Day hikers who want an unsweetened drink
If your snacks already provide the flavours you want, plain water keeps the drink choice straightforward. Individual bottles can be divided across a rucksack, but the number to take still depends on the walk.
Who is this for?
Hikers who prefer flavoured water
A sugar-free flavoured drink may suit your taste. Read its ingredients as well as its sugars figure if you also want to avoid sweeteners or flavourings: Volvic’s Sugar Free Lemon & Lime, for example, lists sweeteners.
Group walkers buying ahead
A multipack lets you divide individual containers between people before setting off. Plan what each person will carry separately from the pack’s total volume, and check any online order limits when buying for a group.
What should you check?
Start with the kind of drink you want, then choose containers and a total volume that work for the walk. A multipack’s size describes what you buy, not what one person should carry.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Plain or flavoured | Read the exact drink’s ingredients and sugars information. Volvic UK lists 0g sugars per 100ml for Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Lemon & Lime, alongside sweeteners and flavourings in its ingredients. | I want plain, unsweetened water with my snacks; or I prefer a flavoured drink and am happy with its listed ingredients. |
| Amount to carry | Consider the route length, heat, activity and reliable refill points. The British Mountaineering Council’s trail guidance describes amounts ranging from about 1 litre per person to 3 litres or more on a hot day, depending on the plans. | For a longer or hotter walk, I need to plan beyond a single 500ml container rather than rely on its convenient size. |
| Container format | Check individual capacity, closure and how the container fits in your bag. Highland Spring lists 500ml still-water bottles with screw or sports caps; its separate 12 × 500ml listing totals 6 litres. | I want a container I can reach at snack stops, with the option to divide several smaller ones across the day or between walkers. |
| Buying for a group | Confirm the exact pack count and current stock before ordering. Sainsbury’s online bottled-water policy limits an order to 36 single bottles, 6 multipacks or 6 five-litre bottles. | We need enough separate containers for the group without mistaking the whole order for one person’s carried supply. |
Common buying mistakes
-
Assuming “sugar free” means unsweetened
A drink can list 0g sugars and still contain sweeteners or flavourings. Volvic UK’s Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Lemon & Lime lists acesulfame K and sucralose.
If you want plain water, read the ingredients rather than relying on the front-of-pack sugar wording. Check the exact claim on a flavoured drink separately from whether its ingredients suit you.
-
Treating a multipack as a carrying target
The Highland Spring 12 × 500ml listing totals 6 litres, but that pack size does not tell you how much one walker needs. Conditions and refill opportunities matter.
Divide bottles between walkers or set aside what you need for the route. The British Mountaineering Council’s trail guidance gives a range of about 1 litre per person to 3 litres or more on a hot day, depending on the activity.
-
Choosing capacity without thinking about access
A larger container changes how you pack and share water, even when its total volume suits the trip.
Decide whether you want individual containers within reach while walking or a larger bottle for planned stops or sharing, then check the capacity you can carry.
-
Planning around an unconfirmed online order
The number of containers delivered matters to a group plan, and a retailer may restrict how many can go in one online order. Sainsbury’s sets separate bottled-water limits for single bottles, multipacks and five-litre bottles.
Confirm the offered pack count, stock, delivery and applicable order limit before assigning bottles to walkers.
Brand and retailer references
These ranges illustrate drink and pack formats to compare; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients of every product in its range.
Highland Spring
Highland Spring lists still water in 330ml, 500ml and 750ml bottles, as well as 1.5L and 2L sizes.
- Its 500ml still-water bottles are listed with screw or sports caps. A separate Joybuy 12 × 500ml product listing names Natural Spring Water as its ingredient.
- Check the ingredients and pack count of the exact offer you choose; the 12-bottle listing does not describe every Highland Spring bundle.
Buxton
Buxton lists still natural mineral water in 500ml, 750ml, 1L and 1.5L sizes.
- The range offers individual-bottle and larger-container formats to consider for different packing plans.
- Check the exact pack label if its ingredients or sugar wording are decisive for your purchase.
Evian
Evian’s UK range includes a 500ml natural mineral-water bottle.
- The stated 500ml capacity gives you a defined individual portion for packing.
- Use the exact product label to check the ingredients and any claim important to you.
Volvic
Volvic lists plain natural mineral water in 500ml, 1L and 1.5L sizes and has a separate sugar-free flavoured range.
- Volvic UK states 0g sugars per 100ml and per 250ml serving for Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Lemon & Lime.
- That flavoured product also lists sweeteners, citric acid, flavourings and potassium benzoate; it is not plain, unsweetened water.
Tesco
Tesco’s water listings provide bottle and multipack formats to compare before a walk.
- Listings include different pack sizes, allowing a comparison based on the containers you intend to use.
- Check the exact product’s label, current stock and delivery options rather than assuming a listed range applies to your order.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury’s is an online grocery option for planning a water order before a group walk.
- Sainsbury’s Help Centre says its product descriptions can include ingredients and nutritional information.
- Its online bottled-water policy limits orders to 36 single bottles, 6 multipacks or 6 five-litre bottles; check the exact product and order at checkout.
Joybuy water options
These options provide individual 500ml portions of still water for packing or sharing before a hike. One is bottled water; the other comes in resealable cans, so check which container format you want.
Image unavailable
Highland Spring Still 500ml bottles
Individual 500ml bottles offer portions to pack or divide between walkers. The listing wording conflicts on the bundle quantity, using both “4 x” and “12 × 500ml”, so confirm how many bottles the offer contains before ordering. Check the exact pack’s ingredients if an unsweetened drink is your priority, and plan the total amount you carry for the route.
Image unavailable
Cano Water Still resealable 12 × 500ml cans
This 12-pack provides individual 500ml portions in resealable cans rather than bottles. Consider whether cans suit the way you pack and drink on a walk, check the exact product’s ingredients, and plan your carried amount independently of the full pack.
Questions about water for hikes
Does “no added sugar” mean a drink has no sweeteners?
No. Sugar wording does not, by itself, tell you whether a flavoured drink contains sweeteners. Volvic UK lists 0g sugars for Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Lemon & Lime but includes acesulfame K and sucralose in its ingredients. Read both the claim on the exact pack and its ingredients list.
How much water should I take with snacks on a hike?
Plan the amount for the route, conditions and refill opportunities, not the size of a snack or a multipack. The British Mountaineering Council’s trail guidance describes carrying from about 1 litre per person to 3 litres or more on a hot day, depending on the activity; the NHS also notes that people may need more fluids in heat or during prolonged physical activity.
Can I take sugar-free flavoured water instead of plain water?
Yes, if you prefer a flavoured drink and its ingredients suit you. Check the exact product rather than treating “sugar free” as another name for plain water: Volvic UK’s Sugar Free Lemon & Lime lists sweeteners, flavourings, citric acid and potassium benzoate alongside 0g sugars.
What matters when ordering water online for a group walk?
Confirm the exact container size, pack count, ingredients, stock and delivery before dividing the order between walkers. Sainsbury’s online bottled-water policy allows up to 36 single bottles, 6 multipacks or 6 five-litre bottles per order; those are order limits, not guidance on how much to carry.