the sugared drinks have a slightly lower freezing point, but not enough
that you will avoid them freezing in serious winter conditions.    Two
points though:  (1) Why not put the water in the vehicle each time you
drive and need it?  I do.  (2) Is the interior of your van that cold
when you drive?  I use the heater when it's that cold out.  If you do
get stuck, you can put the (not frozen at that point) bottle inside the
coat, blanket, whatever you use to keep warm.  If the bottle freezes
then, you're in real trouble.

When I travel out of town in winter, I always have some means of heating
water for tea or whatever if need be (outside the vehicle or with
adequate ventilation.

Stay warm and safe, David

On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Max Wellhouse wrote:

> Well, it's almost Friday so this slightly off topic question will get
> asked.  We are all aware that packing any winter survival kit for our
> Vanagons should include fluids to stay hydrated.  My question is how
> do you folks keep your fluids from freezing when winter gets really
> cold out.  Bringing water or other beverages into and out of the car
> each time we drive isn't the answer, so what's Vanagon driver to do?
>
> Generic gallon water bottles won't survive the expansion once the
> water does freeze, and draining 1/4 or so of the fluid to allow for
> expansion, but then you don't get as much fluid.  Would loading
> sugared drinks  or juices lessen the chance of freezing?  I was
> hoping to put maybe some cranapple juice in a Lexan Nalgene bottle or
> two and wondered if the stiff walls and a little bit of space for
> expansion might be a solution.  I'm not so worried about the fluid
> freezing as it can be warmed up in several ways, but I would like to
> find a fairly bullet proof method of storing the liquid.  thanks in
> advance
>
> DM&FS