What liquid stays unfrozen the longest?

[NotMessner]

- Orange juice?

- Ethylene glycol?

- Jamieson’s Irish whiskey?

- Crystal Light?

- Tea?

- Coffee?

One would think that someone like the maker of GU would do scientific studies to find the best liquid to take to, say, the top of Denali. I have seen videos of Sherpas taking a rest near the South Summit where they break out Thermos bottles of some liquid, maybe fermented Yak milk?

 

[RafalA]

Higher alcohol and/or salt = less prone to freezing.

 

Salted whisky, then?

 

Thermos bottles can insulate both to keep warm and to stop from freezing... I've had water freeze in a Nalgene, yet stay liquid in a Thermos.

[Dane]

"Sherpas taking a rest near the South Summit where they break out Thermos bottles of"

 

hot tea with milk and sugar

 

[trumpetsailor]

Helium.

 

 

 

On a more practical note, here's a place to start:

http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/solutions/freeze.html

 

For whiskey, note that the freezing point of pure ethanol is -114 C. There's an interesting aside in Mike and Allen's "Really Cool" backcountry skiing book that, while still liquid, very cold liquids can cause frostbite on contact with skin/mucus membranes. Molten water isn't just liquid, it's comparatively warm.

 

Also useful:

http://www.containerhandbuch.de/chb_e/scha/index.html?/chb_e/scha/scha_18_02.html

[Water]

fun thing to do is take an unopened bottle of gatorade or any other type of drink, important that the seal has not been broken. If you carry it in your bag on a cold day it will get super-chilled but because it was bottled around sea level the pressure in there is higher and lowers the freezing point. I've seen some cool stuff where you open it up and it almost flash freezes, going from liquid to being a slush in mere seconds. pretty cool

[keenwesh]

pure distilled water won't freeze until -39 degrees.

[kurthicks]

The best liquid is one that stays liquid AND one that you actually drink.

 

Throw some tea in a 1 liter Thermos. I also take another .5L nalgene filled with hot water that is nestled inside a beer cozy. The Nalgene lives in my jacket and I drink it first.

[montypiton]

I carry a thermos full of tea that's about 25% honey when climbing ice in the Rockies. Had it drinkable for as long as three days... you'll never want to keep it nearly that long...

[Theodore]

There was a guy on 14ers.com that did some experiments on this and basically found that you can't add enough salt/alcohol/mix/anything else to lower the freezing point and still be enjoyable. I'll see if I can dig it up tonight.

[sobo]

fun thing to do is take an unopened bottle of gatorade or any other type of drink, important that the seal has not been broken. If you carry it in your bag on a cold day it will get super-chilled but because it was bottled around sea level the pressure in there is higher and lowers the freezing point. I've seen some cool stuff where you open it up and it almost flash freezes, going from liquid to being a slush in mere seconds. pretty cool

I have done this with bottled beer at 40 below - instant Barley Slurpee™ - gotta drink fast!

[mccallboater]

There's lot of history in military circles about soldiers dying from drinking alcohol at sub-zero temps. It's liquid, but it freezes your innerds. Nasty way to go. Fort Richardson non-coms used to teach that message to grunts heading out on their first winter trip, but usually someone doesn't listen.

[G-spotter]

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/accessories/storage-systems/backpack-accessories/water-bottle-parka-2.html

 

Plus hot water/hot drink, keeps warm all day when full. the problem is when you drink 80% of the water and let cold air in, then stick it in your pack, the remaining liquid can turn to ice.

 

but two of these are enough for ~16 hour trip at -20c.

[robertjoy]

Winterize your GU! A few ounces of GU is a lifesaver when the temp is so cold you can't bear to choke down a bagel, or even take off your gloves. I make homemade "GU" with a blend of brown rice syrup and agave nectar. For winter use I add about 15% vodka so that even at 20degrees, the GU will flow thru the snap-top of the 4oz plastic squeeze flask.

[Teh Phuzzy]

Winterize your GU! A few ounces of GU is a lifesaver when the temp is so cold you can't bear to choke down a bagel, or even take off your gloves. I make homemade "GU" with a blend of brown rice syrup and agave nectar. For winter use I add about 15% vodka so that even at 20degrees, the GU will flow thru the snap-top of the 4oz plastic squeeze flask.

 

Thats some good advice right there; I'ma gonna have to get me a gu flask! Have you tried adding things to make it flavored? I get my B-vitamins from nutritional yeast, but I could use electrolytes and those usually taste pretty good.

 

As for the salty rumors, if you actually do the calculations you would have to make the water saltier than you could drink before you saw a noticeable drop in the freezing temp. At least I learned something practical in chem class.

 

Too bad liquids aren't compressible, then you could save space and keep them from freezing!

[sdizzle25]

cytomax and other drink mixes will lower the freezing temperature of your "water" by about 10ish degrees ive found. a climbing partner of mine always uses it and for some reason his water wouldnt freeze when mine would turn into frozen blocks. actually took me some time to realize why. I have failed my middle school science teachers. .....

[B Deleted_Beck]

Guys have something against camelbaks... they can be a pain if you let the hose freeze, but I've never had it freeze up so bad I couldn't get it flowing again. I just cram the bare bladder up against my back in the ruck... sleep with it in the sleeping bag at night, still warm in the morning, stays warm against your back all day.

 

And I never, ever bring plain water... always powdered Gatorade. Lower freezing temp (I don't know by how much, but I do KNOW it lowers it), and much much better replenisher for strenuous activity.

 

Insulating hose sleeve, take a sip every 10 minutes... no probs.