I have wondered why humans don't really have much of a water buffering capacity, mostly prompted by a line in Dune about "water-fat" Atreides. Would be great to be able to chug like two liters of water and go about your day reasonably hydrated.
I try to take a similar approach when hiking of drinking as much water as I can before starting a hike. In a hot and dry climate you don't end up urinating out as much as you might think.
Exposure to this practice over time in a particular environment might be able to alter gene expression to better support the practice much like the hunter reflex develops with cold exposure. People often make the mistake of thinking their personal modern experience is close to some human limit.
"The Old Way" also points out that persistence hunting (mentioned in this article) could only be used under particular environmental conditions (mud after rain that slows down animals) with a particular animal that overheats more than others so it didn't seem a reliable hunting method.
There is a myth on the internet that drinking shitload of water beyond comfort is acceptable and has zero risks because hey it’s just water right?
Here is some literature: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-...
In the article you point to the main issue seems to come from inhibition of urination. I think native people knew their bodies extremely well and could avoid any problem here whereas in modern times we have been training ourselves since being a small child to ignore or hold back urination. Combining that with other suppressors mentioned in that article can end in tragedy.
Weight is costly (eg, mv^2 energy to accelerate). I guess human bodies have spent a lot of time trying to find the minimum amount of water necessary rather than trying to build up a reserve.
The little micro-optimisations add up over time. The penalty for excess weight doesn't have to be large before evolution tries to get rid of it. Historically, fat people are an anomaly.
During Ramadan (not Eid as someone pointed out!), most Muslims refrain from eating or drinking during the day, and Muslims are highly overrepresented in warmer countries, so it's definitely possible, though maybe not comfortable.
During the lunar month of Ramadan. Eid is the first day of the following month when Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan. (There is an unrelated separate Eid at a different point in the year).
Sort of, yes. During noon and afternoon most shops, restaurants, and other places were closed. Certain essential things were open. There was also a divide between rural vs urban, with urban have more open stores.
Especially in Morocco this didn't seem too uncommon even outside of Ramadan though as its often simply too hot to really work during the day.
Imagine two civilizations otherwise equal. One works 12/12=100% of the year, and the other 11.5/12=96% of the years. Then compound the gains over 14 centuries!
In practice there is probably plenty of inefficiencies to go around. Maybe less today, but 14 centuries ago.
e.g. here's a Facebook Post from IKEA Qatar on their store hours during Ramadan: https://m.facebook.com/IKEAQatar/photos/pb.577718508978609.-...
It’s seems like this is kind of related to where bikers (cyclists) pay double for a component to save 100 grams instead of losing a bit of body weight.
Perhaps they are hiking for extended distances without water where no matter how much you chug, it won't be enough?
Is kind of dumb argument. There is no tradeoff between the two. You can do both of these or neither. The additional weight in equipment will be there regardless of what happens to your bodyweight.
Sorry, but not bringing a bottle or a flask because of weight is known as Stupid Light. Yeah, you could probably do it, but it's stupid to do. Another example is using a keychain light as your only light. You could do it, but it's stupid to do, and if you end up in an emergency situation, you're going to get little sympathy for the team of rescuers that save your stupid light butt. These ideas are what happens when you are sitting and looking at a spreadsheet of gear weights in a far larger proportion then actually being out and seeing what actually works.
Getting lost on the trail, somebody getting injured, relying on water along the trail, just being sweatier than you expected, all of these end with somebody being very uncomfortable or worse.
I did on some occasions on a hot day, before going off to some activity - and it does not last the whole day - but it definitely last some time.
But you are correct, that when you drink more and more, despite your body being already hydrated - then it pretty much comes out like it is soon after.
": Our findings agree with the long held notion that each gram of glycogen is stored in human muscle with at least 3 g of water. Higher ratios are possible (e.g., during REHFULL) likely due to water storage not bound to glycogen. "
If you want to store extra water for short periods drink/eat carbs
Sports drinks are generally water with sodium chloride and potassium chloride added, often with sugar as well. Trust me, if you're sweating a lot and drinking a lot of water, you need a source of the appropriate salts.