How to Carry Water While Hiking

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is at home.”- Gary Snyder. Hiking is the way to connect your soul with nature. If you properly carry water while hiking, and have perfect hiking planning, then it will be a mercy to have in the rough life.

This urban life is so monotonous that sometimes a few days in hiking can give you refreshment and perspective. Hiking is extremely good for health but if you don’t drink water enough then the result can be the opposite.

Not drinking enough water can make you dehydrated and drinking unsafe water can be the reason for so many diseases in your body few can even be life-threatening. There are so many ways you can carry water for long hike trip but first, you have to know about dehydration.

Few Tips to Carry Water Bottle While Hiking

To properly understand the fact that how much water you need to keep going on hiking and how much can you carry on the hike, you need to know some basics of hydration and backpacking.

Here are few things you should learn to actually know how to carry water while hiking.

Basics of Hydration While Hiking

People can survive for 3 weeks without food on hike but can’t survive 3 days without water. So, now you know why it’s important to be hydrated when you are on your adventure.

People should have at least 8 glass or 2 liters on a daily basis according to the doctor. But if you are hiking then it goes high. Especially If you are walking in hot weather. So in that time experts suggest to consume a little every hour.

But the problem is

The problem starts when you have to carry that water, as we all know water is bulky and heavy. When you walk it can put weighs in your shoulder during the hiking. Let’s think you are carrying 8 hours of water with you that means you are carrying 16 lbs of water. 

If you weigh between 150 to 200lbs and carry between 30 and 40 lbs then you are carrying 20 percent of your body weight. And that means you can even carry enough water for 8-hour trek.

How Much Water Should I Carry?

How much water you have to carry depends on your filtering process or your carrying system. It’s not wise to carry more than 2 liters with you when you walk on the trail.

If you know your trail and know where your next resource is then carrying 2 liters for safety is enough.

If you know how to drink from the sources than drink up there and carry less on the trail. Also, try to carry small bottles that can fit in your hot weather and winter hiking pants properly. It will ease up the bag on your shoulder.

Plan properly so even if something unexpected happens you can handle it properly.

How to Pack Water in a Backpack: How to Carry Water Bottle While Walking

While on the hike and walking towards your camping area, carrying water bottle can be tough sometimes. It all depends on how much water are you carrying in the bottle and how many paths you are passing.

Sometimes, overtiredness can make carrying even small bottle impossible. In the other hand, without proper water, you cannot go much. So, there has to be a balance.

I can provide a few options for packing water in your backpack. Hope this will help.

Carrying Water in Hard Bottles

Hard bottles are first option hiker normally think they are durable, robust and easy to use. They are easy to fill and you can place them in the ground without worrying about splitting water but they are heavy and take a lot of space.

Finally, they are expensive. They are made of polyethylene, aluminum or stainless steel. There are so many popular brands made them like – Nalgene, Sigg, Klean canteen, Camelback, Polar, Hydroflask. etc.

Hiking with Collapsible Bottles

 A collapsible bottle is also a famous option for hiker they are light and efficient. Specially for women, backpacking with lightweight items is a good choice.

There’s the main advantage is they don’t waste space when empty and they are affordable. But in the meantime, there’s the main disadvantage is they can’t be easily filled.

Another main disadvantage is their durability, they get easily destroyed. The classic collapsible bottle is wide open in both sides that’s why they tend to break when you try to fill them with water but recently one side with bottle cap is solving the problem.

They are made of Polyethylene (PT), Polypropylene (Polypro), etc. Platypus, Evernew, Vapur, etc, they are popular for making them.

Using Water in the Disposable Bottles

The disposable bottle is our daily life bottles, they are plastic water bottles or energy drinks bottles. The disposable bottle is famous for the ultralight backpacker.

They don’t have much durability but they are cheap and easy to find so it doesn’t matter. The disposable bottle is made of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET plastic).

Carrying Water in Hydration Bladders for Pro Hikers

Those who are a pro at hiking, they don’t want to waste their time for drinking and like to keep their hands free. For them, hydration bladders are a good option as they fit in the back so you can carry the weight without destroying comfort.

They are made of light material they are safely stashed in your backpack. This even helps those hike who can’t intake lots of water together. Their one and the only disadvantage are they are not easy to fill up especially in the wild.

How They are Made of

They are made of two parts- water bladder and hose. The first part has water fillings and the second parts allow water to “sucked” through the mouthpiece. 

Polyethylene (PT), Polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA), Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), Nylon, etc these are the material used for making them. The most popular brands who made them are Camelbak, Platypus, Geigerigg, Hydrapak.

Hybrid Solution For Hiking Water

These are the last line of defense if you cant choose any of them. The hybrid solution is a namesake, its the combination of all the upper option. Also, it is a carry water while hiking.

They are a container with so many features. They are semi-rigid and they change according to the water level.

 Its a combination of collapsible container and hydration bladder. They are really handy in the wild.