How to camp with electric only

[DallasSteve]

Newbie question here.

I have a reservation at a campground with electric hookup only and no water hookup. It was the best I could do over the Memorial Day weekend. At least it's cheap. How do you normally stretch your water in that situation? Can I drive to some station in the park (it's a government park) and fill my fresh water tank? Maybe at the dump station? I know you're not supposed to use the typical water at a dump station, but maybe at these semi-rustic campgrounds they also provide potable water?

[2oldman]

Some of these responses are more like "how to exist" rather than how to camp.

[ajriding]

I modified my plumbing so I have a valve on the water tank side and to an open "hose" so I can switch over to a portable 5 gallon water jug for the house water. The pump pulls it in. The jug has a tube that pulls off the bottom of the jug and the hose has a garden hose fitting so just screws in to the jug. I put the valve near the end so no water leaks out of the hose when disconnected. I carry two of these jugs if needed. They can be carried easily by hand and do not make store owners mad if you fill them as maybe filling an RV would.
I try to use the jug water first, so I have empty jugs to refill asap. Then resort to the on-board water tank last.
This is when I am boondocking seriously.

For me, washing dishes (two meals a day) seems to use the most water. I try to make the water go a long way, using the rinse water from one as the soak water for the next, and rinsing as many things at once as I can etc...

I am usually out on the trail for hours on end getting very dirty and sweaty, so the wipes are just not going to remove that. I have to shower every day, but I think I barely use more than 1 and a half gallons for that. Cold water, as waiting for hot water to get to the head is waste also. Cold showers use less water too. I have been known to put dirty dishes and other things lined up for a wash under me when showering so that water starts the process. Thoug, I do dishes like this only wen I can solo.

[RickLight]

Back in my backpacking days, water was always an issue. Once Giardia became common, our concerns doubled. Who wants to carry all that weight??

The good news is that it takes very little water to keep you alive and healthy. A gallon per person per day is enough, and you only drink half of that. Though more makes many things more comfortable!

[Dutch_12078]

ericosmith wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
We carry a 7 gallon potable water jug that we use to supplement our 65 gallon onboard tank as needed. When the jug is empty, we take it to the nearest community source and refill it. If we need more water in the onboard tank, we just use the winterization suction hose on our pump to refill the onboard tank from the portable jug.

Could you explain this a bit. Do you just open both valves and it flows into, instead of out of, the tank?

I have a suction hose installed with a 3-port valve on the suction side of the pump. The valve selects whether the hose or the storage tank is used as the water source by the pump. Another valve selects whether the output side of the pump and the city water port connect to the storage tank or the rest of the plumbing. With the suction valve set to the hose and the other valve in the tank fill position, the pump sucks the water from the portable jug and sends it to the storage tank. The fill valve is also used when city water is available to fill the tank. The suction hose/valve can also be used to install RV anti-freeze in the plumbing when winterizing, although I prefer blowing out the lines...

[DallasSteve]

Thermoguy wrote:

Enjoy the trip and don't be so concerned about water. What would you do if you were camping in a tent?

What would I do if I was camping in a tent? I would buy an RV. I camped in a tent 30 years ago, but that's not me anymore.

[babock]

I modified my fresh water tank supports. Can easily handle a full tank of water.

[TomG2]

Thermoguy wrote:

TomG2 wrote:
Several have suggested traveling wigrth a full water tank. Have you all looked at how some of these tanks are supported? Usually just some strips of plumber's tape. You "might" not have a problem, but if water is available in the campground, I prefer to not haul an extra 300-400 pounds with me. Good ideas about recycling grey water.

I guess this might be an issue with some trailers. I fortunately have not had this problem and have traveled with a full water tank many times. I guess it all depends on where you are going.

It all depends on the engineering and workmanship involved, that is why I said to check yours out. I have only had one tank fall to the ground in twenty years of travel trailering, but once was enough. The people that throw these things together put all their effort into what shows on a quick walk through. Getting ready for a 4,000 mile trip and I will only carry enough fresh water for an occasional pit stop, preferring to fill when I am parked for a few days.

[Thermoguy]

TomG2 wrote:
Several have suggested traveling with a full water tank. Have you all looked at how some of these tanks are supported? Usually just some strips of plumber's tape. You "might" not have a problem, but if water is available in the campground, I prefer to not haul an extra 300-400 pounds with me. Good ideas about recycling grey water.

I guess this might be an issue with some trailers. I fortunately have not had this problem and have traveled with a full water tank many times. I guess it all depends on where you are going. If I am going somewhere I will have water I fill it 1/3 - 1/2 full as I have found out you need water at some point during the trip when you are not connected to a source.

