More water needed....

[garyhaupt]

We boondock exclusively. I have a 30 gallon on-board tank and a long haired red-headed she devil that seems to feel that a hair wash every 4 days is critical to my survival. I mean...really?

So, anyway..we have struggled along the past 10? years but she is tired of the water nazi and I am tired of the whining....so, how to accommodate.

I thought maybe an underneath tank..and I could, but it would be 16 gallons. Not enough for the effort. I think I have found an answer..but I am looking for holes in the plan...

A 100 liter/30 gallon or 50, pillow water bladder on the roof. It will be about 1 lb a gallon. I have the space, I have the place...I have 4 anchor points. It would only be in use when we were going were off into the weeds. Otherwise, all folded up, neat n tidy. The valves are not an issue, it seems. A ball valve most likely, but perhaps two..one in, one out. Yes, the type that is potable water safe. I would glue a piece of rubber roofing..a patch? onto the existing roof to prevent wear. I will need a telescoping ladder...a good one...to allow me to get up, anchor...and so on.

If this is the right plan..it doubles my 'docking' time.

What say...?





Gary Haupt

[GordonThree]

Sounds like the OP has their mind made up already for a rooftop bladder.

How do you plan to keep the water from getting gross up there? It will basically be laying in the sun day after day. After a few days you likely won't need to heat it for a shower, and after that it'll start turning green.

Do you have enough holding tank capacity to deal with an extra 30-50 gallons of waste water, or will you be "watering" the nearby vegetation so to speak?

[schlep1967]

Have her read your description of her in a public forum "a long haired red-headed she devil". You'll likely have plenty of water and more room in the bed.....

[time2roll]

+1 for a trailer to carry 400+ gallons for your sweetie. You could really get lost for a while. 😉

[Grit_dog]

That load spread out over that area on the roof I do t see any chance of damaging the roof. But I would NOT want to have that weight up there.
A bladder is the right idea, but on the floor somewhere. IMO

Look at wake board boat ballast bags. Can get em in many shapes and sizes and can get them made to any shape and size you want as well. They’re tough. And close out model stuff is super cheap if the size works.
Anything from a couple hundred lbs to 1100lb sacs are readily available.
That and a ballast pump pre made cig lighter plug in with a long cord and hose.
I’d search for a spot inside the camper that you could stash that thing, personally.

Don’t do it often, but have packed 50gal in one of my ballast bags on the back seat floor of the truck, to camp and then unload it once out tank is empty.

[hotpepperkid]

Camp near a river or lake

[PartyOf_Five]

Oh come on Gary, the hair's not that long, not is the need to dry camp that long so critical. (Is it?)
Is there space above your bike contraption? How about adding another tank under the bed? I'll ask the question you asked me: after you do what it needs do for you, does it really make sense to invest in it?

I know, I don't want to think about the answer either... Sigh.

[dave54]

Carry this stuff. Much lighter

[azrving]

Get a hitch and utility trailer. Then buy her a water bladder and yourself an atv or trail bike

[2oldman]

garyhaupt wrote:
I no longer have a receiver hitch for a trailer or a carrier.

They still make them.

[ksg5000]

When everything is perfect you might get away with what you're proposing ... but that ain't my life. My last trip didn't look too tough on the map/forums ... but they didn't talk about the sh*tty roads/elevation/tight turns which would have made having additional weight on the roof a nightmare. If hair washing is a deal breaker ... buy a bigger rig.

[azrving]

As stated water is about 8 pounds so it would probably damage the roof. I have a 60 gallon bladder and it works fantastic but you’ll need a trailer or something. It folds up and fits in a 1’x1’x3” box. I’ve filled it full on a utility trailer and filled partially in the back seat of a pickup and also partially filled it in the bed of the truck with a bunch of other stuff in the bed that it conformed to. The material is very strong. I bleach it lightly for storage. Its surprisingly stable when its filled on the trailer and I expected it to want to roll around like a big blob but it didn’t. Im sure if you maneuver sharply enough it might roll

[Crabbypatty]

We boon dock a lot. Our 37ft fifth wheel came with a 44 gallon tank as its ment for FHU. We have 4-6 gallon water jugs and pump the water into the main tank. Easier to move and store 6 gallon water tanks than 30-50 gallon tank.

[pianotuna]

Hi Gary,

dry shampoo is useable.

My Class C has two fresh water tanks--one under each bench seat. Is that space available to you? (I have a total of 66 us gallons).

If that were not enough I'd add two receivers on the front of the RV, build a "cage" and put an extra tank there.

[memtb]

Class C’s are already a bit top heavy.....not sure I’d want to raise the center of gravity any more! Do you have a “toad”, maybe a small pick-up truck.....throw the bladder in the bed of the truck. A 50 gallon bladder in the truck bed, would hardly be noticed! memtb

[garyhaupt]

I obviously miscalculated the weight..thanks for catching that.

The bladder is a pretty large, covering 36"L x 52"W x 9"H.



https://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=FDT-PW50

It's the 50 gallon pillow..because it is that much bigger..more roof space. I don't want 50 gallons. I My thinking is to spread the weight out over the roof..it's not like having 300lbs in one place..like a big man walking on it. I don't think it would shift a lot and the cross strapping with keep that down too..acting like a baffle, perhaps?

I no longer have a receiver hitch for a trailer or a carrier. And yes, I could put cans on the front bumper, but that becomes a bit of a permanent feature.

There is enough space inside for jerry cans yes...but on a 3 month drive and using the bladder just a couple of times...I don't want the cans just rattling around inside.

Before I go any further, I will in fact be talking to a couple places that specialize. Not the manufacturer...they no longer produce the C's and those that work there now have not a clue about the Regal from 1999.

Thanks for your thoughts....I invite them.

Gary