Even if the cold’s keeping you from sweating away during your winter workout, you still need to stay hydrated by filling up on plenty o’ H2O. Indeed, “one of the most neglected yet important aspects of winter sports body maintenance is hydration,” says GreatOutdoors.com’s Kaj Bune. “On a hot summer day hike it’s much easier to keep up with your body’s loss of water because the heat of the day is a constant reminder of your thirst. But in winter the cold conditions make it harder to respond to thirst.”

When you’re out a long winter run, gear up with a Salomon XA Pro Packvest 150 Backpack. Equipped with a hydration system, the vest/backpack combo provides “easy access to salt tablets and Clif Shot Bloks,” says Adam Chase. What’s more, “it keeps the undulations of gear to a minimum when I run.”

...continued: Water your winter workout

If you’re working out for more than an hour, you need to get 500 to 700 mg of sodium for every liter of water you consume, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. But most sports drinks offer about a third less sodium - plus lots of sugar. To get your 700 mg of sodium and zero sugar, ThisNexters micradot, John Stamstad, Gordon, and Alyson recommend dropping a nuun hydration tablet into your water bottle. Micradot, for one, loves the product’s simplicity: “I can fill my bottles at the start of a ride and reload them wherever I end up,” he says. “Tastes are mild and way better than the sugary drinks you’re usually forced to drink/buy and it doesn’t upset my stomach.” The easy-on-the-tummy effect is also key for Gordon, who notes that those who use nuun “don’t have to swill quite so much after you enduro sweat-a-thons. I hate having water slosh around my belly.”

Once a little-known secret among, as one Pittsburgh Post Gazette article tells it, “mountain bikers and counterculture types” (e.g., Burning Man partiers and “granola-eating fitness buffs”), CamelBak has now become the hydration pack of choice for everyone from hikers and hunters to Navy SEALs and police officers. The CamelBak-loving outdoorsmen and women of ThisNext most likely lean more toward the granola-eating fitness buff side of things (in a really good way), with each shopcasting his or her pack style of choice and favored use.

Travel and adventure writer Shanti Sosienski, for instance, takes her CamelBak Women’s Isis 100 oz. Hydration Pack along in her many excursions around the globe, noting that the small pack is “great for traveling because you can go with or without the water bladder and it makes a good day pack.”

Deb Schiff also recommends her CamelBak 2006 Day Star 70oz. Women’s Hike Hydration Pack for travel – along with long hikes – since the pack “holds extra socks, sandals, snacks, first aid kit, 70 oz of water, and more.” Deb dubs the Day Star perfect for “hiker chicks,” which may have to do with its women-specific design (including a harness that “curves with your body for a comfortable fit,” according to Outdoor Equipment blog).

...continued: How to drink like a camel

Can’t quite manage to gulp down the eight glasses of water everyone - especially those of the athletic ilk - need daily to stay happily hydrated? Teacherwoman at Running For Me recently asked her readers to share their tips on reaching optimal water intake. A few of our favorite recommendations:

From Nesse: “i actually like all waters, plain and flavored, and try to drink 32oz before lunch and 32oz after lunch, i don’t always make it, sometimes less, sometimes more, i think the key is always having it with you, at your desk, in the car, etc.”

From Annette: “Water - I love it! For those who don’t… . my friend adds powdered Crystal Light to her water. To add to what neese said about the lemon, some people like to add cucumbers to their water, too - refreshing! And then there’s always fresh brewed iced tea - yum!”

From Denise: “I ALWAYS drink two glasses of Powerade before each run and seems to work very well. I then make sure I have 16-24 oz of sports drink AFTER the run too, then 84 oz or more of water until I go to bed. I do consume it and it helps.”

NetSweat Fitness Blog’s advice to those taking their workouts outside this summer: Drink up! Whether you’re biking or hiking or even headed out on a lengthy stroll, bring along fluids aplenty so you don’t risk dehydration. NetSweat recommends the CamelBak MULE Hydration Pack, which features a 100-ounce reservoir and ample room for packing sunscreen and snacks.