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Water questions

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    • for long multi day hikes, I use 2 32oz bottles, like empty Gatorade or Smart Water bottles. I also cary a 2L platypus with or without a hose... It all depends on the conditions. I use the platypus for camp water..but honestly I am not very consistent with any setup. Im prone to carry more water than I need
      RIAP

    • Normal - One 32 ounce Gatorade bottle + One 20 ounce Gatorade bottle

      Dry Conditions - Two 32 ounce Gatorade bottles + One 20 ounce Gatorade bottle

      Very Dry Conditions - Two 64 ounce Cranberry juice bottles + One 20 ounce Gatorade bottle

      The only place I've used the 64 ounce bottles is Croatan National Forest which can be bone dry in the fall and what water that is available is brackish.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Started with Nalgenes, but now have evolved to 2 - 32 oz Gatorade bottles. Start with at least one with actual Gatorade, and convert to water as I go. When I am in town to resupply I always buy 2 new Gatorades, so I don't have to worry about the BPA issues and I like the Gatorade anyway (helps motivate me as I walk (usually up) out of town with a heavier resupplied pack).

      I also carry 1L platypus for times at night when I am getting extra water for cooking and don't want to hassle with getting water again in the morning. I am sure at times I am carrying too much water, but it beats the alternative. :)

      Thinking of converting one of the 32oz to a 20oz or Smart Water bottle so I can carry my tent in one of the outside pockets of my Catalyst (help when it is wet and also the first thing you need out of pack when you get to camp). Something I will try out this Spring.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • I usually carry one 3 liter camelbak and a one liter gatorade bottle. Typically when I hike I start out carrying two liters of water, one liter in the camelbak and one in the gatorade bottle. When the camelbak runs dry, I fill it back upwith the gatorade bottle and the refill the bottle at the next water source.

      If plan to camp at a dry campsite or if I know I'm going through a long dry section, having the ability to carry 4 liters becomes important.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • also I only use nalgene bottles since they are tough, can take a beating if i have to free a frozen cap and can be filled with boiling water.

      Otherwise, they are too expensive and heavy to carry when temps are above freezing, during the rest of the year a disposable gatorade bottle or the like works well and can be thrown in the recycling and replaced when it gets dirty.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • I only use bottles for backpacking, I'll use a camelback for a day hike. Problem with a camelback type is you don't know how low you are on water until you run out. I have a 20 oz gatorade bottle bungied to each shoulder strap and a 1 litre smartwater bottle in each of my packs side pockets which will be empty/half full/full depending on how far it is to the next water source.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • I am very lax on carrying water because I hike where water is plentiful. I usually carry one bicycle water bottle, I don't know how much it holds. Recently I've carried a 24 oz. Nathan bottle similar to a Nalgene.

      If I'm not camping near a water source, I try to fill up my 64 oz Sawyer bag before I get to camp.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Drybones wrote:

      A 32 oz Smartwater bottle with a 24 oz cap and I carry a 2 liter Platypus to use in camp...that provides enough water for that night and start of next day. Never had to use it for such but the Platypus can be used for long dry stretches.


      same for me, but i add the quart size sawyer squeeze bag.i rarely carry more than the smartwater bottle unless its a particularly dry stretch. i try to make sure i drink from about every source i pass.
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      A 32 oz Smartwater bottle with a 24 oz cap and I carry a 2 liter Platypus to use in camp...that provides enough water for that night and start of next day. Never had to use it for such but the Platypus can be used for long dry stretches.


      same for me, but i add the quart size sawyer squeeze bag.i rarely carry more than the smartwater bottle unless its a particularly dry stretch. i try to make sure i drink from about every source i pass.


      It's the last water until the next last water
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      A 32 oz Smartwater bottle with a 24 oz cap and I carry a 2 liter Platypus to use in camp...that provides enough water for that night and start of next day. Never had to use it for such but the Platypus can be used for long dry stretches.


      same for me, but i add the quart size sawyer squeeze bag.i rarely carry more than the smartwater bottle unless its a particularly dry stretch. i try to make sure i drink from about every source i pass.


      It's the last water until the next last water


      man that was one thing great on the bmt, plenty of water!
      its all good

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I only use bottles for backpacking, I'll use a camelback for a day hike. Problem with a camelback type is you don't know how low you are on water until you run out. I have a 20 oz gatorade bottle bungied to each shoulder strap and a 1 litre smartwater bottle in each of my packs side pockets which will be empty/half full/full depending on how far it is to the next water source.


      So are you planning on a Sawyer Squeeze?
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • Warm weather: 2 litre Camelbak with the hose. I find I hike better when I can just sip rather than having to fiddle with getting a bottle out. I also carry a 1 litre Nalgene, often empty, with a Reflectix cozy. It's my coffee pot. It's extra water capacity for a dry stretch. I might add a 1 litre Platypus if I'm making a dry camp.

