How Much Water Should You Carry When You Go Hiking?
Water can really weigh you down if you carry too much of it when you don’t need to. I used to do this all of the time, first as a day hiker and then later as a backpacker. The main ways to carry and transport waters are water bladders (Camelbak, Platypus) or water bottles (Nalgene, reuse bottle). There are hikers that swear by bladders, and others by water bottles. Some bring both. In the end, it’s all personal preference through experience. As a day hiker, I used to carry 3 or 4 liters of water for a long summer hike, even though I was surrounded by water sources in the mountains where I hiked. I hadn’t learned to use a water filter yet, and would often turn back when my water started to run out rather than…