You need to stay hydrated while you’re hiking. Insufficient hydration can lead to dehydration, which then can lead to low blood pressure, rapid heart beat, fever, shriveled skin, and more. Needless to say, lets just focus on the positive here and work on staying properly hydrated on the trail!
How Much Water to Drink?
Determining how much water you need to drink isn’t always easy to compute. The simple answer is to drink a lot and listen to your body, but when going on a long hike or even a backpacking trip, it may not be feasible to take a lot of water with you, and planning well is crucial.
CamelBak has developed a calculator online, that serves as a guideline for your hydration needs. For example, if you enter into the CamelBak Hydration Calculator system that you are a 5’5″ female, who weighs 130 pounds and is 40 years old, and provide some information about your typical sweating and urination as well as information about your hiking activity and weather conditions, their formula will spit out some recommendations. By taking into account your physical parameters, the level of intensity of your outdoor activity, and the environmental conditions of your activity, the calculator makes a recommendation on the total amount of water you’ll need for your activity and how much you should drink per hour. CamelBak’s system is not perfect, and you need to calculate your personal sweat rate for even better accuracy. Nonetheless, it is a nice starting point!
Gear to Help You Stay Hydrated
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CamelBak Eddy Water Bottle (NEW!): The CamelBak Eddy water bottle is a convenient size to keep in the outer pocket of your backpack. I use mine regularly, both while hiking and in the car. The flip, bite, and sip technology means no tipping is required, making it very safe for drinking and driving :). |
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CamelBak Antidote Bladder: A hydration bladder is a must have for all hikers, and it is the easiest way I have found to stay hydrated. The convenience of having hands-free access to your water without having to pick up a bottle or open your backpack helps you stay hydrated. |
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SteriPEN Adventurer Opti: Are you going hiking somewhere near a water source? Headed out backpacking for multiple days and want to make sure that the water you find in the wilderness is safe to drink? My water treatment method of choice is the SteriPEN Adventurer Opti. It is compact, easy to use, and you can have the peace of mind knowing that when you refill your water bottle or hydration bladder out in the wilderness that the water you’re drinking is safe. |
Lastly, CamelBak has developed a flow meter, however, the reviews are extremely negative. I am hesitant to purchase one because of the bad reviews, but the concept is great. Hopefully CamelBak will update their Flow Meter Hydration Gauge to be more accurate!
The bottom line: Fill up your water bottles and your hydration bladder, and always take extra water with you. Stayed hydrated is the best way to stay healthy and feeling great.
Happy trails!