Best way to melt snow for water

[MITCHMO]

Hey all,

I ran into some unexpected challenges with water this fall and wondered how you deal with it. I didn’t have enough water with me most days and wanted to melt snow for water to eat MTN house etc. I’d build a small campfire and took the cover off the jet boil and kept packing it with snow. It took forever and only burned myself 30-40 times. Plus the water tasted so much like smoke, it was terrible. I plan on bringing a small pot with a lid and few coffee filters next time to try that. However, carrying another item like a pot and lid doesn’t seem appealing. So anyone that routinely does this, what’s your favorite way to get good water and not eat a lot of snow fleas and pine needles. All while not burning all your stove fuel.

 

[MT Bound]

I typically back-country camp where there is some type of water source within 1/4 mile or usually much closer. Screw the melting snow option, that is so unproductive. There is absolutely no source of water anywhere that you are camping, no seeps, no runoff, nothing?

 

[Oak]

Not what you are asking, but the solution really is to carry more water or eat something different. An extra liter of water in your pack is not much penalty on a day hunt.

 

[Gellar]

Like mentioned snowmelt is not very efficient for water. 10 parts snow to 1 part water is a common conversion used to estimate how much it will take.

 

[Irrelevant]

If you want to melt snow then you just have to pack more fuel. Like @Oak said, if you're day hunting just pack more water. If you backpacking them it's just a matter of more fuel and a bigger pot. When you do multi-day alpine climbs in glacier country you realize that a significant portion of every day is devoted to melting snow... it's just the nature of the beast.

 

[MITCHMO]

This is exactly what type of info I was looking for. I tend to over think things at times. Where I’ll be next fall has lots of water at the bottom of the canyons. But I’m planning on working up to the top where I have not found water in the past. I’ll probably just add an extra water bottle to the pack. I was hoping to camp up high as well, but I’ll look for a new area that may have runoff or a good path to the bottom. When I was there before I just remember looking down to the creek at the bottom and deciding I wasn’t thirsty anymore.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Spray yellow snow cone flavoring on it!Ha!,Ha!
Bottom of Draws/Coulees.On the way up.

 

[MITCHMO]

Spray yellow snow cone flavoring on it!Ha!,Ha!
Bottom of Draws/Coulees.On the way up.

Not as bad, but melting snow in the dark was a pretty bad idea. I was drinking from my water bottle and when my head lamp finally shined inside, I immediately dumped it out haha.

 

[hank4elk]

Snow camping by backpack ,a full fuel bottle for Svea stove and time made up for frozen streams back in the 70's.

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Winter hunting/backpacking/mountaineering often means melting snow for water. All other sources are likely locked up until spring. It also means a lot of time consuming snow melt parties and extra fuel.

When this was the norm, back in my younger days in the high sierras, I would always have a large vacuum (Stanley or Nissan) thermos. I would boil water and put it in my thermos, it would stay hot for hours. This allowed me to always have a hot cup of tea, coffee, or cook a quick cup of soup while skiing or climbing or hunting. I could also pack my mug or nalgene (insulated) with snow and use the boiling water to melt it for a little extra water. It would extend my water supply.

Each night, I'd boil water and melt snow. I'd put warm bottles in my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm and prevent freezing the water at night. I'd refill the thermos with boiling water. In the morning I could make breakfast with the thermos and use the Nalgenes to drink or prime the snow melt for the day.

Long story short, I managed to find a system that worked for me. It involved two big snow melt parties in the tent in the dark and allowed me to recreate all day.

 

[Pucky Freak]

As you learned it doesn't work well to pack a pot full of snow and then heat it. Much better off boil a half cup water, then slowly add snow to it until you've got a full pot of water

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Yes. Snow is mostly air which is a poor heat conductor. In fact, snow is almost as good of an insulator as styrofoam. You'll waste a lot of fuel starting with snow. Always start with water if you have it. Follow my method and you'll always have water

 

[Trial153]

Fuel, unfortunately there isnt much of a way around in.
If your floorless with a stove, I carry a 1.5 liter TI pot that always is full with snow and melt off

 

[MITCHMO]

Fuel, unfortunately there isnt much of a way around in.
If your floorless with a stove, I carry a 1.5 liter TI pot that always is full with snow and melt off

That’s exactly what I have, doesn’t this make a lot of condensation on the tent melting in the tent?

 

[Trial153]

That’s exactly what I have, doesn’t this make a lot of condensation on the tent melting in the tent?

No your not boiling it your just melting it off