system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
When hiking with limited water, is it better to ration it over the length of the hike, or drink it normally until it's gone?
gpt
The issue with rationing water in the wilderness has to do with the high possibility of dehydration. Dehydration happens much quicker in an situation like an outdoor hike. It has several negative effects that would hinder your ability to continue, such as lightheadedness, muscle cramps, weakness, and vomiting. The idea is simply to fight dehydration before it occurs rather than after symptoms arrive. 

Your scenario, going for a planned hike, should be dealt with by taking more water than is needed and knowing what to do in an emergency. The larger issue would be if you got lost. Again, you wouldn't ration your water as dehydration would hinder your efforts. There are several cases of people being found dead with water in their bottle because they were trying to ration it.