Water
Water is probably the biggest concern on the JT.
We carried about 4.5L (two 1.5L bottles on each side of the pack and 1.5L hydration bladder in the pack) and this was a good amount, although we needed more when it was insanely hot and/or no shade, so we filled up at springs whenever we came across them. We drank less on the second half of the trail when the temperatures cooled.
We heard several stories of people getting dehydrated and passing out. An older Kiwi couple we met in Aqaba told us they came across a guy who was nearly unconscious from dehydration – a really fit experienced hiker who just didn’t realize how much water he would need. They had to call for help and he was evacuated and taken to hospital. This isn’t to scare you, just to prepare you!
Local streams require purification.
Tap water apparently should be avoided – but we did use it on the trail when there wasnt much choice.
Thorough water planning is essential for some stages such as the Petra to Wadi Rum section. We hired a guy named Habu to arrange water caches (he is listed on the Jordan Trail website and is a very cool guy). He will go with you to a local shop to get really good prices, and then you will pack your caches with him, label them, and he will drive them out and hide them for you. You can get GPS coordinates and photos of the cache from him – just make sure to double-check that the coordinates are correct!
Food
Our diet consisted of tuna, cheese, shrak (a really nice Jordanian flatbread that lasts for a while), halva, hummus, chocolate bars and fruit when we could find it.
We would resupply at any grocery store we came across – the quality of the resupply is not great, however. You won’t find any kind of protein bars or regular trail foods in Amman, so I’d recommend bringing some from home if you want.
Our longest food carry was probably 4 days when there weren’t any stores. We would use an entire rest day not to rest but to plan all of our meals and organise where we might be able to resupply.
We took advantage of any store or restaurant we came across as you didnt know where the next would be.
Other more experienced thru hikers who have done the trail may have some good advice.