Where do you find water

[Roy_Lynne]

while boondocking. We plan a trip thru the southwest this winter and wonder where you fill you water tanks? Is it even an issue?

[bpounds]

The only faucets I see at truck stops or gas stations are as a part of the dump facilities.

Maybe it is just me, but I don't fill from faucets at dump stations. Seen too many ugly things at dump stations. So no matter how much my right brain tells me it's all the same city water, my left brain tells me go somewhere else.

[profdant139]

Smarty, I guess they are less strict about water in New Mexico than in California -- many truck stop faucets here require special wrenches, exactly to prevent us from "borrowing" their water! 😉

[smarty]

Won't be an issue if you pay attention, Love's truck stops usually have a spigot, as do many gas stations.

[Happytraveler]

We carry a long water hose with us incase were next to a water spigot. We also have a 65 gallon water tank with pump in the back of our CRV. We only take it with us if we know we have to haul water.

[bpounds]

I'm a bit late to this thread...

Finding water is one of the things I do worry about a little when on longer trips, when going to places I haven't become familiar with.

I can always find water, but the trick is finding water while the trailer is in tow. Most of the suggestions so far for locating water have been good. But may not be convenient to pull up with a trailer.

So I make a habit of having one or two of these 7 gallon aqua-tainers in the truck. While the trailer is left in camp, and we are out exploring in the truck, we'll find water easily. And grabbing 7 or 14 gallons in jugs always goes over well with the locals. Filling a trailer tank might not be so agreeable, when they have no idea how much they are giving. So we just keep those jugs filled whenever the opportunity arises.

Then I rigged up a little platform to hold the jug while it drains into the tank. Folds up and stores in a compartment. Others use a 12v pump and I'm sure that works well too.

[dave54]

doxiemom11 wrote:
In Arizona, there are water kiosks outside gas stations, grocery stores, Walmarts etc where you can fill gallon jugs for 25c or the large 5 gallon jugs for $1. Some areas do not have tap water that is very good, therefore the kiosks. I just used google to find them as we moved around.

The water in Arizona, especially along the Colorado River corridor, is so heavily mineralized you cannot drink it. Even showering is like getting sandblasted. So taste the water first to see if you even want it in your tank.
We have a double filter system and I replace the filters about every two weeks in Arizona.

Drinking water is bottled or from the kiosks. Tank water is for showering and toilets. We don't even wash dishes with tank water.

[doxiemom11]

In Arizona, there are water kiosks outside gas stations, grocery stores, Walmarts etc where you can fill gallon jugs for 25c or the large 5 gallon jugs for $1. Some areas do not have tap water that is very good, therefore the kiosks. I just used google to find them as we moved around.

[was_butnotnow]

I have stopped at rural fire departments and asked if I could get water.

[was_butnotnow]

I have stopped at rural fire departments and asked if I could get water.

[goducks10]

We don't strictly boondock. We mix it up. We may go a week boondocking then hit an RV park or St park where we can dump, refill and top off the batteries.
If we are between boondocking spots we fill the fresh water when we dump using the potable water.

[Roy_Lynne]

Thanks so much. We plan to be gone for most of the winter and spring so our tank wont last that long.

[philh]

lane hog wrote:
We carry a couple extra 5 gallon "water cooler" bottles. That's our drinking and wash water. Easy enough to haul and carry, and more durable than clear plastic jugs. Many Walmarts and grocery stores now have bottled water refill stations, but you can also refill at a well or spigot without needing a thief attachment.

We have (6) 3.5gallon waterbrick "jugs". They stack real nice under the tonneau cover, and are interlinked.

[lane_hog]

We carry a couple extra 5 gallon "water cooler" bottles. That's our drinking and wash water. Easy enough to haul and carry, and more durable than clear plastic jugs. Many Walmarts and grocery stores now have bottled water refill stations, but you can also refill at a well or spigot without needing a thief attachment.

[toedtoes]

At least in the west, ask before filling at a public campground. Many have limited potable water access and that water needs to supply every one staying in the campground, not just one person's 100 gallon tank.