Water consumption per day / per mile.

[East Coast Alex]

I am just looking to collect data from those hikers who keep track of exact quantities of their water consumption rate. I'd like to know how much water you go through, per day for a 15 - 20 mile day (or even better, per mile... if you've even managed to keep track of that).

Reason I ask is I am looking to do a stretch on a 70 mile section of "dry trail," in a fully self contained manner (carrying every drop of water I need), with no pre-caching done ahead of time. My time frame is 3 - 4 days to complete this section.

I've never really done a dry section of trail before and really don't want to botch this up, because dying of dehydration might suck, I would imagine. :) (There are a few possible water sources along the section I could always use as a back-up... but my plan is to try to do it without.)


I am going to be using my small Gregory Reactor day pack for the trip, which maxes my water supply out at 3 liters (101 ounces) [6.61 pounds of water].... I wonder if I can make do with that, given the length I stated above. Six pounds.... that's practically equal to my gear weight. Why does water have to be so heavy...... 101 ounces of water for 70 miles come out to 1.44 ounces I can drink per mile.... uhhh... that doesn't sound good at all... [especially in heat]...



I figure I'll take a statistical average of the answers, and maybe pad it a bit on the side of error, since I get a bit thirstier than the average person, especially in the heat... (being quite heat intolerant).

[Donnie]

Considering one should take in AT LEAST 8 cups (64 fl. oz.) of water per day under normal conditions, I think this is a terrible idea. I have noticed that in addition to dehydration being very dangerous, it also negatively effects endurance. When I notice my pace begins to slow and I am feeling weak, I often grab a few swigs of water and I am good to go for another hour. Please do not try to hike for 4 days with no more than 101 fl. oz. of water.

And since you asked:
A quick estimate would say that I typically consume about 128 fl .oz of water while hiking 20 miles a day. That doesn't include the water I camel at camp at the end of the day or water used to cook. I would guess at least another quart or two for that.

-Donnie

[garlic08]

How hot will it be? How strenuous will it be? Those make all the difference.

I've done 40 miles before in flat desert in Spring, mid-80s, and that's my personal record. I carried 6 liters for that and ended well hydrated with 1/2 liter left, so I could have done it with five. I met a guy who hiked that same stretch with four liters. We both took two days. I think I could probably comfortably carry water for a 60-mile hike someday. Not sure about 70. Again, it depends on the conditions.

Rules of thumb vary from 5 to 10 miles per liter, and from 0.5 to 1.5 liters per night of camping. Even at the low end, you're way short with three liters. Even the most daring people will allow at least three liters per day (including dry camping), and most need twice that.

Most Western hikers pretty much exactly know their water consumption rates for various conditions because it is so important, and it's equally important to not carry too much. Yours is a very good question. Good luck in your hike planning.

[Roche]

Dark urine - you are not drinking enough. Clear urine - you are drinking enough.

[East Coast Alex]

The section I am doing should be almost flat as a board the whole way, so requires little physical exertion... temps between 65 in the morning, maxing out at no more than 80 F.

Yeah, I think I underestimated my water need, and may have to recalculate.

[fredmugs]

Based on discussions I have had with other hikers I drink a relatively small amount of water and there's no way I can go 75 miles on 3 liters. On a typical 20 mile stretch of the AT I will drink 2 or 3 liters a day.

[Montana]

Assuming you are planning on meals that require no water for cooking, I would carry, at minimum, three liters of water per day. If you plan on cooking with water, you of course will require more. If you do end up cooking with water, make sure that you drink any water that needs to be drained from your noodles rather than wasting it.

70 miles at 20mpd = ~3.5 days
3.5 days * 3 lpd = ~10.5 litters
10.5 litters * 2lbs = ~ 21 lbs of water

You may want to consider caching some water, that is a lot of weight!

Good luck, and be safe.

[10-K]

You're going to need a different pack.

[flemdawg1]

I hiked in Death Vally NP 3 weeks ago, lows in 40s highs in mid-80s. 28 miles in 2.5 days, used 14 liters. Started off carrying 11 liters and hit a spring @ noon the 2nd day. The dry desert air really sucks the moisture outta you.

[Slo-go'en]

You will likely drink that 3 ltrs of water before the first day is done!

I'd say you have four options:
1. If the trail is flat, consider a cart of some kind to drag a s**t load of water behind you. A gallon a day sounds about right.
2. Hike at night when its cooler. If there are leafy bushes there, a black plastic bag tied around some of the bush branches can collect a fair amount of water during the day while you rest/sleep. Saw that on one of those survival TV shows once. Might want to try it first before your life depends on it though.
3.Catch some water a day apart
4. Go somewhere else where finding water isn't a problem.

[Speer Carrier]

I don't consider myself a big drinker of water, but in June 3 liters of water will take me about 15 miles. Two things I make a point of doing is drinking water frequently even if just small sips, and eating some kind of snack about every hour. Makes the experience a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

[bigcranky]

Sorry, Alex, but I have to agree. For me, anyway, in 80F temps, 3 liters won't last a full day -- especially a 20+ mile day.

[JoshuaGaler]

Well I don't have much information about it but what I know is if you urine is yellowish then your body really needs water. If the urine is clear there you are drinking appropriate amount of water.

[garlic08]

Well I don't have much information about it but what I know is if you urine is yellowish then your body really needs water. If the urine is clear there you are drinking appropriate amount of water.

I also followed the "clear and copious" rule for many years, but I changed my thinking a little after lots of desert hiking.

