Originally Posted by
bikenh
Interesting. I hadn't heard of not being able to melt snow. I do agree it doesn't give much liquid on the end, unless you are in an environment, eastern midwest US that generally has a lot of heavy, wet snow. There you would get quite a bit more water out of snow.
I agree with you totally on not planning on taking water with you. Whenever I head out to do a winter century ride or even shorter rides I take an empty water bottle with me and it always leaves anywhere empty. I drink while I'm there and make sure to empty the bottle out before I leave. Not only does it save weight on the ride but it prevents the frozen water effect as well. The only trouble with doing that can be unplanned on dehydration effects. I finally come to realize last winter, thanks to a posting here on the forum what one of my problems had been. I knew it only happened on long ride and only during the winter months. Someone asked a question about giddiness he was experiencing. Someone made mention of dehydration, even though he was only riding 5-10 miles to work. I thought about what was being said and the light bulb went off. You may think you can't get dehydrated during the winter months but it's probably even easier to get dehydrated during the winter months than it is during the summer months...simply because you think it can't happen and as a result you don't drink enough to keep yourself hydrated.
The snow won't melt if the temperature is below freezing ... unless you heat it. But heating it involves stopping in temps below freezing and getting your stove going, and filling the pot with snow, melting it, filling the pot with snow, melting it, filling the pot with snow, melting it ... and repeat until you've got a bottle worth of water to drink.
Meanwhile, you're cold from sitting there waiting for your snow to melt.
The only way your snow is going to melt in the bottle is if the temperature rises above freezing, and perhaps if you put the bottle in a black sock to take advantage of any sun there might be.
And yes, dehydration can be a big issue in the winter too. Our bodies need water no matter what the temperature, and we still sweat in winter. It can be quite challenging getting the layers right in winter especially when you're out there all day.
I'd be tempted to go with soup and a tall glass of water in a café at lunch if I were touring in winter to ensure that I was hydrated ... and if the soup has salt, it would also keep my electrolytes up.