July/August walkers need to think about water. On my May/June camino I got by carrying two x 500ml plastic bottles and filling up as required. At the height of summer I would recommend carrying 2 litres (ie 2kg!). One really should drink little and often.
A target of say 3 litres/day is actually pretty meaningless, although such targets are often quoted. The required water intake depends on lots of factors - body size, exertion level, heat conditions, amount of cafe con leche consumed, fruit eaten etc etc.
A more practical test is to monitor urination. Urine should be "pale and plentiful". Straw-coloured is fine, but a dark colour generally means under-hydration. But what does "plentiful" mean? Use your own experience at home doing usual activities. If the pattern is roughly the same on the Camino, OK, but if you find you are urinating noticeably less frequently, you may want to review your water intake.
Thirst is a poor guide for drinking frequency. By the time the body sends the thirst signal, significant de-hydration has occurred.
Although I have to say that I went for 6 hours one very rainy day without a drink and without urinating. But it was cold and miserable and I deliberately drank more than usual after I arrived at my destination for that day.
So one can tolerate dehydration for a time if conditions are benign. The point is that the camino finds the weak spots in your body (and character, for that matter) and tests them.
It is all about increasing the odds in your favour by doing heaps of little things right (eg hydration, resting, minimising load etc etc)
Regards
Bob M
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