I am thinking about purchasing a 4 liter water bag (MSR Dromedary bag). Looking to see if this, along with one or 2 Gatorade bottles is enough to get through the driest sections of NM (and WY desert) between water sources (for one person)? Or is it overkill (bathwater)? I plan on hiking the CDT in 2011.
Shade
That might be too little capacity. I’ve seen journals of hikers that routinely needed to carry as much as 8 liters on many days, and even one entry where a hiker carried TEN liters through a fire-relo. section. Yikes. And they still ran out sometimes. Maybe that’s more than some people will need, but it varies a lot with individual water requirements and weather conditions.
On our PCT hike we carried reserve Platypus water bladders so that we could each haul up to 7 liters if needed. Empty Platys weigh very little and take up next to no space in your pack when you’re not using them. The plan for our eventual CDT hike will be to have a 7-8 liter carrying capacity each.
Chipper and Jeff
8 liter carrying-capacity got me comfortably through New Mexico last spring. With Platypuses weighing in at around an ounce, an additional liter or two is a reasonable insurance policy. 5-6 liter capacity would not have been enough for my needs.
Matt
I carried two 2 liter platys and two soda bottles in NM.
The most water I carried was 4.4 liters. That is one full to the brim Platy and the two soda bottles. I forgot to take my second bag out of my bounce box at Rawlins and ended up with 4.4 liters capacity, but didn’t have a problem in the basin. The springs are close enough that you can tank up and the miles are flat, so a quick pace is easier.
Of course, I have been known to yogi water from passing motorists on roads.
It depends a lot on your baseweight and pace I think. If you are light and fast, you can get away with 2-3 liters a lot. But! I think it is smart to carry the extra capacity. Platypus 2 liter bags are light.
How much water have you used in other dry areas? I tend to get about 7 liters to the mile if it is hot. I have seen some guys who can go more like 10-12, and some who need a lot more.
Toughest dry sections for me in NM, NOBO:
Snow Lake just after the Gila to Route 12.
Pie Town to Grants was iffy and I got water from a few cars.
and the 45 miles before Cuba.
Other than that, it wasn’t as bad as I expected.
I would vote two or three 2.4L platypus bags over the MSR. Lighter, cheaper, redundancy in case you get a leak, which has never happened to my with a Platypus.
San Gabe
hah
7 miles to the liter, then 10-12… Kinda duh, but I decided I would correct myself.
San Gabe
I also recommend against carrying one large 4L bag, same reason as San Gabe above. If something happens to that bag, there goes half your water. I learned that lesson the hard way, on the CDT in NM.
If you have zero desert experience, 7+ liter capacity is probably a good idea (three 2.4 platys plus one 1 liter soda bottle). If you don’t need that much, they only weigh just over 1 oz each. And as you learn how much you need (it varies widely between people) you can carry accordingly.
Garlic
I guess it’s better to carry liters cuz you get that extra 2 oz with every one over quarts. The lava walk S of Grants was pretty dry, as no water at the campground near the natural bridge; but we did get a few gallons from a trail angel & from a windmill off of the road a bit S of there. You might get by on 5 liters, but better to carry more & not almost die of dehydration… lose some other pack weight to do it… at beginning of trail you eat less due to body fat availability & thus can carry more water & less food. By the end of trail, you can hike faster & longer/stronger so it kind of compensates. Tanking up on water is a good idea, but \you may have to pee a dozen times in the 1st couple hours, not so fun!
Hiking with another person saves you weight as one can carry tent & other stove/food. I preferred wine sacks from boxes of wine to carry bulk water, but laid one down on broken glass in the Mojave PCT & had to use a rubber band to repair it, luckily broken near the corner. If you use box wine sacks, make sure it’s the kind you can refill & take several just in case one breaks (2 to 5 L each.) Hopefully, you will resupply right AFTER the dryest portions of trail so the carry will be EZ. D
gingerbreadman
I accidentily poked a hole in my Platy bag on the AZT. Lost almost half of the bag’s capacity. Handle them gently cause they’re not real tough.
bowlegs
Ditto the platypus on the AZT. The whitethorn acacia here will puncture them easily, even by just setting your pack down in the wrong place. I learned to carry Gatorade bottles in AZ from a local veteran. I’ve never had that problem in any other desert terrain, though.
Garlic
Thanks for all the good info. I ended up getting 3 of the Platypus 2L+ bags. These and a couple of Gatorade bottles should do for most of the dry sections. I might pack an empty wine sack along too just in case. At any rate, it will be fun to empty it. Spinada, anyone?
Shade