Water capacity, I just want to see what others are doing

Two one liter platy bottles, about 68 ounces total. I generally use only one while walking and fill both for dinner. On really hot hikes I’ll fill both. For treatment I use a Steripen and my cup.

Not pictured is a 24 ounce bottle, usually Gatorade, for malto.

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My water carrying/use system is always evolving. Right now I carry three, 1 lt. smart water bottles and one 96 oz. dirty water bladder. I start with three full bottles and drink them down, refilling at water sources along the route (of course longer stretches without water sources may call for additional water bottles). If water is abundant where I am going to camp I will not refill on the way. Once at camp I like to have all three liters full. One for cooking & cleaning, one for drinking, and one for overnight (often I have to re-filter and refill). I do not store water in the bladder, but I can if there is a long stretch without a water source. I currently use a Sawyer mini, and this system seems to work in the Sierra where I do most of my backpacking. (Note: this is my three season setup).

16 ounces while hiking.  Usually that’s enough for a day if I start hydrated and end a little dry.  If it’s hot then maybe 32 ounces, but usually I can find a water source during the day so I can just refill my 16 ounce bottle – drink 16 ounces in morning, drink 16 ounces when I refill, and then carry a third 16 ounces to drink in afternoon.

I use a 3 gallon Platypus bag for camp, and a 1 gallon repurposed soda bottle that I also use to squeeze through Sawyer Squeeze filter.  Usually I get these near a campsite, but sometimes will carry them a few miles.  This is enough to drink overnight and for 16 ounces for the next morning.

16oz bottle on my shoulder and either a one or two liter bladder for use in camp or long waterless stretches and the evening in camp.

One 0.7L SmartWater bottle in one side pocket, that’s the dirty bottle and Sawyer filter stays attached. One 0.7L “regular” water bottle (I think it’s Poland Springs) with drink nozzle in the other side pocket, that’s the clean. At a water source I usually filter off one full dirty to clean and then re-fill the dirty so I’m usually walking away carrying 1.4L From there I’ll also carry at least one Evernew 2L bladder, and if I know I’ll be without a water source for an extended period I’ll take extra Sawyer 2L bags as needed. All the bladders are dirty.

While hiking in the Sierra’s where there’s plenty of water, I carry a 0.5L(17oz) smart water bottle in my shoulder strap bottle holder and one 0.7L(24 oz) smart water bottle in the side pocket of my backpack.  I don’t carry more than a liter of water, so I never have both full, unless it’s a plus 7.5 mile hike without water. Typically I’ll have the 0.5L full, with the other empty, and refill the 0.5L when necessary.   I also carry two 2-liter(68 oz) Evernew bags, one for dirty water and one for clean, both are always empty while hiking.   At nighttime I’ll fill up both bottles and one bag, that’s more that enough to get me through dinner and breakfast.  I don’t worry anymore about running out of water when hiking, if I run out, I’m typically within 3 miles(1 to 1.5 hours) of the next water source; I know I may get thirsty, but it’s not going to be detrimental.

K

It depends.

In recent years, I’ve carried as much as 7 liters for a long dry stretch including one camp. That’s two 70 ounce Playtpus bottles plus two 1.5 liter spring water bottles. I plan on 1.5 liters for an overnight camp, assuming I’m well-hydrated when I arrive at camp. I plan on 1.5 to 3 liters to drink during a 16-20 mile day of backpacking, depending on the weather, sun exposure, and climbing.

— Rex

Typically where I hike there’s no water on the trails so I have to carry everything I need.  For an overnight trip that’s usually a 20oz Gatorade bottle to drink out of and two full 2l Platy Bottles.  That will get me through both days and meals in camp without any problems.  If its warm or there’s going to be a lot of elevation gain, I might bring a 3rd Platy.

2 litre Evernew bladder (Dirty)

2 litre Evernew bladder (clean/filtered)

3 litre hydration bladder

Fill level depends on where and when i’m going, if it’s summer and a dry route i’ve been known to carry 4 litres extra

I usually have two recycled 1L PET bottles in my side pockets.

