Dehydration symptoms

[neilmny]

Hmmm. I've never been a big fan of the water bladder, my thinking was if I'm in need of a drink then it's probably a good time to drop the pack and take five, rest and enjoy a guzzle. BUT for this Christmas my missus goes and gets me a Platypus/camelback thingy (shows how much attention she pays to my gear preferences!) and I must admit I was pleasently surprised. Sipping away as you go does have it's benefits, my only gripe is you are commited to carrying X amount of water when on some walks, with good water supply, it isn't needed.

Also I find a good flushing of water over the head/down the back of the neck sometimes feels just as bebeficial as drinking it. Absolutely no scientific evidence to back this up but if you can spare the water it revigourating!

You don't have to fill it full up.
I would never have enough water on board to be able to tip some over my head. I sweat a lot and need every drop of the 3 litres I carry on a warm to hot day.

[slparker]

I used to use a camelback but after accidentally losing the majority of my supply after leaving my pack on the bite valve and also having a bite valve fail (the O-rings come off) I rarely use one for walking.

I now use two or more bottles, which gives me redundancy and it is much lighter than a camelback. I make myself stop for 5 minutes every hour for a handful of scroggin and a drink so it's no issue to break out the water bottle.
if it is really hot and humid I still carry one because I know that I'm going to drink a lot and drink more regularly.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

I'm also a big fan of the listen to your body theory.

When I was growing up, I'd run around in the heat for ages. Eventually I'd be dying for a drink, so I'd turn on the hose and gulp down a heap and then sit down and have a rest.

The "you have to drink x glasses of water a day" is not a theory I subscribe to.

Do what your body is telling you to do. Don't drink 8L a day because some magazine article said so and end up with hypnotraemia.

Same with food. Have never had any weight issues my whole life, because I eat when my body tells me I need to. If someone brings out dessert but I feel full, I won't eat any. If someone wants coffee and offers me a cake, I won't eat it. Not because I can't, but because if my body isn't hungry, I don't need to.

I'd imagine you had a stomach bug or virus. If you can't keep water down, you need to be on a saline drip.

[wayno]

what you eat can alter how much water you need.
carbohydrates dont need a great deal of water to digest, most carb meals contain water in them already, usually more than enough to digest your food,you arent likely to need to drink to digest a starchy meal unless its in dried form. protein needs more water than carbs to digest., fat needs even more times the amount.

[slparker]

what you eat can alter how much water you need.
carbohydrates dont need a great deal of water to digest, most carb meals contain water in them already, usually more than enough to digest your food,you arent likely to need to drink to digest a starchy meal unless its in dried form. protein needs more water than carbs to digest., fat needs even more times the amount.

Carbohydrates create water when they are digested the CHO gets split into water and carbon dioxide. The CO2 gets breathed out and the water becomes part of your body water.