How much water do you carry?

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bikebum1975

Settler
Mar 2, 2009
664
1
49
Connecticut
This may come as a surprise considering my profession, but I carry Pepsi.
Why?
Tastes nice, contains sugar (=energy) and Caffeine .
Water for cooking and coffee is easily obtained.
yep it does taste alright but doesn't really quench the thrust when hot as hell out. I'm a bike rider I've made the mistake a few times when out getting a bottle of pop near killed me a couple miles out. Heat and soda unless I'm home relaxing don't mix for me.
That said back to the question if it's a day trip I'll take either a one liter Nalgene or my USGI canteen again Nalgene. I also have a camelback when big miles are had. If camping I'll leave with a bottle but have no issues getting drinking water from a river if known clean yes I treat it not to worry folks
 

bikebum1975

Settler
Mar 2, 2009
664
1
49
Connecticut
Depends what Im doing and if i have to boil or not.
Ive got a 20 litre plastic 'jerry' can for the car. A nato water bottle. Platypus bottle with the tube. Few nalgenes. Ortlieb ten litre water bag, ballast for canoe. Great thing is, my filter is very light, fast, and fits all of them. Also carry chlorine water tablets. For the arctic, Ive got two flasks, one wide mouth pioneer, and one 24 hour thermos.
On a normal hike in the UK, I rarely carry over one litre, but begin the day by drinking at least that much before i set off.

Did you hear the one about cups of tea?

Apparently this is the latest thing to give you cancer, as the heat effects the oesphagus
!

More milk needed then. Drink it like the gurkhas do!


Lmao ao seems everything gives it to you these days eh?
 

Tonyuk

Settler
Nov 30, 2011
933
81
Scotland
I like to carry 2 litres on an over-nigher, then refill when available. For a day hike it'll be about 1 litre since i never bother to go that far away from the town just for a day.

Tonyuk
 

Bhod

Forager
Feb 2, 2007
153
14
58
North Tyneside
For a normal days hiking I would generally take 1.5 litres of water, however depending on the hike and expected temperatures on it I have been known to take a max of 3 litres.
 

Barney Rubble

Settler
Sep 16, 2013
552
280
Rochester, Kent
youtube.com
Good question, I often wonder how much people typically carry. Personally, for an overnighter where everything must be carried into camp on one's back and there is no obvious water source, I'll carry two litres. I've recently started to use a kupilka cup and find that I can get six cups of tea/coffee out of one dutch army bottle brimmed full of water so that helps judge what I need. Added to this will occasionally be a couple of cans of ale! and I'll also aim to take some food which doesn't need to have water added as part of the cooking process (e.g: sausages on a stick or a jacket potato or both!!).
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
For a day in known areas .5 litre.

For a day in unknown / slightly more remote areas 1 litre.

For overnight 2 litres.

Longer walks 2-4 litres.

///////

heat from tea! blimey, were going to have to start having cold showers next...
 

bearbait

Full Member
I thought a couple of notes transcribed from the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine 2008 may be of interest.

(It should be understood that these are guidelines for expeditions, which some of us undertake, but I feel the principles apply equally to day or overnight hikes or trips, hence the post.)

P105 (Dietary Requirements - Water and Electrolytes)
While energy imbalances can be tolerated for days or weeks, water and electrolyte imbalances are poorly tolerated. Drinking large volumes of plain water for even a single day in a high humidity/high exercise situation can result in catastrophic hyponatraemia with muscle cramps, confusion, coma, and even death. In hot climates, additional electrolytes should be added to water to optimize rehydration (see Chapter 23).

Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration; typically thirst indicates more than 2% loss of body fluids and this corresponds to a 10% loss of exercise performance.

[My highlighting.]

Raised resting heart rate, or a higher than normal heart rate for a given exercise load, can indicate dehydration.

In cold dry climates dehydration can develop in the absence of obvious sweating or thirst, and manifests itself when returning to a warmed environment at the end of a day (see Chapter 19).

Fluid should be consumed before exercise (approximately 0.5 l), during (from 20 min into load and at a rate of 500-750ml/h), and after (until passing clear urine).

P106 (Water Purification)
Adults in temperate conditions need to drink about 3 litres a day, but intake can rise to as much as 15 litres per day in hot climates; a further 4 litres of clean water per person per day will be needed for cooking and washing up.

P586 (Cold Climates - Bases and Campsites)
Glacier outwash streams contain fine highly abrasive rock dust in suspension; this is a powerful laxative. If in doubt, filter water and then boil or sterilize it (p. 106).

P696 (Hot environments - deserts and tropical forests)
Fluids must be drunk before, during, and after exercise in a hot environment. Dehydration by as little as 1% affects heat toleance and thermoregulation. Acute mild dehydration (2-3% of body weight) significantly impairs exercise tolerance (overcoming any advantage conferred by acclimatisation), but does not initiate thirst. As dehydration progresses, cognitive function deteriorates and both thermoregulation and physical capacity become seriously compromised. A level of 6% dehydration is incompatible with furthe functioning in a hot environment. Even when a person is significantly dehydrated, urine is still produced and the volume of fluid required to return to full hydration must be at least 1.5 times that lost in sweat (assuming the individual was fully hydrated before the onset of activity). Women have a lower proportion of water in their bodies and may be at greater risk of dehydration than men.

Thirst is only stimulated when more than 2-3% dehydration has occurred. If an individual drinks only enough to satisfy their thirst they will be chronically dehydrated, particularly if they drink substantial amounts of caffeine-containing drinks, which act as diuretics. It is essential that personnel working hard in any environment are made aware of the need to drink water despite not feeling thirsty.

