water or no water.....?

[joelbert]

I've been thinking about getting a trailer to put my RTT on and, so far, I've been focusing on trailers that have integrated water, water heating, faucets, etc. However, looking at my lifetime of camping and how I usually camp, I'm starting to think that maybe I should keep it simple and just get a trailer with no water features. It's rare that I camp someplace where there is no water. With a water filter, I can filter what I need. Water useage is also pretty low.

Pro's
- simple, less to go wrong
- much cheaper
- no fear of freezing/winterizing

Con's
- when you need it, really nice
- a hot shower would be really nice

Any thoughts from trailer owners (either those that don't have it or those that do)? regrets, comments, suggestions, lessons learned

 

[JPShooter]

I wrestled with the same questions, and in the end a hot shower won the argument.

But then the next question was how to best carry the water. If your tank is mounted to the trailer, then the trailer has to go to the refill site. If you're setup in camp and not going to be moving, and just need water now you have an issue. Pack it all up so you can move the trailer to the water source? Or perhaps transport jugs to and from the source and pour those into the trailers tank.

I opted for an ATV style spray unit with a 16 gallon tank that is mounted in the trailer. Comes with the 12v pump and hoses.

I'm currently using 5 gallon jugs that store in my truck forward of the truck box in the bed, pinning them tight to the front of the bed for security, and then my main water storage is mobile with the tow vehicle for fill ups. You may not have a truck as a tow vehicle, so that might change things.

I intend in the future to get a 50 gallon tank for the front of the truck bed and then just run a hose to the shower tank when I need to fill it from the truck. I feel that water in the tow vehicle is better weight distribution wise than water in the trailer.

 

[dstock]

I wrestled with the same questions, and in the end a hot shower won the argument.

But then the next question was how to best carry the water. If your tank is mounted to the trailer, then the trailer has to go to the refill site. If you're setup in camp and not going to be moving, and just need water now you have an issue. Pack it all up so you can move the trailer to the water source? Or perhaps transport jugs to and from the source and pour those into the trailers tank.

I opted for an ATV style spray unit with a 16 gallon tank that is mounted in the trailer. Comes with the 12v pump and hoses.

I'm currently using 5 gallon jugs that store in my truck forward of the truck box in the bed, pinning them tight to the front of the bed for security, and then my main water storage is mobile with the tow vehicle for fill ups. You may not have a truck as a tow vehicle, so that might change things.

I intend in the future to get a 50 gallon tank for the front of the truck bed and then just run a hose to the shower tank when I need to fill it from the truck. I feel that water in the tow vehicle is better weight distribution wise than water in the trailer.

50 gallons = 417 pounds!!

 

[JPShooter]

50 gallons = 417 pounds!!

Yeh, I know that's a lot of weight, but it's one of those things that you don't have to use all of the capacity all the time, just when you will be definitely needing it. And of course the load will only be heavy for a while!

The space I'll be putting it in can hold that volume, and will pretty much render the space useless for much else even if the tank is 35-40 gallons, so I figure I might as well have the tank capacity should it be needed.

Properly baffled and a partial load is not an issue.

If you want to stay in an arid region for an extended period there is not really much choice when it comes to water. Unless we can come up with the ever elusive de-hydrated water powder.

Like everything else, it's all about compromise.

 

[Semi-Hex]

If you're by yourself, you don't need much water. My woman and I like the expedition style of camping... out in the middle of nowhere, taking day trips and coming back to fresh cooked meals, easy clean up and simple showers. We can go nine days without a refill.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

I've also got a 16 gallon tank. It's actually nice to have for dishes, showers and such. I was surprised we used the shower much more then I expected and thought it may just of been a novelty, but we've camped in a few places where there was no showers, and while the others just didn't, we did, and I find it helps with personal comfort to sleep and be clean, or after being hammered in a downpour trying to keep your kit together, to be able to freshen up with a hot shower. It takes up about 10L per person per shower, so it's good for a weekend, if the people using it don't get greedy.... It's also really handy to have hot water on tap, so I don't have to fire up the burner to boil water to dishes and such. I do have 2x 20L jerry cans, so I use them for other stuff (until I get a 12v pump hooked up to the 16 gal) but also to make runs to fill up the main tank, but with them, it means I can carry up to 100L of water. It's currently a bit of a pain to fill, but when I get a 12v pump, I'll run some tubing so that not only will it pump water from the tank for use, but also grab water from the jerry cans to fill the main tank.

 

[joelbert]

Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about moving the trailer to refill since I know I certainly don't use that much water on my camping trips and I'm normally not able to break away for that long. A shower is certainly a nice to have especially after various scenarios (super hot out with no shade, hiking, etc). I'm leaning to no water and just a portable shower of some type.