Deciding how much water you should take camping? One thing is for sure - we all need water to survive. In fact, you can survive longer without food than you can without clean water to drink.
When you pack water for a camping trip, there are more things to consider than just how much you think you’ll drink. You’ll need water for hygiene and cooking, too.
Plus, some campsites and hiking trails have clean water spigots, while others don’t.
As you plan your camping trip, consider your water source. In this guide, you’ll learn how much water to pack and the best mugs and water bottles for your trip.
Deciding How Much Water to Take Camping in 3 Questions
Preventing dehydration is the most important factor to consider when you are packing water for your camping trip. If your campsite does not provide access to clean drinking water or you will be hiking through a place that doesn’t have water sources, you’ll need to pack more water.
At a minimum, you should bring 2 gallons (about 9 liters) of water per adult, per day. Certain conditions and activities will increase this amount, so ask yourself the following questions before you venture into the wilderness.
1. What sort of activities are you planning on doing?
Will you be doing a lot of physical activities? If you’ll be burning a lot of calories, then you should pack more water to rehydrate after exerting yourself.
Ice water is one of the best ways to rehydrate yourself on a hot day. The Hydro Pure water bottle will keep ice water cold for up to 24 hours. It can hold up to 28 ounces of water, so fill it up several times in order to consume the necessary amount of water for a full day of hiking.
2. What’s the climate and altitude where you’re planning to camp?
If you’re going hiking at a higher altitude or in a hot climate, then you should pack plenty of water in a bottle that will keep it cold all day. The Cold1 Mug can hold up to 50 ounces of water and will keep your water deliciously ice-cold.
If you’ll be camping somewhere cold, then you might want a mug that will keep your water hot. This way, you’ll have hot water for tea or soup on the go. The Performance Flask will hold up to 34 ounces of liquid and keep it hot for 24 hours.
Plus, the lid doubles as a cup, so you can save room in your backpack.
3. Does anyone in your party have special health or wellness needs requiring water?
Another thing to consider when you plan how much water to take camping is the health and hygiene needs of anyone in your party. Packing plenty of clean water isn’t just for drinking, it’s also for cleaning minor wounds or washing your hands.
Clean water is a very important part of feminine hygiene. If you or someone in your group will be needing showers, bring extra water so everyone can wash with clean, filtered water.
It’s also important to consider the mental health of everyone in your group. If someone in your group has a germ phobia or a hyperfocus on cleanliness, then packing plenty of filtered water will give them plenty of opportunities to stay clean.
The Hydro Pure water bottle has a copper lid that’s naturally antimicrobial. It kills up to 99.9% of germs within 24 hours. This is the perfect size for everyone’s pack so they can carry their own bottle of clean water and have access to it when they need it.
When All Else Fails, Follow the 2-Gallon Rule
With everything to consider when you’re packing, you can just play it safe and follow the two-gallon rule.
That’s two gallons of water per person, per day. This is enough for hydration and cleanliness combined.
What does that look like? There are 128 ounces in one gallon. The Cold1 Mug can hold 50 ounces of liquid. You should plan on filling up three Cold1 Mugs per person for each day that you will be traveling.
If you are going to hike over several days, then packing your water in smaller mugs might be the smarter decision.
On the other hand, if you are going to be camping in one spot for multiple days, then you might want to fill up a larger container with filtered water and then refill mugs, like our Cold1 Tumbler, with water each day.
Since our mugs keep liquids cold for days, you can even fill one tumbler with ice and then keep filling it with warm water and it will stay cold.
When it comes to water, it’s always better to over plan and pack too much than to not bring enough. You’ll need water for everything from hygiene to hydration and cooking.
Sure, you can boil water and make it safe to drink, but cold, filtered water is so much easier and more refreshing!
Take Us With You!
When you plan your camping trip, how much water to take camping should be the first and most important thing you consider. Take your Reduce water bottles along with you. This way, you’ll have hot and cold water all day (or all night).
Imagine having hot coffee in the morning, without having to make a fresh pot over the fire. Plus, our reusable water bottles will minimize the amount of trash that you have to clean up after your camping trip!