SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
When it comes to backpacking, many people like to dry camp at a considerable distance from a water source to enjoy a view, camp at a distance from other people, or because there’s less animal activity farther away from water. Dry camping often requires carrying extra water for camping, so you have enough for cooking and drinking at night, and to see you to the next water source the following day.
In order to dry camp, you need to know three things:
- How much water do you need for the rest of the day, overnight, and the following morning?
- Where is the next reliable water source and how much water do you need to get to it?
- How much storage capacity do you need to carry extra water?
There’s no right or wrong answer to any of these questions. (Well, there are sometimes wrong answers…which is the point of this article.) But your dry camping water needs are worth considering when planning a trip and when packing, particularly if you like to backpack in places that other people don’t frequent and there’s still some uncertainty in what you might find.
How much water do you need for a dry camp?
When I dry camp in New England, where water sources are fairly plentiful, I like to have 4 or 5 liters for dry camping. This gives me enough to make dinner (1.5L), drink water at night (1L), and eat breakfast/have tea the next morning (1.5L). That’s just my preference based on a lot of experience.
How much water do you need to get to your next water source?
After a dry camp, I like to leave camp with 1L to get to the next water source. I’m usually pretty well hydrated after my morning oatmeal and a big pot of tea and that 1L is often enough to see me through the morning. But how much you need will really depend on climate and what your maps tell you about the next place with water.
How much storage capacity do you have to carry extra water?
If you want to dry camp, you need to carry extra water capacity to haul the water you need. For example, I usually backpack with the ability to carry 5L of water and find that soft bottles, like a 2L Platypus Plus Bottle (which really holds 70 oz) or a HydraPak 3L Seeker Soft Bottle (which is available with a filter) work well as adjuncts to the normal 1-2L that I carry during the day in more rigid bottles. Soft bottles collapse flat when not in use, so they take up virtually no room in my pack.
My experience is a liter will get me thru supper, a cup of hot tea, and some hydration during the. night. Another liter will provide breakfast, a hot cup of ‘go juice’ and a bit of hydration to start hiking in the morning. I’ll then drink a liter for every couple hours on the trail.
A friend and I had a dry camp on a guided trip in the Grand Canyon last fall. Hauling 5.5 liters of water up the last 1000′ in less than a mile was some work for sure. But nothing compared to what the guide hauled up.
Remember when we dry camped on South Twin? I think I had 5L that time.
I usually carry a max of 4.75 liters from the last water source when I’m dry camping. More often than not, it’s closer to 3 liters since my breakfasts don’t usually use more than a half liter. That’s in the Southeast, though, in an area that has decently predictable water sources and “dry” tends to mean “within 4 miles of water” so it’s easier to come by before I’m out.
Several years ago, I was researching water needs when planning for dry camps at Philmont Scout Ranch. The only reference that would commit to numbers was The Backpacker’s Field Manual by Rick Curtis. That has a table on page 71.
Fall and spring backpacking, 2-3 quarts
Hot weather backpacking, 3-4 quarts
Winter backpacking, 4+ quarts
At altitude, add 1 quart
That is the minimum. I add one quart (liter) for Ten Essentials purposes. That is also because I backpack in the western mountains where water sources are much farther apart than in the East.
Our dry camp was more than 24 hours (lunch one day to dinner the next). We cooked the water intensive supper for lunch and had lunch for dinner. We carried 6-7 liters each up Mt. Phillips. A crew on the same itinerary carried 3-4 liters. They had to evacuate a crew member to base camp a day later, even after some IV fluids at a staffed camp.
To get the extra capacity for a dry camp, I recommend the 96 oz. (3 qt.) collapsible Nalgene canteen.
https://nalgene.com/product/96oz-nalgene-cantene/
In Ontario, where water sources are plentiful, I can usually top up with just a couple litres before heading to higher ground to camp. I can almost always count on a water source on the trail early morning. I can always forego coffee and a hot breakfast until a water source if necessary. A couple IL Smartwater bottles and maybe an extra 1L collapsible bottle are usually sufficient With that said, I can get away with a lighter water carry due to planning and trail knowledge. Planning and foreknowledge definitely help when dry camping.
