Hmm, could be. I usually do my business when I wake up in the morning, then again when I get home at night from work. I figure that is my daily cycle, unless I drink three tall cups of coffee, then I usually have to hit the head right after lunch as well, though that does push the evening cycle out a little later.

I've pretty much always been like this. I'm 44 now, and the only real change was when I was in Baghdad I noticed that even though my schedule was the same, the volume was less. Even then I was drinking upwards of 2 gallons a day.

I guess I just have a monster bladder. Go figure <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I would recommend tea over coffee - for the reasons stated already plus tea bags are just easier to deal with. Making one or two sometimes 3 cups with each bag vs. handling grounds.

Another is just personal preference. I like Earl Grey; about 1/2 the caffeine as regular coffee BUT it doesn't make me run to the washroom as frequently and when I am camping I really appreciate that! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Soup bouillon is even better from a nutrition point of view.

If it for a caffine bost then it depends up on how you make the brew. Most Americans just wave a tea bag over the cup when making tea as my British wife tells me. If you make tea like the British or most of the world then you put boiling water over loose tea leaves and let it seep for 15 minutes or so. When go back vist the in-laws in London half a cup of tea will give me more of a caffine boost then 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
But if it is for a warm drink then it is your pick or evne hot chocolate can really boost moral.
cheers

I'd recommend whatever you are used to because that is what your body is used to dealing with and what are are experienced in making. For me that's coffee - I like the instant stuff with milk and sugar, which real coffee drinkers despise. Tea and coffee have roughly the same amount of caffeine so that's not an issue.

The real problem for me is going to be milk. It doesn't keep well, and I've never found a milk substitute I like. When I'm camping I take bought milk in a thermos.

My main alternative in survival kits is beef stock cubes. (Oxo brand.) These are simple to use and don't need additional condiments. You do have to watch the foil packaging doesn't get pierced. I keep them in the house anyway for making stews.

Probably the main reason many kits call for tea is that a lot of them are based on the SAS survival kit. You must remember a lot of so called experts regergitate much that was written by someone else. Without any personal experiance or research. The SAS book was written by a Brit. So tea being the national drink. What else do you think would be recommended.

But there is one advantage that tea does have. It can be made at much lower temperatures. Coffee, even instant requires boiling or very near boiling water to make. While tea can be steeped at room temperatures. Any of you ever made sun tea. While a hot drink may be good in cold weather you can get your caffine fix without building a fire. All it takes is more time. There might be times you can't or don't want to build a fire but need the caffine.

Tea is extremely important in a survival situation. Coffee is not.
In a highly stressful survival situation the brain of the individual may become confused and disorientated and panic may ensue. This will lead to the individual making the wrong decision, which will lead to a situation whereby the survival event is even more difficult to deal with. This will then lead to even more poor decision making with the consequent loss of life of the that individual. Survival ultimately is about making the correct decisions.
In the US army, soldiers are taught not to stop but to continue to be proactive, the assumption being that mistakes can be rectified and survival is assured. The assumption is that inactivity leads to a loss of moral and consequently gives rise to a sense apathy and defeat. This is the supposed flight or fight response to stressful stimuli. US army soldiers drink Coffee. Apparently caffeine is even put in that awful chewing gum stuff which makes you average GI even more hyper. This of course has its downside because I have even read that additives which cause constipation have been added to their MREs. The reasoning behind this I suppose is that it stops inappropriate bowl movements in highly stressful survival situation.
In the British Army the opposite applies but they have a secret weapon call the brew kit. In a highly stressful life threatening situation, the British soldier will sit down and make a nice cup of hot strong sweet tea if time allows and if the threat is not immediate. The act of making a nice cup of tea will allow the individual time enough to assess the situation and make the correct decisions and planning and allow the feelings of panic and stress to dissipate. Consequently this generally leads to a more successful outcome although too much tea drinking leads to a problem called swanning about as demonstrated at Youtube

I've always drunk both tea and coffee, tea always seems to refresh me more than coffee, but there is nothing better on a cold morning as coffee with irish cream, sheer bliss. In fact coffee goes with just about any "additive" well.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. There's really not much between them as far as caffeine content is concerned, both have as much sugar as you want to add, and both provide the slowing-down ritual of making it.

Having served 12 years as an infantryman, I can largely debink the myth of MRE's causing constipation. After eating them day after day, for weeks on end, yes, they do; but, there are hardly ANY units that are totally dependent on MRE's for survival that long, without other types of provisions. They do contain a large amount of calories, and can be eaten one per day, to provide energy, and have been used as such. However, even SF teams are rarely out long enough to subsist solely on MRE's for an extended period of time. Firstly, they weigh quite a bit. And, as a soldier, when it comes to beans or bullets, bullets win hands down every time. If you need to carry enough food for a team of 4 to operate for an extended period of time, you will most likely be foraging as well.
And, coffee & tea, IMHO, are essentially the same. Yes, coffee is a dieuretic, but, in a one cup per MRE serving, it is miniscule compared to the amount of water one needs to choke down an MRE. On top of that, one wouldnt simply stop in the middle of combat to "brew up". Doesnt happen. But, a warm cup of coffee is a HUGE morale boost, no matter where you are. Also, I worked with the Brits once a few years ago, and they were totally hooked on our instant coffee. A rather popular trade item, right behind the M&Ms.I've yet to see a Brit, or any professional soldier, simply stop in the middle of a stressful situation, i.e. combat, to brew a cup of tea. Now, not saying it hasnt happened...but, its kinda hard to light a fire when someones trying to kill you. And, the americans have their kit too. The canteen cup comes with a burner, and you can get hexamine tabs from your supply SGT. We just dont treat it as a cultural "right". But, we do brew up, when allowed. The US army has some of the strictest noise/light discipline in the world. My unit, you couldnt wear a watch without a piece of 100 mph tape to cover the face. So, making coffee at 3 AM was TOTALLY out of the question. In times such as that, we simply put it in our lip like dip, and suffered through

Bentirran, great monday morning humor that. Reminds me of some Monty Python skits about WWI and taking time out in the middle of battle for tea, while the Germans were still shooting the crap outta the ranks. Classy british spoof on the english tea addiction.

Good thing the GIs had their moxie. Otherwise German would be the national language of Great Britain these days. Besides, fighting men aren't paid to think. That's why there are officer ranks, so GIs don't have to waste precious battle time working out strategy and pomp.