Water Containers

Carrying your water at Philmont is essential. Every summer there are some camps that do not have water. You will be expected to carry enough water so that your crew will survive on their own. It is recommended that every crew member have 4 to 6 liters of carrying capacity and 3 to 4 liters of water on the trail. While you are exerting yourself at altitude you should be drinking about 1 liter or quart of water per hour. This means that if you don’t remember the last time you pee’d you are dehydrated. Your pee should be clear and copious.

As for the actual water containers, each crew member should have a combination of bottles and bladders. We recommend at least 2 quart or liter bottles since quarts and liters are almost the same size. Any bottles smaller than 1 quart are not going to be too useful on the trail. All of Philmont’s drink mixes are designed to be added to 1 quart or liter of water.

Speaking of drink mixes, while at Philmont you will need to follow bear procedures. This means that any bottle or bladder that has at any had anything other than water in it is considered smellable and it will be placed in the bear bag overnight. That does not mean you have to go out and buy brand new bottles and bladders if you have used them for flavored beverages. It just means they will go up in the bear bag at night.

You may want to wait and purchase a few water bottles at Philmont that have the Philmont logo on them. These usually are usually $12-$15 at Philmont.