Drinking water in the winter??

[Quietman]

A little hint if you use a camelback or other similar hydration system. In the winter, after taking a drink, blow air through the water line until it clears back into the pack. This eliminates freezing in the hose.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

A couple of questions. wouldn't gatoraide have a lower freezing point than plain water? I've had it turn to slush on long cold dayhikes, but it's never frozen. Another consideration: motion. The water in the nalgene bottle in the pack of a hiker in nearly constant motion will slosh around a lot. Won't that motion reduce the freezing point as well?

It wouldn't lower it by much. A solution that would remain liquid at a much lower temperature, would be so cnocentrated, that drinking it would dehydrate you.

Also, you wouldn't want something too cold going down your throat. It'd freeze your insides. Ever try drinking Coleman Feul at 20 below? Hint: don't.

The slushy freezing instead of one solid mass, does help making it easier to open half frozen bottles.

 

[MEB]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. Summertime I usually take 3 to 4 quarts with me depending on the length and I'm leaning towards just bringing along another water bottle for the winter, as much as I do no not want to add any extra weight...but heck what's a few extra pounds anyway. My concern was getting halfway through a hike and realizing I'm almost out of water.

-MEB

 

[dr_wu002]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. Summertime I usually take 3 to 4 quarts with me depending on the length and I'm leaning towards just bringing along another water bottle for the winter, as much as I do no not want to add any extra weight...but heck what's a few extra pounds anyway. My concern was getting halfway through a hike and realizing I'm almost out of water.

-MEB

Just follow the immortal words of the Metal Fellow himself, Daniel Dumile:

When it's fresh it's sterile, some say digestible even edible. If you are stranded out to sea, alone and in trouble, survive dehrdration, guzzle your own cup full....

You'll be fine!

-Dr. Wu

 

[blacknblue]

i routinely hike 15 miles and more without drinkin' any water!! don't ask me why, i don't know. as an example, i hike/whacked to whitewall mtn and back without drinkin' any water!!ask the "human moose" he'll tell ya!!
i think he want's ta call me the "human camel"!!!!

I (nearly) always wind up with extra water at the end of my hike, too.
Another thing I've found useful, especially from hiking at high altitude a lot, I always drink a liter of water on the drive to the trailhead, and keep another liter in the car. Between those 2 liters, I don't need to drink as much while hiking - I start hydrated and can re-hydrate quickly when finished.
Of course, the 'shotgun a liter before you hike' method does increase the relevance of the 'how to pee when it's cold' discussion.

 

[DougPaul]

Also, you wouldn't want something too cold going down your throat. It'd freeze your insides. Ever try drinking Coleman Feul at 20 below? Hint: don't.

Most people don't intentionally drink Coleman fuel, which, BTW, freezes around -70F, but a splash on the skin can result in flash frostbite.

(Make sure that your fuel bottles are readily distinguishable from your drinking bottles by touch alone. Prevents drinking from the wrong bottle in the middle of the night.)

People may not intentionally drink gasoline, but they do intentionally drink alcohol-water mixtures in the cold. These mixtures can freeze at temps well below the freezing point of flesh. (IIRC, alcohol-water mixtures used to be used for car antifreeze...) People have died from freezing their larynxes with a cold drink.

Doug

 

[jfb]

So, I'm curious what some of you do about water when you know you'll be out for a long day.

Thanks,
-MEB

On a long dayhike, I'll carry two Nalgene bottles in the insulated holders. On any hike I usually try to limit how much I drink at a time (appox. one cup per hour) so I'm not just diluting my urine to achieve the proper shade of yellow. I also try to slow down when I feel like I'm overheating so I don't need to perspire as much. I don't worry about running out of water an hour or so from the end of my hike, because I don't expect my performance to decrease much if I'm only a little thirsty at the end of the day.

 

[DougPaul]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. Summertime I usually take 3 to 4 quarts with me depending on the length and I'm leaning towards just bringing along another water bottle for the winter, as much as I do no not want to add any extra weight...but heck what's a few extra pounds anyway. My concern was getting halfway through a hike and realizing I'm almost out of water.

I usually carry 2-4 liters in summer and 1.5-2 liters in winter. I usually get back to the car with something under a half liter in winter. (One should have a bit of margin anyhow.)

In winter, I carry a .5 liter insulated bottle on my belt so that water is always readily available. If for some reason, this bottle gets in my way, I just toss it in my pack with the rest of my water.

I suggest that you start with your summertime amount of water and then change the amount as you accumulate some experience. If you decide that you have too much most of the way through a trip, you can dump the extra.

You should be drinking enough that your urine color is pale (darker color indicates dehydration) and you need to pee at least several times in a day. You should never feel thirsty (indicates mild to moderate dehydration.)

Doug

 

[carole]

So, I'm curious what some of you do about water when you know you'll be out for a long day.

Two pages of replies, so what can I add?

I like to start with a qt. of HOT chocolate (or cider, Gatorade, or other favorite) in an insulated cover and wear it on my waist belt to warm me right from the start. It also encourages you to drink more often. (I have made it at home driven two hours and still have a hot drink for the trail.) As it cools down it will still be enjoyable.