Actually, urine is supposed to be yellowish. If your urine is totally clear, there's a really good chance you're drinking too much water, and therefore carrying more than you need to. This is a lesson I learned the hard way on my first desert hikes, when I was carrying seven liters (ugh) for 25 miles, and peeing like a racehorse. A few hikes later, I was carrying three liters for the same distance, with normal, slightly yellow urine, none the worse for the wear.

Urine is a good indication of your state of hydration, for sure. When it's a thin, dark yellow, smelly trickle, something's wrong. And it's definitely better to be on the safe side. But when you need to ration water for a long desert crossing, there's nothing wrong with a little yellow in the pee and no need to be alarmed.

[East Coast Alex]

Not that anybody much cares, but I just thought I'd do an update to this, to just pile on the data, for purposes of anyone who wants a few more data points to use as a reasonable "average" figure, in a future discussion, should somebody else ask a similar question in the future.


Basically, you guys were right. In fact, being extremely heat intolerant, I definitely consume more than the average person... and so that I did. I ended up requiring a little bit more than what you guys listed, so you were pretty close to on the mark, and I was pretty far off.

The temperature for several repeated hikes that I did was in the 85 - 90 degree Fahrenheit range, and I reckon that 2 liters per 10 miles (6.75 ounces per mile) is a minimum for me in heat. And I felt that even that generous amount was somewhat undercutting myself, and 2.5 - 3.0 liters would have been better.


I'd like to redo this in the wintertime, as I find I drink almost no water in the winter, and could probably get by with only a 20 ounce regular ol' soda bottle per 10 miles, which is radically less than my 2+ liters per 10 miles I need in the heat.


I ended up having to cache and section hike my previous 70 mile trek, mentioned in the original post, as I took your guys advice (plus did a trial run in advance to estimate my consumption) and knew there was no way in hell I could do 70 miles on 3 liters. Maybe in the winter time I could have done 70 miles with only 3 liters (maybe).... but definitely not in the heat.

So, in total, I would have needed at least 14 liters to finish this trip, which is 30.8 pounds. I wanted to do it with 3 liters. Epic fail. :) Lucky I listened to you guys.

[fiddlehead]

Yes, I would definitely cache water for a trip like that.
Once on the CDT, we had to do a big waterless stretch that involved an overnight for us (aprox 30 miles).
There was road in the middle of it so, we hitchiked to the spot we needed to cache, left about 4 gallons and hitchiked back to where we had left off.
Worked out great.

Also we drank much of that 4 gallons when we got there so that we wouldn't have to carry it. (a secret i learned a long time ago) It's a lot easier carrying it inside your body than in your pack. (and you don't get thirsty for a long time)

Anyway, glad to hear it worked out for you. I'm sure you'll drink a lot less in cool weather.

[kanga]

I am just looking to collect data from those hikers who keep track of exact quantities of their water consumption rate. I'd like to know how much water you go through, per day for a 15 - 20 mile day (or even better, per mile... if you've even managed to keep track of that).

Reason I ask is I am looking to do a stretch on a 70 mile section of "dry trail," in a fully self contained manner (carrying every drop of water I need), with no pre-caching done ahead of time. My time frame is 3 - 4 days to complete this section.

I've never really done a dry section of trail before and really don't want to botch this up, because dying of dehydration might suck, I would imagine. :) (There are a few possible water sources along the section I could always use as a back-up... but my plan is to try to do it without.)


I am going to be using my small Gregory Reactor day pack for the trip, which maxes my water supply out at 3 liters (101 ounces) [6.61 pounds of water].... I wonder if I can make do with that, given the length I stated above. Six pounds.... that's practically equal to my gear weight. Why does water have to be so heavy...... 101 ounces of water for 70 miles come out to 1.44 ounces I can drink per mile.... uhhh... that doesn't sound good at all... [especially in heat]...



I figure I'll take a statistical average of the answers, and maybe pad it a bit on the side of error, since I get a bit thirstier than the average person, especially in the heat... (being quite heat intolerant).

i drink anywhere from 150 to 200 milliliters per mile. or a liter and a half every 10 miles. or 15 liters ever 100 miles.

[kanga]

I am just looking to collect data from those hikers who keep track of exact quantities of their water consumption rate. I'd like to know how much water you go through, per day for a 15 - 20 mile day (or even better, per mile... if you've even managed to keep track of that).

Reason I ask is I am looking to do a stretch on a 70 mile section of "dry trail," in a fully self contained manner (carrying every drop of water I need), with no pre-caching done ahead of time. My time frame is 3 - 4 days to complete this section.

I've never really done a dry section of trail before and really don't want to botch this up, because dying of dehydration might suck, I would imagine. :) (There are a few possible water sources along the section I could always use as a back-up... but my plan is to try to do it without.)


I am going to be using my small Gregory Reactor day pack for the trip, which maxes my water supply out at 3 liters (101 ounces) [6.61 pounds of water].... I wonder if I can make do with that, given the length I stated above. Six pounds.... that's practically equal to my gear weight. Why does water have to be so heavy...... 101 ounces of water for 70 miles come out to 1.44 ounces I can drink per mile.... uhhh... that doesn't sound good at all... [especially in heat]...



I figure I'll take a statistical average of the answers, and maybe pad it a bit on the side of error, since I get a bit thirstier than the average person, especially in the heat... (being quite heat intolerant).

but that's just drinking, not cooking.