[pct-l] counterbalancing with water-Yeehaw!

[katherine becksvoort]

I had a suggestion from a fellow fast thru hiking friend of mine, back in the day before I ever really considered thru hiking for real...who suggested a different way of carrying water. He is now a triple crowner.
 
When I decided to thru hike the AT, that memory stuck in my mind and I tried it out. I got two mini bungee cords, took off the hooks, and attached them tightly to the front of my shoulder straps, just above where the sternum strap attaches to the straps. (For some, it's kinda near where that little loop is for your platypus tube). (I wear my sternum strap above my boobs, not below as I"ve seen some women do, which looks very uncomfortable.) I made sure the length of the bungee cord was cut to fit the groove perfectly on the exact water bottle I was using, which was the smaller gatorade bottles you can buy at a 7-11 or whatever. I attached it by threading it thru the loop in the shoulder strap, and tieing it in a small, tight, simple square knot. YOu may use the knot of your choice. 
 
I could carry water on the front of my body, via the shoulder straps and the tight bungee cords...and they would just pop into place around the groove perfectly after each refill or drink. Tight enough that they held in place and didn't jiggle at all when I hiked....actually very comfortable. Between the two gatorade bottles, I carried nearly 32 ounces of water. I never tried to carry anything bigger cause it was the AT....didn't need to. Tons of water.
 
It looked kinda funny, but lots of folks commented that it was brilliant as they hadn't seen it before. I have never seen anyone else use this system.
 
The only negative was the off handed remarks I got by construction crew workers in trail towns, or some fellow hikers..."Nice jugs!"
 
MoonPie
 
 
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