Keeping water from freezing while cross country skiing

You can hardly avoid drinking water freezing in this temperatures when in a backpack. So this leaves you with basically two solutions:

1. Keep it in an inside pocket, which is probably not very comfortable
2. Use a small thermos bottle. It is not exactly ultra light but every time out mountaineering in cold weather I really valued something warm to drink.
3. (Since it is only 2-3 hours, drinking sufficiently on the car or cabin before you leave and not drinking while out skiing.)

posted almost 6 years ago

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Manziel‭

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• Use warmer water to begin with (even hot. possibly tea if you don't like drinking hot water)
• Use a thermos or an bottle insulation sleeve (typically made of neoprene, it will help a bottle stay warmer for a bit longer)
• Bring more water, since as you noticed, when the bottle is less full that's when it freezes
• When you notice that your water gets really cold, put it under your outer layer

posted almost 6 years ago

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njzk2‭

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Both sugar and alcohol will, of course, lower the freezing point somewhat (but may add other issues, particularly the alcohol, and sugar really doesn't help much - see this question).

The best bet is likely a thermos (HydroFlask, any of a number of other similar items) which will keep the water close to the original (tap, inside room, warm) temperature for quite some time. Downside is that it weights a bit more than a Nalgene bottle, but not dramatically more. My Hydro Flask, used mainly for coffee (work or play) has a good positive seal and has never leaked on me (yet).

posted almost 6 years ago

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Jon Custer‭

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With a hydration pouch, if body heat keeps the reservoir ice-free, the best option is to simply blow into the tube so water retreats into the reservoir after each sip. It sounds annoying but I had a leaky mouth valve that drenched my shirt for over a year and the process became a reflex after some time.

As for water bottles, there is no panacea. You could try an insulating bottle parka although it only slows down the freezing process.

Thermos bottles are annoying because they themselves becomes incredibly cold on the outside and they tend to be heavy. Not my choice unless it's for hot beverages.

edit

Cross-country ski on groomed trails is mostly in the past for me and I had never tried to find a solution to the freezing bottles problem, but I have never been a fan of using hydration pouches in the winter for any activity. I know blowing in the straw works from experience, but I use Nalgenes with parkas on my pack waistbelt as soon as temperatures go below freezing and simply deal with the slow loss of liquid water. My constatation though is that the extra Nalgene (inside a parka) that I carry in the backpack close to my back doesn't freeze and actually becomes warmer from body heat, even in -10°C to -20°C. The fact that it's buried in my down parka certainly helps on that front.

posted almost 6 years ago

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Gabriel C.‭

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I used to snowshoe in winter, and would be out all day. I would take a 2 liter pop bottle, and put a pair of work socks on it to insulated it. This went into my daypack next to me. I always carried a spare fleece anyway. It went on the back side, forcing the bottle to remain next to my back.

In the morning I would fill the bottle with hot sweet coffee. Hot juice, tea or hot chocolate would also work. By the end of the day, the remnants would still be at least luke-cool even at temperatures of -25 to -30C.

posted almost 6 years ago

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Sherwood Botsford‭

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If you bring a smaller water bottle it will fit into something like this which you can wear under your coat so your body heat will keep it warm. Some downsides are that it is slightly less comfortable than putting the bottle in your backpack, and you can’t carry a lot of water.

posted almost 6 years ago

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JIMMYPlay‭

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Here's my personal heiarchy;

1. Camelbak-style bladder (I prefer Platypus), tuck the nozzel into my shirt and blow water back into the reservoir between drinks.
2. Above, but start with warm/hot water
3. Replace bladder with wide-mouth Nalgene water bottles (narrow ones seem to freeze quicker)
4. Above, but start with warm/hot water
5. Above, plus add Outdoor Research "Parka" - https://amzn.to/2TPr9q1
6. Switch to large REI thermos - only on the coldest days since it's pretty bulky.

I've also purchased one of the Arctic Innovations battery-powered heating elements for a bladder hose (https://www.arcticinnovations.com/) but haven't had a chance to test it out yet. I've been hesitant since I don't want my water supply to be battery-dependent but for a short 2-3 hour trip, it might be a solid option.

posted almost 6 years ago

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mattsolar‭

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Not a solution in itself, but pushing the "unusable" point somewhat further:

Carry the bottle (preferably in thermo sleeve, and with warm/hot water at the beginning of the tour) upside down.
This way, the ice mostly starts forming near the bottom of the bottle instead of first thing closing the opening.

Of course, once you notice that ice forms, it's time to drink the still-liquid part fast before it is frozen as well.

There's also some compromise between having a larger bottle (so more water = more heat capacity) per surface vs. two smaller bottles with one wrapped in the clothes in the backpack for much better insulation (be sure that it doesn't leak, though).

posted almost 6 years ago

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cbeleites supports Monica‭

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