Given the heatwave in much of the northern hemisphere, it might be worthwhile for SectionHiker to do an article specifically on hiking in heat. I’m sure other readers have ideas, but my coping methods include: 1. Start hiking at dawn, and cover miles quickly before the sun climbs high. 2. Slow my pace way down mid-day. 3. Mix electrolyte drinks at 1/3 strength, so I can sip them all day without getting thirsty from all the salts. 4. Go stove-less. There is no need for the comfort of hot food or drink. 5. Use an umbrella for shade in direct sun. 6. Forget about sunscreen, since it just sweats off. Use lightweight clothing/hat instead. 7. Map out potential bad weather bailout/escape routes, just as you would in winter. 8. Soak feet in water sources. It is amazing how much heat you can dump from your feet. 9. Research what normally-available water sources may be dried up. 10. Leave dog at home. We fur-less tropical apes dump heat more efficiently than domesticated wolves do.
Mark. Well said. Feet being farthest from your heart can help control body temp cold or hot. I’m getting reintroduce to hiking and seeing many comments about umbrella. Thanks everyone for posting information to help everyone.
I almost always camp away from water to lessen animal encounters, environmental impact, condensation and bugs, so all my camps are dry. I think Phil and Walter are about right in terms of capacity . After a tough hike in Glen Canyon NRA recently I learned a few lessons. The harder stiffer film bags like the 96 oz collapsible Nalgene canteen and evernew bags work best and don’t develop pinhole leaks like hydrapak bags. Every single one of the soft tpu types developed these leaks when I hiked the southern half of the AZT. Repair tape only worked for a while. Always divide your water into multiple bags for better weight distribution and in case of leakage. A couple wraps of pipe tap on the evernews will keep a HydroBlu from leaking.
Please don’t bathe or soak in non flowing water like desert potholes, you will contaminate the drinking water.
A pinch of himalayan pink salt in a quart works well when you get sick of the flavored drink mixes. If you use the dehydrated dinners check the sodium in them, it is usually off the charts. You are likely to wake up thirsty since you’ll need to pee out all that salt. Know where your reliable water is and how many hours/days to hike to it Mark it on your paper map. Read all the Ben Kilbourne articles on this site even if you are not a desert hiker.
In Israel the rule of thumb is 5 liter
3 liter for the day
2 liter for the camp
People are not allowed on day hikes unless they are carrying 3 liter
With advancing age often the water requirements diminish or so I have found. Whereas in my 20’s a couple of liters would be sufficient for an overnight camp, now, well past 60 one liter does dinner and a drink plus muesli and a coffee to start the day. This has the great advantage of not getting up in the middle of the night. This said, temperature both day and night has a big influence on liquid requirements. When the thermometer reads over 25 degrees C water requirements start to soar but most of these problems can be offset by tanking up during the day.
Worth pointing out that depending on how you carry your meals you can start rehydrating before you get to camp eg add some to the ziploc or to a talenti jar or other sealable container. This not only reduces prep time in camp but helps when you may not be certain you have enough water carrying capacity in unexpectedly severe conditions.
I canoe South Florida ocean (Everglades) summer and winter, and for 2 weeks I take 8 gallons, and have about one gallon (~ 4 liter) leftover–so about two liter per day. But I use a pressure cooker for cooking and drink all cooking water. So more benign environment would be less than the 2 quarts (~ 2 liter) per day–but backpacking would put added demand.
The pressure cooker (Hawkins standard 1.5 liter, w/ lower handle plastic part removed–BTW a marvelous engineering design) is a full pressure unit (1 atm gauge pressure) and weighs 1 lb 14 oz (~ 0.85 kg). This is useful for longer trips–either to conserve fuel or water.