Thirsty = Dehydrated. Dehydrated does not = thirsty.

Hydration can be monitored by the colour and quantity of urine along with how often one needs to pass urine. Dark yellow urine is a sure indicator that the individual is dehydrated, as is the need to urinate less than twice a day.

---
Hope they're of use...
 
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santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
......Thirst is only stimulated when more than 2-3% dehydration has occurred. If an individual drinks only enough to satisfy their thirst they will be chronically dehydrated......

.....Thirsty = Dehydrated. Dehydrated does not = thirsty....

And yet, we as a species (and every other species on Earth) have actually thrived for millennia by drinking only when we're thirsty.
 

boatman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
2,444
4
77
Cornwall
I thought a couple of notes transcribed from the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine 2008 may be of interest.

(It should be understood that these are guidelines for expeditions, which some of us undertake, but I feel the principles apply equally to day or overnight hikes or trips, hence the post.)

P105 (Dietary Requirements - Water and Electrolytes)
While energy imbalances can be tolerated for days or weeks, water and electrolyte imbalances are poorly tolerated. Drinking large volumes of plain water for even a single day in a high humidity/high exercise situation can result in catastrophic hyponatraemia with muscle cramps, confusion, coma, and even death. In hot climates, additional electrolytes should be added to water to optimize rehydration (see Chapter 23).

Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration; typically thirst indicates more than 2% loss of body fluids and this corresponds to a 10% loss of exercise performance.

[My highlighting.]

Raised resting heart rate, or a higher than normal heart rate for a given exercise load, can indicate dehydration.

In cold dry climates dehydration can develop in the absence of obvious sweating or thirst, and manifests itself when returning to a warmed environment at the end of a day (see Chapter 19).

Fluid should be consumed before exercise (approximately 0.5 l), during (from 20 min into load and at a rate of 500-750ml/h), and after (until passing clear urine).

P106 (Water Purification)
Adults in temperate conditions need to drink about 3 litres a day, but intake can rise to as much as 15 litres per day in hot climates; a further 4 litres of clean water per person per day will be needed for cooking and washing up.

P586 (Cold Climates - Bases and Campsites)
Glacier outwash streams contain fine highly abrasive rock dust in suspension; this is a powerful laxative. If in doubt, filter water and then boil or sterilize it (p. 106).

P696 (Hot environments - deserts and tropical forests)
Fluids must be drunk before, during, and after exercise in a hot environment. Dehydration by as little as 1% affects heat toleance and thermoregulation. Acute mild dehydration (2-3% of body weight) significantly impairs exercise tolerance (overcoming any advantage conferred by acclimatisation), but does not initiate thirst. As dehydration progresses, cognitive function deteriorates and both thermoregulation and physical capacity become seriously compromised. A level of 6% dehydration is incompatible with furthe functioning in a hot environment. Even when a person is significantly dehydrated, urine is still produced and the volume of fluid required to return to full hydration must be at least 1.5 times that lost in sweat (assuming the individual was fully hydrated before the onset of activity). Women have a lower proportion of water in their bodies and may be at greater risk of dehydration than men.

Thirst is only stimulated when more than 2-3% dehydration has occurred. If an individual drinks only enough to satisfy their thirst they will be chronically dehydrated, particularly if they drink substantial amounts of caffeine-containing drinks, which act as diuretics. It is essential that personnel working hard in any environment are made aware of the need to drink water despite not feeling thirsty.

Thirsty = Dehydrated. Dehydrated does not = thirsty.

Hydration can be monitored by the colour and quantity of urine along with how often one needs to pass urine. Dark yellow urine is a sure indicator that the individual is dehydrated, as is the need to urinate less than twice a day.

---
Hope they're of use...
That is very out of date in many ways. caffeine drinks do not dehydrate regular drinkers of them, for example.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140402-are-coffee-and-tea-dehydrating
 

rustybigend

Member
Aug 19, 2020
25
7
38
Kettering
to hitch hike on an old tread i generally carry 3l of water. two ospery bottles an a guyot designs stainless bottle. on a hike i consume 1l per hour so look for resupply after 2.5 hours then i'm on my way again.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
It totally depends where I am, here in the south of Finland usually about 1l often much less, in the north often nothing but when crossing a dryer area again about 1l.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
Making sure I am good and topped up before heading out by downing 1L, I take a 1L bottle with me. Currently a red Nalgene Oasis; of which I am inordinately fond. Sometimes I carry a collapsible 1L spare. Sometimes I fill that one too before heading out.

For big distance or a camp, I'll sometimes take a bladder and a filter. Got a couple of different sized ones.
 
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Oliver G

Full Member
Sep 15, 2012
392
286
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
I invariable take 2x 1 litre osprey bottles and a 4 litre dromedary type bag for when I get to camp which I can fill with purified water. the trick is to camp close to cleanable water.
 

cipherdias

Settler
Jan 1, 2014
558
243
Wales
Depends on the distance I am going to walk, weather and if I know of a water source on the route.

On an average 5-10 miler I carry 2 1ltr Nalgene bottles of electrolyte and my Sawywr Squeeze filter in case I need extra

On a 10-20 miler I fill my 2.5ltr hydration bladder, carry a 1ltr Nalgene bottle of electrolyte and carry it Sawyer Squeeze filter. Any distance over that and it's about the same


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