14 Tips For ALL THINGS WATER Every Backpacker Should Know
14 Tips For ALL THINGS WATER Every Backpacker Should Know
0:00 Hey Y’all
0:30 Pick The Safest Source Possible
2:07 Don’t Mix Dirty Water Bottles and Clean Water Bottles
3:35 Keep Water Easily Accessible
7:13 Make Water Collection/Treatment as Simple as Possible
10:15 Get Creative With Shallow Water Sources
12:12 Use A Sport Cap To Backflush Filter
13:14 Camel Up With CAUTION
15:47 Use Drink Mixes to Help You Drink More Water
16:27 Creatine + Glycerol = Super Hydration
17:21 Most Filters Don’t Remove Viruses
17:49 Always Have a Backup Water Treatment Plan
18:39 BONUS TIP: Don’t Let Your Filter Freeze
19:20 Melt Snow For Water – Without Using Fuel
20:04 Test Your Filter Before You Go
20:50 Carry A Spare Gasket For Your Sawyer Squeeze
Homemade Wanderlust Merch: https://homemadewanderlust.com/shop/
* I do NOT accept anything from gear companies. I do not do paid reviews. I do not have any sponsors. All opinions are my own, based on my experiences. I do not plan to ever incorporate sponsorships on this channel in an effort to remain 100% impartial. If I were to accept gear in exchange for a review I would disclose it per FTC regulations.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links in my gear lists and possibly in product links in this video description. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases (doesn’t only have to be backpacking gear).
Amazon Affiliate Page: www.DixieAZ.com
WAYS TO SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL & ADVENTURES:
*Patreon: http://patreon.com/homemadewanderlust
(You can pledge as low as a $1/month to support my upcoming hikes.)
*Gear Wish List: http://a.co/cVZeFo3
(Purchase an item from my gear wish list. Some of the items may require contacting me for shipping details. See address below.)
*Buy My Book
Take A Thru-Hike: Dixie’s How-To Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail (ebook): https://homemadewanderlust.com/product/dixie-at-guide/
*ONE-TIME CONTRIBUTION:
-PayPal: homemadewanderlust@gmail.com
-Bitcoin (BTC) Wallet: 1PLcRstR4bamTYKpwd9Nzus75WjfjMY6gG
Contact information:
Blog: www.homemadewanderlust.com
twitter: @homemadeWL
Instagram: homemadewanderlust
facebook: www.facebook.com/homemadewanderlust
PO Box 4192 Opelika, AL 36803
For business/interview inquiries *only*: homemadewanderlust@gmail.com
Awesome tips!
I discovered this accidentally when I knew that I had two days in hot temps to next water. After filling my seven quart capacity I camelled up with all that I could hold. Of course, I soon had to like a race horse. I knew that as soon as I did then more water would enter my blood and go to my kidneys and get wasted again. I wanted to use all of my water for unavoidable sweat on a climb in the hot sun. So, I refused to pee. It got better after an hour, then two, then I did not have to pee. Apparently, my urine went back from my bladder, through my kidneys into my bloodstream. I still realized that I wasn’t going to make it but it was a near-full moon so I switched to hiking at night when it was cooler. (that is when my light was a mini mag with a AA and incandescent bulb).
I have bounced this off of a couple of doctors and they both insisted that this was impossible. I will go with data, over theory. Or maybe, it was my guardian angels who intervened with a miracle but wanted to give me another explanation and keep a low profile. I know that they appreciate me giving them credit but they do not want me to know how often they help me so as to not encourage risky behavior that keeps requiring intervention. Thanks angels. I will continue to be dangerous and give you good stories to tell about your human, at the bar, after work.
What filters do take out viruses?
Nice video and good information.
You last me at bleach. Why not iodine?
Gravity bag is my thing. Holds 1.5 Gal and i can carry it and then hang it up and keep filling the bottle.
I’ve recently seen a video about making gravity filters out of plants. Might be a good alternative to have in mind.
For any long remote treks.
Rule number 1.
Make a fire and boil it.
Rule Number 2.
Refer to rule number 1.
Dysentery doesn’t compromise with your stupidity.
I would like to see a video on how to take your dog safely on a overnight hike? Also, a video on how to avoid snakes, ticks, bears and wild cats. Thank you for this video, I really appreciate the time and your knowledge you put into it.
Glad to see that you’re using the one_bottle_hydration kit! I have been using mine for a few years and it has served me well. The guy that owns this “garage grown” business is on top of improving his products, and his adapters fit a wide variety of bottle sizes and types. I get no financial benefit from one_bottle. Just a septuagenarian who wants to share my experiences from rucking and hiking! Keep on charging, y’all.Stay safe out there. 😊
if you get a hydra pack adapter for the sawyer you’ll never have to worry again about the washer falling out
Cnoc bag to collect water then squeeze that into the filtered water bottle(s) also sip through the day just little sip there and there. And on those longer stretches don’t be an idiot carry that extra water it’s not a big deal. Look at the military they carry what for how long again? Yeah that 20ibs backpack can handle the extra bottle or two of water.
11:09 i prefer the cnoc vecto. Pretty affordable, and MUCH easier to use.
A problem I see now is some national parks like Guadeloupe mountains don’t allow you to harvest your own water anymore, they want you to have 1 gallon per day, and be able to show proof, stupid government just doesn’t want people outside anymore, stay at home and be a working slave America.
