How to Be a Camel

Details

Created on Thursday, 01 September 2011 19:51

Published on Thursday, 01 September 2011 19:51

Written by Abe Connally

There may be more than enough water in the northeast, thank to Irene, but if you plan on trekking around Big Bend, you’ll likely need to carry your own water with you. How much water does one need to take along to stay hydrated? What’s the best way to carry water? Let’s take a look.

How much water should you take with you? Don’t listen to the conventional “8-10 glasses per day.” When it comes to hiking—especially warm weather hiking—a safe amount is about half a liter per mile on the trail. Take a moderate walk in Big Bend and calculate how much water you need, and you’ll soon find out why carrying water can be a major concern.

So what is the best container for carrying various liters of water? Most backpacks are designed with special pockets to hold 1 liter bottles, and this can be very useful. Larger bottles are not suggested because they end up being very bulky and don’t allow you to balance the weight very easily. Also, normal plastic bottles may not be the best option because the caps can come off and get everything in your pack wet. Bottles that are specially designed for hiking are usually best when it comes to size and practicality.

Another option can be the water bladders, which come in a variety of sizes. Flexible water bladders are beneficial because of the way the weight naturally balances in you pack, allowing some bladder systems to hold several liters at a time. Also, the bladder gets smaller as you use up the water, so you don’t have bulky empty bottles to carry around.

For longer hikes, water is not the only consideration, but also electrolytes, which can be found in healthy sports drinks like Gatorade. You can also by Gatorade (or a different brand, of course) power packs to mix with your water. This will give you more energy as well as variety in flavor.

The West Fest!
If you’re planning on visiting Big Bend or the area in the next couple of weeks, you may want to schedule your visit so you can see the Marathon West Fest, a festival of food and family fun in the last weekend of September. If you like cook-offs, then you’ll really enjoy the cabrita cook-off competition, where cooks battle for prizes. Add to that the live music and dance, and you’ll quickly see why the Marathon West Fest is more than worth visiting.