Water

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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Yes this has been brought up before and yes I'm a member now and can do a search but I opperate on the idea that if one person asks a question there's 10 who want to know but don't ask. How do you hydrate? I'm primarily talking dayhikes. Do you carry 1 liter,2 liters or do you carry no water at all. I did a hike in 90+ degree weather a while back in a heavily traveled area and I would say that only 1in 20 people actually had any kind of supplies at all. It was an elevation gain of 1800 feet up and down. A lot of people were doing the hike in flip-flops. WTF. Are people retarded? Anyway rant off. I usually take 2 liters but end up only drinking one. I'm usually not hiking for more then a couple hours at a time.
 
I have a camelbak pack that I like to use as my day hike pack. It carries 3 liters of water. More than I need for a short hike but I like having it anyways.....


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If I'm going hiking for at least half the day or more, I drink as much as I can before I leave base , and take minimum 4L. with me. No exceptions. Water is priority #1. Knife #2. Fire #3.
 
My wife had a very bad exerience about 6 years ago. We did a long hike into a gorge and her Camelbak bladder leaked, losing all water. It was extremely high humidity and close to 100 degrees. She was actually getting some symptoms of dehydration...we used every last drop of water between my wife, myself and the two kids. If the "day" hike is more than 6 hours, I take my compact Katadyn mini filter along with whatever water bladders/bottles we carry. I don't skimp on water...I've seen first hand how bad it can be without it!

ROCK6
 
I carry a 40oz stainless steel bottle. More water than I usually drink and If I had too I could boil water in it. In the desert I might think differently, but in MN water is more abundant. In the BCWA all I drink is lake water (filtered of course, but all I need is one water bottle an I'm fine). 40oz bottle fits perfectly in my daypack's bottle sleeve too.

I also choose stainless because of toughness. During a trip to the BCWA my bro. in law convinced me that my other canteen would be too much and that a plastic 32oz nalgene would be all I needed. First day, at the end of the longest portage of the day (160 rod) I pulled my nalgene out, it slipped, it cracked. I wound having to share a 24oz canteen with him the whole rest of the trip. Weird how we both got sick on the same day after getting back home too...:rolleyes:.

With camelbaks, I'm too afraid they'll leak, they also require wierd cleaning tools that cost money. The packs alone are expensive and they don't usually come with enough room for other stuff. The only pro I see is being able to carry a few leters of water.

That's just how I hydrate though.
 
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I usually carry a mix of camelback bladder and stainless bottles. Minimum of 3L is going in on my back and probably 2 32oz bottles. I have had non camelback brands leak from either the mouthpiece or a bag puncture. I havent had any problems with a newer widemouth camelback bladder, ever. (well except the one time I put branch chain aminos , and vitamin powder in my water. woooo that will make some stench if it gets too warm. blehh.

Im looking to cut some weight this summer though and want to look into a filter system. What filters do you guys use? I was checking out the katadyn pocket today. Has some good reviews but so do a few others. Price isnt really an issue as much as reliability. A friend warned me against some of the ultralight models saying they break or pop seals.
 
You bring up a very good point. When I soloed the Grand Canyon Bright Angle trial, I know not very impressive but it was a good first solo, there was many a person there with just a 20 oz store bought bottle between two people. They were also hiking in flip flops but that's another story. When I hike I have at least one Nalgene no matter what, even for a short day hike that I know the trail well. If I am doing a serious hike, no matter the distance, I always take at least 3 Quarts/Liters usually 4. Also I always have at least one Nalgene/1L bottle of some kind to gather otherwise difficult to collect water. This is also good for mixing up some gatorade or other drink mix to break up the monotony of water. Plus I always have with me in every kit and bag at least 10 Katadyn water purification tablets, just in case the SHTF.

I consider water to be one of the most important things to keep with me. BUT!!!! you all must remember that in very hot and dry conditions there is a physical condition that can kill you just as quick as dehydration. IT is caused by not enough salt in the blood, a poor salt to H2O ratio, and the water can not enter the cells of the body and you can die. So it is important to remember to eat as well as drink. When I got my Wilderness First Responder my instructors told us to "Sip Sip, Nibble Nibble" a stupid sang to remember to eat something every time you take a drink.

Edit: futurencswat I have the same bag, Camel Bak Rim Runner? I love that thing what do you think?
 
