Water capacity - Arizona Trail

imported
#1

How much water would you recommend being able to carry for the AZT?

lost

#2

For me, it was just under six liters–two 2.4 l platys and a 1 l Gatorade bottle. I made three water carries of 35+ miles in mildly warm weather. I met one guy who did the same carries with only 4 liters. Many want eight or more. A good rule of thumb is 5 to 10 miles per liter in moderate temps, and add 1.5 liters for each night of camping. Add much more for summer temps in the desert, or don’t go.

It will depend on the temperature, your hiking pace, your physical conditioning, your load, your metabolic needs, your diet, how much vehicle support and caching you can do, how much safety factor you like, the phase of the moon, how you part your hair…you get the idea.

Garlic

#3

Garlic neglects to mention the cowlick.

Rather than dialing in the rule, I’d suggesting planning for the ‘reasonable maximum’ haul requirement, which would probably be somewhere around 2 gallons on the AzT. Consider it insurance until you know what works for you. Then you can pass along similarly vague advice to the next hiker.

Personally, I’d down a quart of water every 5 miles or less, regardless of temperatures. In cooler weather, you’d probably be able to ration yourself to less, but I wouldn’t do it until confronting whatever calculus awaits you in a particular circumstance. There may be times when going a little thirsty, with surefire water awaiting a distance at which you can confidently predict an arrival time, might seem preferable to carrying more water weight. Experienced desert travels know when this works, and when it’s a fool’s bargain. Sometimes there’s no greater regret than the water you opted not to carry because, stomach full and thirst quenched, it just seemed too heavy to bother with at the time. (Water weight is always temporary, and usually becomes bearable within half a day or less even over the longest carries. Hand carrying is always an option, too.)

Try to camp near water (but not right at a source, for the sake of wildlife and stock). This way you can use and drink your fill in the evening, and then top off in the morning, bound for the next distant source that night. At the very least, try to cook and clean near the water sources to avoid carrying water you don’t intend to drink.

Four x 1 liter Platy-style collapsible bottles plus a four liter dromedary bag would offer versatility and low bulk in a water carrying system. The last thing you probably want to do is haul one or two large containers that are difficult to drink from and potentially injurious of half your water supply should one happen to spring a leak, such as on barbed wire or a cactus thorn. It happens. The dromedary bag is good for hauling dirty water, such as that stock pond you really don’t intend to drink from but nevertheless could come in handy in the event you’re crawling on all fours with dessicated wagging tongue somewhere down the trail.

The definition of a happy ending is when you get to water a cactus with the bag of cow water upon discovering a pristine source half-way along that the guidebook didn’t tell you about.

blisterfree

#4

I had good results carrying two 1 liter gatorade bottles and a 4 liter platy bag. I kept the gatorade bottles topped up whenever possible and used the platy with discretion on longer, dryer stretches. Plan on using the Freeman Road water cache.

bowlegs

#5

If you use “tank” water, don’t use a filter. Use pills and/or bleach. The cow flavor will taint your filter for the rest of your trip. Carry some Kool-aid or other sweetener to mask to cow flavor.

Also, protect your platy bag. They are easily punctured by the thorns you’ll encounter. Been there, done that.

bowlegs

#6

Some good points above. About container failure–I neglected to mention I carry a spare 2.4 liter platy (1 ounce), and don’t like to carry any single container larger than that especially in the acacia country. Those white thorns will puncture pack and bladder together. Gatorade bottles are more puncture-resistant. Thanks to Fred G for that tip.

Garlic