[pct-l] Water Capacity in Desert

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Oct 29, 2008, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I'm looking forward to my thru hike in April 2009 and had a  
> question :  how
> much water do I need to carry?  I'll be honest, I'm somewhat  
> paranoid about
> having enough water, so I'd want to have extra and definitely would  
> not be
> relying on any caches.  I was thinking along the lines of 8 liters,  
> what
> kind of capacity do others carry?  Also, I was thinking about only  
> bringing
> 1 liter soda bottle because they're cheap, replaceable, and  
> indestructible,
> and maybe a sierra cup to use as a dipper for shallow springs/sources.
>   Anyone have any suggestions as far as other containers or  
> suggestions for
> capacity?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Blake aka Deluxe

I think 8 liters sounds like too much. But you know your own body. I  
never carried more than 5.5 liters and frankly, that was too much for  
me. I almost always had some water left when I came to a source.

The advice you got to get the water report and then gain some  
experience on the trail is good. I worried at first, too, and then  
being out there I had a better sense of what I was in for. Southern  
California is not all desert, by the way. In fact, hardly any of it  
is actually the desert. It is dry, yes, but not desert.

I have heard that last year was a wetter year than most and that this  
year the forecast is for a dry early winter. There may be less water  
available when you come through than I had this year. That is why the  
water report is so helpful because it is current information.

I carried my water in a 2.5 liter Camelback Unbottle and a two quart  
plastic bottle that originally held cranberry juice. I also carried a  
1 liter gatorade bottle for whipping up a batch of lemonade at water  
sources. Rather than bringing a heavy Sierra cub you will probably  
find it more helpful to use your cooking pot for those times when  
water comes from a faucet or pipe and you need to filter it. (If you  
are a filter user like I am.) I prefer filters because I can suck  
water out of any tiny little puddle. But in the Sierras and beyond I  
think chemical treatment would be more convenient.

Piper/Diane