When temperatures never rise above freezing on a winter backpacking trip, or even for day hiking in very cold conditions your tried and true 3-season methods of carrying water may not offer the best approach. In this trail tip, we’ll take a quick look at different containers that will give you an advantage when it gets cold, as well as some other tips to keep your water in a liquid state.

Storing water bottles upside down is one trick that is helpful when it comes to winter water storage.

Winter Water Containers and Storage

While hydration reservoirs make staying hydrated easy on summer hikes and while insulated drink tube options exist, in winter I prefer to dig out the venerable wide mouth Tritan Nalgene bottles. The wide mouth deals better with icy conditions, and the bottle provides a fair amount of heat retention simply on its own – enough that you won’t be racing against time to keep the water from freezing as you might be with lighter weight solutions. But contrary to habit, storing the bottle upside down in your pack or while in camp can help even further (with the lid well-closed, of course), as any ice will begin to form towards whatever the highest part of the bottle is at the time – stored upside down, this will keep the lid and opening ice free. While I like the Nalgene Ultralight for typical 3-season conditions, in deep winter cold the heavier Tritan excels. Nalgene does make an insulated water bottle sleeve – I haven't found something like this necessary to keep water from freezing when using the other techniques described here, but it certainly would not hurt.

Water containers buried in snow for insulation

Storing water inside your pack while on the move will help as well, and at night while backpacking one technique I've utilized is to keep well-sealed bottles inside my sleeping bag (preferably filled with hot water first!). Alternatively, I've had good success burying my water containers thoroughly in the snow (again upside down), which actually serves to insulate the bottles from overnight cold. This can help get you through the night. But, if you’re tired of sipping on near-freezing or perhaps only remotely warm water, consider throwing in a small vacuum insulated bottle like the Klean Kanteen insulated option, or something with more capacity (a 32oz. Hydro Flask bottle is a workable option) if you're willing to carry the weight.

A vacuum insulated bottle will retain heat best, but will be the heaviest option.

Final Thoughts

In any case, if you're at least keeping your water in liquid form you're doing well when temperatures are bitter cold. For me, I'll be taking the Nalgene Tritan (or multiple) as my main water storage solution on most winter backpacking trips and as extra water in my pack on cold day hikes, but I always take a vacuum insulated bottle as well on any very cold winter hike or backpacking trip.

Whether it’s hot coffee in the tent on a below 0 morning, sipping tea throughout the day while hiking a chilly trail, or whatever your camp beverage of choice might be while waiting for snow to melt over the stove, sipping a piping hot beverage on demand offers both a physical and mental boost when the conditions turn downright arctic.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 26. You can read the original article here.