How much water to carry?

[colini39]

Hello All,

I know this question could have many answers but I need to ask it anyway!

How much water do I need to carry on the Trans Am?

I can carry 3 bottles on my bike,but would I need extra? I normally use a bottle an hour and was wondering how often I would be able to fill up at gas stations etc?

Am I going to need to travel more than 3 hours between water sources is a simple way of saying things?

Thanks

Colin

[staehpj1]

It will vary greatly from day to day.  I think the longest dry stretch on the TA is something around 80 miles.

I used two regular sized bottles on my frame and put extra water in the panniers when I needed to.  Rather than carry the maximum number of bottles needed for the whole trip, it is easy to pick up and discard used sport drink or bottled water bottles as needed.  I did the same on other routes including the ST.  I do like to have one Platypus 2 liter + water bladder for use in camp and to carry extra water.

[tonythomson]

Hard question to answer as dependant on the heat of the day, are you wild camping and need to cook.  I find everyday is often different and you need to do your homework.  For the long distances between towns check out Google Earth which will give you a guide to where you will find water, mark it on your map.  I always try to have a spare litre with me regardless.

Good luck

[tentwentyam]

Hey there,

I'm currently a 1/4 of the way through the TA in Illinois.  I have two bottle cages with larger size bottles and, to supplement the bottles, I carry a 3 liter MSR bag. I usually fill it half way and use that to fill our bottles along the way. It's also really useful when you're at a campsite and don't want to ferry back and forth from the spigot.
With this heat wave, carrying enough water has been a bit of a challenge especially when I forgot to fill the MSR dromedary. There were a few times where I expected to have services and found them closed and knocked on a few doors and churches to use their sinks and that worked well.

A

[nlsteve]

Colin:

The above advice is good.   Let me put it another way:

You will be able to get water from gas stations and other establishments most of the time.  So the question of how much water to carry is really a question you will look at on a daily basis, after considering the route map, the weather, and the amenities on the road ahead of you.

If you have places to carry three water bottles on your bike, and an empty water bladder or something in your pack that you can fill up when needed, you will have the tools you'll need.  And of course you could buy some bottled water if you need to in advance of a dry stretch, and stash that in your packs or on your rack.  Most of these bottles will also work fine in your bike's bottle cages -- use them a while, then recycle them.

I think that, most of the time, you will top up at least two of your frame-mounted bottles every chance you get. 

The rest will work itself out during the trip.

Steve