Water on the Frances Camino

[Mikey - camino]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

Thanks for your input!

 

[dougfitz]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

Thanks for your input!

My practice for many years has been to carry between 2 and 2.5 li in a combination of bladder and a bottle, now normally about 500 ml. I drink from the bladder. When I get to a bar, I empty the bottle into the bladder, and get the bottle refilled.

I prefer a larger bladder, typically 2li, and would only carry a larger bottle if I thought there might be difficulty finding a water source. That would generally be when I am bushwalking here in Australia in the summer. I have found a 500 or 600 ml bottle sufficient walking in Spain and Portugal.

 

[K_Lynn]

I bought a water bladder and left it at home as I didn't like it. I had two water bottles a 750ml in my pack pocket and a 500ml bottle hanging from my chest strap for ease of access.
I did see a lot of people using water bladders.

Use whichever you prefer.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Everyone is different.
I carry an 8 oz bottle and fill it up at the fountains along the Way.
Joe carries a bladder.
I don't like the bladder because I never feel like you can get it clean.

 

[Rick M]

You do not need a water bladder on the Frances, unless you are walking during the summer heat. Most carry a plastic bottle or two, and refill them at bars and fountains along the way. There are only a couple of days on the Frances where carrying more than 500 ml is necessary. Make sure you know every morning if one of those days is today! On a majority of days though, water is available every 8-14 km or so. That said, if you like to sip water constantly, by all means, take a bladder. Keep your pack light.

 

[trecile]

I don't like the bladder because I never feel like you can get it clean.

It's really not necessary to clean the bladder when you are continuously refilling with fresh water every day.

 

[trecile]

You do not need a water bladder on the Frances, unless you are walking during the summer heat. Most carry a plastic bottle or two,

You don't need a water bladder on any Camino, but everyone has their preference as to how they carry their water, and for me, it's easier to use a water bladder than a bottle.

 

[Anamiri]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

Thanks for your input!

Where and when are you walking? If the Frances, you wont need that much. I had 2 x 500ml plastic bottles and that was fine.
On a lesser walked route you may need to carry more.

 

[Pelerina]

You don't need a water bladder on any Camino, but everyone has their preference as to how they carry their water, and for me, it's easier to use a water bladder than a bottle.

I agree. I find I will drink small amounts more often when using the bladder. If I only have bottles on the side pockets I sometimes ‘forget’ to drink frequently enough. If you’re walking in the heat, that can be dangerous. On routes such as thé Frances with frequent water fountains or other facilities I guess it’s not such an issue but if walking long stages with few facilities it could be.

 

[henrythedog]

As others, above , have said it’s a personal decision. Your inclusion of a weight for the empty bladder might indicate that you’re perhaps obsessing about grammes?

I don’t walk in Spain in the summer; but in late autumn to early spring I’d carry two 500ml plastic bottles - bought on arrival then re-used daily - and also ensure that I always set-out fully hydrated.

 

[dougfitz]

Some time ago, I made these remarks in a similar thread to this. While I have made some small changes to how I carry water over the years, my views expressed here haven't changed.

New pilgrims/walker need to know that the most effective way of staying hydrated is to drink freely, preferably before they get thirsty, and that one of the most effective ways of achieving that is a bladder or other arrangement where they don't have to stretch to get to their water. This is just as true on the Camino as it is in remote places. Further, they should know that they will generally be less than two hours from the next location, but over 5% of the time it will be more than that when they set out from the previous location.

If you are not going to use a bladder, there are tubing systems that can be used with normal thin walled water bottles that would seem to offer similar advantages even if you might be carrying less water overall.

ps the remarks related to times refer to the CF, and not any of the other routes, and assume an average walking speed of 5 km/hr. If I recall this correctly, about 60% of places are under one hour from the previous location with water available, about 35% between one and two hours, and the other 5% over two hours.

