Best Way To Carry Water While Hiking

Hiking is one of the popular outdoor sports. People all over the world go on hikes for recreation, exercise, and physical fitness or simply to get away from their busy schedule of daily life.

During hiking, people get dehydrated very quickly. Dehydration can cause serious health problems. To prevent these health issues from occurring you should carry enough water while hiking.

This article will be about best way to carry water while hiking.

Why is it important to carry water while hiking?

Do you remember how frustrating the experience was when you didn’t have enough water while hiking and getting dehydrated? Now imagine what would happen if your body gets dehydrated.

Not a pleasant thought, right?

Dehydration can cause serious health problems such as fainting, dizziness, and even death. To prevent these health issues from occurring you should carry water while hiking.

To understand why dehydration can cause fainting, dizziness, or even death we need to know the physiological effects of dehydration on your body.

You’ll lose energy and fluid if you are dehydrated. The loss of body fluid means your body is losing water.

Water helps with transporting oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in your body, without sufficient amount of water your blood thickens which leads to the decrease in ability for your heart to pump enough blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to your cells. When this happens you might feel dizzy or faint.

Water also helps your brain regulate your body temperature. If you are dehydrated, the blood thickens which results in less efficient cooling of your body.

That’s why when you are not drinking water your body temperature goes up causing sweat and a headache. When this happens you might feel dizzy or faint as well. Not to mention that your urine output can be seriously affected when you are dehydrated.

After reading this if you are still not convinced about the importance of carrying water while hiking, here are some more reasons to convince you – your muscles need water because they contain a large amount of water which is necessary for their function. Muscles lose their power without enough water.

Another important reason to carry water while hiking is that your kidneys need water to work properly. When you are dehydrated, fluid builds up in your body causing urine output decrease which can lead to renal failure depending on the severity of dehydration.

How Much Water You Should Carry?

The amount of water you should carry varies depending on your situation. When hiking, you can lose about 1 liter per hour. So if you are hiking at a moderate pace for 6 hours, you would need 6 liters of water. This might look like a lot but it is not.

Generally speaking, 2 liters are enough to keep your body hydrated until you reach the next source of water.

So, How To Carry Water While Hiking?

It may seem like a logistics nightmare to carry enough water with yourself during your hike but it is not as difficult as it may sound. Carrying 2 liters is pretty easy if you prepare for it in advance. You can carry 2 liters water in a plastic bottle or in a hydration bladder.

If you choose to carry 2L water bottles, then you should think about how you are going to carry it.

Some people prefer carrying their water bottles inside backpacks while some prefer carrying it separately. Another issue with water bottles is that they are bulky, making them difficult to carry around on your body without a backpack.

If you choose to carry hydration bladders, then you need to consider the hydration pack as well which can be very expensive. Also bear in mind if you are hiking on warm days, the water inside the hydration bladder can get warm very quickly.

So now that you have decided how you are going to carry your 2L water bottles or hydration bladders.

Conclusion:

Water is an essential element while hiking because it helps with transporting oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in your body.

Water bottles or hydration bladders are the best ways to carry water.