Water for Hydration in freezing temps

Nambaster

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Feb 23, 2018
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Looking at some sub freezing temps and planning on attempting a back country elk hunt. What do you guys do to keep your water for hydration from freezing up? I am planning on using a gravity fed water filter bit frozen hoses are going to be the most likely result.
 
Blow out the hoses and filter as best you can of course. On day trips we have used a small insulated lunch bag and put a few bottles of water in it and a couple apples and a disposable hand warmer pack. Everything stayed about room temp-ish.
 
We switch to plastic water bottles and they get wrapped in the sleep bag for the trip in and remain zipped in the sleeping bag the entire time. This would be for a 3-4 day backcountry trip. Its a lot of water to pack in, its an entire 24 pack to haul in per person.
 
Camelbak...use insulated hose and blow air back into hose until you hear it bubble. Expect the mouthpiece to freeze a bit
Nalgene...get a wide mouth one and keep in the middle of your pack. Get an insulated sleeve.

I fill my jugs with hot water before leaving camp when it's really cold and carry a jetboil to reheat in the middle of the day. Store filters in your sleeping bag because if they freeze they're probably toast.
 
I use hydrapak hydration bags with the bite valve lid. I don't usually use the hoses in the winter but just got a new insulated hose that’s supposed to go real cold. Will bring the other lid just in case this November. The gravity fed filters are a serious gamble this time of year though. If it freezes it will ruin the filter. In freezing temps I use a steri pen, tabs, or boil the water.
 
I use the Hydrapac inline filter, pretty quick for a squeeze type, just make sure you shake it out after you use it and maybe tuck it in your jacket until you're sure it's dry.
anything with hoses, even the insulated ones is going to be a pain if it gets cold enough, wide mouth nalgene, or better yet wide mouth hydropac flex bottle in an insulated sleeve is the ticket, also helps to flip your container upside down so the lid doesn't freeze as bad, if it's real cold finding flowing water is a bigger problem, melting snow is fuel intensive but sometimes better than walking miles to get water...
 
I always have an extra pair of wool socks. I boil water before bed and put into nalgene bottle then into my socks. You can also put into sleeping bag. I also do this for -20 below day hunts.
 
If you run a nalgene on the outside of your pack. Put it upside down, that way the lid is less likely to freeze. I also keep a water bladder inside my tent, which seems to keep it warmer and a nalgene in my sleeping bag. I don't uses hoses anymore, they'll freeze up real quick. Oh yea, don't forget to keep your filter from freezing as well.
 
Here is what I do when backcountry where temps stay below freezing..I always camp near a running water source. If there is ice on top, chip though the ice and filter with a non ceramic filtration system. Take apart after filtering and shake, centrifugal force it dry the best you can when finished. Boil water before going to sleep, pour in nalgene bottles and keep in sleeping bag with you so you have water in the morning. Or pump it fresh again in the morning. Dont fill your bladder with more than you can consume...they will freeze in your pack. If you add electrolyte mix / salt it will take longer to freeze. Just my 2 cents.
 

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