 

[roving_rufus]

I am a bottle type person, but others love a bladder arrangement. On the Frances (unless it's a heatwave) most days I carried less than less than a litre except on one or two sections with less resources ( then i reuse an empty 500ml drink bottle that at some point i have acquired)
Having spent the last couple of camino walks in France (were finding water and bars can be more tricky) even in summer I don't think I ever carried more than 2.5litres. I have been quite thrilled walking the Via Bayona/Camino Vasco Interior in Spain to be back under 1litre of water to carry, as I know I will find water or a bar regularly enough.
If you like your bladder great! But the large bottle on top would see you carrying 2.5litres which is 2.5kg which is a serious amount that probably isn't required on the Frances camino given all the resources.

 

[dick bird]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

Thanks for your input!

How do you normally carry water on a day walk? That will probably work. There are lots of places to top up on the Frances so 1 litre should be enough.

 

[Anhalter]

I also like to recommend a system where you can easily and regularly access your water. That can be a bladder, for me it is a water bottle placed in a holder on my shoulder strap. My camino backpacks are not made for bladders and i also have some sanitary concerns (which are likely false given the number of people successfully using bladders). So use whatever works for you.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

On all my Caminos I have only ever carried a 500 ml bottle. This is because I always stopped for drinks (coffee or beer) in a bar. I did this all the time in order to use their toilet, since there are no other public toilets to be had! From memory, the only stretch where this didn't work was the 17kms from Carrion. I took the bus on this bit.

 

[Jodean]

I had wide mouth plastic bottles that were easy to clean and they worked well, but got 2 metal ones for last spring and like them ever so much better. They make the water taste nicer and it stays cold. On hot days, that is a treat. I also don't mind taking my pack off to get to them. Gives you a chance to sit down and rest for 2 min. It isn't that tough to take off your pack and put it back on. I often put Aquarious in the bottle too, to drink later on.

 

[Former member 92300]

It is certainly a matter of personal preference. Some people prefer bladders. Some prefer bottles. I am mixed - depending on the type of hike I am doing and how much water I need to carry.

On the Camino - my preference leans toward taking a 1L bottle of water that I buy (often bought at the airport for the overseas plane ride) and then re-using the water bottle for as long as I can. The advantage of using that is it sits in a side water bottle pocket of my backpack and is totally easy to access to refill. Also - water bladders tend to cut into the space for your gear inside of your bag - so I don't have to worry about losing interior space in my bag due to filling a water bladder.

But - I also prefer the convenience of a hydration tube - so I found one on amazon that attaches to the water bottle. It really is the best of both worlds - totally convenient access to my lightweight water bottle (that is less likely to leak than a lose hydration tube on a bladder) - but I can still sip from the hydration tube without pulling my water bottle out every time I need a drink.

I always carry a minimum of 1L of water - but I usually have 2 of these water bottles and will fill both on stretches where I may need to go longer distances before refilling my water bottle. Also on very hot days when I need more fluids. The advantage of using a bottle of water that you buy at the store is that those bottles tend to be way lighter than any water bottle that you purchase separately. Also - once they get dirty and rinsing them is no longer sufficient - you can discard and buy a new bottle of water and then refill that one.

 

[DyanTX]

How you carry water is almost as personal as shoes! . I prefer a bladder as it means I can drink while walking. Bottle pockets in packs don't work for me. Also - people say bladders are hard to clean while drinking from the same small mouth bottle for days at a time. Yuck! If you put only pure water in a bladder, you don't need cleaning on the Camino. Empty it and refill daily. That's it. Get a cover for the bite valve so it doesn't accidently fall into the dirt. I've used a bladder for wilderness backpacking for 20+ years and never need to clean it during the trip.

 

[Xali1970]

I don't like the taste of plastic bottles or bladders. I prefer using stainless steel kleen kanteen bottles. I always carry 2 800ml bottles. Finding wayer on the camino Frances at regular intervals is not a problem.

The very wide neck also make them very easy to clean.

 

[isawtman]

I love having the water hose there to drink from whenever I like. I feel I keep more hydrated that way. However, I felt the water bladder was a little bit hard to attached to my backpack, etc. Next time I will have the hose coming out of a bottle instead of the soft shell bladder. Bottles are easier to place in a side pocket of a backpack. Also, next time I am going to bring a small collapsible cup so I can drink out of any water fountain I come upon.

 

[Vacajoe]

Bladders are good, but you can’t use them to carry the remains of the bottle of wine you’ll be served at lunch! . That’s what my second plastic bottle is for…

 

[Steve Smith]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

Thanks for your input!

