Is there an advantage to drinking room temp water?

[Wambli Ska]

I’m striving to be more active and spend a lot of time outdoors. With current location proper hydration is paramount. Actually critical to survival. People are routinely medically evacuated from trails around here because of failure to hydrate and some die! During this past weekend’s hike I ran out of water sooner than I expected and the last half hour was probably the most challenging I’ve ever had, felt like my legs were going to quit on me.

In any case, I’ve noticed a move BACK by many folks to Nalgene type bottles which are not insulated. Personally I think warm water is just a necessary evil at times but it tastes like piss to me. I prefer cold out of one of my insulated metal bottles or insulated Camel back type bladders which I also fill with ice. I understand there is a weight issue with metal when going long distance but for a casual hike of a couple of hours the extra few ounces don’t seem like much to me even if it’s a challenging hike.

Then, internet “experts” say warm is more friendly to your body when you’re active, but I have found no credible medical opinion either way. And now I see more folks requesting/drinking room temp water even when indoors or in social situations like restaurants etc. Am I missing something or is this just another silly trend?

[Jayhawker]

Cold or warm the important thing is having enough....especially when you are still getting acclimated...

For longish trips I prefer camel backs to canteens or water bottles...

[Wambli Ska]

Cold or warm the important thing is having enough....especially when you are still getting acclimated...

For longish trips I prefer camel backs to canteens or water bottles...

Yep, this last hike nailed in that one (having enough) pretty hard. I only took a small bottle with me thinking that since I started early morning in cool temps I would not need to drink as much. I forgot in sub 20% humidity you dry out just from freaking breathing. 3 hour hike with some rock climbing mixed in, by the time I got back we drove straight to a convenience store and I pounded a quart of Gatorade just to get my legs to stop from shaking and cramping.

From now on it’s a 3L Camel Back if it’s 30 minutes or 3 hours…

[Zorba]

I like my water cool, but not cold. Warm tastes like camel piss.

[shotgunshooter3]

According to the internet, warm water can help improve blood flow. Unless you're overheating already IE approaching heat stroke it probably doesn't matter too much. The reason you see Nalgenes more than insulated type bottles is weight and cost. With that said, having had my water freeze on me before, in the winter (hunting, back country snowboarding, etc) I use an insulated bottle or at least stuff it in my bag.

As you learned on your hike, the real critical part is to have more than enough. Much better to finish your hike with some leftover. I typically don't venture on hikes of more than an hour planned with less than 3 quarts of water. Camelbacks work fine for this. Additionally, extra water lives in my car year round.

Some other things you may want to consider:

- Carry some snacks and electrolyte mix. I prefer Pedialyte powder personally, but some of the new low sugar options such as Water Boy are great too. They also work great at the end of a long night of a different sort to feel less awful the next morning.
- Carrying a Lifestraw or similar filtration system, be it a bottle or literal filter straw. They work great, and although some like to romanticize being the rugged mountain man sipping from a clear mountain stream, waterborne illnesses are no joke. I use a Lifestraw bottle, and use iodine tablets in my Camelback when drinking from natural sources.
- Have a realistic assessment of your abilities and actually do prep for longer hikes. This goes double if any sort of weight beyond some water is being carried, 20#'s doesn't feel like much at first, 4+ miles later you'll definitely notice.

A lot of this is for when your hike goes wrong. You're delayed for some reason, get lost, etc. The last thing you want to do is make yourself a burden to others, or be that hiker that doesn't even make the news because they died on the trail unprepared, just because you couldn't be bothered to pack a few snacks and extra water. It doesn't make you wimpy, it makes you smart.

[Japhy]

Drinking cold water definitely burns more calories and eating even more. So in a survival situation where calorie intake is limited by food availability warm water is the right choice.

Another caution every summer there are a number of Grand Canyon rescues and a primary cause is electrolyte depletion from too much water. All the lore says drink, drink, drink during strenuous activities which is ok until the victim has drank too much. The common remedy is a dozen saltine crackers.

[NuttyNed]

Cold water will help some to lose weight ; otherwise I have found I can drink wore water if it is warmer such as just out of the tap.

[Varmintmist]

Having worked outside for about 40 years, I prefer cool water when active. I would rather drink hot than ice water, when active. At home, if I am done working 1st glass is tap at about 55F, then ice the next ones down. Tap only if still working.

Have something salty. I really dont care for gatoraide or any sports drink, but on the range I will bring 2 and 2 bottles of water on a warm day. More if its hot. Nothing is worse than getting into a sweatshirt and coat at 600yds and have the pulse hammering because you are dehydrated and making it a bad day.

[N454casull]

All the information I’ve ever been given thru college and coaching has been warm water is absorbed by the body quicker and easier than ice cold water. The most important thing is getting water into the system. So generally we just use cool tap water not hot or cold. People actually tend to intake higher quantities of liquid at a moderate temperature. Also 1 to 1.5 bottle of water to 1 bottle of sport type drink and of course low/zero sugar and absolutely no caffeine.