Wanderlust said:
Edit: futurencswat I have the same bag, Camel Bak Rim Runner? I love that thing what do you think?
Click to expand...

:thumbup: It's a good day pack. I haven't tried using it for any overnights, though. Holds lots of water and still has two side pockets that I can put Nalgenes in if I think I am going to need more....
 
Generally a minimum of 3L for short day walks. I never want to come back empty. Dehydration really sucks. On hot days, often 6L, as I don't want to have to climb down a ridge to find water. I also carry either my UV pen or chlorine tabs in my FAK incase I need to refill.
1.25L Coke bottles are surprisingly resilient and light weight (42g as opposed to 110g for a nalgene). I use them as well as Platypus bladders.
 
i carry about a 1/2 liter of water. If i need more i just dip my cup into a stream , slam a Aquapur tab into it, and chugalug.

99% of the time i never treat the water. 30+ years of hiking since i was a little kid and i have never gotten sick.
 
Since we're on the subject of water, is it ok to boil water in an enameled steel cup? I know most people who carry a cup fit to their Nalgene go for the stainless with folding rings, but enameled steel camping cups are all I could get my hands on for the moment ($3 at WallyWorld... Don't give me that look!)

Since the same enamel-ware is used for camp coffemakers, I assume it's ok?
 
It depends. If I am hiking alone I will just have a 32oz or my 40oz stainless bottle. Water is easy to find where I hike and I have multiple ways to purify it,if needed.

Now if my son is with me I will carry both bottles plus a spare GI canteen. He carries his own canteen, but he drinks like a fish, so I haul the extra water.
 
Depends on where I am, and what I'm doing. Most places I go there is plenty of water. I always tank up and am fully hydrated to begin with, plus typically carry 2 1L bottles in the holders on any of my packs, and have a PUR Voyageur purifier for pumping up more. Big time overkill for a dayhike. I've hiked with a single 1qt. canteen plenty of times, but having too much water has certainly never hurt me.
 
For what it's worth, IMO it is going to be totaly dependent on where you are, what the temperature is like and what the available water supply is like.

If you have the luxury of being able to treat water "in situ", then you won't need to take much with you.

Otherwise, IMO you'll need to take into account the temperature on the day, and your activity level.

As a general rule, the higher the expected max temp and the greater your activity level, the more water you will need to pack (& don't forget the electrolytes & water soluble vitamins :D ). And vise a versa.

In general terms, a useful indicator is the frequency & colour of your urine. Often & light in colour is a good indicator of being well hydrated. Not often & dark in colour is a reliable indicator that you are dehydrated.

I would be more specific in my recommendations if I knew more about your individual circumstances.

Hope this helps, but then again maybe it hasn't (after all, what would we Aussies know about high temps & lack of water :D ) .




Kind regards
Mick
 
Depends on the temp, how strenuous the hike is, and how long I plan on being out. I almost always carry a Maxpedition Malaga with a 50 oz (1.5 liter) Camelbak reservoir. If I'm even remotely concerned that it isn't going to be enough I add a 32 oz (1 liter) Nalgene bottle in a Maxpedition bottle holder with shoulder strap. So far this has been enough for strenuous all-day hikes in warm weather. There's usually no water where I hike, but if there is I'll bring a filter until and chlorine dioxide tablets...none of which I've needed to use on day-hikes.


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On a day hike in North Central Texas I carry two 16oz bottles in cooler weather. Once it warms up I add a 32oz aluminum bottle. My kit contains purification tablets and a Fieldline
filter. I also carry Gatorade powder.
 
I try to carry 16 OZ of water for every hour that I plan to be out. Water and fire are critical to me at my age and physical condition.

There was a time when I would head out with nothing but a SAK.
 
On a day hike I usually carry 2x 0.5l bottles of water, primarily for making tea; plus 2x 0.5l bottles of made up squash, to drink on the go. On a cold day I often don't touch the squash: On a hot day it is gone in no time.
 
I carry more than I think I'd need if my hike got extended by a couple hours, like SC said, depends on where you are, I'll say July/August in Oklahoma(Hot), wind constantly blowing away the sweat faster than my body can pump it out is a very dehydrating situation.
Sip sip nibble nibble doesn't work well for me, I either dead head or pause for a snack. Gotta stop and smell the roses (pick off ticks).
 
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