      Cold weather. 2 - 1 litre Nalgenes, both with cozies. Water isn't a problem in winter, it's everywhere. You have to melt it.

      I tried doing a section of the wet Northville Placid Trail with just a couple of Platypus bottles instead of the Camelbak and went back to the Camelbak. I often filled it just half full, because there was water everywhere, but I missed the hose when I didn't have it.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • I actually just made a post about this in another forum so I'll copy it here.

      I run a 3 liter Osprey hydration in the Osprey pack. Backing that is a 4 liter Platypus Gravity Works filtration system (added the charcoal canister but frankly don't think I need it in East TN) that stays rolled up in the pack. If I'm going to hit a dry stretch I can run a few liters from the platypus to fill my hydration, then run another batch to fill it. That gives me 7 liters of fresh water that's better than anything I have at home. If it looks like I might need more than I can simply fill the extra 4 liter 'dirty' bag and that gives me 11 liters of water to make it to another stop. For what it's worth, I've been out a few times with 3-4 people and one (1) fill of the 4-liter bag has seen us through 3 days at a stretch of cooking, cleaning, etc. I can't imagine ever needing 11 liters short of ferrying a boy scout troop across the desert.

      Side bonus: Any and every little stream, creek crossing, or lake shore is a source of immediately drinkable water.
      _________________________________________________
      The trouble with reality stems from a lack of background music!

    • twistwrist wrote:

      Random question, which water bag do you guys use on long hikes or do you just carry Nalgene bottles? How much water do you typically start with? Thanks!


      I generally carry two of the 20oz, wide-mouthed gatoraid bottles so I can carry them on my shoulder straps like a geek. They really hold a little more, and the 2 combined is ~1.2L Most of the AT has plenty of water, and that's usually what I start with unless water's scarce. I carry an extra 1L squeeze bag for my Sawyer Mini for the extra capacity. That gives me the ability to carry up to 3.2 liters of water to a dry camp, or in those sections where water sources are few and far between. When they wear out, I recycle them and buy two more at any convenience store.
      -
      L.Dog
      AT 2000 Mile LASHer '12-'15

    • I use Gatorade bottles, or other round bottles to carry water.
      If it's just me on an easy trail, on a cool day, and I'm not going for more than a day hike I carry a quart.
      Add people, difficulty, distance, temperature, wind, very cold temperatures, altitude (Rocky Mtns) or other variables and I add to the amount.
      I've been in the hospital twice for heat stroke and dehydration (not from hiking) and want to make sure it never happens again.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      I use Gatorade bottles, or other round bottles to carry water.
      If it's just me on an easy trail, on a cool day, and I'm not going for more than a day hike I carry a quart.
      Add people, difficulty, distance, temperature, wind, very cold temperatures, altitude (Rocky Mtns) or other variables and I add to the amount.
      I've been in the hospital twice for heat stroke and dehydration (not from hiking) and want to make sure it never happens again.


      I've been close once. It was worse than crashing my bike and breaking bones.
      I've got this thing for water. I always have a bottle with me. I'm absolutely sure I will over-carry the first few weeks on the trail.
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      I use Gatorade bottles, or other round bottles to carry water.
      If it's just me on an easy trail, on a cool day, and I'm not going for more than a day hike I carry a quart.
      Add people, difficulty, distance, temperature, wind, very cold temperatures, altitude (Rocky Mtns) or other variables and I add to the amount.
      I've been in the hospital twice for heat stroke and dehydration (not from hiking) and want to make sure it never happens again.


      I've been close once. It was worse than crashing my bike and breaking bones.
      I've got this thing for water. I always have a bottle with me. I'm absolutely sure I will over-carry the first few weeks on the trail.


      Maybe a weight penalty, but still a lot better than running out. :)

      As with everything else, as you go you will find out what works best for you.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • I ran out once on a July hike back down from Shuckstack. It was pretty miserable when we had already been rationing it too much. My first backpacking trip was fraught with disasters, that was one of them. :(
      _________________________________________________
      The trouble with reality stems from a lack of background music!

    • AdventureMyk wrote:

      I ran out once on a July hike back down from Shuckstack. It was pretty miserable when we had already been rationing it too much. My first backpacking trip was fraught with disasters, that was one of them. :(


      The best place to conseve water is in your body. Lots of hikers have been rescued in dangerously dehydrated condition, with water still in their bottles.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      AdventureMyk wrote:

      I ran out once on a July hike back down from Shuckstack. It was pretty miserable when we had already been rationing it too much. My first backpacking trip was fraught with disasters, that was one of them. :(


      The best place to conseve water is in your body. Lots of hikers have been rescued in dangerously dehydrated condition, with water still in their bottles.


      could you explain that statement kevin
      its all good

    • AnotherKevin wrote:


      The best place to conseve water is in your body. Lots of hikers have been rescued in dangerously dehydrated condition, with water still in their bottles.

