Whether you're an experienced hiker or just starting to explore the great outdoors, one thing is sure: you will sweat a lot. Therefore, water plays an important role. The lack of water causes chronic diseases and illnesses as it helps to control body temperature and energy production. Water is also essential for the optimum health of muscles and joints. However, hydration entails taking water or any other liquids and determining how one carries them. So, choosing a practical, functional, safe and stylish water bottle for your adventures is essential.
In this article, you will learn how to choose the best water bottle for your hiking adventures, ensuring healthy hydration and ultimate fun. This blog lists all the factors to consider when picking the right water bottle. However, first, it will explain why hydration is essential for hikers.
Why Hydration is Crucial for Hikers?
While hiking, the body experiences increased activity compared to other activities, such as walking, mainly due to highly intensified activities on steep courses and altitudes. These intensified activities cause extreme exertion, resulting in a lot of sweating. Sweating cools down the body and maintains its temperature. However, it involves a loss of water and essential minerals, which should be replaced frequently. If you lose too much water, you begin to experience tiredness, lightheadedness, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke, and these can be most perilous, especially if you are out in the woods. So, sweating excessively on your hikes is common and natural. However, you must compensate for the water loss immediately to ensure you do not lose your energy.
Signs of dehydration include:
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Dark yellow urine
- Muscle cramps
To prevent these problems, you should consume appropriate amounts of water during hiking. But how can you be sure that you are carrying the right amount of water and fully hydrated? It begins way before with the selection of the suitable water bottles to hold water. Continue reading the next section of this post, which will help you choose the appropriate water bottles for your hiking trips.
Choosing the Right Water Bottle: Factors to Consider
Consider the following factors to ensure you choose suitable water bottles for your hiking trips.
Material
Bottles come in different materials. Each material has its benefits and drawbacks. Therefore, consider which is the most suitable and safest option for you.
- Plastic: Plastic bottles are lightweight and cheaper, two factors that might convince you that they are the best. But are they really safe? No, they are not. Plastic bottles release harmful chemicals into your water, making it dangerous. Also, plastic does not possess temperature-retention properties.
- Stainless Steel: Strong and well-insulated bottles are all you need for your hiking trips. It is where stainless steel bottles from Pexpo come into the play. These bottles do not alter the quality and nutritions of your water and other beverages. Also, their insulation properties allow them to maintain the temperature as desired for long periods. The robust stainless steel does not crack even if the bottle gets dropped from your hand or bag accidentally.
Capacity
Capacity is another of the most essential characteristics of any water bottle. If you pick a bottle too small, you will have problems carrying enough water. On the other hand, if your bottle is too large, it will become inconvenient to carry around.
- Short Hikes (1-2 hours): A bottle that can hold roughly 0. 5 litres should be fine.
- Medium Hikes (2-4 hours): It is preferable to choose a bottle with a capacity of 0. 6-1 litre.
- Long Hikes (4+ hours): You may need the bottle with the capacity of 1-2 litres.
If you are hiking in a hot or elevated environment, you may require more water, so be prepared. When planning for a trek, it is always advisable to take more water than you will require.
Insulation
Insulated bottles are helpful if you need to have a cold drink in the hot summer or warm during a hike in the winter. These bottles have the ability to maintain a temperature for hours. So, choose stainless steel bottles that usually retain temperature for around 12 hours.
Durability
The water bottle that you are going to use has to endure what you are going to subject it to, which is hiking. Think about the terrain of the hiking location; if you are in a region with many rocks or in a somewhat less gentle countryside, stainless steel will be the most appropriate. These bottles are the most durable and do not crack when they drop down.
Ease of Cleaning
Your water bottles need more than just rinsing as they can develop bacteria films. Therefore, choose bottles that are easy to clean and resistant to bacteria buildup. Such bottles are easy to clean and do not require any special cleaning agents.
Summing Up
Hiking is one of the most fun and adventurous activities. However, to ensure it remains as entertaining as it should be, you must keep yourself hydrated. Drinking water and other beverages is essential to keep yourself hydrated. However, it is also important to choose the suitable water bottles. It is where Pexpo's high-quality stainless steel water bottles become the ultimate companions for hikers. These bottles are safe to use and available in varying capacities and colours. So, pick yours today and get ready for your adventurous trip.