Interested in how people carry drinking water for drinking while paddling longer distances. I normally carried a water bottle on the deck but that tended to get in the way of the map, paddle etc. I tried a Camelback tonight. Easy to drink but still not that great of an option. Might try linking the Camelback to the pfd rather than separately. What do you all do now that it is getting much warmer?

Jhat, I just use the water bottle. Cold or warm, the water is still wet and slakes my thirst.

My friend goes a different route; he only drinks beer from a can and he seems to have a never ending supply of them stashed somewhere.

I use a platypus kayak hydration system which simply attaches to the shock cords on deck. Easy to reach and low profile (I hate having anything but a map on my front deck). What ever system you use ensure that it will not be blown of your deck by wave or lost in capsize. There is some merit in having your hydration system attached to your pfd especially when paddling in areas with little water, at least if you do become separated from your boat and wash up on some beach with out fresh water you will have a small supply. Just ensure it is adequately secure a purpose built pocket on the back of your pfd works best. I have also paddled with others who use a regular hydration pack but this looks cumbersome to me.

We saw a hydration system at a recent trade show that looked like it might work well kayaking. The water container had a pump to pressurize its contents. To access the container you used a tube with bite valve.

This would allow you to keep your water low in the boat (possibly cooler being against the hull)and run the tube up through your spraydeck. To grab a drink you bite on the valve and water flows from the pressurized container.

Haven't had a chance to try one but, the concept looked interesting.

HA HA HA !!

For me, the only good solution is keeping it away from the direct sunlight, heating up plastics and then tasting those chemicals in the water is the worst.

I don't usually have a spray skirt so a metal canister or bottle rests inbetween my legs..

Maybe should make an aerodynamic container that can be dragged.. lol

I could not go far without water more than 1 hour and be paddling at a decent clip. I throw a small cooler in the boat.

On day paddles I don't bother with water unless it's hot. But on trips I use a hydration pack (a little over two liters) over the back of my PFD. It works great. I've rolled with it on and my boat packed to the gills with no problems.

In rougher waters it's very handy as it only takes one hand to use. And it is also easy to use for brushing teeth, minor hand washing around camp, and day hikes.

I carry an empty plastic bottle as backup.

a Wise Person once said by the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. It's a good idea to keep sipping at regular intervals, even if you aren't sweating.

that said, a hydration pack holds much more than a water bottle and can be positioned so it doesn't fall off, get lost paddling thru waves, roll around in the bottom of the boat,etc.

Putting a container at one's feet works in calm shallow waters where the paddler is intent on staying upright '-)

Mine's clipped to the back of the seat, w. the tube running under the skirt deck. I use neoprene skirts w. a tight seal.

I prefer not to have it on my back - raised gravity, interferes w. laybacks (for me anyway) and it gets warmer there, exposed to sun. And,since it is clipped in w. two mini carabiners, it's not going anywhere.

I use a Platypus Kayak Hydrator. My backup is an all neoprene Polar Designs by Fluid Solutions. The Kokatat hydrator is very well made (at $75 it s/be!) and designed to fit on their PFDs.

Some folks like their hydration packs in the front deck bungees or attached to their PFD. Whatever works for you and keeps you hydrated is good.

drink as much as possible and pee before you go. loose water bottles in the bilge, help measure/see intake. rinse yourself to avoid overheating

I use a hydration pack that attaches to my PFD.

I am always wearing my PFD so I always have water at the ready.

On long trips here in Australia ,water required can add up to 25 or 30 litres working on 4 litres a day minimum.Some of the guys fibreglass nylon clip straps to the floor of the cockpit just in front of the seat ,that will hold 10 litres.Putting a 10 litre bladder with hydration hose run through the deck and obviously sealed, in your day hatch ,provides your main drinking water ,and you can put 2 5 litre bladders in your front and back hatchs ,but remember to put them in after carrying your boat to where you are going to launch from as you probably won't be able to lift it after you do ,also pays to have 2 litres in your PFD as an emergency supply in case of unforeseen problems ,you can die fairly rapidly without water.If you use bottles on deck ,make sure they are tethered to the deck as they will wash off in surf or rough seas and most trip leaders and instructors soon get sick to death of having to paddle back in to the surf zone and retrieve someones water bottle.

I must be doing something wrong; It takes me about three trips to consume a bottle (500 mil) of water.

I put the bottled water in the ocean water to cool it. Even in the summer it helps a bit if you have time. But like you said warm is better then none. Now what could I sell a bottle for to someone in the desert that need it?

Some people are drinking water with sewage in it it around the world. How lucky I am to have even one bottle. I always think of that when I drink or even shower.

I need one bottle per hour even if it is 50* F air temp.

You sailing or paddling? ;>)

Paddling. I just don't get thirsty very often. I know one is supposed to drink plenty of water, so I have started taking a sip every now and then.

Many people have headaches from under-hydration. I think cramps also. They say if your thirsty you waited to long. I think for the hotter season where I drink more and want to go farther I'll get a pack or my back. I don't go on ocean journeys yet may be never but if I did I would want some on my person just in case. I hate looking at bottles on my deck even if there is no risk of losing them.

once it starts getting up around the 90 to 105*F ,and your paddling reasonably hard ,you can go through some water in a hurry.

Around these parts I don't have to worry about the temperature getting to 90 very often on the water. A couple of years ago it got up to 107 on land, but on the water it was only about 85.

Hey, I thought you down-under guys talked Celcius, or is it Celsius.

Yeah we do ,but I didn't want to confuse anyone,it used to be fahrenheit when I was a kid,but I need to look up a conversion table now to work it out now.