If it is, why does Standard Adventurer's Kit include a waterskin?
If you need to keep track of Rations when adventuring, wouldn't you also need to keep track of how much water you've consumed from your waterskin and worry about that supply running out?
So far, I've just played with TRs covering all eating/drinking needs (one per day while out in the field) and waterskins being for situations that required more liquid (like a journey through a desert).
I couldn't really find anything about this in the PH. What do the experts say?
Best Answer
They are separate.
Trail rations are made up of foodstuffs that are preserved or that can otherwise be stretched out to last over a long journey. They are compact and easily stored. Water isn't something that can be preserved in such a way — it can't be compressed and, obviously, you can't dehydrate it. Water kept for too long becomes unpalatable, and may be a vector for disease. Moreover, travelers need more water than food, as dehydration sets in before hunger and starvation would.
In sum, the amount of water one needs for a day's journey takes up more space than a corresponding amount of food, and so "a week's worth of water" would be inconvenient to carry on one's back or pack animals in a way that "a week's worth of food" would not.