I carried 2-16 oz plastic bottles. One in my pack and one in my front pocket for easy access. Then I would fill them at near every water station that I passed. I never went dry. Buen camino...

 

[pelerine]

Since I cannot drink from a bottle while walking I prefer the bladder. I have a spare bottle in case I run out of water in the bladder. With no bar anywhere near on the lonelier caminos I then carefully ration the remaining water.

 

[Jamieb]

You do whatever is comfortable for you. I did not carry a bladder - I carried 2 16oz water bottles purchased from a store - I would refill them during the day at my albergue in the morning and at cafes while walking. Water is easy to get.

 

[Vancouver Rose]

I carried a 2-litre bladder, which was more water than I ever needed at one time. I liked having it because it was so easily reachable without having to shuffle my poles, and further, when it was really hot, I could empty the bladder over my head (yes, I did that several times), and re-fill it with fresh water. At 2 litres, I found it quite heavy and generally unnecessary. As @Rick M said earlier, be sure you know what the weather will be before you leave. When my water in the hose got too warm from sun exposure, I could suck it up, spit it out, and drink the cooler water from within the bladder. If you're a person who likes to sip to keep hydrated, I'd highly recommend a bladder. Most days, I didn't need to take more than 1 litre and as others have said, found places along the way to empty and re-fill. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with a 1 litre bladder, as I also considered it to be a good source of clean water if needed to clean a cut from debris. But I'd probably look to size-down to a 1.5 litre bladder if I were to do it again.

 

[curlylottie]

Really personal decision. Think about how much water you drink in a typical non hiking day. I drink tons of water (and sweat freely!), so I carried a 3L water bladder on the CF in Sept-Oct 2022 and usually emptied it by the end of the day’s walk and then refilled and drank more during the evening. In Galicia rains, I drank less. Up to you, really.

 

[sp01326]

The French way is less exotic than you believe. The same for English, Northern and Primitivo ways. Every sentence of Rick M is right. Enjoy your camino!

 

[dougfitz]

When I posted earlier in this thread, I avoided the issue of how much water to carry, in part because the OP was proposing to carry a little over 2 li in a combination of a bladder and bottle. There have since been several posts recommending carrying only 500 ml, some based on the poster's personal experience while in others it isn't clear. Members should think very carefully about that and whether carrying so little water will be safe.

My personal experience on both the camino and many years bushwalking in Australia is that following this advice would result in a substantial fluid deficit over any individual walk between places with potable water. I have measured my fluid consumption walking on a warm spring day walking on bush tracks on training walks in undulating terrain here in Canberra. It was 700 ml / hr. While I can tolerate a small fluid deficit over a short walk, if I don't have a plan to collect and treat water on longer walks, I know that I risk heat stroke, and its precursor, heat exhaustion. Having come close at least once, I have no desire to do that again.

This year I walked the Caminho do Tejo and the the CP, starting in late Apr walking through to early Jun - late spring and early summer. There were some quite hot days leaving Lisbon, and it was generally hot all the way to Porto. I was regularly drinking 3 li of water from my bladder during the walking day, with many days drinking more. That was normally supplemented by a can of cold drink and coffee wherever I stopped for a snack or meal. I preferred ice tea, but if that wasn't available, I would have a soft drink instead. That would have amounted to well over another litre of fluid intake.

When I got to where I was staying, I would normally mix about 500 ml of rehydration solution and drink that while doing my domestic chores, and there would then be other refreshments over the course of the evening in the albergue and over a meal. Even with all this intake, my urine colour stayed obstinately darker than I would have liked, indicating that I was still dehydrated.

While the CF generally has places with potable water within an hour - I once researched this and about 60% of the time that is so - on a warm day, only carrying a 500 ml bottle would still risk a fluid deficit which would be difficult to make up during the day. As for @Rick M's suggestion that 500 ml would suffice for 14 km (over three hours walking for me as I get older), it would be positively dangerous for me to attempt that, even on the mildest of days.

