Boondocking and Water

We do a lot of boondocking with a 30 gallon fresh water tank. We carry several six gallon plastic "jerry cans" and fill them at campgrounds or ranger stations (always with permission).

The hardest part is transferring the water from the jugs into the tank -- I lift the jugs and pour them, while DW holds a big funnel that we made from a two liter drink bottle. Great exercise!!

There will come a time (soon) when I can't lift a 50 pound jug high enough to pour it into the funnel. At that point we will have to get a 12 volt portable pump.

Since we have only a 25 gallon gray tank, we have to dump once a week, so we refill the 30 gallon tank at that point. So we only have to use our jerry cans once during the week.

Sounds kind of like a hassle, doesn't it? But boondocking is so worthwhile -- I am glad to lift those jerry cans. (Plus it impresses the heck out of DW, so that is a big bonus.)

We use clean bottled water for drinking and cooking and always have enough for any given trip.

Prior to arrival,we try to ask the locals or call the local forest ranger for a water source such as a spring. We fill four 5 gal water jugs and transport them in the bed of our pickup. The rangers have always known where to get water in their district.


When we get to our spot , we fill the trailers 90 gal water tank with spring water or (if we have to) water from a stream using a 12v. marine bilge pump and lengths of clear hose.
Being that we never drink the water from the trailer tank, we are not concerned about it being pure. We do sanitize the trailers water tank on a regular basis.
In the past, I have cut a 6" hole in the water tank to gain access to the inside to really clean it out. A removable marine deck plate is screwed into the 6" hole to seal it. (this can usually only be done if you have access to the top of your freshwater holding tank)

We use a standard store bought one gal water jug with a small 1/8th " hole drilled at the bottom for brushing out teeth and washing hands. Its gravity fed and use a golf tee to plug the hole.

In the past I have used solar panels but have found the portable genny the better bang for the buck using it in shade, rain or shine 3 hrs per day. I recharge my bank of 12v AGM grp 31 batteries.
LED lights, 12v as well as portable battery models do the trick along with TIKI torches outside.

The only 12 v draw in my trailer is the circuit board on the fridge while running on gas. Everything else on board gets an on/off toggle switch to kill power during off times on standby mode. I only turn on radios/tv/detectors to monitor or use the device as needed.
My water pump and occasional furnace fan is my biggest 12v draw but that's limited use.
I monitor my battery banks voltage with a volt meter and never allow my batteries to drop below 50% before recharging.

Happy boondocking,

Bob

Since we canoe camp, we carry a couple of 5 gallon jugs and a filtered water pump. Not much good if you do not camp by a lake or other water source.

Check hereBoondocking made easier

get an extra water pump.. hook to a 12 v power source ... put one tube in your 5 gal container and the other into your fresh water fill inlet. Pump the water into your tank.

and if your water pump goes out... you've got a spare on hand.

WE have four 5 gallon jugs we use when out for a long haul. We also have one of those 15 gallon blue barrels for water and use the hand pump to put it in the tank when needed. That is only for very long trips.

Fresh water bladder from Amazon

Camping World also has one. Combine one of these with a small pump and you should be good to go for a long time.

We camp alot OFF-ROAD in the NATL FOREST areas around here. Just about all of them have a primitive rest room with fresh water source at or near the entrance.

When we start running low on water in our fresh water tank I will go back up the trail and bring back 10 gallons or at a time to re-fill the fresh water tank...

Being fresh ground bean coffee lovers we always carry enough bottled water of our favorite taste brand of water just for making coffee... This ensures we get the same favorite taste making fresh ground bean coffee... We use this water for cooking as well...

The fresh water tank is mostly just for washing dishes and taking stand up showers etc in our OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer...


Roy Ken

Aquatainer hydroroller
Amazon link

Most of our camping is done without any hookups unless we're on a trip to the Oregon coast or something similar, which isn't really camping but more just using the trailer as a hotel. On camping trips we practice conservation and bring along some extra to supplement as needed and haven't ever had trouble making it several nights. I do have a couple of 5 gallon potable water jugs I always pack along - they just look like gas cans only blue. I generally toss them into the tub to keep them contained.

A couple of batteries are a must, and LED bulbs are a good investment. I also cheat and generally pack along a generator.

Edit - I not a fan of the collapsible jug linked above. Had too many of them spring leaks on me. I prefer something like this.