Train yourself to need less water
I'm interested in doing multi-day hikes (i.e. backpacking) in the desert where water sources are not readily available, thus requiring one to carry in enough water for the duration of the trip.
On any given day I feel the need to drink a lot of water, much more than most people that I know. About a gallon in a typical relatively inactive (working at a desk) day. If I don't drink this much water, I start to feel thirsty. To do a multiday trip I will be drinking considerably more water (at least 1.5 gal/day?) which will become burdensome: this would mean 36 pounds of drinking water for a 3 day trip.
Like I said, I definitely begin to feel thirsty and dehydrated (dizzy) if I lower my current water intake much at all. Is it possible to train oneself to require less water per day (by slowly weaning down the amount)? Or, alternatively, is it possible to adjust one's chemical levels (e.g. electrolytes) to retain water longer in such a way that you do not need to take in quite as much water?
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You'd be better of strength training your muscles to carry the extra weight of the water you need to carry.
How much water an individual needs to stay hydrated is not a standard measure. Different individuals need more or less water to keep their bodies properly hydrated. I don't think it's necessarily wise to try and train your body to do with less of what it needs to function normally. All the personal trainers I know (my wife included) typically tell their clients to drink more water, especially when they are being active. Most people have the opposite problem you do, they don't drink enough.
If you're a larger guy then I wouldn't be surprised by the amount of water you're drinking. More muscle mass means you need more fluids for your tissues and body functions, as well as cooling. Burly guys tend to sweat more because it's more difficult to cool your core when you're muscle bound. In this case, you'd need to lose a lot of mass before you could get away with drinking less. I hike with some pretty big guys, and they always plan on carrying extra water because they know they're going to drink a lot more than the rest of us.
Supposing you are a big guy, it would be less of a burden for you to carry the extra weight compared to a smaller framed guy, especially considering how rapidly you're going to lighten the load by the amount you drink.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/8071. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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