At the time @Mikey - camino plans to walk, in Mar next year, my experience walking in late Mar to early May was that there were fonts that had still not been turned on for the summer. I don't know whether this was a common practice, and I was carrying enough anyhow so that wasn't a big issue. It did mean that I checked my water more consistently when I stopped for a coffee and snack, and topped it up if that was needed for the next leg of walking.

How you carry your water is very much a personal preference. I have said all I need to say in my earlier post (#11). How much you carry is more important, and with a bit of trial and hopefully not too much error, you can work out what your consumption rate is. What I do recommend is that you start this process carrying at least a litre of water.

 

[jflorez]

I find that I don't drink enough water or I drink inconsistently when I carry individual water bottles. I took a 2L bladder on my first camino, but on my second found the 1.5L to be just perfect. I still enjoyed an Aquarius or Kas Limón/Naranja here and there, though. And, I agree that it is a matter of preference, and the important thing is to drink enough and before you begin to get thirsty.

 

[Richard Smith]

I have used both, a lot depends on how easy it is to remove the bladder to get it filled and how easy it is to access a water bottle for drinking (side pockets are easy, inside the pack not so much).
On the CF in September a 1 litre bottle in side pocket worked well for me.

 

[dougfitz]

I have used both, a lot depends on how easy it is to remove the bladder to get it filled and how easy it is to access a water bottle for drinking (side pockets are easy, inside the pack not so much).
On the CF in September a 1 litre bottle in side pocket worked well for me.

This year I carried an adapter that allowed me to refill the bladder without removing it from my pack. It worked like a charm.

 

[pelerine]

This year I carried an adapter that allowed me to refill the bladder without removing it from my pack. It worked like a charm.

This interests me very much. What is the adapter like? Where can I find it and, very important, how do I ask for it?

 

[trecile]

This interests me very much. What is the adapter like? Where can I find it and, very important, how do I ask for it?

Here's a post which describes an adapter that you can add to your hose.

For those interested in adding a Quick Connect adapter to your hydration reservoir/bladder, I've added a link below. With the quick disconnect added, I don't even need to remove my backpack or daypack to do a quick and easy refill of the bladder.

NOTE: The video shows the quick disconnect being used with a water filter as used when wilderness backpacking. However, on camino I leave off the filter altogether. The refill cap is simply attached to my collapsible water bottle, after it is filled with water from a fountain or faucet

 

[Lleslie]

I prefer bottles myself as I find it easier to keep track of how much I am drinking/have left. I take reusable metal or naglene bottles to reduce the need for single use disposable bottles, even if reused for a time - imagine the amount of pilgrims each year (?400,000 this year?) If even half of those buy 2 or 3 or more over the course of their camino, the amount of plastic rubbish that is accumulated.
I take my naglene one empty through security at the airport then fill to use while waiting and during long haul flights - saves on plastic cups too! I know only a drop in the ocean but every bit helps I hope

 

[dougfitz]

This interests me very much. What is the adapter like? Where can I find it and, very important, how do I ask for it?

I used this product from source: https://sourceoutdoor.com/product/uta/.

 

[pelerine]

Here's a post which describes an adapter that you can add to your hose.

I used this product from source: https://sourceoutdoor.com/product/uta/.

Excellent! Thank you both!

 

[Barbara]

Dare I suggest that you drink when you are thirsty? It's a good excuse to stop, take your pack off and sit down, look at the scenery and relax with your shoes off.

 

[pelerine]

Dare I suggest that you drink when you are thirsty? It's a good excuse to stop, take your pack off and sit down, look at the scenery and relax with your shoes off.

Hello Barbara! Yes, you may suggest that I drink when I am thirsty. It is what I do. But I am thirsty quite often and I find it quite hard to take off my pack, or rather to put it back on again. I am a fairly old woman (almost 83), so I am not someone who rushes along the camino without taking in my surroundings. I sip from the bladder frequently and stop when my problem foot begins to hurt. Then I stop “properly” for food and drink and the scenery and even have a minisiesta which is excellent for recovery.

