Watering holes on TransAm

[Cupocoffee]

I'm planning a trip next spring - west to east. I don't know how much water I should carry on any given day. I am thinking of weight issues. Are there places to get drinking water every 20 miles, 30 miles, 40 miles? Thanks for any tips on this. Also, how much snack food do you normally carry to make it from meal to meal?

[Dan_E_Boye]

I just did the Trans Am and I found that the AC maps are pretty outdated as far as services go.  In eastern Colorado and most of Kansas in particular there were long stretches without services.  Sometimes more than 50 miles.  You can find water but you might have to ask at people's houses.  I understand about the weight concern but I think it's better not to gamble on water availability.  Lots of stores and restaurants indicated on the maps on the plains are closed down.  

I got to the midwest during the bad heat wave of this past summer.  I ended up drinking about 2 gallons of fluid a day.  I was drinking  about a gallon a day and ended up laid out with dehydration.  I spent the next day recuperating.  The bottom line is you need a lot of water.  You should never count on finding any services in small (less than 2000 population) towns.  I'm not saying you need to carry 2 gallons with you but you should at least have four or five good size water bottles on long stretches.  

As for snacks, I like to have a full day's supply because you might end up stuck somewhere and you might have to go longer than you think without food.  I like to have four or five snack bars, some peanut butter and crackers, and some fruit.

[cara2u]

   There were a few occaisions where we wish we had a water filter on our Trans Am attempt,especially in Oregon and Idaho.
James

[litespeed]

I carry two water bottles and, if things look iffy, throw a couple of bottles of water in my panniers. Only a couple of times have I come close to running out of water but I nursed the bottles and made it all right. I've never carried a total of over a gallon of water. Utah and Nevada are probably the toughest states for long, hot, empty stretches of road. The hottest weather I've ever encountered was in the Badlands of South Dakota - 114 degrees. Yes, I made it a short day.

[DaveB]

Consider one of the Camelback or similar hydration packs.  The smallest ones (50-oz) hold almost two large water bottles worth and the large ones (100-oz) up to four bottle equivalents.  

They don't require bottle cages, are insulated enought to keep the water cold much longer and, most important, are convenient enough to encourage you to drink more often.  

They take a bit of getting used to but once you are, you will be very satisfied.

[scott.laughlin]

A few years ago there was a fellow who took along a sign that read "Need Water."  He hung it over his back.  Someone always bailed him out.

Scott