how much water do most people carry on through hike

[bobp]

My husband bought a 3liter bladder because he hikes with scouts and wanted to be sure to have plenty of water in case someone needed it. He found that the 3 liter is a pain to get into the bladder pocket of his pack, and it presents a challenge to getting his pack weight balanced.

Scout Leader's Disease :^). I have a 6 liter bladder for the same reason. It gives me a little extra work on the trail, but it is way lighter than hiking a kid out. I've heard it said here that your pack weight is determined by your fears. Yep. Any Scouter with a lick of sense and a bit of imagination has a lot of fear :^). Don't even start about my first aid kit....

[Bucho]

Personally, I dont like doint this. It takes up space in the pack, your body temp warms the water, and its hard access/fill (unless you use a filter that pumps down the hose), and if the bladder leaks it leaks on everything in your pack.

*shrug* They're popular with a lot of people for a reason. It's all a matter of your setup, some packs do a much better job of letting you get your bladder in and out than others and using a pack liner has the side benefit of keeping your gear dry in the unlikely event of a leak.

[RockDoc]

Two liters, although they are rarely full (only when going to camp for the night).
I study the map and talk to other hikers and avoid carrying water uphill like the plague.
It's the heaviest single thing that we carry, so why not save 4 lbs when you can (a pint is a pound the world around)?

[DonnaWalken]

It's 2 liters for a day hike for me. Longer, more water.

[Another Kevin]

I'm jsut a clueless weekender, but I can't imagine that carrying water is any different between a weekend, a section and a thru.

3 seasons: 2-litre Camelbak, 1-litre Nalgene. I don't always have the Nalgene full. I may carry more if I'm on something like the Catskill Escarpment Trail, where I have to lose 500-1000 feet of elevation to get down to water sources in dry weather. (Tank up at North Lake, the spring in Dutcher Notch, and the Batavia Kill. There are no reliable water sources on Arizona Plateau.) I carry a filter because it gets me water immediately, no waiting for chemicals to work. In fine weather I'll sometimes carry a Sea to Summit bucket. It can haul untreated water, which is fine to have at a dry camp. I can filter as I need it. It's also fine for washing socks, dishes (untreated is fine for soapy water, a quick splash of treated water to rinse), or me. And it's a bucket of water to have handy if I have a campfire.

Winter: 2 1-litre Nalgenes and a 1-litre Thermos. The Nalgenes are wrapped in extra socks and carried upside down, and if I have the fuel or have a fire going they get filled with hot water. The Thermos has hot water so that I can make soup or tea in a hurry without needing to boil a billy. I don't take the Camelbak because no matter what I do, the hose freezes. If I carry my filter, it has to ride someplace it won't freeze, so I may resort to Aqua Mira instead.

[Buttercup01]

I take long hikes; usually 25 to 30 miles a day. My water plan is to carry one liter for every 5 miles. So, 10 miles between reliable water sources keeps my water load to 2 liters. I use a 3 liter bladder for those long stretches or when water sources are unreliable.

[perdidochas]

My husband bought a 3liter bladder because he hikes with scouts and wanted to be sure to have plenty of water in case someone needed it. He found that the 3 liter is a pain to get into the bladder pocket of his pack, and it presents a challenge to getting his pack weight balanced.

It's hard to be a Scout leader and an ultralight hiker :-) Most of us pack for our fears, but being a scout leader, you pack for fears for your Scouts.

For backpacking with the Scouts, we tell the boys that the minimum they should carry is 2-L. On our last trip, we had one or two boys that only carried a liter. They got thirsty and cranky when we hiked through a 3+ mile dry area on the trail (Sipsey Wilderness).

[perdidochas]

Scout Leader's Disease :^). I have a 6 liter bladder for the same reason. It gives me a little extra work on the trail, but it is way lighter than hiking a kid out. I've heard it said here that your pack weight is determined by your fears. Yep. Any Scouter with a lick of sense and a bit of imagination has a lot of fear :^). Don't even start about my first aid kit....

Yup. I generally start a hike with 4-L. My 2-L hydration bag, and two 1-liter Nalgenes. Can't go quite as minimalist as I would like to go.

[perdidochas]

Yup. I generally start a hike with 4-L. My 2-L hydration bag, and two 1-liter Nalgenes. Can't go quite as minimalist as I would like to go.

Also carry a 1 gallon container for camp water--a Sonic bulk tea container, and use a Sawyer gravity/squeeze system for filtration.

[The Splitter]

I've been carrying 2L lately but on my trip this next week I'm going to be carrying 0 as there is water everywhere. I typically hydrate heavily the night before and the morning of so I don't really start needing water until I've gone several miles and I'll stop and chug a liter whenever I come across a water source.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fredt4]

It's hard to be a Scout leader and an ultralight hiker :-) Most of us pack for our fears, but being a scout leader, you pack for fears for your Scouts.

