In the context of hiking on a hot day I find I drink about half a liter per mile. I wonder how much other people drink. (Drink, not carry, though that is interesting too.)
retired jerry wrote: ↑August 9th, 2018, 7:11 amI never carry more than 16 ounces. But I camel up before I start. If it's a hot day I'll refill half way, so I'll start with 16 ounces, drink 16 ounces at the refill point, and then carry another 16 ounces - so 48 ounces total.
The rule for climbing Cascade volcanoes was always 2 quarts - 64 ounces total.
If you drink more, at some point, you just pee more. I figure if my pee is clear to light yellow I'm good.
First, I drink when I'm thirsty.
Second, I drink 16 ounces during an 8 hour day if it's cool, 48 ounces if it's hot. Even if I don't seem thirsty I'll make sure and drink that much.
Third, as an over-all check, look at pee color. Occasionally my pee will get medium yellow and I know I need to drink more. Rarely, I screw up and my pee is dark yellow.
If you drink a lot, your metabolism will convert lots of water to pee. If you drink less, your metabolism will shift to water conservation. Nothing unhealthy about getting into that zone, unless you have abnormal health, like diabetes or something.
Knowing that retired jerry hikes much farther than I do it seems he is consuming far less water. This is interesting as I am not urinating often as a result, so I must be sweating it out. His final paragraph as quoted above surprises me as it runs contrary to what I've read about hydration and sports performance. Usually the "wisdom" seems to be to stay fully hydrated for peak performance, i.e. not putting your body in water conservation mode. I intend to refresh my memory on the subject and post again.drm wrote: ↑August 9th, 2018, 9:32 amA liter and an apple is usually all I ever take. But if it's a hot day, I will choose a hike with a reliable water supply to get more. Quite often I choose such a hike and carry no water. If there are frequent water sources, I just drink when they are handy. If you carry lots of water on a hot day, the water gets hot - not very refreshing. Most creeks will have cooler water.
In the meantime I would like to know how much other people drink while hiking, especially on a hot day, and what their average intensity level (% of personal max) is when hiking.