Yeah, what size? You talking the 1 liter Nalgenes? 5 gallon jerry cans?

For what context? Crossing the Sahara, or just to have on hand in the house?

I think you're right! We could lash nine of them together to make a raft and keep one for drinking water.

Some of us are still waiting for Teacher to tell us how big the bottles are.

FWIW, I have 10 bottles. One 27 oz Klean Kanteen, a couple 40 oz Klean Kanteens, two 1 liter polycarbonate bottles, four 1 gallon jugs and a 3 gallon jug in my truck. Over 8 gallons. All to say that size does matter

BTW a liter contains 33.8 fluid ounces, not a huge difference from that wimpy 27 oz bottle.

Can you ever have too much water, or the means to make it, really?

Like so much discussed here, it depends upon circumstances and the environment. In an arid environment, that 6.8 oz could be the difference between life and death, while in a more fluid endowed situation, 27 oz would be perfectly adequate. I cycle all the time with one or two - in coastal California that is more than sufficient.

But in desert conditions, you need far more capacity - a mere 27 oz of H2O is well nigh worthless in extreme heat. Years ago at the head of the South Rim trails at Grand Canyon, the NPS had a sign (I don't know if it is still there or not) that proclaimed "a canteen with less than a gallon of water is just a toy" or something similar. And that is a situation where you have dependable water sources available!

My time in the desert has taught me to pay attention to hydration. You must either carry it with you or find it along the way, but you can't live without it. I have retrieved the bodies of those who thought otherwise.....

I do not dispute the need for a sufficient total amount. I consider smaller containers more comfortable though. They are easier to keep in reach, the water doesn´t slosh around as much as in a half empty big container and if foraged water needs treatment it can be done in an empty container instead of having to put it in a half full container with clean water brought along.
Along that line of thinking owning 10 bottles is not excessive. I own a similar amount. Most of them are kept in their place just in case (e. g. the car, my EDC backpack, in my motorcycle´s trunks). There were many occasions when they made the difference between staying thirsty and keeping hydrated. I might own more if our climate was more arid or the distances were longer.
Carrying them may be overkill in some situations and not enough in others.

True, 27 oz isn't much in desert conditions, but then neither is a liter. The 3 gallon jug in my truck is for desert conditions.

I totally agree with your statement.. Who claimed that a liter was adequate? In the desert, the more water, the better (at least until you are dealing with flash floods - that is another story. You would be surprised at how many people drown in the desert).

One of my classic survival texts, [/i]The Survival Book[i] gives the following estimates in a chart on page 14. This is for one person doing no walking and maximum temperatures of 110F. With no water - 3 days survival; with one quart - 3 days survival; with 2 quarts 3.5 days; with 4 quarts - 4 days. You can last 7 days if you have 20 quarts (5 gallons). The text points out that having just a little water doesn't do much good.

My desert experiences tend to confirm their conclusions; some years ago, in Tucson I and a companion set off on an uphill hike at noon on a sunny day with temperatures in the mid 90's. Time was of the essence (SAR). We carried 2.5 gallons of water between us. We had a good source of water 7 miles up the trail and we were both familiar with the trail and the surrounding country.

We arrived at our stream completely out of water and quite thirsty. We drank our fill. We refilled containers and continued our assignment. We shortly happened upon our victim, who was also quite dehydrated, along with several traumatic injuries... It is quite difficult to stave off dehydration when it is hot and you are working hard. An unlimited supply of water is the best thing. Even three gallons can be cutting it close, but how much can you reasonably carry?

Yup -- Sitting here in SOCAL with over 100°F showing on the temp gauge out back I just might pick up a second 3 gal jug.

BTW, no one said a liter was adequate. I was just stating that a liter of water is just as inadequate as 27 oz when it's hot. Those are just convenient sizes to EDC when it's not. In the desert southwest you simply can't have too much water.

Good idea! Tomorrow will be a scorcher. I will be working outdoors in predicted temps over 100F and I am freezing some jugs right now and making some fairly careful preps for a really hot day. This is a situation where there is plenty of potable water from spigots and drinking fountains available and at least some shade. I have learned to be careful around heat.