I have never gone anywhere where I had electric but no water, but it is possible. We have boondocked a few times where we have no water. I guess it depends on how many days and how many people are in the trailer. I carry 2 5 gallon containers that I can fill and have started the trip with them full knowing I would need more water. In one area, we have to drive to a state campground to fill the 5 gallon jugs, in another area they have water as some have mentioned with no way to connect a hose. Just fill the jugs, and poor them into the water inlet, this requires a funnel for me, but I could get a better spout for my jugs. I have done this on a few trips without issue. When the water tank gets down just put 10 or 15 gallons in. It's not that hard.

As some have mentioned, if your fresh water is getting low, you probably have a full grey tank. I have one area we can just attach a hose and let the grey tank out on the grass, this is not recommended by many and not allowed in a state park or typical campground. But, the grey tank is mostly just shower water, so it's soap and water. I have also done this at my house when I had people staying in the trailer for multiple days. The grey tank can fill up fast. It is a little stinky, but really not that big of deal. One way to not get a full grey tank is to not take showers, limit to a navy shower, or shower a different way. If you are boondocking, there is no reason to take a complete shower every day. However, my son, usually needs to wash dirt off by the end of a great camp trip day.

Enjoy the trip and don't be so concerned about water. What would you do if you were camping in a tent?

[jkwilson]

A water bandit or water thief is a good thing to have. It will let you use a hose on a spigot without threads. Can make life much easier and is cheap and small enough to take along just in case. A cheap 5 gallon camping water jug can be used to shuttle water.

If the campground has a dump station, a waste tote may be a worthwhile investment, especially now when staying clear of the public showers and bathrooms may be more important. Worrying about every drop of water can take a lot of fun out of the trip, especially if you have kids along.

It all depends on the size of your group and your personal activities and wants.

[mowermech]

A few things I have learned while using Forest Service campgrounds and State Parks here in Montana:
1. Fill the fresh water tank while at home.
2. Be sure the waste tanks are empty.
4. Fill the propane, if needed. It might get cold in the mountains, even in June and July!
5. There is no electricity available, and generator use is limited. Some State Parks have recently been electrified. Most Forest service campgrounds are not.
6. There is probably no shower house. There are vault or pit toilets, though.
7. There will be water available, one spigot for each 5 or so campsites. There probably will not be a threaded outlet to hook up a hose, and some are designed so a "water thief" will not fit.
8. Many campgrounds (most) are "Pack it in, Pack it out!". There is no garbage pickup, and no dump station. Be cautious about using a dumpster in the first town you come to. It might be considered "Theft of Service" and you could get a ticket. Be sure it is for public use.
9. "grey water" may not be dumped on the ground anywhere in the state!
10. It is against the rules to dump waste water into the vault or pit toilets.
11. "Water conservation" is a learned skill. The methods vary. If you want to spend a week in a "Primitive Campground", you need to learn how.
12. DO NOT, EVER, flush "Flushable Wipes" down the toilet! No matter what the advertising says, they are NOT "flushable"! Not in the RV, not in the vault toilets, not at home. They go in the garbage, not the sewer system.
13. Leave your campsite cleaner than it was when you got there! Make sure there are no hot ashes (or trash) in the fire pit.

[bikendan]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

bikendan wrote:
We use a 6 gallon FW plastic jug and a 15 gallon tote tank for gray water.

Where do you dispose the gray water ?

I take the blue tote tank to the dump station. in 20 years of RVing, never needed to use the blue boy for black water.

[ericosmith]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
We carry a 7 gallon potable water jug that we use to supplement our 65 gallon onboard tank as needed. When the jug is empty, we take it to the nearest community source and refill it. If we need more water in the onboard tank, we just use the winterization suction hose on our pump to refill the onboard tank from the portable jug.

Could you explain this a bit. Do you just open both valves and it flows into, instead of out of, the tank?

[Bobbo]

We frequently boondock, which means no electric either. Our rules of thumb:
Have a full fresh water tank
Have empty waste tanks
Use EXTREME water rationing (showers every 4 days instead of every 2 days)
Nothing goes down toilet except human waste. (TP goes in a sack to the dump. We don't do this unless boondocking.)
We have a 45 gallon water bladder. We run out of fresh water in about 1/2 the time it takes to fill the waste tanks, so I put the water bladder in the truck bed and go fill it up. I have a (spare) water pump with hose connectors. I use it to pump the water from the bladder into the fresh water tank.

[Dutch_12078]

We carry a 7 gallon potable water jug that we use to supplement our 65 gallon onboard tank as needed. When the jug is empty, we take it to the nearest community source and refill it. If we need more water in the onboard tank, we just use the winterization suction hose on our pump to refill the onboard tank from the portable jug.

[TomG2]

Several have suggested traveling with a full water tank. Have you all looked at how some of these tanks are supported? Usually just some strips of plumber's tape. You "might" not have a problem, but if water is available in the campground, I prefer to not haul an extra 300-400 pounds with me. Good ideas about recycling grey water.