Depending on the length of the hike I have another qt. or two insulated in the pack and often a thermos of hot drink for lunch. My longest hike was probably the Bonds, which was an out and back, from Lincoln Woods. Before we began the climb up Bondcliff I left a quart stashed for the return trip. It turned out I didn’t really need it but one in the group did run out and this was a big help. Zealand was another long hike from Rt.302, but we had the benefit of hot water at Zealand hut, so I brought more hot chocolate mix to make on the return for the long slog out.

I’ve never needed a filter but do have tablets for that emergency need. On a few occasions when the bottle is icing up I find the inner pockets of my vest is the place to keep anything warm (breasts aren’t just for warm milk, girls ).

 

[Rick]

Also, you wouldn't want something too cold going down your throat. It'd freeze your insides. Ever try drinking Coleman Feul at 20 below? Hint: don't.

Pete - This is a great word of caution,. This is exactly why I print in big letters "FUEL" on the side of my one gallon Coleman fuel can, so I absolutely don't get it mixed up when feeling around for my nalgene bottle in the middle of the night in the dark tent!!!!!

 

[Umsaskis]

I carry 2 or 3 Nalgenes of water, hot to begin with (pour in half boiling water, half cold water so as not to warp the bottles). Start with cold water and then boil it, since running warm water through your tap has more of a tendency to dissolve minerals in the pipes and add them to your water.

But, I have often wondered about the safety of this technique - putting hot water into plastic Nalgene bottles - because of endocrine disrupters? I'd like to find a good water bottle made of a non-plastic material to avoid this issue.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

While the idea of stashing a liter in a snowbank is intriguing, I have safety concerns .....or it's frozen?

Frozen? It'll take days. Stashing liquids deep in snow, is a great way to keep them from freezing while winter camping. I had a quart of milk one time which I kept for 2 days, where temperatures dipped to about 10 below.

 

[sli74]

Frozen? It'll take days. Stashing liquids deep in snow, is a great way to keep them from freezing while winter camping. I had a quart of milk one time which I kept for 2 days, where temperatures dipped to about 10 below.

Yes, buried deep enough in the snowbank, the insulating properties of snow will indeed keep the water from freezing. I have also buried both milk and water deep in the snow and had it last Friday evening to Sunday evening.

sli74

 

[sli74]

(pour in half boiling water, half cold water so as not to warp the bottles).

I pour boiling hot water into my nalgenes and fill them completely with the water and have NEVER had the bottles warp . . . I doubt warping is an issue, atleast with the colored ones.

And as far as safety, I am still to be convinced that the nalgenes leach anything or anything substantial enough to cause harm but in any case, I don't stress about it too much but I guess my line of work brings me into contact with substances far more hazardous and likely to cause me damage.

sli74

 

[Tom Rankin]

I pour boiling hot water into my nalgenes and fill them completely with the water and have NEVER had the bottles warp . . . I doubt warping is an issue, atleast with the colored ones.

The soft plastic ones will warp under extreme heat or cold, but the hard plastic ones seem to be fine.

 

[DougPaul]

The soft plastic ones will warp under extreme heat or cold, but the hard plastic ones seem to be fine.

I use the polyethylene (HDPE) bottles and pour hot water into them when camping. The bottles get a little soft, and warp a little when the air inside cools and contracts. (The warp comes out after you open the bottle.) Never had anything that I would call I a problem.

I just put room-temp tap water into them for day trips.

Don't have any Lexan (polycarbonate) bottles to comment on.

The HDPE bottles do crack after about 25yrs... But the old lids last forever (or at least ~35yrs).

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

And as far as safety, I am still to be convinced that the nalgenes leach anything or anything substantial enough to cause harm but in any case,

The scare about HDPE Nalgen bottles was caused by someone's testing of lab Nalgene bottles and applying the result to drinking bottles. The drinking bottles, unlike the lab bottles, are made from food-grade HDPE.

Nalgene has an explaination on their web site.

Doug

 

[Pete_Hickey]

The HDPE bottles do crack after about 25yrs... But the old lids last forever (or at least ~35yrs).

Mine don't last that long. I just lost one a couple weeks ago. It was only about 12 years old. I ave no idea how long the lids last, because I haven't had one go on me yet (other than the connector 'strap' breaking.

Those bottles are getting harder and harder to find these days. Heck, even non-colored lexon bottles are harder to find.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I have several of the old smoked grey lexan bottles. Three from nalgene and the other a EMS knockoff. All many years old. They have gone from -25F to having boiling water poured into them, many times, with never a problem. I have recently bought some of the colored quart bottles but I will never give up my lexan bottles. They aren't retired. They just only come out now when the conditions are really tough. Battle scarred veterans they are.

Keith

 

[Jeff-B]

Nalgene still offers all of it's container lines in both Lexan and HDPE.
Trouble is only the local stores carry the newer colored lexan types.

However, here is the main website for Nalgene, and luckily you can buy direct from them.

Nalgene Outdoors

Jeff