 

[pelerine]

PS Barbara, I see you walked from home! So did I. My first camino for my 70th birthday from the north coast of Brittany, along the coast all around Brittany and down the Atlantic coast and along the Norte and to Cap de Finisterre - 5 months as an SDF ( sans domicile fixe = homeless). So over the years I have gained some experience of what works for me…

 

[Snackyp00]

Does anyone have any experience using the hybrid method that thru-hikers often use? A lot of ultralight backpackers utilize 1L Smartwater bottles or similar and retrofit some hydration tubing with a bite valve through the sport cap hole. An additional modification can be made to add an inline disconnect in the tube so you can remove the bottle to refill it while leaving the majority of the tubing attached to the pack/shoulder straps. Also this gives the added benefit of being able to use the bottle without the tubing around town on rest days.

This is what I’m considering doing for my CF from SJPP in late April-May. In addition to carrying the 1L Smartwater bottle in that method, I also plan on carrying the 1L Katadyn Be Free Filter Bottle. At one point I read that some people got sick from drinking water on the Meseta (which I’m not sure if there is truth to that) and I have personal experience getting sick from drinking water from a “potable” tap at a campground in Australia. So, just to be safe, I‘m thinking I will filter any tap water from the Katadyn into the Smartwater before drinking. Is the filter complete overkill?

 

[dougfitz]

Does anyone have any experience using the hybrid method that thru-hikers often use?

There has been extensive discussion about this option over the years. You only have to search for it.

 

[davebugg]

Does anyone have any experience using the hybrid method that thru-hikers often use? A lot of ultralight backpackers utilize 1L Smartwater bottles or similar and retrofit some hydration tubing with a bite valve through the sport cap hole. An additional modification can be made to add an inline disconnect in the tube so you can remove the bottle to refill it while leaving the majority of the tubing attached to the pack/shoulder straps. Also this gives the added benefit of being able to use the bottle without the tubing around town on rest days.

This is what I’m considering doing for my CF from SJPP in late April-May. In addition to carrying the 1L Smartwater bottle in that method, I also plan on carrying the 1L Katadyn Be Free Filter Bottle. At one point I read that some people got sick from drinking water on the Meseta (which I’m not sure if there is truth to that) and I have personal experience getting sick from drinking water from a “potable” tap at a campground in Australia. So, just to be safe, I‘m thinking I will filter any tap water from the Katadyn into the Smartwater before drinking. Is the filter complete overkill?

As a thru-hiker, I use either bottles or a water reservoir. I have not seen thru-hikers on the PCT use the hybrid system, but I have seen some day hikers and overnighters use them.

As to filtering. . . yes, it is overkill as the municipal supplies of water are at least the equivalent as in the US or other nations in Europe. There are many explanations, from poor hygiene to spoilt food and beverages that more readily explain the causes of G.I illnesses on the Camino.

I use the BeFree system on backpacking trips, along with a water reservoir. On Camino, I use a 500 ml bottle and a water reservoir. If, and that hasn't happened on the Caminoes I've walked, the reservoir goes dry then I have the bottle until the next refill stop. I do not need to keep an eye on the water level in the reservoir itself.

However, there are any number of reasons that one may wish or need to treat water, and this is a guide to water purification and filtration that I wrote and posted previously:
Water Treatment on Camino Part 1

Water Treat on Camino - Part 2

 

[pelerine]

As a thru-hiker, I use either bottles or a water reservoir. I have not seen thru-hikers on the PCT use the hybrid system, but I have seen some day hikers and overnighters use them.

As to filtering. . . yes, it is overkill as the municipal supplies of water are at least the equivalent as in the US or other nations in Europe. There are many explanations, from poor hygiene to spoilt food and beverages that more readily explain the causes of G.I illnesses on the Camino.

I use the BeFree system on backpacking trips, along with a water reservoir. On Camino, I use a 500 ml bottle and a water reservoir. If, and that hasn't happened on the Caminoes I've walked, the reservoir goes dry then I have the bottle until the next refill stop. I do not need to keep an eye on the water level in the reservoir itself.

However, there are any number of reasons that one may wish or need to treat water, and this is a guide to water purification and filtration that I wrote and posted previously:
Water Treatment on Camino Part 1

Water Treat on Camino - Part 2

Have not “seen” you for ages! Always sensible advice!

 

[davebugg]

Have not “seen” you for ages! Always sensible advice!

