When planning your backpacking trip, one important issue you’ll need to figure out before you go is how much water to carry between water sources. The last thing you want to happen is to run out of water and find yourself nowhere near a stream and then potentially getting dehydrated. On the other hand, you could go the other direction and find yourself carrying too much water and end up carrying a lot of extra unnecessary weight. So, how do you strike a balance and carry the right amount of water for your hike?

A rule of thumb that many backpackers go by (including myself) is to carry 1 liter of water for every 2 hours of hiking. Of course, you may have to adjust this formula depending on what conditions you’re hiking in. Such things as temperature, humidity, altitude, intensity of the hike, and your body weight can effect how much water you consume.

So, as you can see, how much water you should carry backpacking is not a clear cut answer. Every hiker has different needs and every situation you’ll be in will be a little different. However, as you gain experience, you'll be able to fine-tune how much water you need. Listen to your body and if you’re in doubt err on the side of caution.

How to Come Up With a Water Carry Plan?

Part of the preparation for your backpacking trip should be to come up with a water plan. First locate the water sources along your hiking route. Then, figure out the mileage between each location you want to fill up at. Mileage alone won’t help you determine your water needs, but estimating your expected time to complete those miles will. This is because measuring distance doesn’t take into consideration how rugged the terrain is. The more rugged the trail is the longer it will take you to reach the next water source.

To estimate how long it will take you to do a given mileage use this benchmark. It takes an average hiker 30-minutes to walk a mile. Then, refer to your topographical map and look at the contour lines along your route. Is it showing significant changes in elevation? If so add another 30-minutes for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

For example, on a hike you could expect a 6-mile distance between water sources and you may have to climb 1,000 feet in elevation to get there. Here’s how to calculate it.

Calculation: 6 miles x 30 minutes = 3 hours + 30 minutes for elevation = 3.5 hours

Since the rule of thumb is to carry 1 liter of water for every 2 hours of hiking. 3.5 hours would mean you’ll need to carry 1.75 liters of water.

How to Properly Hydrate

Before Hiking: To properly hydrate yourself, start drinking water before you hike. If you start dehydrated it’s very difficult for your body to catch up and be fully hydrated. It’s generally recommended to drink 17-20 ounces of water within 2 hours before hiking. Caffeinated drinks act as diuretics, so try to limit or avoid drinking things like ice tea, soda, or coffee.

During Hiking: When hiking it’s important to drink regularly to maintain a good level of hydration. A guideline to go by is to consume 4 ounces of water every 10 to 15 minutes on mild days and on hot and humid days you can expect to double that. One way to make sure you’re properly hydrated is to check your urine. If it's clear or pale yellow, it's OK. If it's darker than that, keep drinking.

Sometimes when hiking in really hot and humid weather, drinking water to hydrate yourself isn’t enough. In this kind of environment, you’ll want to add something to your water. I recommend Gatorade Powder or MiO liquid water enhancer. When these products are combined with water they enhance hydration by replenishing electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which are lost through perspiration.

After Hiking: When you’re finished hiking for the day, you’ll need to drink more to help your body recover. No one wants the pain of a charley horse in the middle of the night because you’re dehydrated. Drink somewhere around 17-20 ounces of water within 2 hours after you’ve finished hiking for the day.

Be Careful of Dehydration

When your backpacking and exerting yourself, dehydration can happen very quickly. When I was doing a trip in Virginia to the Grayson Highlands area I made the mistake of not drinking enough. I was climbing up to the summit of Mount Rogers and I thought I was properly hydrated. However when I got to camp I had a headache and my stomach was cramping up. I knew right then that I was dehydrated. It was a lesson I learned the hard way. And through this article, I hope you can avoid having a similar experience.

Dehydration occurs when your body perspires and loses more fluid than it’s taken in. Without enough water, it can’t function properly. Here are some signs that your body will tell you that it’s running low on fluids:   

Symptoms of Dehydration

• Headache

• Extreme thirst

• Cramps

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Fatigue

• Dark urine

To counteract dehydration, start drinking water right away. However, don’t just chug, but take frequent sips of water. Adding a sports drink mix to your water like Gatorade or MiO will help you recover faster also.

Methods for Carrying Water

Hard-sided plastic bottles: Many people probably are familiar with these water bottles by the company name Nalgene. These water bottles are made out of hard plastic that is extremely durable. You can drop them on the ground, and they won’t break. But that durability comes with a price. They are very heavy. For the most part, these hard-sided water bottles are outdated. There are better products to carry your water in.

One good use they still have is for winter backpacking. You can heat up water on your stove and fill these bottles with hot water, and put them inside your sleeping bag to help keep you warm at night.

Soft bottles: This is my preferred method to carry water when I’m backpacking. I buy the 1-liter Smart water bottles from the grocery store. These water bottles are considerably lighter than the hard-sided ones, and you can conveniently screw on any of the very popular Sawyer water filters and drink right from the filter.

Collapsible water bottles: This type of water storage has quickly become a very popular way to carry water when backpacking. The reason for their popularity is that they’re very lightweight, and you can pack them in tight spaces. But you have to treat them with care because a sharp object can puncture a hole in these bottles.

Hydration reservoirs: You either love hydration reservoirs or you hate them. This is because, on one hand, you always have easy access to your water with the drinking hose right there on your shoulder. This allows you to drink while you’re still hiking, which is great. However, they’re a pain to refill at a water source. Also, you’re never sure how much water you have left in them since it’s buried in your backpack. Not to mention it’s a hassle to clean and dry them out for storage.

Filter Your Water

With 1 liter of water weighing 2.2 pounds, you’ll want to limit how much water you have to carry. You wouldn’t want to carry a whole trips worth of water. Instead, fill your water bottles or hydration reservoirs at natural water sources along your route. To do this, you will need to use a filter to remove contaminants like giardia and bacteria from the water. There are many different types of filters you can use. However, you can weed out many of them by focusing on ones that are lightweight and filter water very fast. The Sawyer Squeeze and Katadyn BeFree fit these criteria.

In Conclusion

As you can see with a little extra planning beforehand, figuring out how much water you need to carry and by being aware of your hydration levels on the trail, this can add to the comfort and enjoyment of your backpacking trip.

Do you have a question about how much water you should carry backpacking? Leave a comment down below

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