Just realized I've been carrying way too much water on desert hikes

Got caught on the Koko Head trail in Hawaii back in March and ran out of water 30 minutes in. Some guy with a tiny 1-liter bottle was totally fine and I'm lugging 3 liters like a pack mule. Turns out if you start early enough and know where the shade spots are, you don't need to haul a gallon and a half. Lesson learned the hard way, especially since I had to hike back down with 2 liters still sloshing around. Anyone else do the math on water weight vs actual need?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan_bailey939d ago

3 liters is wild, I started bringing a 1.5 liter bladder and some electrolyte tabs instead.

grace_gonzalez468d ago

And honestly I'll take the extra weight over being halfway up a ridge with nothing left in my bottle, better safe than sorry out there. You never know when you'll get turned around or find a stretch with way more sun than you planned for. I'd rather hike heavy and have spare water than risk a bad situation because I was worried about a few pounds on my back.