[DanielChamberlain]

Then, internet “experts” say warm is more friendly to your body when you’re active, but I have found no credible medical opinion either way. And now I see more folks requesting/drinking room temp water even when indoors or in social situations like restaurants etc. Am I missing something or is this just another silly trend?

Cold water can retard the body's ability to sweat. This can lead to overheating.

[CPJ 2.0]

The simple answer is, cave folk didn’t drink ice water. So from a natural standpoint, “warm” water is….natural.
But warm water sucks. I prefer it cold.
As to what’s really better, I don’t see it makes a bit of difference. Fluid is fluid at the end of the day.
Will you sweat more with one or the other? Will you sweat less? Will you wear some type of monitoring equipment that tracks your fluid levels, body temps, air temps, humidity, heart rate, calories burned, weight, wind temperature, elevation changes and the multitude of other variables that will likely be able to “prove” both theories or…..just say “ I *feel* a certain way when ______”.
Nope.
Drink it how you want.

The one time I hiked in the Arizona desert it was 113, with fudge all for humidity. Walked around an hour, drank 3 bottles of water. Yes it was hot, but not knowing how I felt with no humidity freaked me out. I felt fine. Had zero sweat, because it evaporated. Decided to go back since I was out of water even though I felt fine. Because maybe I wasn’t.

[GrapeApe]

Why do you ICE an injury? Cold constricts the blood vessels and helps prevent swelling. So I can understand why some say it's absorbed slower.
Is it actually? I haven't a freakin' clue

Heat dilates blood vessels so I can see how "warm" should be absorbed faster.
Again, I have NO FREAKIN' CLUE if it actually is or not

[Chiro1989]

As was stated earlier, use a Camel Back or pack with a water reservoir. It does suck when the hose freezes or the bite valve freezes though

[sakodude]

I suspect by the time ether fluid makes it to the digestive tract it is body temperature. This assumes neither hypo or hyperthermia are present.
When we do a cold resuscitation a rapid infuser that warms the fluid being infused is employed. As they say, your not dead till you're warm and dead.

[Bigslug]

If you're grousing about your water not being cold, you're obviously not dehydrated.

Drinking liquid of a temperature that will help you regulate body temperature in the right direction is a positive, but face it - if the hike is long enough, it's gonna end up "room temperature" eventually.

I was backpacking before the invention of Camelbacks (Source is actually my preferred version). The thing I really like about the bladder & hose approach is that you can drink whenever you want without the hazard of drying yourself out because "I don't wanna take my pack off now". In the winter, you have to remember to blow the water in the hose back into the bladder after you take your hit.

Having run out of gas on a couple occasions, I now keep a small bottle of Gatorade in the pack in the event the trek gets extended unexpectedly.

[Wambli Ska]

Ok so far I’ve not heard a compelling reason against ice cold but seems that the thinking of room temp is sound and prevalent. My bladders all have heavily insulated hoses. Learned that one after getting a mouthful of basically boiling water a long time ago after leaving a bladder out in the sun for a few minutes, F that!!!

I think I’ll go with making a mixture of half Gatorade or Pedialite and water with a light ice content to make/keep it cool. And the 3L bladder is the new standard for all day hikes.

Thanks guys.

Ps. Still don’t know why folks are ordering room temp water at restaurants. Baffling to me.

[jbp-ohio]

I was reading up on why I can't eat when I get up early. Saw where the Chinese drink warm tea when they get up. They don't eat until 30-45 minutes after. The warmth gets the gut bacteria active. I just drink water. I HATE warm water, so I drink it cold. It does help drinking water before eating. May help more if it was warm.

[Wambli Ska]

Now… so far the craziest experience was jumping into my daughter’s pool after a hike. It was 97°outside and sunny and the cool water was awesome!

Got out of the pool and immediately froze my ass off almost shivering in a light breeze!!! She was laughing at me when she said, “Welcome to the desert!”. I was totally dry in what felt like seconds.

[Wambli Ska]

I was reading up on why I can't eat when I get up early. Saw where the Chinese drink warm tea when they get up. They don't eat until 30-45 minutes after. The warmth gets the gut bacteria active. I just drink water. I HATE warm water, so I drink it cold. It does help drinking water before eating. May help more if it was warm.

I only eat breakfast on weekends, maybe. Two cups of coffee and on with my day. Most days I totally forget lunch and just eat a light supper relatively early. I do snack healthy during the day if I feel hungry. Fruit, cheese, nuts and sometimes jerky or cold cuts.

My food consumption now is about 30% of what it used to be when I was younger.

[jbp-ohio]

I eat breakfast in two parts. When I get up early for work. I make a sandwich for lunch and two PBJ's with one piece of bread each. When I get to work I've been up almost 2 hours. I eat one before going in. The other I eat at first break 2 1/2 hours later.

[Kansashunter]

I am certainly no expert but when I was younger and in much better shape I hauled hay a lot. Sometimes the barns were like ovens and we always had cold water. Sometimes the water can would run out and I just had to fill it from a faucet and the ice would be mostly gone and nobody liked that. I can't imagine the water staying cold very long once it hits your belly. I will take my water cold.