next month will be going on a 3 day 2 night backpack - staying in the same location both nights - where there is no water, nor any water along the way.

my plan is to dayhike prior to the trip with a 2.5 gallon water container and cache at / near the site.

mountainous terrain. little used trail. lots of vegetation - no trees to speak of. bears, lions, coyotes, bobcats, squirrels, small rats can be found.

looking for thoughts on keeping it safe and secure from critters and varmints - both two legged and four - for a few weeks.

one Q = should i consider burying it, at least partially?

any / all ideas welcome.

thanks!

I once successfully cached a gallon or so of water for a year at a remote location that was inaccessible to bears and larger critters but that featured plenty of rats, squirrels, etc. I used a recycled plastic bottle, storing it away from sunlight, but above ground.

Returning a year later, the water was quite palatable. I would recommend using more than one container for your stash in case of leakage. I am positive my stash froze several times over a fairly hard winter.

If there is no other way to store the water securely I'd probably bury it underground. I figure it's the best way to keep it out of sunlight, wildlife and nosy passers-by.

You could also suspend a water container from a tree (much like we store food overnight in bear country), but I would only risk it for a very short term cache. In my experience, any little bit of gear or supplies left out in the woods in a visible and/or easily accessible location will not last very long.