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| | Water
Bottles
Keep
your water bottle within easy reach. You should not have to ask
someone else to hand you your water bottle every time you need a drink, and
- besides - this can become very irritating to the others in your
group! Your water bottle should have a pouch with its own shoulder
strap and / or belt loops and / or harness clip that will allow you to
choose any one of several locations where you can reach it on your own. An
alternative to a water bottle is a water bag fitted with a drinking tube of
the type used by cyclists. The tube makes it easier to sip water while on
the move, whereas if you trip doing this with a water bottle you stand to
knock some of your teeth out! However, these gadgets are very expensive,
although if you are also a cyclist you may already have one. Even
if your cave or campsite allows for easy access to fresh, running water, it
is still very convenient to have water "on tap" and close at hand.
The easiest way to achieve this is to make use of an empty 5 litre wine bag
(a juice bag will do but is nowhere near as strong). To collect water,
remove the tap from the bag and hold the bag below a little waterfall. If
you cannot find a convenient spot in the river or stream, use a mug or billy
to pour water into the bag instead. A wine bag actually holds closer to
8 litres (the original wine box restricts its useful volume). This is more
than adequate for one person's supper, breakfast and washing up. However,
remember to empty the bag before going to bed in very cold weather, or you
could end up carrying several kilograms of ice the next morning! Specialist
water bags are available which allow you to enjoy the same convenience as a
used wine bag, but for many times the price!
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