks to REI that was a one trip expense. I disliked it so bad I took the new bladder back the day after I got back. I didn't even want to keep it to try it again later.
I carry 2 coke bottles 20oz each. I fasten them to my chest strap in those cheap wal-mart bottle holders with a D clip. In drought conditions I sometimes carry an empty bottle extra in case I see that the road ahead has no water for many miles. In hot dry conditions I sometimes ration my water intake to a third of a bottle every half hour.
Leaving a water source, I usually carry 2 to 2.5 liters in two Platy Softbottles in my side pockets, one of which is inverted with a hoser bite valve. I rarely carry less than a liter unless I'm very confident of future sources. I once ran out of water for a few hours on a hot, humid trail in northern NJ, and to this day I always carry more than I probably really need.
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014
It depends on the weather as well as the number of water sources expected on the trail.
With careful rationing I can go 24 hours on 3.5 liters in fairly hot weather, but it's not something I like to do. I recall flossing, but not brushing my teeth one night in PA when water sources were far between. Ditto for a few points in NJ, one where I had to buy water from a store that provided free water for hikers only when they had enough water in their well. When the well was running dry, you bought and were thankful to have the opportunity to do so.
I typically carry 3 liter-size nalgenes (non-lexan) and a bicycle water bottle in warmer weather or a smaller pint-size nalgene in colder weather. You'll want to carry your water upside down in cold weather, and the wide mouths are easier to break the ice than a smaller bottle. However, if the weather is nice, I like to be able to drink using only one hand. The amount of water in each depends on the distance to the next water source, the reliability of such, how much food weight is in my pack, and the weather (will it rain in 2 hours or is it raining now when I'm pumping water and getting cold).
I have a Dana designs ribs pack and carry the smaller bottle there in all but the coldest weather. I will occasionally use a PET 1 type bottle (coke, gatorade, etc.) but try not do so regularly as they can leach chemicals. However, they're great if you need extra water for a short section.
I always drink straight water; no drink mixes while I'm hiking.
Rarely, I'll collect water in a gallon-size ziplock and filter it in a shelter. It's a good way to avoid the rain and gives me something to do to stay warm. Place the ziplock in a pot to keep it from spilling.
I look at the water sources for the hike that day, and carry enough to sip on through the day. I usually carry 16-24 oz, but fill up regularly at water sources. Beats the way I used to do it, carry three liters for the day. UUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As has been said it depends on the water situation where you are hiking. I have hiked places where one liter seemed overkill and hiked long waterless stretches on hot days
Sorry my ten month old posted for me before I was ready. continued ....where three were barely adequate. I prefer platys and reused beverage containers 3 season and hard and soft nalgenes in winter.
I usually leave with 1.5 liters in my camelbak clean bag. I think I would preffer to have 2, 1 liter bottles so I can see how much I have left(the camelbak is in my pak), but I'm not going to buy extra stuff when I have a good system.
I'd have the CAPACITY to carry 2-3L but would rarely fill up all the way. Just depends on how hot/humid it is that day and how far the next water source is. I ran out once in Virginia because I wasn't paying attention to my guidebook and ran out a few times in PA and NY for a little bit longer than I would have liked to. I even ran out of water in Maine once because a reliable spring that I was counting on in the Bigelows had dried up. It was a very dry year.
I average 2 liters- one in a Gatorade bottle, the other in a platy with a hydration tube laid on top of my inner pack main compartment.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
My wife has a 3 liter Platypus bag and a Gatoraide bottle. I carry a 2 liter Platypus bag and 1 liter Platy softbottle. We also have a 96 oz Nalgene sack for use if we need extra water to stealth camp with of for doing a sponge bath. That being said, we try to only carry what is needed based on the potential water sources listed in out AT Guide. Normally 1.5 to 2 liters each is what we start out with and we try to camel up at water stops.
For the record. I can't recall ever hearing about anyone dying of dehydration on the Appalachian Trail.
Agreed. But I've been really parched before!
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
If you hike enough it's going to happen! I lost my last quart once when my bottle sprung a leak. Thought I was sweating and it was my water draining slowly.Agreed. But I've been really parched before!
Last edited by 10-K; 06-19-2012 at 17:31.
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