FWIW: If you use the Kayadyne Be Free ( I switched after having 3 Sawyer Squeezes fail on me ) in the desert section of the PCT, soak the filter in a dilute bleach bath overnight. This will remove most if not all of the sediment, etc…
Always wondered why Sawyer doesn’t have an add on charcoal filter to use occasionally. I saw one hiker that cut a Gatorade bottle that fit on the bottom of a Smart bottle for a scoop.
Internet says take pine branch peel bark clamp in hose and water bottle to hose , pine branch filters water.
Do ur own research.
boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes is the safes way to clean the water.
two 1 liter bottles and a hose hydration system can’t be beat.. A 3L cnoc bag + a 32 oz sawyer bag plus a filters (sawyer squeeze or other) in a gravity system can’t be beat, if you camp near a water source.
Great video! One thing ill add… When melting snow for water on a stove, theres a big difference in fuel consumption between using 100% snow vs first adding a small amount of water in the bottom to get snow heating/melting kick started. I got this one from Shug the YT hammock camper who lives up north.
2:14 SQUIRREL!!!
used to fish lake martin when I was a teenager many many years ago. Awesome video, thanks for the tips!
I put blue tape on my clean water bottles and black tape on my dirty water bottle.
Watching you tear open that Sawyer Squeeze box was painful lol
I have watched hours and hours and hours of YouTube hydration vids and this is the best one 👍
Thank you once again!🙏🙂
Hey maybe it’s Element Tea!
I rarely carry much if any water except internally. Obviously, on long dry stretches, I will carry (I use a 1/2L Aluminum can), but I will go an hour or two between drinks, depending on conditions. I gravity filter, and I take 5 minute breaks gladly!
Depends on which bag I use.. Katadyn to top off bladder, or Grayl and a Ti storage bottle with a hose.
I carry a Sawyer as a backup.
😊
It is a misconception that viruses are more of an issue outside the USA. Viruses are an issue everywhere. We develop an immunity to the ones present within the region we live in. When traveling away from where you reside. Viruses will always be an issue.
I’ve never had a gasket issue before, but now that I know it’s a possibility I’ll be carrying a spare. Thanks, Dixie!
For distinguishing dirty/clean bottles, you could of course write "dirty" on one of them. Blue tape and sharpie work well.
In the 60’s, as a kid, I milked our cow. Upon returning to the house, I’d get a cup towel and put that over the milk pitcher. Milk would be filtered through that towel into the pitcher.
It would seem to me that it’d be a good idea to use a cloth or screen of some sort to filter the water going into your water bottles. Thoughts?
I like your videos, but the thumbnail for this video clearly states that drinking water from a bottle through a Sawyer filter is dangerous. Why is it dangerous? It wasn’t covered in this video.
Some great tips here. Hydration is key!
As a backup, the technology/chemistry of the P&G Purifier packets (PUR) is pretty amazing. Mark Rober did a good video on it.
You had some real tips, but it looks like you run out of ideas. "Do not mix clean water bottle with dirty water bottle". Is that really a tip people need? Next, when walking, go left leg then right leg?
I used to like your videos and found them useful; I hope you can do better.
Personally I’d add a milbank bag and a funnel.
Viruses do not just float around in water. They are attached to something which is larger and can be filtered.
Find a good stick for your missing trekking poles.
Great tips. Thank you for all of your hydration advice!
Side note: It’s upsetting to see so many items that have a cancer and reproductive harm warning label on them. They are known to be hazardous yet they are still manufactured and marketed. It should be necessary to restrict these items from being produced so we can give consumers better alternatives.
ZipFizz is a good alternative to drink mixes like LMNT — cheaper, slightly fizzy, has more electrolytes per serving, etc.
I also really like the True Lemon / Lime sachets as just a flavor enhancer. Literally just citric acid and fruit oil, costs pennies if you buy in bulk, and it’s also good for sprinkling on food.
You might check out Cnoc water bags, they open the end to dip water then seal up so you can screw the Sawyer filter on the other end. You should also keep a backup Sawyer filter, one is none two is one. NIce video!
I camel-up to catch-up! Not the other way around!
Too much talk not enough showing.
Good video, a lot of new things now. I’m old school, boil water, or clorinated tablets. Now a days don’t trust water. I don’t hike far, so I just bring water on me and in car hydrate before I start. I eat birch and beech leaves and if uhave time tap a maple tree for sap water. Condensation under tarp into bottle or cup. I saw the bleach drops online. I thought it was 12 hour wait.
I love my Sawyer Squeeze. I don’t have the mini. I have the one you have in your video. I’ve used it in somewhat questionable situations and never had an issue. I hope you’re sponsored. That would be so cool.
I have one thing I’d like to add. I think you may have hit on it. But I always tell hikers that if you’re thirsty it means you’re dehydrated. Drink that water. Don’t worry about rationing. If you have the Sawyer Squeeze you can almost find water anywhere and filter out anything.
AND! I just got to this point in the video. Yes, the Sawyer Squeeze won’t filter out viruses. But a virus needs a host to survive and the Squeeze will filter out anything the virus needs. And I believe it’s guaranteed to a million gallons.
Cheers and good luck!
Also if not in video: pre-trip soaking/cleaning with distilled water + vinegar, and again after trip + a couple drops of bleach.
You can use a baggie to scoop water.