Read below to grasp how much water you should carry with you. A pint? Half gallon? More? You decide!

How Much Water Should I Carry?

In a post from SectionHiker.com the author tells of the olden days when he would carry four liters (about one gallon) of water on him, even during experimentation with lightweight thru-hiking systems. In most cases today, hikers will usually carry around two liters (about half a gallon). But what if water resources run dry? In our case, I would still advise that survivalists opt for a gallon-carrying capacity for a few reasons.

Since you won’t be covering lots of distance, like a day or thru-hiker, then water should be one resource that’s worth the extra weight to carry.

Also, because it takes a great deal more time and effort to start a fire and bring four liters of water to boil (in comparison to a filtration system), then it’s best to process your entire water supply all at once.

Packing a set of stainless steel bottles offers a combo/compromise between a featherweight option and a highly functional system. Obviously, stainless steel is certainly going to be much heavier than its plastic alternatives. However, stainless steel also provides a multi-purpose piece of gear, for the reasons I mentioned above. It’s your sanitation system and can signal … and can even produce usable char cloth for fire-making in a pinch.

 To learn more about water storage and filtering go to Off the Grid News. The site will also give you great comparisons of stainless steel water bottles and a Klean Kanteen, Nalgene, or Camelbak systems. Which is best for you?

There are many thing you should have in your survival backpack but clean, bacteria free water is the most vital! Do go anywhere without it!