Thanks. Yeah, I had been gone awhile. Was working as an Interpretive Guide at Grand Canyon National Park since Spring and got back just before Thanksgiving. Also helped out with as a volunteer to assist the Ranger staff by monitoring visitors on trails going into the Canyon to make sure they had appropriate gear, water, and clothing

 

[dougfitz]

At one point I read that some people got sick from drinking water on the Meseta (which I’m not sure if there is truth to that) and I have personal experience getting sick from drinking water from a “potable” tap at a campground in Australia. So, just to be safe, I‘m thinking I will filter any tap water from the Katadyn into the Smartwater before drinking. Is the filter complete overkill?

There are reports of this most years, most of which lack the details one might need to identify the source of any food or water contamination that has caused the gastro-intestinal distress. Most ignore other, possibly more obvious sources, like poor hand hygiene or transmission from other pilgrims when crowded together. Paying attention to basic personal hygiene is always worthwhile.

I think taking a filter is overkill, but I do carry water purification tablets. There have been very few occasions on the CF and CI where I have felt the need to use them. When I walked the CP, there were many more fonts that were marked with some variation of 'not treated', 'uncontrolled' or 'not tested'. Where I did need to take water from these sources, I would collect it in the collapsible bottle I was using and treat it in that before decanting that into my bladder.

 

[dougfitz]

Dare I suggest that you drink when you are thirsty? It's a good excuse to stop, take your pack off and sit down, look at the scenery and relax with your shoes off.

You absolutely should, because everything I have read about this suggests that when you feel thirsty, you have already gone past the point where you are beginning to dehydrate. What continues to puzzle me is how to know before that point when to drink something. I can only suggest that one never delays drinking something as soon as one feels the very onset of thirst.*

I am not in favour of sipping either, although I don't have a well developed explanation for that. What I do find is that if my mouth is dry, a sip does little more than wet the inside of my mouth. I find it better to take at least a generous mouthful of water to ensure I get past the 'just wetting my mouth' stage.

* this is one of those hard things to discipline oneself to do. I make the analogy to blisters. Its very hard at the very onset of a sore spot to stop walking, and address the problem. It's the same with water. Both thirst and blisters benefit from the earliest possible treatment.

 

[David Tallan]

I used just bottles on my 2016 Camino and in 2018 I switched to the hybrid system with the hose attached to the water bottles. I've never used a reservoir, although my son walking with me in 2016 did. I think for my next Camino, I'll just go back to bottles. It seems best for how I am most comfortable consuming water.

 

[trecile]

On my first Camino I used the tube that fits a water bottle, and brought a collapsible bottle for this. It was very hot, and my water quickly warmed up in the side pocket of my backpack, so I put it inside the pack and voila! I invented the hydration bladder.

The following year I decided that I should just bring a good quality hydration bladder that has a wide opening that makes it easier to clean when it needs it, though I rarely do more than rinse and refill while on the Camino. I chose a 2 liter hydration system from Source that also has a quick connect adapter that allows me to fill the bladder through the tube without removing it from my backpack.

 

[pelerine]

I find the additional little bottle quite necessary - additional to the bladder. More than once I ran out of water in the bladder and with the bottle I could ration the remaining water to the remaining length of the stage.

 

[Mikey - camino]

Thanks for all the replies. There is certainly no consensus of which to use (Bladder, Bottles (or both)) so I think i will purchase the Bladder since it is cheap enough and discard it or give it away if I do not like it.

This forum is wonderfull

Mike

 

[Rita Flower]

Bladders are good, but you can’t use them to carry the remains of the bottle of wine you’ll be served at lunch! . That’s what my second plastic bottle is for…

And I met someone on Camino this year who was doing exactly that.

 

[Rita Flower]

On my first Camino I used the tube that fits a water bottle, and brought a collapsible bottle for this. It was very hot, and my water quickly warmed up in the side pocket of my backpack, so I put it inside the pack and voila! I invented the hydration bladder.

The following year I decided that I should just bring a good quality hydration bladder that has a wide opening that makes it easier to clean when it needs it, though I rarely do more than rinse and refill while on the Camino. I chose a 2 liter hydration system from Source that also has a quick connect adapter that allows me to fill the bladder through the tube without removing it from my backpack.

