"Okay, I'm outdoors and I'm thirsty. What do I do?"

I spend a lot of time trout fishing in Wisconsin. Most of the day. Much of the night. I've learned to pace myself, rest periodically, eat regular meals, and, just as importantly, drink plenty of water during the day and even at night in order to avoid dehydration. Most of my fishing is by wading and I'm usually a long distance from my car so I need portability.


The plastic bottles that are used for beverages are certainly convenient, light, portable and do not break. Years ago, I would fill them with tap water and carried one or two of them in my fly-fishing vest or in the inside pouch of my waders. This worked out very well, but on a hot day, the water would soon warm up, and didn't taste as good. Water is one beverage that tastes better when it's very cold.

Then I got an idea. I would fill the bottles with tap water and freeze them. I would fill them to about 3/4 full to allow for freezing expansion.

This worked like a charm. As the day progressed, the ice in the bottle would melt slowly. Amazingly I'd have ice-cold water six or seven hours later.

Some of the places I fish require long walks across fields that are extremely hot in the summer and an ice cold sip at various intervals is refreshing. I also drink a lot of water during the night fishing sessions (that can last long after midnight).

If I want to drink water faster than it melts, I place the bottle in the stream for a few minutes and take a break.

Amazingly, I can't tell the difference between frozen municipal tap water that I get at home and the water that I use at our trout camp (artesian well). I believe the freezing and thawing process removes whatever chlorine is placed in municipal water. I'm positive that most people could not tell the difference from any thawed waters, including costly premium spring waters.

The advantages of my frozen water? I have ice cold water throughout the day and night. I'm using the same bottles over and over again (and not contributing to landfills). I'm saving money.

At first, I used the PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic soft-drink bottles. Several persons told me that they are not safe to use over and over again (chemical decomposition?), but others claim this is not true.

At any rate, the bottles that I use now are not PET. There are many types that can be purchased at sport stores, bicycle shops and athletic shops.

Happy drinking!