Quote Originally Posted by Wulf202 View Post

Flat water is still water, i've drank 3 year old water without problems and the storage conditions for it were anything but ideal

Keeping them separate has several advantages, you can change out flat water and not loose the money on the electrolytes, if you have a puncture you don't have a sticky mess, you would have a hard time washing an eye/wound out with gatoraide, if your giving aid to a stranded person and they are diabetic it could do harm, adding a sugary solution to your radiator/battery will cause problems if you have a vehicle emergency.

Water bottles will sweat so keep that in mind with where you put them otherwise you wind up with moldy blankets.

The main reason I have always used liter bottles is portability. Our packs were originaly put together for mobility and 3-4 days of 1-2 person survival. We lived in CA and always had them in our vehicles for earthquakes. Having been through the Northridge 1994 earthquake (2 blocks from the epicenter) being ready for the next one was far more real than any other disaster scenario. Now that we are here I modified them some and think I will put a larger 2 gallon jug in her car. I also used water for the above reasons. I liked water because you can drink or use it to cook. I will keep liter bottles in mine because I like to go for hikes when i get the urge.