[pct-l] Water Capacity for Cali?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Everybody is different. I am 5'3", female, was 43 and 44 when I hiked  
the PCT in 2008 and 2009. Neither of those years were as dry as this  
one. 2008 was fairly warm. I live in So Cal and was totally used to  
the type of scrub the early part of the trail goes through. It was  
also my strategy to NEVER USE A WATER CACHE! This was important to  
me. I did use a little out of fear but mostly I did not and I never  
actually needed the water I did take.

In 2008 I brought 5 liter capacity and out of fear because everybody  
calls the entirety of So Cal a desert and I imagined myself walking  
in the kind of stuff you see outside Mojave for 700 miles, I kept all  
5 liters full at all times. If I got to a water source and had 4  
liters, I filled it all back up to 5 again. I was in agony. It was  
really heavy.

In 2009 my strategy was to drink all my water, arrive at water  
sources empty, and drink a full liter at a water source before moving  
on. I brought Crystal Light lemonade packets to help me drink that  
full liter of water. I liked the taste. I brought only 3.5 L  
capacity. My strategy worked. For me. In 2009.

I think if I did 2008 over again, I'd go with ~4 liters and try to  
drink more of it rather than conserve it, drink deeply at any source  
and have a little more trust in the water report.

On Mar 6, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Hi everybody! I was just wondering to myself if my water capacity  
> is enough for the desert, ~5.25 L. How many liters do you folks  
> recommend? There's plenty of talk about how many liters per mile or  
> hour, but not much regarding total capacity.
>
> Thanks!
> Natalie
> bearingnorthpct2012.blogspot.com