32 oz Gatorade Bottles

Last year I carried two Powderade bottles and a Larger Bladder. Nalgene Wide Mouth or Platypus

If I knew water sources were ahead within five miles I only had one of the powerade bottles filled.
The theory is to "tank up" (drink up) at water sources to stay hydrated. There were a few stretches when water was scarce, later in the summer further up north, I would fill up both bottles and the bladder occasionally was filled up as well only 2-3 times did that occur but I was also carrying extra water for my hiking partner.

The main use of the Bladder was for in camp to get water when I got in, have some for cooking and filling up the bottles the next morning. Sometimes water sources were up to .5 to a 1m away from camp and having to only make the trip once was worth carrying the extra 1-2oz for a bladder.

Gatorade bottles are good and durable, soda bottles can be lighter.
I would carry an extra or two for those times when you can have long stretches without water or to bring extra water from a nearby source to camp for others.

You don't know how many times I've had to help other hikers out when their water container failed or got taken away in the current of a stream.
The extra couple ounces pays off some times.

You may only need to fill one or two most of the time though. Maybe not fill any if you camel up and have lots of water sources.

Ryan,

It all depends on the weather conditions and your water consumption.

4 years ago, leaving out of Hot Springs, NC, we encountered what was described by locals as drought conditions. Due to a lack of rain the water sources above a certain altitude had dried up or were unusable.

My plan this year is to carry two 28 fluid ounce water bottles, one per side on shoulder strap carriers, and 1 Gatorade bottle in an outside pocket for collecting and treating water. As a backup I will have two Rum Runner collapsible 32 fluid ounce water bottles in my pack. They weigh less than 1 oz per bottle and take up very little space collapsed and rolled up.

I'll keep the collapsible bottles either inside the pack or large mesh pocket when not in use. If needed I'll store them filled inside of my pack vertically on either side. The extension collar on my pack will give me the necessary room to rearrange my pack to allow for this circumstance.

"Sometimes water sources were up to .5 to a 1m away from camp and having to only make the trip once was worth carrying the extra 1-2oz for a bladder."

As Clint said sometimes the water sources can be quite a ways away from the campsite.

The section hike that we're doing this year has one area where this is the case. We may just gather up, treat and carry extra water at an earlier stop to allow us to bypass a long and sometimes quite hilly walk to the water source.

If you are N bound check with the S bound hikers and vice versa as to the availability and conditions of the water sources ahead of you. In trail towns if there is an outfitter there ask questions. That is how we found out about the "dry" conditions just outside of Hot Springs 4 years ago.

Good luck on your hike.

Party On,

Newton