Hydration

something mental about being on the water, surrounded by water.  i never feel thirsty.  just me.

i almost have to remember and force myself to drink.  i also keep a quality thermos in my truck full of ice water.  it is nice to drink a frigid water at the end of the day, on the commute home.  on the kayak, i have adapted a bladder system.  it is the insulated Camelback bag i use to take on backpack hunting trips.  i can just reach back grab the hose and take a big gulp of icy water.  the insulation is sucky,, by the end of the day all the ice cubes are melted but the water is still on the cool side.

and.  i have quit drinking coffee on the commute to fish.  as a largemouth bass fisherman primarily, the first morning "yank" of my bait wakes me up 100% anyways.  i dont seem to need the coffee.  i drink a nalgene bottle of water on the drive in. 

i had heat exhaustion once after fishing and i had to pull over in the truck to not pass out.  it was weird.  took about one hours of sipping water to feel well enough to drive.  i probably wasnt gonna pass out, but i got this weird dizzy sensation.

I'm exactly similar...between us, let's commit to sippin' our full water allotment we bring on board and deal efficiently with the consequences of having to take a wiz more often...if I don't stay hydrated I feel it the next day as well, not crazy but subtly...kinda of like my land legs are off...

I learned the importance of water on the water when I was a kid unfortunately. I went out for a full day of fishing with a friend on his dad's boat. We spend the entire day, sunrise to dinnertime, bobbing around Carquinez Straight. It was late June and the weather was in the low 90's. Geniuses that we were, we had a 12 pack of soft drinks to split between the three of us.

Getting off the boat that evening, I remember having a crushing headache and my body felt all tingly and everything  that I touched felt cold. I couldn't remember using the restroom on the water so I went to hit the porta potty before we left the launch. Maybe three ounces of almost orange urine was all that I produced and I knew that something was wrong.

Luckily, I got home quickly and started sipping on ice water while sitting in a cold bath. It took the better part of the night to feel back to normal. The real fun started the following day when the constipation from the previous day's dehydration became evident. I spent the next few days(on a tent camping trip to boot) crapping rabbit pellets trying to clear the impaction. Spending half of your days on a forest service toilet makes for a terrible vacation.

Sorry about the TMI, but the moral of the story, just drink some damn water while you're out there.

I was out at ARW Sunday and all the way past the rockwall into the open bay. It was very hot and I went to grab my Nalgene water bottle to take a sip, only to find it was totally empty. The top cap was loose and all the water leaked out. Given how hot it was and the distance back to the ramp, that pretty much ended my day. I headed straight back. Lesson learned was to bring backup water bottles.

Don't forget about electrolytes! I would imagine cramping up while fighting the wind to get back to launch would be a nightmare.

great call....cramped several times back in yesterday..... not pleasant
Troy

Just the other day i read the recommended intake of fluids was like 3.7 liters for adult men and 2.7 liters for adult women.

I was on a Channel Islands geology class 3 day field trip and we hiked from Prisoners' harbor over to a beach on the other side of SC Island. I had a plastic military canteen with me, but once at the beach I found it had split at a seam and was empty. I had one soft drink for the whole day then, with temp in the 90s and on the 4 mile hike back had to hit up a classmate for a granola bar and a pint of water. When I asked them they took one look at me and said "oh shit!" so I must have looked like I was about to pass out.
There are multiple evacs/ first aid responses on the island each year for dehydration or heat related illnesses. The winds can really parch you out, even with the temp at a reasonable point.

... on the kayak, i have adapted a bladder system.  it is the insulated Camelback bag i use to take on backpack hunting trips.  i can just reach back grab the hose and take a big gulp of icy water.  the insulation is sucky,, by the end of the day all the ice cubes are melted but the water is still on the cool side. ...

Hobie has a thru-hull wiring kit that i use to run a Camelbak hose. So, the bladder is in the hull, and the water stays cool, at least on the ocean.

Today the predicted high in Santa Cruz was 90, and it was probably 80 when I left at noon (after 6+ hours on the water). Fortunately, there was a breeze most of the morning, so I didn't baste in my drysuit. But even so, I still drank 2.5 liters of water while on the water, and another half liter on the drive home. Yes, I had to tinkle fairly often, but if I don't keep hydrated while on the kayak, I'll often get a severe headache, and once it starts, it's too late...
 

... on the kayak, i have adapted a bladder system.  it is the insulated Camelback bag i use to take on backpack hunting trips.  i can just reach back grab the hose and take a big gulp of icy water.  the insulation is sucky,, by the end of the day all the ice cubes are melted but the water is still on the cool side. ...

Hobie has a thru-hull wiring kit that i use to run a Camelbak hose. So, the bladder is in the hull, and the water stays cool, at least on the ocean.

Today the predicted high in Santa Cruz was 90, and it was probably 80 when I left at noon (after 6+ hours on the water). Fortunately, there was a breeze most of the morning, so I didn't baste in my drysuit. But even so, I still drank 2.5 liters of water while on the water, and another half liter on the drive home. Yes, I had to tinkle fairly often, but if I don't keep hydrated while on the kayak, I'll often get a severe headache, and once it starts, it's too late...

I just started using a Camelback bladder too after Lior game me that tip. The bladder fits PERFECTLY under the seat on my revolution 16 (wasted pace there anyways) and at 1.5 liters it's just the right amount on most days, including my recent 20 miler from HMB (warm day). I usually "tank up" from a gallon jug I keep in the car right before I head out. I also keep Nuun electrolyte tabs and Gu packets in my first aide kit in my hatch. 10 years of Triathlon has thought me that if you start out well hydrated and you're way less likely to get dehydrated. 

Sent from my LM-G850 using Tapatalk

Here’s the one I’ve been using for the last year.
It’s expensive, but I’m a buy once cry once kind of guy.

Some not so obvious points:
- it has a valve, which allows me to fill it up the night before and pack it with everything else without worrying about leaks
- there is plenty of room for extra air in the bag, so it would float (though it never came from below the seat even when I flip)
- the nozzle is high quality. It has a smooth design that allows for easy cleaning in case it touches fish slime (like bait that falls off the Sabiki and ends up below the seat)
- water that sits in the bladder doesn’t get a plastic odor

Ive never believed in carrying a lot of safety gear, but water is on my list for sure. It doesn’t sound like safety gear but  you figure it out when you find yourself miles from your landing spot slugging it out in a serious blow

Water is good, in my youth it was a can or two of Coke but Gatorade is probably better

1 litre-size Fiji water bottle for 4-6 hrs on water in cool/cold SC.  The bottle is square, so it didn't roll around so much and it fit in the bottle holder on my kayak.  I'm cheap, so I just refilled it, and got a new one when to come back from HI.