This base 2L supply gets me far enought that I don’t feel like I’m constantly stopping to filter water.  Because I use a Sawyer filter in a gravity rig, which would make constant stops to filter water kinda onerous.

But since I use the Sawyer I also have a 2L bag for it that is my backup capacity if I’m going unusually far between sources, for desert hiking, etc.  In such cases I carry the water in it dirty (i.e. unfiltered) and filter as needed. Usually it’s just sitting empty, though.

I usually use Aquafina bottles because they are a little sturdier than other, free bottles.  I especially like the older ones with a wider mouth.  Here in Alaska, I’ve usually got a single one-liter one with me.  For drier areas, I’d have two one-liters or a 1.5-liter.  When using UV, I bring a gatorade bottle as part of the mix.

I appreciate how the platy bags pack down, but I like a rigid bottle in the side pocket of my daypack or backpack and find it easier to drink from than a platy.

In camp, I most use my pot to grab water for cooking and making hot drinks.

I’m a “gulper”, not a “sipper”, so I’ll down a liter or more before I leave the trailhead and at any water sources.  As such, I carry less water on my back.  Exceptions would include the Grand Canyon in Summer or a group / family trip where I’m the pack mule.  I’ve got a plastic bladder in a nylon case (A-16 brand, 30 years old) that holds a gallon very well but deflates to very little, dispenses water easily when hung in a tree or off a rock, and multi-purposes as an air pillow at night.  I’ve MYOG’d those for friends from a wine-in-box bladder and whatever weight of stuff sack suited the purpose.  A trick from my car-camping days was to fill up the water carrier with hot water from a McDonalds near the end of the driving day and then I’d have a warm shower in camp that night without having to heat water.

Almost never carry more that 1L, generally 0.5L to 1L.

I use a 1L Smartwater bottle (in side pocket) for on-the-go hydration. In the pack is one 1L and one 2L Platy bottle.  These are for tanking up if necessary and for use in camp…4L total carry capacity.

What is actually carried/used depends on the trip

1.5L evernew bottle and 1L Powerade bottle.  Sawyer squeeze with .5L backup bottle.

usually carry 1L  full and  fill up the 1.5L at camp that is plenty for filling up and cooking.

1.5 L ‘smart’ style water bottle

3 x 2L Platypus bladders

Sawyer squeeze for filtering with dirty bags.  I’ll bring all of it for Grand Canyon trip that includes dry camping, and scale back from there.

• I usually carry two 1 liter bottles in side pockets. I use recycled carbonated drink bottles with the “rocket bottom” or the Nalgene Oasis bottles shaped like a military canteen.  I do use a Sawyer mini with a 16oz dirty bag. I carry MicroPur tablets for backup.

A 1.5 or 2L bladder, and 1 to 5L worth of platy bottles depending on the hike.  I figure a base of 1L per 6 miles of hiking, adjusted up or down for terrain and temps.  For dry camps (which I generally prefer), a liter is plenty to get me through  – 8-12 oz for a freeze-dried dinner, 12 oz for morning coffee (a necessity), which leaves a few oz for drinking, toothbrushing and freshening up for the evening meal.

I have a 4 L Platypus bladder connected to a hose in my pack on an average day. I find it annoying to stop and purify water when I’m hiking so I carry enough for a full day. I usually carry an additional 2 L Platypus bladder which is typically empty. I purify water into it once I arrive in camp. Then I have enough in that bladder for dinner and breakfast and can often top off my 4 L bladder if I wasn’t drinking much the day prior. When I hike in the desert, I carry an additional two filled 2 L platypus bladders which usually lasts me 2 days / 1 night of hiking with some water rationing..

Recently, I have been trialing an Evernew bladder connected to a Sawyer mini for water purification. I guess I could use that to carry dirty water for a total 10 L capacity. I’ve never needed that much.