Drinking water in the winter??

[DougPaul]

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.

Well, maybe it was only 20yrs... The caps are still fine.

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

That's called progress.

REI still carries the HDPE and smoke-colored Lexan. EMS seems to have given up on the HDPE.

Doug

 

[Lawn Sale]

I routinely pour boiling water into my Nalgene to make coffee, never had a problem with it and I've been doing it for years.

As to burying stuff, last February my older brother and I buried 2 gallons of water in the snow and some great Quebec beer, in glass bottles. It got to -35° overnight but nothing was frozen the next morning. They were about 2' down in the snow and completely covered.

 

[KenC]

I usually carry 3 Litres in winter on longer days. I do always carry a couple of extra toe warmers. If i'm going through more water than expected i'll start adding snow, throw in some aqua mira and put the toe warmer in the insulated bag to help things along. Takes the edge off that real cold water too.

 

[whcobbs]

Springs- drinking water in winter

I'm hoping to pick away at some more winter peaks this season and it looks like some of them are going to be fairly long, 15 miles plus or so, and I would like to do them all as day hikes. My question though is what does everyone do about drinking water in the cold weather.
Thanks,
-MEB

MEB--
A scheme that mostly works along the Appalachian Trail in PA is just to continue to depend on springs. They continue to flow even in bitter cold, usually at about 43 d F; their locations are known and well-marked, often in relation to lean-to shelters. You do need some sort of bottle insulation. With a bottle cozy and daytime temps in the teens, ice doesn't form in the bottle for 4-6 h, by which time you have reached the next spring. Of course, winter peak bagging in the ADKs is a different animal. Perhaps people could relate information about what springs they have found flowing or not in the winter season?
Walt