      When Dad was in the Navy, we lived in the Philippines for three years. I was in scouts, and we hiked the Bataan Death March every year. Being a fairly clever fellow, I figured out all by myself that if I didn't drink too much water, I didn't sweat as much! When we returned from that hike, my Mom took one look at me, chewed out the scoutmaster, and hauled me to the hospital, where I had two bags of ringers pumped into me.

      Being a fairly clever fellow, I never made that mistake again ...
      -
      L.Dog
      AT 2000 Mile LASHer '12-'15

    • hikerboy wrote:

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      AdventureMyk wrote:

      I ran out once on a July hike back down from Shuckstack. It was pretty miserable when we had already been rationing it too much. My first backpacking trip was fraught with disasters, that was one of them. :(


      The best place to conseve water is in your body. Lots of hikers have been rescued in dangerously dehydrated condition, with water still in their bottles.


      could you explain that statement kevin


      AdventureMyk kind of did, already. Hikers running short of water tend to try to stretch it out by drinking less, but you can actually go farther by drinking at least enough that you're not thirsty. Many hikers who are running short take it to extremes, and stretch out their water supply until they're dangerously dehydrated and in need of rescue. They'd have gone farther, faster, likely even to the next water source, if the water in their bottles was inside them instead.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      AdventureMyk wrote:

      I ran out once on a July hike back down from Shuckstack. It was pretty miserable when we had already been rationing it too much. My first backpacking trip was fraught with disasters, that was one of them. :(


      The best place to conseve water is in your body. Lots of hikers have been rescued in dangerously dehydrated condition, with water still in their bottles.



      Agree....I drink as much as I can every chance I get...I'd rather carry it in my belly than my pack.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • I've run out of water several times due to out of my control circumstances. There are few instances as exhilarating as finding two of three canteens riddled with shell fragments and bullets and remaining uninjured.
      I've been hospitalized twice due to heat stroke, one of which was due to the above situation and the other while sailing in the Gulf of Mexico. I failed to check the fresh water tanks after being told by the captain they were topped.

      Need I say, I'm always carrying too much water. I use a 3 litre Camelback on a day outing and add at least two filled 32 oz sports drink bottles on overnights.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • In my case it was having 2 water supplies along the way that weren't working coupled with the entire return stretch running along the top of a ridge-line. This was before I had any water filtering, etc. so we had to carry all the water with us. Between cooking and such we simply misjudged what we were going to need. It was my fault entirely for counting on the resources to be available and planning my trip around it. I'm usually the 'be prepared for the unexpected' but that was also our first backpacking trip, she had an ill-fitting 30liter backpack that carried next to nothing by the time you even put a bladder in it, an old synthetic sleeping bag that took upt he rest, etc. That left me carrying virtually everything including all the water. It was probably the heaviest load I have ever carried and frankly, it sucked...
      _________________________________________________
      The trouble with reality stems from a lack of background music!

    • If in below freezing a 1 liter nalgene with foam coozies is a must to fill with boiling wter at night to add to my sleeping bag. I also like a large bladder bag for setting up camp for the night. The rest is determined by terrain, availability of water, temps, etc. Gatoraide, soda bottles all do the trick. I disklike bladders because I like to know how much water I have left. On long dry streaches out west I had to use them, but therey were just to refill my canteens so to speak. I always have a water bottle in reach hiking. I prefer to take a break & sip on some water & know if I have to conserve sweat. It's a great excuse to stop for a vista anyway.

      When first starting out I will go a little heavy on water. After a few days I'm normally good with about a liter every 5 miles. You have to find what works for you & adjust it to conditions. I've had times where I carried 2 gallons of water. It wasn't fun, a litle to much, but beat the alternative & I've been there a few times.

    • The effects of inflation have made my hiking decisions more complicated.
      For desert hiking I have found 1 liter / 4 miles to be the right carry for me. Some sections I carry 6 liters in individual bottles. Mostly I use disposable soda or juice bottles I have collected and then toss them in the recycling at the end of my trip (they are usually pretty funky by then). I carefully pace my water consumption by the bottle to make sure it lasts.

      Shopping for some replacement bottles today I noticed many of my go-to brands are now in 0.943 liter bottles.
      Holy Shrinkage Batman!
      Should I bring a calculator on my hike?
      Will I while away my hiking hours trying to do long division in my head?
      Instead of six bottles for six liters, do I now have to bring 6.36 bottles?

      My head now hurts, or maybe I am just dehydrated!
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • I haven't done much desert hiking but will be in n the Grand Canyon in Late April. My plan is to stick with my 24 oz Gatorade bottle I rescued from the recycling dumpster years ago. They have a nice twist open drinking spout and the deep grooves on the sides make it easy to bungee them to my pack straps. I will carry overflow water in my 900 mL Evernew bladders ( need for my squeeze filter). I'll grab a 2 L pop bottle for extra capacity for the long dry days. The still carry 2 L. Smart water bottles are also popular. They are still 1 liter.