Perhaps you could explain what challenges are involved in using less water?
I don't have any problems, but that's probably because I've done it.
K, First...Step Off, or use the effen smiles! If you are insinuating that I don't brew, Get Bent! If you are trying to be an advocate of a thicker mash, try a little less attitude....I'm willing to try anything twice.
Papazian suggests 1 qt per lb.
Palmer suggests 1.5 qt per lb
Daniels recommends 1 qt per lb for the sort of brews I make.
Do you know something relevant that they don't?
Sometimes the answer that doesn't make anyone happy...is the correct answer. For me, I like the "Feel" of a 1.25 Qt/# mash. IF you use a false bottom...or have some extra dead space at the bottom of your manifold, you'll actually experience an excessively dry mash. Does that mean that you can't use a QT/#? Absolutely NOT! but it does need to be a conscious decision.
In extreme cases, an extreme thick mash will prevent the enzymes from swimming around and converting all the starches....Sufficient stirring can help mitigate this. An extreme watery mash will be TOO MUCH volume, and the enzymes will swim around plenty, but they will not come into contact with enough starches to convert. Same reason as you couldn't mash in a swimming pool.
I can't get an OG of more than about 1.075 for a 5g batch out of my 5g cooler.
Using 1 qt per batch, 14# of grain, and 74% eff, you'd get about 1.076 and use up a nice 4.6 Gallons of volume....So YES, You're pushing it trying anything higher.
I'm not saying you're wrong here. Yes! You have a LIMITED range with a 5 gallon Mash tun, and you'll need to be aware of the down sides...but it IS totally a workable solution...especially for those with limited funds or space.
I'm not really sure where your frustration is coming from here, but there is not really any reason to cop an attitude. I think that if I've learned ANYTHING from HBT, it's that there are any number of ways to skin this cat! I don't think there is any reason to look down your nose at anyone for any reason. We are all here to exchange ideas and to brew the best beer we can in our brew houses, with the space, equipment, time, and budget that we get...and each of those items varies greatly between any one of us. The best we can do is offer our opinions, and accept that there is NOT a definitive answer to any of these questions.