Hydration

If your tap water is less-than-drinkable, you can use filtration systems, special pitchers, or bottled water to clean it up. Or, you could take a chance on a new air-to-water converter now blasting its way through an Indiegogo campaign.

Many runners don't like the way hydration packs bounce with every step, nor do they like holding onto water bottles. Vessel Athletics' Hydroshirt offers what might be a better alternative, in that it incorporates its own snugged-down water bladder.

For people such as Gary Lynn, cerebral palsy makes it nearly impossible to perform tasks like getting a sip of water without human assistance. He can now get those sips on his own, however, thanks to a student-designed device known as the RoboCup.

While most hydration packs could be used for just about anything, they're typically designed with activities like mountain biking or running in mind. The Duet, on the other hand, was created specifically for use at outdoor music festivals.

A fascinating study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health suggests people who don't drink enough fluids could be at greater risk of chronic disease and are more likely to die at a younger age.

We've heard about a number of experimental skin-worn biosensors, which analyze the wearer's sweat to monitor everything from stress to blood glucose. Well, athletes can now buy one of the things, that is designed to keep them from getting dehydrated.

Watergen has long been working to refine and grow technology to pull water vapor out of the air and collect it for drinking. Its latest innovations shrink that water-harvesting tech into a form portable enough for overlanders and RVers.

Dometic steps outside the RV to provide a faucet system that readily moves around camp. The water canister-based system works as a convenient off-grid faucet and plays nicely with filtration solutions, keeping the fresh water flowing.

Hydration packs are great for keeping a water supply close at hand when you're out biking or running, but … you might feel funny wearing one on your urban commute. That's where the Danú Bag comes in, as it's designed to look like a regular backpack.

Many outdoor athletes will drink water for basic hydration, along with an electrolyte solution for added replenishment. The MXXY Hydration Pack allows them to get both – in the desired ratio – from a single device.

Strangely enough, the mechanisms behind thirst and satiation are somewhat of a mystery to science. Now researchers from Caltech have investigated and found two connections between body and brain that control the process.

The marketplace is pretty well served when it comes to clever hydration systems. But Hydrade, the newest player in the space, steps things up a notch offering solar power; a nifty sensor that knows if you're drinking from it or pouring it out and a sip-for-sip partnership with a major water charity.