For backpacking with the Scouts, we tell the boys that the minimum they should carry is 2-L. On our last trip, we had one or two boys that only carried a liter. They got thirsty and cranky when we hiked through a 3+ mile dry area on the trail (Sipsey Wilderness).

Our scout master had us carry his gear. Wonder why so much it got lost on the trail?

[full conditions]

I rarely carry more than 1L (which I use a gatoraid bottle for) here in the Southern Appalachians and I carry a 2L collapsible platypus for camp and the occasional situation where I need to carry a bit more. These are wet mountains though.

[Traveler]

I rarely carry more than 1L (which I use a gatoraid bottle for) here in the Southern Appalachians and I carry a 2L collapsible platypus for camp and the occasional situation where I need to carry a bit more. These are wet mountains though.

I do pretty much the same thing, though I use a bladder system appropriate for the season. How much I carry can vary depending on how frequently I want to stop to load water and/or how dry conditions are versus how reliable the water sources are at the time. Usually conditions dictate if I carry more than a liter though.

[perdidochas]

Our scout master had us carry his gear. Wonder why so much it got lost on the trail?

And that is why I carry my own gear.....

[Cedar1974]

Honestly, how much water you carry depends on the person, and the weather conditions. I for one have suffered from Heat Exhaustion when I was young, ever since then, I am very susceptible to dehydration and other heat related illness. So in my case I would most likely carry twice as much water as the average person because I simply need it. Just something to consider.

[Wyoming]

I went on a 4 hour hike today in AZ with shade temps right at 100 F and there is no shade so likely 110-112 the last 2 hours. Did 10 miles with about 2000 ft of gain. Took 3 liters which were gone by the time I got back to my car. When I got home I weighed 2 lbs less than when I left. So by definition I lost about 4 liters or 1 per hour. I could tell that one more liter would have been nice to have.

It all depends on how one sweats and the conditions.

[rocketsocks]

I like to carry 4 to 6 lbs. worth of water, 8 if it's real hot a summer.

[Tea In The Trees]

DEHYDRATION... FILTRATION PUMPS??? I'm heading out with my son for a section hike the first week of October. This will be our second trip. We did the new jersey stretch last summer in mostly 90 degree weather which was brutal. In the middle of our journey we came upon a 4 mile stretch that had no water source (We did not know this). We entered this potion with very little water and by the time we got a little less than half way I started to experience dehydration symptoms. My 26 year old son went ahead while I rested in the shade under a tree. He hiked 2-1/2 miles ahead for a round trip time of less than one hour 20 min and brought me back life saving water. Thank God my son was with me. I love him... Anyway, I just purchased a 2 liter bladder for my pack and will never move forward into an area without sufficient water again. I also purchased a water filtration pump. Is this overkill? From a comfort point of view we do use filtration bottles that I found to be very efficient and practical. Any comments?

I dont think its overkill really. In the hot temps, heat related injury can come on quite fast. Put that with dehydration and you have a recipe for a huge problem. My wife and I tend to take 2 liter bladders, & 2 20oz bottles during 6-10 mile stretches without water (just incase we need to stop/camp/etc). We are about to do a section of the DRT which may have 15-17 miles without water, so we have a backup bladder to hook to incase, so 4 liters of water.

I think that when it comes to water, you should do what you think is best, and stay safe. Without water, we will die, period.

I'd rather have to much water than not enough. Its easy to shed weight later and dump it, its not easy to find it when its lacking.

Glad you are okay thou sir, and didn't let a bad experience ruin you love of hiking. Have fun with your trip.-Nate

[shrapnel]

Water is the one item I will never gamble with and carry as much as possible. I do not trust maps that show where springs are and assume they will be fine when I arrive. Also, some springs might be .2-.3 miles down a very steep trail, so I avoid them, if possible. I carry a 2L bladder with a tube and a 2L platypus. I also carry, when the need fits, a 16 oz water bottle, which I can crunch up for filling at springs. Both bladders are usually both full, except at the end of the day. Preparation is key - know where you are hiking, what the weather will be like, sunny, cloudy, lots of hills ahead, etc. Do your research for re-supply areas or coming into a town. I walked 20 + miles into DWG knowing I could re-supply and let my water run down to almost nothing, my pack weighed about 18-19 lbs, which was glorious. People who get into water trouble on hikes simply do not do enough preparation and fully know what they are getting into. Water is my single #1 concern on any hike, anytime of year and I will hump the extra 8 + lbs it takes to haul it.

[Slackanater]

I do a series of videos on Tip for thru-hiking here is one on Hydration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl5IOxALh2E .For more videos visit my YouTube channel Slackanater.