On a hot day there’s nothing quite like some cool water from deep within your pack. My water bladder rarely left my pack and I refilled it through the large opening at the top, from my extra water bottle - required a steady hand and good eye but I only ever spilled a drip or two.
I gave the bladder a good clean every now and then on a rest or short day.

 

[WGroleau]

Do many people use the water bladder in their packs? I was thinking of getting the1.5 liter bladder (170G) and caring a 850 ml bottle also (which i already have).

I refilled my "Grayl" several times from ditches between Los Arco and Arróniz on a hot day with no ill effect. And Grayl has several competitors. Also, pretty much every city and village has a free potable water source in a plaza. I even found three alongside trails a long way from any village. (But one of those wasn't working.)

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

After all the dreadful warnings about the risk of de-hydration when carrying only 500 ml, you would think i should be dead by now! Instead, I'm planning my 2023 Camino. I want to emphasise that I'm over 75 and walk SLOWLY. Like the medieval pilgrims, my aim is to do 14 kms per day (or just a little more). Those who race along and do 30 kms obviously need to drink more. The toilet issue is also to be considered. Men can go anywhere, and therefore can drink lots. For women, it is not so easy. That's one reason I like to patronise cafes en route, so I have to buy a drink.

 

[Rita Flower]

After all the dreadful warnings about the risk of de-hydration when carrying only 500 ml, you would think i should be dead by now! Instead, I'm planning my 2023 Camino. I want to emphasise that I'm over 75 and walk SLOWLY. Like the medieval pilgrims, my aim is to do 14 kms per day (or just a little more). Those who race along and do 30 kms obviously need to drink more. The toilet issue is also to be considered. Men can go anywhere, and therefore can drink lots. For women, it is not so easy. That's one reason I like to patronise cafes en route, so I have to buy a drink.

Bless you and the water question. Love those 14 Km days. On my recent longer Camino I worked out that if I drank just enough but not too much I wouldn’t have to stop and pee all the time and I would still stay hydrated. I don’t mind squatting in the bush and I make sure I leave no evidence behind. However it can be a nuisance.
I mostly carried about 1.2 litres but rarely drank it all - only when I was doing longer days (20 + km) or it was hot or I drank a lot and peed a lot.

 

[David Tallan]

Like the medieval pilgrims, my aim is to do 14 kms per day (or just a little more). Those who race along and do 30 kms obviously need to drink more.

I'm not knocking doing 14 km per day. By no means! But I am wondering what leads you to say that medieval pilgrims only walked that far in a day. Looking at the medieval pilgrim accounts I've read (like the Codex Calixtinus) and the stages they describe, doesn't lead me to that conclusion. But I'm always ready to learn something new.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

Sorry, David, I can't quote a source for this. I read 14 kms some years ago and I've forgotten where. I was under the impression that medieval, ecclesiastical lodgings were approx. 14 kms apart.

 

[KFH]

Plenty of good advice and experience here. After reading through it, I think I will be going with a bladder in the pack and one bottle on the side (plus perhaps one for the extra vino?).

Like Doug, I seem to be more prone to dehydration than most people, and on hikes and runs I usually drink quite a bit compared to others. On one marathon my wife and I did I was worried about having to stop for breaks so I was too careful with my water and ended up almost melting down and nearly ruined my race.

In regular day to day life I drink more water than anyone I know. After one cup of morning coffee, I don't drink anything else other than water. As far as urination goes, I've found that if I have one extra coffee I end up having to urinate much more frequently. This may sound funny but the water seems to absorb into my body more if I don't have that extra coffee.

Women have it much tougher in the "have-to-go" department, as the process is a lot more involved and exposed than what men have to deal with. My wife jokes that I am a lot more like our dogs than like her-- just jump off the trail, go, get back on the trail. So it is big issue for women to try to find that right balance of intake/output.

One thing people might not be aware of when trying to avoid urine breaks (by drinking less water) is that if you push it too far and become dehydrated, you sometimes will have a constant feeling of having to urinate even though there isn't much fluid in the system-- so you might be adding many more breaks because you are trying to avoid breaks.